X-MEN/WILDC.A.T.S - THE DARK AGE - May 1998

Credits:  Warren Ellis (writer), Mat Broome w/Bret Booth (pencils), Sean Parsons (inks), Wendy Fouts & Wildstorm FX (colors), Comicraft’s Dave Lanphear (letters)

Summary:  In 2019, the surviving members of the X-Men and WildC.A.T.S are kept in concentration camps by the Daemonite/Sentinel hybrids.  Warblade removes his power-dampener in order to cut out the other heroes’ inhibitors, knowingly sacrificing his life.  Led by Lord Emp and Shadowcat, the heroes break into a Daemonite/Sentinel facility and free Phoenix, Cable, and Savant.  Merging their powers with Lord Emp’s, they execute their plan to travel into the past and prevent their teams from forming, which will stop the Daemonites and Sentinels from ever merging.  As they enter the timestream, Wolverine and Grifter arrive from Canada and bomb the facility.  Reality warps, then returns to normal in the present day.

Gimmicks:  A variant cover laid out by Michael Golden was also released, although the pencils and inks were provided by Richard Bennett, which probably didn’t thrill anyone expecting a Michael Golden cover.

Review:  Yet another take on “Days of Future Past,” which I suppose isn’t a surprise considering that every chapter so far has moved up and up the timeline.  Warren Ellis predictably wrings every drop of bleakness he can out of the concept, but while he’s an obvious choice to write a dark science fiction story set in the future, casting Mat Broome as artist is a questionable decision.  The previous chapters consistently featured the best artists working for Wildstorm during these days, which is a list Mat Broome (especially the Mat Broome of 1998) can’t compete with.  He seems to be going for a Travis Charest look on many pages, which unfortunately leads to needlessly elaborate layouts and pointless insert panels that ruin the flow of the page.  And while his designs for the alien/robotic technology are kind of impressive, his human figures are often too flat and awkward to be taken seriously.  And the bondage outfits he’s designed for the future X-Men, especially Wolverine, would make even Joel Schumacher roll his eyes.  

Ellis’ story covers much of the ground you expect these “Days of Future Past” sequel/parody/pastiches to go, right down to the team’s leader making a dramatic entrance in a wheelchair (previously it was Magneto, then Peter Wisdom, now WildC.A.T.S’s Lord Emp.)  Taking the Daemonites from WildC.A.T.S continuity and merging them with the Sentinels isn’t a bad idea, helping to make the story less obviously an X-Men story and adding a science fiction element that we haven’t really seen in any of the mutant dystopian futures yet.  Ellis also has a nice hook for the time travel element of the story, as Shadowcat explains that the Daemonites and Sentinels only exist because of the WildC.A.T.S and X-Men respectively, so the best way to ensure they never merge is to go back in time and prevent the teams from forming.  (Somehow, in the course of one page, the plan changes to prevent just one team from existing, and the WildC.A.T.S volunteer, but I think the concept is still interesting.)  Simultaneously, Wolverine and Grifter arrive, totally ignorant of what’s going on, and just blow up the Daemonite/Sentinel base.  Oops.  The ending makes little sense, but I guess the idea is that all of the previous X-Men/ WildC.A.T.S have been wiped from continuity.  That’s one way to end a series of crossovers that was never going to “count” in the first place.  

Overall, despite a few good ideas, The Dark Age is the weakest of the X-Men/ WildC.A.T.S books.  Aside from the disappointing art, the story wastes too much time gratuitously killing off established Wildstorm characters instead of fleshing out the main cast or actually exploring some of the time travel ideas introduced by the plot.  Alan Moore already did a “Days of Future Past” riff in the Spawn/ WildC.A.T.S miniseries that included quite a few superfluous death scenes for the Wildstorm heroes…I don’t need to see yet another gruesome slaughter of a character I barely recognize from 1995.  The cast also lacks any real diversity, as everyone does little more than snap and swear at each other, when they’re not busy bemoaning their wretched existence.  It gets old fast.  The previous chapters might’ve been thin reads, but I think they’re genuinely entertaining in a way this isn’t. 

GAMBIT #9 - October 1999

To Thine Own Self Be True

Credits: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Mat Broome (layouts), Anthony Williams (pencils), Parsons/Lanning/P. Palmiotti (inkers), Vasquez/Going (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Sabretooth agrees to take Gambit and Courier to Sinister’s headquarters, hoping that Sinister can heal him of his wounds. After entering Sinister’s lab, the trio is attacked by more Marauder clones. When the fighting stops, Sinister enters and agrees to revive Sabretooth’s healing factor and give Gambit a psi-scanner that will expose any imposters amongst the X-Men. In exchange, Gambit has Courier give Sinister one of his fingers. Later, after Courier’s re-grown his finger, Gambit has Courier kill the detached finger’s cells before Sinister can analyze them. Meanwhile, Fontanelle visits the Tithe Collector’s dreams, which are set in 1800’s London.

Continuity Notes:

· Sabretooth is near-death following the removal of his bones’ adamantium lacing. Sinister hints that the culprit is a threat to both him and the X-Men (it’s Apocalypse, of course).

· Gambit is ready to exchange the vial Sinister gave him in Uncanny X-Men #350 for his help. Sinister refuses, saying that the vial was “as much for the protection of humanity…as it was for yours.”

· Gambit theorizes that Sinister can’t create Sabretooth clones because of the damage the X-Men inflicted on his genetic laboratory in X-Men #34.

Review: The two-part divergence into the Shattering/Twelve crossovers concludes, and to Nicieza’s credit, he does manage to tie all of this into a tidy bow. We learn that Gambit stole Xavier’s files last issue to discover the source of his odd behavior, and in the process, learned that Xavier suspects an imposter has infiltrated the team. Gambit isn’t sure if Xavier is right, or if this paranoia is an indication that Xavier is dealing with serious issues…like the resurgence of Onslaught, for instance. As a “Shattering” tie-in, this works quite well, and it serves as yet another example of Nicieza using assorted X-continuity to his advantage.

Nicieza also has Gambit debate abandoning his mission and just destroying Sinister’s entire genetic laboratory while he has a chance, which Gambit feels is the only way his old friend Scalphunter will ever be able to rest in peace. It’s a brief scene that Nicieza doesn’t dwell on; he just throws the idea out there and uses it as yet another example of the ethical dilemmas Gambit always finds himself facing. To quote this issue’s narrative captions: “Remy is the poster-child for intrapersonal conflict. He’s tired of it.”

Even if Nicieza is able to get something out of the crossover material, this is still clearly a rush job. There are a lot of artists in this issue (and even two colorists), and the only pages that look halfway decent are the ones that actually look like Anthony Williams’ work. And even those pages resemble something Gary Frank might’ve rushed out in the late ‘90s. The book regains its unique style next issue when Steve Skroce returns, and we’re back to densely plotted one-issue stories with odd guest stars.

GAMBIT #8 - September 1999

Destined to Repeat It

Credits: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Mat Broome (penciler), Sean Parsons (inker), Joe Rosas/Gina Going/Matt Hicks (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: After stealing information from the X-Men concerning Xavier’s secret plan, Gambit travels to Millstone, Arizona, searching for Scalphunter. Later, the Courier arrives and forcibly sends Gambit to meet with New Son. He warns Gambit of Apocalypse’s coming attack before sending him back to his hotel room. Meanwhile, Gambit and Scalphunter’s mutual friend Claire de Luc leads the Marauder to Gambit’s room. Gambit wants Scalphunter to take him to Mr. Sinister, but he claims that he can’t. However, he does send Gambit and Courier on the path of the one Marauder who can help. In the Andes Mountains, they discover a frail Sabretooth, who’s being cared for by a cult that worships tigers.

Continuity Notes:

· The relationship between Gambit, Claire de Luc, and Scalphunter was first hinted at, very obliquely, in Uncanny X-Men #324. This issue confirms that Scalphunter is the mysterious “Grey Crow” mentioned in UXM #324.

· According to Scalphunter, none of the Marauders’ original bodies exists, save for Sabretooth’s.

· Fontanelle visits Gambit’s dreams and sees more visions of an alternate reality.

· This story ties in to the “Shattering” crossover, which had Xavier forcing the X-Men away from him so that he could investigate which team member was an imposter. This story claims that Xavier “fired” the X-Men, while the actual story in X-Men #92 had the team voluntarily leaving after growing tired of Xavier’s abrasive attitude.

Review: Hmmm…a cover that ruins the last page reveal, rushed fill-in art, not one but two unrelated crossovers barging into the main storyline…this isn’t Gambit’s finest hour. Nicieza still tries to get something out of this, using this loose crossover tie-in as an excuse to resolve one of those patented Vague Scott Lobdell Mysteries from UXM and finally reveal who or what “Grey Crow” was supposed to be. Since Gambit’s already been retconned into the Marauders’ past, I suppose revealing that he had a friendship with Scalphunter during his late teens isn’t that much of a stretch, and it does give Nicieza an opportunity to flesh Scalphunter out as a character, which is something no one had bothered to do before (the same goes for all of the Marauders, really.) What exactly this quest has to do with Gambit’s investigation into Xavier’s odd behavior isn’t clear at this point, but Nicieza’s plotting on this book has been extremely tight, so it’s very likely the next issue will have the answer. Overall, though, this issue suffers from too many diversions and some incredibly weak art, so the next installment will have to be a noticeable improvement in order to justify this crossover tangent.

X-MEN #76 - X-MEN #77, June 1998 - July 1998

X-Men #76

A Boykie and His Dinges

Credits: Joe Kelly (writer), Mat Broome (penciler), Sean Parson w/Aaron Sowd (inkers), Liquid! (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Maggott tells Wolverine a story from his past. In South Africa, Maggott lived in a crowded home with his large family. At the age of twelve, he was no longer able to digest food, causing his family excessive medical bills. Feeling that he was a burden, he drove into the desert, hoping to die. Magneto suddenly appeared and released the two slugs living inside Maggott’s body. Magneto explained to Maggott that he was a mutant and took him back home. There, he discovered that his older brother had been killed by Apartheid soldiers. Magneto took Maggott into the city, where his father was fighting Apartheid. Magneto murdered the soldiers, horrifying Maggott. Magneto left, telling Maggott that one day they’ll fight as brothers.

Continuity Notes: The “mysterious package from Africa” subplot continues, as Storm picks it up from the post office. When she opens it, a mystical statuette appears, telling her that she must come home and stop “Ananasi”. The next issue clarifies that the statuette is of Ainet, a “village priestess” who took Storm in as a teenager.

It’s finally confirmed that Maggott’s slugs act as his digestive system. They feed on matter, and then return the nourishment to him by somehow merging with the hole in his stomach.

Approved By The Comics Code Authority: Letterers are traditionally careful with the word “flick”, as it tends to look like another word when written in all caps. “Flick” is used as a sound effect on page two, and the letterer has made the brave decision not to space the L and I far apart, but to have them actually overlap.

Review: It’s strange to read an entire issue dedicated to Maggott while knowing that Marvel is just a few issues away from consigning him to obscurity. It’s a suitable enough origin story, although it’s another indication that Joe Kelly’s interpretation of Magneto is out of whack (even though he was clearly a villain pre-Claremont, I don’t think he was the type for a casual, cold-blooded slaughter until the ‘90s). While the story does explain Maggott’s connection to Magneto, it still doesn’t resolve the character’s original mystery, which had him searching for Magneto for unspecified reasons. I did find this a satisfactory resolution as a teen though, and thought that Maggott had some potential as a character. However, even then I found the character’s speech pattern annoying. In this issue, Kelly is particularly bad about cramming his dialogue with South African slang (which Kelly pulled from some website) that’s often impenetrable. Mat Broome shows up as guest artist, years after his early X-Force fill-ins. His work on X-Force has aged horribly, but most of his pages here aren’t so bad.

X-Men #77

Storm Front

Credits: Joe Kelly (writer), German Garcia (penciler), Art Thibert (inker), Liquid! (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Psylocke uses her shadow teleportation powers to take the X-Men to Africa, where Storm finds her old village empty. Ainet appears, possessed by the trickster god, Ananasi. As Storm attacks Ananasi, the rest of the X-Men disappear, emerging inside various fantasies. Psylocke manages to find Storm, telling her that Ananasi is actually a telepath and not a god. They enter the psionic plane together, where Psylocke is goaded by Ananasi into pushing her powers to their limits. Storm realizes that she was never the real target, but is unable to stop Psylocke from stabbing Ananasi with a psychic sword. A psionic event covers the earth, as Ananasi is exposed as the Shadow King.

Review: This is the first part of “Psi-War”, which I think was originally supposed to be a much larger event than it turned out to be. The story mainly consists of getting the X-Men to Africa, a few fantasy sequences, and the last page reveal of the Shadow King. It’s not exactly a shock that a story about Storm returning to Africa would have the Shadow King as the villain, especially after Psylocke reveals that Ananasi is actually a telepath mid-issue, but Kelly manages to get an enjoyable story out of this. He’s aided by German Garcia, who has a nice grasp of most of the cast and an impressive design for Ananasi. Kelly tries to shift the focus to Psylocke, as it becomes more obvious that the story is about telepaths, which is the first time a writer has tried to make some sort of statement about her character in a while. He goes the predictable route by having the Shadow King mock her identity issues, and her redundancy as the X-Men’s third-tier telepath. I think he crosses the line with too much meta-commentary (“You’ve been transmogrified and obliterated and possessed and killed so many times…you’re everyone’s plaything.”), but it’s nice to see someone using this as the starting point for a story and not an excuse to just dismiss the character.

X-FACTOR ANNUAL #9 – 1994

Contact

Credits: J. M. DeMatteis (writer), Matt Broome (penciler), Steve Moncuse & Terry Austin (inkers), Janice Chiang (letterer), Glynis Oliver (colorist)

Summary

Professor Xavier has a mental conversation with Haven. She tells him the story of her childhood, growing up privileged in India, sheltered from the poverty around her. Once she learned of other people’s suffering, she dedicated her life to helping the poor. She briefly lost track of her dream when she became involved with a strange man. Their short affair abruptly ended, reaffirming her commitment to her mission. Meanwhile, X-Factor is escorting a large canister, with Random along as hired help. The canister is revealed to Professor Power, who uses androids to free him and reunite his consciousness with his body. Professor Power blames Xavier for the death of his son, and wants to kill every mutant associated with Xavier so that he can feel the same pain. When he faces capture, Power uses the last of his energy and disappears. Haven continues to explain her motives to Xavier, but goes back into “oblivion” when he tries to probe her mind. In the “non-being”, Haven realizes that Xavier was able to reach the secret inside of her mind. Her affair left her pregnant, and the source of her powers, and the inner voice that guides her, is her fetus. The fetus is a conscious, powerful symbiote that will never be born. Realizing that Xavier poses the greatest threat to her cause, she reluctantly arranged for Professor Power’s release earlier that evening.

Continuity Notes

Professor Power previously appeared in Marvel Team-Up and Spectacular Spider-Man before finally showing up in an X-comic with this issue. Driven by his hatred of Xavier, Power’s consciousness inhabits the body of his dead mutant son. It’s not hard to figure out that he was created by J. M. DeMatteis.

This story takes place in-between the final pages of X-Factor #102.

I Love the ‘90s

Guido compares a hypothetical Hitler’s brain and Kennedy’s clone to “Shannon Doherty’s press agent”.

Commercial Break

There’s an ad for the kiddie film 3 Ninja Kick Back. I never actually watched any of the 3 Ninjas movies, but their mere existence angered me as a young teenager.

Review

It’s nice to read an annual that's more than just filler. DeMatteis, writing Haven for I believe the final time, finally establishes her origin. It was less than a year before her "mysterious origin" was resolved, which is admirable when you look at the other X-books of the era. The revelation that Haven was powered by symbiotic mutant fetus blew my mind as a kid, and it still stands out as bizarre. It’s Morrison-freaky years before Morrison came anywhere near the franchise. DeMatteis continues to focus on Haven’s sincere motives, and her reluctance to do what she thinks must be done. It’s a nice hook for a villain, and it’s a shame that she was just forgotten over the years (I vaguely remember her coming back in later X-Factor issues, but I purposely erased those memories years ago).

In order to introduce some action, DeMatteis revives his Professor Power character (who must’ve forgotten about his blood feud against Xavier over the years). I like the way the two storylines intersect at the end; after several pages of Haven expressing her admiration for Xavier and trying to win him over to her side, we see that she’s still willing to have him killed. I’ve mentioned before that Haven’s “burn the world in order to save it” philosophy is similar to Ra’s al Ghoul’s, and her admiration for Xavier in this issue reminds me of the relationship between Ra’s and Batman. You could view DeMatteis’ pairing of Haven with Xavier as a crass attempt to give his new character more cache, but I think that the two play off each other well, and their scenes together reinforce my belief that Haven had a lot of wasted potential. This issue also continually emphasizes the idea that Xavier is a deeply compassionate, caring man; an interpretation that I can’t reconcile with the more cynical take on the character we see today.

If anything holds this issue back, it’s Matt (or Mat?) Broome’s art. It’s not nearly as bad as his earlier X-Force fill-ins, but it’s still pretty awkward and crammed with That ‘90s Look. This is his last work for Marvel before going to Image. Terry Austin inks some of the pages, bringing up the quality a bit, reminding me of the work he did with another ‘90s guy, Brandon Peterson. Broome recently returned to comics with a totally different look, so I’ll give him credit for growing over the years.

Cleaning House
Credits: Matthew Friedman; Amy Meyer (Script), Kerry Gammill (Pencils), Hilary Barta (Inks), Ashley Posella (Colors), Richard Starkings (Letters)

Summary
Guido cleans up Madrox's room and reflects on the opportunities he had to help him in his final days.

Review
It's another story designed to sell the importance of Madrox's death. It's your typical annual back-up,and you've got to wonder why it took two people to write it. I like Gammill's art, and wish he had been used more often during this era. Why not have have Gammill draw the main story and give the new guy the short back-up?

X-FORCE #29 – December 1993

Toy Soldiers

Credits: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Matt Broome (penciler), Bud LaRosa (inker), Chris Eliopoulos (letterer), Marie Javins (colorist)

Summary

Shatterstar is kidnapped by Arcade, and must defend an innocent family from Mojo V’s soldiers. After defeating them, Arcade reveals to Shatterstar that he was hired by Mojo V’s “master programmer” Major Domo to ensure that he never returns to threaten them. Arcade decides to pit Shatterstar against another mutant he’s been hired to test, X-Treme. Meanwhile, Cable asks Tempo to stay with the team but she refuses. Warpath confronts Siryn about her drinking, Cannonball and Boomer go to Kentucky, and Domino agrees to join the team.

Continuity Note

Mojo V rules the future world Shatterstar comes from.

I Love the ‘90s

Tempo sarcastically suggests watching “Beavis and Butthead” (sic) with X-Force.

“Huh?” Moment

On page 29, Major Domo is revealed to be the mystery client…except he’s not anywhere on the page. Shatterstar has a dramatic response to a revelation that’s totally off-panel.

Review

This is mainly an attempt to develop Shatterstar as a character, and it does raise a few decent ideas. Shatterstar never had much of a personality and he existed, by his own admission, solely to fight. The early issues of X-Force treated this as a really cool personality trait, but Nicieza realized that it needed to be addressed once he began plotting the book. Rather than radically altering Shatterstar, Nicieza tries to use his one-dimensional attitude as a starting point to develop his character. Shatterstar now knows that he should find a cause to fight for, but he doesn’t know what that is. This could have been an interesting character arc, but Nicieza was forced off of the title before it could go anywhere. I can remember liking Shatterstar as a kid (although I might’ve lost interest in him by this point). I think I was mainly drawn in by his swords, and the fact that he had a mutant power that he never felt the need to use.

This is an action-heavy issue, and it’s not helped by Matt Broome’s poor artwork. It’s not as bad as his previous issues, but it’s still ugly to look at and the action scenes don’t really work. The off-panel revelation of Major Domo that I mentioned above is really sloppy and distracting. Broome’s art always seems to drag the coloring down as well, because the unfinished linework gives the colors a blurry look.

X-FORCE #27 – October 1993

Liberation through Subjugation

Credits: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Matt Broome (penciler), Bud Larosa (inker), Chris Eliopoulos (letterer), George Roussos (colorist)

Summary

The new Mutant Liberation Front kidnaps Henry Peter Gyrich from his home. Spying on Federal security systems, X-Force learns that neither X-Factor nor the X-Men will be sent to rescue Gyrich. X-Force uses Cable’s technology to track the genetic signatures of the MLF members they’ve already met to their base, an island in the Bermuda Triangle. After traveling to the island, Cannonball, Rictor, Sunspot, and Boomer are shocked to learn that former New Mutant Dani Moonstar is a member of the MLF. Meanwhile, Feral and Cable track Gyrich to his cage, and are attacked from behind by Reignfire.

Continuity Notes

The MLF’s island base used to belong to Magneto, and it temporarily served as the X-Men’s headquarters after Uncanny X-Men #150.

Review

This issue is an effort to develop the new MLF as the X-Force’s main adversary, which didn’t exactly pan out. A full half of the issue is devoted exclusively to the MLF, actually giving them more screen time than X-Force. The first third of the issue showcases the MLF on a mission, while later scenes have the characters interacting with one another and articulating their philosophy. Unlike the earlier issues of X-Force, there seems to be real thought put into the characterizations and the mission statement of the group. Continuing his efforts to connect this series to its past as New Mutants, Nicieza reintroduces former teammate Mirage as Moonstar. Having a former teammate on the opposing side automatically gives the new MLF a little more credibility, giving me the impression that Nicieza was serious about reforming the MLF’s image. Coming off the heels of Colossus’ defection, I can see why this probably angered a lot of long-time fans, but it does add a lot of drama to the title, and I think Nicieza got a lot of good material from the move. I remember liking this incarnation of the MLF as a kid, and I think the story holds up pretty well. The art, on the other hand, is dreadful. Everything in this issue is just a chore to look at, filled with awkward anatomy, ugly faces, and countless instances of the saliva strand syndrome. The backgrounds disappear often, undermining the whole idea of setting the story on a strange, exotic island with elaborate architecture. The coloring also looks murky and off-register for much of the issue. It’s a shame, because this is one of the few times the MLF actually seemed interesting.

X-FORCE #26 – September 1993

Shadows on the Rock

Credits: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Matt Broome (penciler), Bud Larosa and Scott Hanna (inks), Chris Eliopoulos (letters), George Roussos (colors)

Summary

The Professor uses future technology to repair Cable after Magneto’s attack. Cannonball and Sunspot go to Madripoor to tell Xian Coy Manh about Illyana’s death. Warpath reveals to Cable that Siryn has been secretly getting drunk. Tempo, Wildside, Reaper, and Forearm are broken out of jail by Reignfire, who wants to start a new Mutant Liberation Front.

“Huh?” Moment

Cable suddenly has a mustache on page four.

Review

Since the last issue of X-Force was a crossover issue, you can probably guess what type of issue this is. That’s right, it’s another talky issue with only one brief action scene. I barely remembered this issue, so I was surprised to see that it’s one of the best “quiet” issues from this era. It’s held back by some truly awful artwork, but Nicieza’s script works really well. I don’t like a lot of the chatty issues because none of the storylines get advanced, and most of the allegedly deep conversations between the characters aren’t that interesting. This issue manages to give the characters more personality and develop character arcs that will play out in future issues. Even though there’s not a lot of plot, the book doesn’t feel like it’s stalling.

What’s more impressive is the fact that Nicieza is building on elements from the title’s weak beginning. Cable actually feels guilty about recruiting emotionally damaged young mutants because they were easier to manipulate. Proudstar finally shows genuine emotion over his family’s death. Siryn turns to alcohol after being scarred by the Shadow King. Cannonball deals with outliving his friend Illyana, who will be the first of many if he’s truly immortal. Shatterstar is even interesting for the first time, as the question is asked, “does he even have emotions?” Nicieza’s able to take his original one-note personality and build an actual story out of it. Structurally, this issue is very similar to X-Force #5, an awful issue from early in the book’s run (both issues even end with a new version of an old team being formed to fight X-Force). In terms of art, they’re both extremely weak, but the plotting and characterization have greatly improved.