GENERATION X #49 - March 1999

Trophies

Credits: Jay Faerber (writer), Terry Dodson (penciler), Rachel Dodson (inker), Felix Serrano (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

Summary: While sledding with their newest member, Maggott, Generation X is ambushed by the prize hunter Slaughter. Slaughter restrains the team and leaves with his trophies -- Maggott’s slugs. Synch mimics Maggott’s power and creates his own slugs, which free the team from their bonds. They rescue Maggott’s slugs, but Slaughter escapes in a flash of light. Maggott turns down membership in the team in order to track down Slaughter. Meanwhile, Emma visits her older sister Adrienne. When Adrienne’s psychometric powers reveal the true nature of Emma’s school, she agrees to pay its debts. Later, Emma returns to the school with its new headmaster, Adrienne.

Continuity Notes: Synch is able to fly after copying Chamber’s powers, much to Chamber’s surprise. This is presumably a reference to the original Generation X preview special, which claimed that Chamber will one day don a specially-made harness and use his powers to fly.

Review: Maggott was written out of X-Men with a one-page scene that had the Beast suggesting he join Generation X. For approximately six months, fans wondered when exactly this was going to happen. With this issue, the dangling plot thread manages to be resolved, only for Maggott to be shipped off into obscurity twenty-two pages later. New writer Jay Faerber was apparently sympathetic enough to the fans to give them an answer, but as he admitted online, he absolutely hates this character. I guess Faerber is willing to be nice to the readers, but he isn’t going to be a doormat.

I wouldn’t say the issue makes it obvious that Faerber hates Maggott, but he does seem to view him as something of a cartoon. He exceeds Joe Kelly’s quotient for annoying South African slang in virtually every word balloon, for example, which may or not be an intentional joke. When he isn’t speaking in impenetrable catch phrases, Maggott does have a few funny lines (he wants to meet this headmistress that’s always walking around in her underwear), and he’s given a heroic motivation for leaving the team so soon. Then again, you’ve got to wonder why Banshee’s letting him go out on his own to find the villain instead of volunteering Gen X’s help, so maybe it is a little obvious that Faerber can’t wait to be rid of him. Meanwhile, the “Emma’s broke” subplot continues. Adrienne is apparently supposed to be Emma if she never reformed, so her addition to the cast has potential.