X-FORCE #100 - March 2000

 

Dark Cathedral

Credits:  John Francis Moore (writer), Jim Cheung & Chris Renaud (pencilers), Mark Morales, John Czop, Scott Koblish, & Rich Perrotta (inkers), Marie Javins & Wilson Ramos (colors), Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

Summary:  X-Force is stunned to discover four iterations of Moonstar.  Meanwhile, Arcadia transforms into the Queen of the Star Swords.  The real Moonstar, bereft of powers, emerges from the crowd along with Proudstar and Risque.  The Queen takes the four Moonstars with her and creates a cathedral in the city.  Ulysses Dragonblood arrives that night and helps X-Force enter the cathedral, which they soon discover is a doorway into alternate realities.  Cannonball discerns that the four Moonstars emerged from four different Earths.  Eventually, Cable, Jennifer Kale, and Man-Thing arrive and help Moonstar defeat the Queen.  She then uses the power she absorbed to destroy the cathedral.

Continuity Notes:  

• The Sunspot and Siryn subplots continue, even though this is John Francis Moore’s final issue.  Sunspot spies on, and accidentally runs into, the girl whose body Julianna Sandoval now inhabits.  Siryn is possessed by her mystic necklace and flies out of her aunt’s house.
• After seeing a vision of an alternate reality X-Force that died under his leadership, Cable lets go of the team and encourages them to find their own identity.
• Moonstar emerges from the story without her cosmic powers, claiming that she’s back to mental projections and psychic arrows.
• Sunspot refers to the events of the New Mutants graphic novel (1982) as happening “five years ago.”

Review:  The final John Francis Moore/Jim Cheung issue, and I really wish I could say there was a  payoff to all of that Deviants/Eternals/Gatherers/Damocles Foundation stuff.  There isn’t.  The storyline ends with Arcadia going evil, revealing she’s from an alternate reality, and then retreating to that alternate reality off-panel after Moonstar kicks her butt with Cable’s psimitar.  Moore spent years setting up this storyline, occasionally to the point of tediousness, and I can’t imagine this is how he actually wanted to end it.  Regardless, it’s over, and while it doesn’t feel like much of a conclusion, there are still some nice anniversary issue moments.  The alternate reality scenes are a clever way to pay homage to the past of the book, going all the way back to the original New Mutants issues and extrapolating some strange worlds that could plausibly exist.  And not all of them are there just to play the dystopia card, as Moore treats one as a parody Ellis dimension in preparation for “Counter-X.”  It’s genuinely funny, and I’m glad Marvel allowed the scene to go through.  There’s also a cute exchange between Meltdown and Cable, mocking what a flop his “final” battle with Apocalypse turned out to be.

Trying to view this as a coherent story, though, it has numerous problems.  One major problem is Arcadia’s sudden turn into outright villainy; there’s some justification that plays off of previous stories about her fantasy life as a kid, but she remains a poorly defined villain.  And I’m still not sure what exactly Arcadia planned to do with the four alternate reality Moonstars, or why she chose those specific versions of Moonstar.  In addition, the issue already begins with too many characters to keep track of, but then keeps adding more as the story goes along.  Did Moonstar really need Ulysses Dragonblood, Cable, Jennifer Kale, and Man-Thing to defeat Arcadia?  What point do they truly serve?  Also, why was Risque brought back for this story?  She has a few lines of dialogue at the beginning and then drops out halfway through the issue.  And, bizarrely, Moore is continuing subplots he’ll never be able to finish.  Cutting away to Sunspot and Siryn during the already cramped main story serves no purpose, especially if these plots are never going to be resolved.  It’s also kind of annoying that Moore has to work in a quickie rationalization for Cable to once again distance himself from the team, just to set up that misguided “Counter-X” run.  

X-FORCE #99 - February 2000

Bad Company
Credits:  John Francis Moore (writer), Jim Cheung (penciler), Mark Morales (inker), Marie Javins (colors), Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

Summary:  The Demon Bear attacks San Francisco, and X-Force soon learns that Arcadia is its target.  She explains that the Bear has been stalking her since her last encounter with Moonstar.  Soon, the Bear swallows both Arcadia and Moonstar.  Inside the Bear, they see images of Moonstar’s horse Brightwind and Arcadia’s doll Mary Weather.  The doll explains that the Demon Bear was created when Arcadia absorbed Moonstar’s memories.  They must combine their reality-warping powers to unmake it.  After following the doll’s instructions, the Demon Bear disappears.  In the smoke, four versions of Moonstar emerge.

Continuity Notes: 

• Siryn is visiting her “aunt” (actually her mother’s cousin, according to the narrative captions) Victoria Donnely in Looking Glass, California.  In an antique shop, an elderly woman puts a necklace around Siryn’s neck and it begins to glow.  
• Sunspot, meanwhile, is adjusting to life in the Hellfire Club.  The story hints that his first love Juliana, recently resurrected by Selene, might actually have memories of him.
• While fighting the Demon Bear, two mystery figures in business suits (Mr. Wu, Miss Lloyd) spy on Meltdown.  Wu cryptically says that they “need a third.”
• Risque makes a sudden appearance during the Demon Bear fight to aid Proudstar.  Later, armed SHIELD agents arrive and target the Bear.  It reads as if both of these appearances are creations of Moonstar/Arcadia’s reality warping powers, but the next issue confirms that they're really there.

Review:  It’s John Francis Moore’s penultimate issue, and true to form, it’s crammed with subplots, narrative captions, and New Mutants references.  Evoking the Claremont/Sienkiewicz “Demon Bear Saga” is a dangerous move given its canonization over the years, but after months of teasing, Moore makes it clear that he’s not honestly trying to write a sequel to the original story.  Instead, it was just a tease, setting up the final stage of the Moonstar/Arcadia story.  Arcadia is of course tied in with the prolonged Deviants storyline that’s become something of a drag on the book, but Moore does a decent job this issue of making Arcadia interesting in her own right.  The flashbacks to her childhood (memories Moonstar now shares) are pretty effective in fleshing her out, and Cheung gets some mileage out of Arcadia’s living Raggedy Anne doll that conveniently tells the heroes what they need to do.  However, I have to say that the subplots seem more intriguing than the main story.  And with only one issue left, it’s hard to imagine that they’re going to be properly addressed before Moore’s departure.

X-FORCE #98 - January 2000

Temptation

Credits:  John Francis Moore and Jim Cheung (story and art), Mark Morales (inker), Marie Javins (colors), Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

Summary:  Sunspot wakes in a fantasy world, instantly recognizing it as the work of Selene.  Selene reveals that she’s forcing the rest of X-Force to live out their fears in the Hellfire Club’s Nightmare Chambers, while Moonstar is tortured by Blackheart in the Club’s basement.  Selene tries to recruit Sunspot into the Hellfire Club as her Black Rook, but he refuses.  After Sunspot reunites the team, and Moonstar is rescued by Hela, Selene makes her final offer: the resurrection of Sunspot’s deceased love, Juliana.  He reluctantly agrees to join Selene.  The rest of X-Force is freed, while Juliana’s soul emerges in the body of a recently deceased teenager.

Continuity Notes: 

·         Sunspot’s age is once again incorrectly listed as fifteen instead of thirteen when his powers emerged.

·         Selene’s motivation for enticing Sunspot into the Hellfire Club is to enact a final vengeance against his father, a former member she apparently disliked.  I don't recall the two of them feuding in an actual story.

·         Proudstar’s nightmare has him on his reservation moments before Stryfe’s attack, unable to warn them.  Cannonball is trapped in a coalmine with his father.  Jesse Bedlam is in a mental institution.  Meltdown is interrogated by the police regarding the death of Maurice “Tiger” Antonini.  This story confirms that she killed Tiger in self-defense during her days as a runaway, and that this is the “dark secret” she’s kept from the team.

·         Juliana goes on to live the life of the girl she’s overtaken and forgets her own identity.  This is the ironic twist that comes with Sunspot’s deal with the “Devil” (Blackheart).

·         The Hellfire guards during this era are actually demons wearing traditional Hellfire uniforms.

I Love the '90s:  During their fight with Hellfire guards, Jesse Bedlam remarks that he feels like he’s in the moshpit at Woodstock ’99.

Review:  Wow, forty issues have passed since X-Force #58, a forgettable issue that split up the cast and had each member live out a fantasy.  Now, they’re living out nightmares, with the exception of Sunspot, who’s still hung up on the idea of being a famous soccer player.  John Francis Moore/Jim Cheung is a stronger creative team than Jeph Loeb/Fill-in Guy, so this is at least more entertaining, although much of this issue also reads as filler.  The goal of the story is to get Sunspot in place as the new Black Rook of the Hellfire Club, but the impact of his decision is blunted by the amount of time spent on the numerous cast members.  Sunspot doesn’t get to make his choice until the next to last page, leaving his friends only a few panels to actually react to his decision. 

And this should be a big deal.  Sunspot’s been a member of the team for years, and his antipathy towards the Hellfire Club goes all the way back to his first appearance.  If you’re doing a story that has Sunspot leaving the team to join the Hellfire Club, this should be full-on classic mutant melodrama.  It’s great that Moore is actually using Sunspot’s often ignored past with the Hellfire Club in a story (Who even remembers it was Reese, Macon, and Cole who killed Sunspot’s girlfriend?), but Juliana is given such a small role in the issue her appearance has little impact.  It’s also nice to discover someone at least tried to use the All-New, All-Demonic Hellfire Club in a story outside of Chris Claremont, but again, this is too rushed to be truly engaging.  This is a story that didn’t need to kill a dozen pages with fantasy sequences, but did so anyway.

X-FORCE #95 - October 1999

Magnetic Distraction

Credits: John Francis Moore (story), Jim Cheung & Nelson DeCastro (art), Mark Morales/Rod Ramos/Rob Stull (inkers), Marie Javins (colors), Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

Summary: As X-Force tries to escape with the cybernetic brain Archie, Magneto arrives to block their exit. Moonstar’s new quantum powers are the team’s only advantage. When her powers short out, Cannonball is forced to call Jesse Bedlam, who’s waiting at a nearby power plant. Using his powers, Jesse creates a massive blackout, which enables the Magistrates to penetrate the capital. Magneto is forced to abandon X-Force, and with Quicksilver’s help, the team escapes. Archie is connected to a Life Model Decoy, and Cannonball is given another Memory Box. Absorbing the memories, he realizes his father and uncle might be guilty of murder.

Continuity Notes: Jesse Bedlam drops a vial of his pills near Domino. He’s forced to admit that he takes electro-neural inhibitors because his powers interfere with his brain chemistry.

Review: So, as it turns out, Peter Wisdom and his friend the sentient brain don’t serve any great purpose, although this storyline does inadvertently set up Wisdom’s role in X-Force’s upcoming relaunch. One disadvantage to John Francis Moore’s dense plotting is the occasional lack of gratifying payoff when a story’s concluded, which is what Wisdom’s story falls victim to. Moore does establish Archie as an old friend of Wisdom’s and gives them a reunion scene (and something of a happy ending for Archie) at the conclusion of the issue, but their story has been so rushed it’s hard to care. I get that Moore’s trying to make Archie more than just a plot device, but cramming his history with Wisdom into a couple of panels isn’t a very effective way of pulling the idea off.

Overall, though, this is still a decent arc. X-Force’s past with Magneto is acknowledged in a brief flashback, and although Moore’s writing Magneto as the villain Marvel wanted him to be during this era, he’s not as irrational and aggressive as he often appeared during these days. He’s actually able to maintain a conversation with X-Force and present his point of view somewhat reasonably. And Jim Cheung undeniably draws a great Magneto, so the fight scenes look fantastic. This has largely been a diversion from the big story Moore’s been building for months, but it’s entertaining in its own right and unlike some of the previous issues, doesn’t come across as flagrant time killer.

X-FORCE #94 - September 1999

Artifacts & Apocrypha

Credits: John Francis Moore (writer), Jim Cheung (penciler), Morales/Stull/Ramos/Koblish (inks), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: X-Force arrives in war-torn Genosha, at the request of Peter Wisdom. Cannonball demands Wisdom reveal the origin of the “memory box” Wisdom mailed him. Wisdom introduces X-Force to Delphi, a native Genoshan who captures memories in boxes. In exchange for a memory from each member, Delphi gives them a box that contains information they need for their mission. Wisdom reveals that he’s called the team to retrieve a crashed Black Air satellite named the Faraway. After a brief confrontation with Quicksilver, Wisdom leads X-Force to its location. He picks up a sentient brain, which triggers an alarm. Meanwhile in Brazil, Sunspot rescues Selene from two Deviants.

Continuity Notes:

· The remnants of the Genoshan magistrates are still fighting with the Mutates as the story opens.

· Wisdom tells X-Force that following Excalibur’s disbanding, he’s worked with former Black Air members to make amends for their previous actions. This issue also marks the debut of his infamous eye patch. According to Wisdom: “I lost this eye trying to stop a reactionary KGB cell in Siberia from unleashing a viral bomb the Reagan Administration developed.” A year later, Warren Ellis will reveal in X-Force that the eye patch was a scam Wisdom used to pick up women.

· The concept of sentient, disembodied brains (this one is named Archie) showed up earlier during John Francis Moore’s Factor X run.

· The memory box Wisdom mailed to Cannonball belongs to someone from his hometown. Cannonball sees himself as a child running from a fight between two superbeings.

· The memory Meltdown gives Delphi is when she first used her powers as a teenage runaway to stop a street punk named Tiger. What happened to Tiger is left vague; if Moore’s idea is that Meltdown killed him, it’s possible this is the “dark secret” from her life as a runaway she’s always kept hidden.

Review: How much plot did John Francis Moore manage to cram into this issue? I’d say around four issues. If you’re feeling generous, you might say five. In this issue, we’re introduced to Delphi and the memory box concept, reintroduced to Peter Wisdom, dumped into Genosha’s latest civil war, witness to a Quicksilver/Cannonball fight, discover a (somewhat) dark secret from Meltdown’s past, discover another bizarre secret from the past of Cannonball’s small town, and catch up with Sunspot, who’s deportation subplot has branched out to include Selene and (of course) the Deviants. Insert your own Brian Michael Bendis joke here.

If you don’t remember what comics were like in those faraway days known as the “eh-tees,” this could easily be viewed as too much for anyone to grasp in one issue. It isn’t of course; anyone with the reading level of a nine-year-old and the honest motivation to read shouldn’t be lost by Moore’s dense plotting. None of this is confusing, there’s just a lot of it.

There is an argument to made, however, that the compressed plotting doesn’t do Jim Cheung any favors, since much of his work in covered in balloons and captions. That’s understandable, although people like Jack Kirby had larger chunks of text thrown on top of their work, often to elucidate stories much simpler than this one. Someone might also argue that the Delphi and the memory box concept is a distraction from the main story, but I think it works very well here. Moore isn’t shortchanging the reader on concepts; he could’ve had Wisdom hand out manila file folders with the needed information, but instead he’s introduced a new character and an intriguing new concept into the mythos. I doubt anyone’s actually used the memory boxes since he left, but clearly there’s a lot of potential there. If this story had been published during a healthier period of X-titles’ history, I think the idea wouldn’t have sunk into obscurity so quickly.

X-FORCE #90 - May 1999

Armageddon Now Part Four - Rude Awakening

Credits: John Francis Moore (writer), Jim Cheung (penciler), Morales/Stull/Koblish/Mei (inks), Marie Javins (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Bedlam dons a psionic-amplifier to control the disoriented Armageddon Man. Siryn leads an attack against him, but is severely cut in the throat by Feral. Jesse betrays his brother and disrupts the psionic-amplifier, inadvertently freeing Armageddon Man. Bedlam escapes with most of the New Hellions, content with the catastrophe Armageddon Man will create. Tarot and Magma stay behind to aid X-Force, who manage to contain Armageddon Man once more. He’s handed over to the Senator, with the threat that X-Force is closely watching his next move. Later, at the hospital, the team discovers Siryn’s vocal chords have been severed.

Continuity Notes:

· Feral reveals that she was diagnosed with the Legacy Virus while in the Vault. She uses this to justify becoming even more hostile and violent.

· Tarot has been given new powers since her resurrection. She takes the form of Death, explaining that she can “not only project the imagery of the tarot arcane, but…can now assume their mantle.”

· Magma only stays behind to prevent the nuclear plant from melting down. She’s still adamant about not being a hero. Paradigm, however, returns to the site of the battle and makes peace with the team, claiming that he “learned much” from Moonstar’s journey through his psyche.

Review: Unfortunately, this turned out to be a poor use of four issues. The introduction of Bedlam does resolve one of the title’s mysteries, and some forgotten characters are added back into play, but there’s no escaping the fact that this is a story arc devoted to a vaguely defined villain using a ridiculously overpowered plot device for generic evil. Fine for one issue maybe, but devoting four months to this is beyond excessive. Plus, injuring Siryn in the final chapter feels like a tacked-on stab at making this arc more relevant than it truly was. Moore’s a good enough writer to actually generate decent material out of her injury, but we didn’t need issue after issue of Bedlam, the New Hellions, and the Armageddon Man to get to this point.

Making this storyline even more frustrating is the casual characterization shift for Magma, which is never explained, and the fuzzy resurrection of Tarot, which also remains a mystery. The most promising aspect of the story is the revelation that Feral has the Legacy Virus. Marvel never knew what to do with the Virus storyline, but if you think about it, Feral is the perfect character to be infected. As a not-very-heroic hero who went over to the dark side, her reaction to the infection could go in any direction. A writer could use this as an opportunity to humanize the psychopath, or push her further over the edge. Plus, she’s expendable enough to be a realistic candidate for a death scene, without being obscure enough for her death to be lumped in with throwaway characters like Infectia. Yet, we’re only a year or so away from the Legacy Virus’ quickie resolution, so nothing’s done with the idea. Instead, Feral’s left in the background and only dragged out when it’s time to depower/mutilate/kill a recognizable character. Speaking of which, have the Bedlam Brothers met similar fates in the modern Marvel Universe?

X-FORCE #88 - March 1999

Armageddon Now Part Two - Blood & Betrayal

Credits: John Francis Moore (writer), Jim Cheung (penciler), Mark Morales & Rob Stull (inks), Marie Javins (colors), Comicraft’s Dave Lanphear (letters)

Summary: X-Force is shocked to discover Feral as the final member of the New Hellions. Jesse’s brother, now calling himself King Bedlam, assures X-Force that the Hellions aren’t a threat. Domino seems to agree, so the team spends the night at Bedlam’s winery. Later, when X-Force discovers that Domino has been body-swapped with the Hellion Switch, they confront Bedlam. During the fight, Jesse refuses to side against his brother, allowing Paradigm to encase X-Force in his living circuitry. After Bedlam reveals his plot to awaken the Armageddon Man, a dangerous mutant kept in suspended animation by the military for decades, Jesse begins to question his decision.

Continuity Notes: Tarot makes it clear that she was in fact killed by Sentinels back in Uncanny X-Men #281. She naturally doesn’t reveal how she’s back to life, but implies that working with Bedlam is some karmic fate she must live out.

Production Note: The cover date reads March 1999, while the indicia lists this as the April 1999 issue.

Review: After teasing the readers for half of the issue by delaying the fight, we finally see X-Force vs. the New Hellions. And, because this is the middle chapter of the storyline, the heroes have to lose. Moore’s selection of Hellions works pretty well, as most of the characters have some history with at least a few members of X-Force. Feral is the member who’s already betrayed them, Magma is the former New Mutant who’s apparently the latest traitor (although her behavior is so odd, it seems inevitable that some mind control will be revealed later), Proudstar and Tarot are former Hellions, and of course Bedlam and Jesse are brothers. By delaying the fight, Moore has time to work in some of the conversations that the long-time fans want to see. Sunspot and Meltdown confront Feral for her previous betrayal, Cannonball questions Magma’s new personality, and Proudstar and Tarot reflect on their past as Moore drops cryptic hints about her revival. While King Bedlam himself comes across as a fairly generic mutant supremacist villain, there’s more than enough going on to distract from his blandness.

X-FORCE #87 - February 1999

Armageddon Now Part One - Family Matters

Credits: John Francis Moore (writer), Jim Cheung (penciler), Mark Morales (inker), Marie Javins (colors), Comicraft’s Dave Lanphear (letters)

Summary: Proudstar receives a message from Tarot warning him that the team will soon be betrayed. Later, Meltdown’s father visits, introducing his new wife and offering Meltdown a chance to join him as a member of the Triune Understanding. She angrily rejects him, and is insulted again when she realizes Sunspot followed her. As Moonstar tries to understand her new cosmic powers, Domino and Jesse Aaronson follow a lead on his missing brother. They discover Christopher Aaronson in Santa Lucia, California. He now leads the New Hellions -- Magma, Paradigm, Tarot, and Switch.

Continuity Notes: As Proudstar points out, Tarot should’ve been dead following the events of Uncanny X-Men #281-282. A flashback to five years ago reveals Tarot and Christopher Aaronson were once in a relationship. He rejected Emma Frost’s offer to join the Hellions at the time, using his powers to block her psychic influence. Christopher divulges that he was identified as a mutant at age six, but escaped government custody at thirteen, using his psionic disruption powers to drive his captors mad.

Meltdown’s father had a vague death scene in X-Force #49 (his trailer exploded). This issue establishes that he survived the explosion and later reevaluated his life, leading him to the Triune Understanding. The Triunes are a cult, allegedly inspired by Scientology, from the concurrent issues of Avengers.

Review: This begins the “Armageddon Now” storyline, which resolves the mystery of the missing Bedlam brother and introduces a new team of Hellions. I don’t think anyone’s surprised at this point that Moore wants to revive the Hellions, but they can serve a purpose outside of nostalgia. It’s not hard to cast them as a legitimate threat to X-Force, who don’t have enough opposing teams to fight, and Moore deserves some credit for acknowledging their horrid death scene and trying to do something with it. Plus, adding Magma to the roster is a nice “Wait a minute!” moment.

I also like the way Moore is integrating Christopher Aaronson into past X-continuity as a “behind-the-scenes” character. This can too often be a cheat, but the foundation of the Hellions is a vague area of backstory with plenty of room to fill, and his presence isn’t being done to undermine past continuity. Pairing him in a relationship with Tarot also humanizes her character a bit. The Hellions actually didn’t appear in too many comics during the New Mutants years, so many of them never moved past the cipher stage. I vaguely recall Tarot receiving some character work in the ‘80s, but it couldn’t have been an extensive amount. She feels like a better defined character this issue, and her connection to Jesse’s brother adds some intrigue to the storyline.

X-FORCE #86 - Late January 1999

Experimental Living

Credits: John Francis Moore (writer), Jim Cheung (penciler), Mark Morales, Rob Stull, & Harry Candelario (inks), Marie Javins (colors), Comicraft’s Emerson Miranda (letters)

Summary: X-Force follows Domino to Almost Reno, which is now a ghost town. They eventually find their telepathic friend Mary, who’s discovered another mutant companion, Zack. Agent Briggs and his agents return to kidnap Mary and Zack. X-Force stops them, shortly before Odysseus Indigo arrives. Indigo explains that the Aguilar Institute is a branch of the Damocles Foundation, a group determined to survive the future. Years earlier, the Damocles Foundation mixed mutant and Deviant DNA to give the infertile parents of Almost Reno children. With the exception of Mary and Zack, all of the children have died. X-Force refuses to turn over the two children to Indigo, who peacefully retreats.

Continuity Notes: Indigo says that he is the brother of the “traitor” Ulysses Dragonblood, the Deviant the team encountered in X-Force #84. Almost Reno first appeared in X-Force #77. This issue essentially confirms that Agent Briggs and his SHIELD agents, the villains of #77, are frauds. Apparently, they work for the Damocles Foundation. Zack resembles a gray Ben Grimm, which means he looks like one of those disposable New (or Young?) X-Men characters from the past few years. When he’s hurt in the battle, Moonstar uses her mysterious new powers to heal him.

Review: And here is the all-too-rare sequel to a fill-in issue. X-Force #77 had its moments, but it was heavy on the clichés and stereotypes. Moore corrects a few of those flaws this issue by establishing the generically corrupt SHIELD agents as frauds, and by revealing that nuclear testing didn’t create the child mutants -- it actually made their parents sterile. As a tie-in to the ongoing Damocles Foundation subplot, this isn’t that much of a stretch, so the past continuity works out quite well here.

It is a little odd that the members of X-Force are still exceedingly nasty towards the non-mutant residents of this small town, though. The town’s been kidnapped as a part of the Damocles Foundation’s experiments, and while Indigo promises that they’re okay, the team has no reason to believe him. When Cannonball questions if they should find the citizens, which include Mary’s mother, Domino responds that the town can burn for all she cares. Sheesh. Since she wasn’t even in issue #77, it’s hard to reason why she’s so hostile towards these people. Is she angry that the citizens agreed to genetic testing to cure their sterility? Is that so bad a crime? They just wanted babies. Anyway, aside from those odd bits of characterization, another decent issue.

X-FORCE #84 - December 1998

…By the Sword

Credits: John Francis Moore (plot), Jay Faerber (script), Jim Cheung (penciler), Ray McCarthy (inker), Marie Javins (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Argos’ fellow members of the Sword arrive to abduct Arcadia. Using her ability to shape reality, Arcadia senses Cannonball’s connection to X-Force and summons them to help in the fight. The team defeats the Sword, but objects to Arcadia’s attempts to kill their captives. When Moonstar grabs her arm, Arcadia briefly transforms her into what appears to be a cosmic form. Ulysses sedates Arcadia, and explains that their opponents are a group of Deviants who want to use her as a weapon.

Continuity Notes: The members of Sword consist of Argos, Stranglehold, Zone, and Pyre. They claim that Ulysses was once a member of the Sword. According to Ulysses, they’re working for someone named Indigo.

Review: It’s another issue that slowly advances the Deviants plot, which is still several months away from any resolution. This ordinarily wouldn’t work, but Moore so far has been using the storyline as a setup for the action scenes, instead of merely having mystery characters make cryptic comments in dark rooms, and incorporating it into the team’s ongoing cast changes. This issue, Cannonball officially rejoins, after realizing that X-Force is more of a “family” to him than the X-Men could ever be. Like I’ve said before, it’s another excuse to turn the book into New Mutants II, but I’m okay with that. The villains the team faces don’t display much personality, but I do like Cheung’s designs, and the fight scene is choreographed well. Ulysses and Arcadia are better defined as characters, so they work as more than just faceless victims in the story. Arcadia is portrayed as quite a brat, potentially a murderous one, and the revelation that Ulysses is protecting the world from her and not the other way around adds another layer to their story. I seem to recall many complaints about the Deviants storyline as it concluded, but so far it still seems to be working.

X-FORCE #83 - November 1998

Homefront

Credits: John Francis Moore (writer), Jim Cheung (penciler), Mark Morales & Rob Stull (inks), Marie Javins (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Cannonball visits his family in Kentucky and learns that his mother is suffering from a nerve disorder. Hoping to clear his head, he flies around their farm that night and discovers a young woman, Arcadia. He’s soon caught in a battle between Arcadia, her protector Ulysses, and a “hunter” named Argos. Ulysses warns Cannonball to leave, just as more hunters arrive. Meanwhile, X-Force discovers that Jesse is a runaway from the Mutant Underground Support Engine. Using their database, Jesse learned X-Force’s location and sought them out, looking for help finding his brother. The MUSE agents claim Jesse’s brother never existed, and is merely a figment of his childhood imagination.

Continuity Notes: The MUSE agents are identified as astronaut Lucas Wyndham, Dr. Derek Parsons, and Nicole Lomenzo. As an underground pro-mutant organization, they’ve catalogued extensive information on X-Force. Jesse recounts his origin, saying that his parents died in a car accident when he was a child, which led to social services separating him from his brother. Following the emergence of his mutant powers, he was experimented on by a doctor until Lucas Wyndham rescued him.

Jesse also lists his age as nineteen, which is one of the many age/date references worked into the issue. The opening narration says Cannonball was fifteen when he left home to join the New Mutants. Later, Cannonball remarks that he hasn’t been back to the coal mines in five years, implying his first appearance was five years ago, Marvel time. That’s reasonable, but MUSE’s claim that X-Force fought the X-Ternals in public “two summers ago” (X-Force #54) is a bit much. That’s practically real-time, which is a comics no-no.

Miscellaneous Note: The Statement of Ownership has the average monthly sales at 107,415 with the most recent issue selling 90,510 copies.

Review: Following Cannonball’s unceremonious departure from the X-Men, he’s free for John Francis Moore to move back into X-Force, the book that never portrayed him as a slow-witted buffoon. That’s good news for Cannonball fans, and it makes the book even more of a New Mutants nostalgia project, which I’m sure pleased Moore. Moore quickly displays a nice grasp of the character, dismissing his occasionally feeble performance as an X-Man (Cannonball was “uncomfortable” after leaving X-Force and never felt like he belonged), and paying off the quickie “Mom’s sick!” subplot that was used to write him out of X-Men. The exchange between Cannonball and his mother works well, and his extended monologue as he surveys their farmland (soon to be sold as the family moves to Lexington while his mom receives treatment) feels right. Actually, it feels like an old New Mutants issue, surprisingly enough.

In the background, Moore continues to gradually advance his Eternals subplot, while introducing MUSE and providing an origin for Jesse Bedlam. The revelation that Jesse’s brother isn’t real is a surprising twist, but we all know from the Age of Apocalypse that he does have a brother, so it actually works as a double-fakeout. Other spinoffs have tried stories like this and ended up in the ditch, but Moore seems to have a clear plan mapped out beforehand. The steady momentum and dense plotting in every issue of his run make it clear that he isn’t throwing any random idea against the wall, but instead has a specific destination in mind.

X-FORCE #82 - October 1998

The Gryphon Agenda

Credits: John Francis Moore (writer), Jim Cheung (penciler), Mark Morales (inker), Marie Javins (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: X-Force is shocked to discover a strange mutant, Jesse Aaronson, in their home. Jesse reveals that he made a deal with Domino to lead her to Ekatarina Gryaznova if she agreed to find his brother. While breaking into the Aguilar Institute, Domino was kidnapped and Jesse narrowly escaped. Jesse leads X-Force to the Aguilar Institute, where Domino is being tortured by Gryaznova. As X-Force battles the armored guards, Jesse rescues Domino and uses his power to short out the implant that’s hindered her agility. Gryaznova triggers the building’s self-destruct sequence, forcing the team to flee. Back in San Francisco, Domino agrees to rejoin the team, while Jesse crashes on the couch.

Continuity Notes: Ekatarina Gryaznova now goes by “Gryphon.” She reveals that she was working with Zero Tolerance as an undercover agent for the Aguilar Institute. Jesse “Bedlam” Aaronson first appeared as an Age of Apocalypse character in Factor X #1. He has the mutant ability to create a bio-electric field that can disrupt mechanical and electronic devices. He refuses to reveal how he knows so much about X-Force, but he’s very excited to meet them. Meanwhile, a mystery figure is looking for the “prodigal” Aaronson. Finally, a minor supporting cast member is introduced. Zeke Weaver, a pilot for DaCosta International, escorts the team in a private helicopter.

I Love the '90s: After visiting an old-timey movie theater, Moonstar says, “Forget Leo and Kate, nobody sizzles on screen like Bogart and Bacall.”

We Get Letters: Another letter writer complains about Locus’ race-swapping. The editorial response hints that there might be two different characters with the same name and powers. The previous response in the letter column was that Locus was merely trying out a new ‘do. I’m not sure which is more ridiculous.

Review: Most of the Age of Apocalypse characters made sloppy transitions into the mainstream universe, as either retroactive no-way-they’re-serious masterminds of Chris Claremont concepts or jobbers for X-Man, so it’s a relief to see at least one AoA mutant make an inconspicuous entrance. I’m sure more people would’ve cared about Jesse Bedlam’s mainstream introduction if it happened closer to the actual AoA event, but it’s still a nice continuity callback for the hardcore fans. For simplicity’s sake, it works to bring in the mainstream Marvel Universe Jesse Bedlam and just ignore the existence of an alternate reality version. Moore seems to be incorporating a lot of his old continuity into the book, as even the throwaway Zero Tolerance agent from one of his earlier arcs returns as a member of the mysterious Aguilar Institute. I like the sense that everything’s been leading up to a larger story, but when he starts to work in X-Men 2099 continuity in a few issues, it feels a little gratuitous.

This easily could’ve been a two-parter, but as usual, Moore’s plotting is remarkably dense, so we see the introduction of a new team member, an exploration of the new headquarters, a few character subplots, the reintroduction of an old villain, hints of a new villainous group, and the return of a previous member, all in the same issue. This book always has momentum going for it, which is something too many X-books never manage to develop. Aside from the new characters and locale, the issue also introduces Jim Cheung as the new artist. Cheung consistently produced solid work in Maverick, so it’s not a surprise the X-office has placed him on a higher profile book.

MAVERICK #12 - August 1998

Red Reign Part 3 - Mortal Coils

Credits: Jorge Gonzalez (writer), Jim Cheung & Leo Fernandez (pencilers), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Chris Eliopoulos & VC (letters), Kevin Somers (colors)

Summary: Inside Pushkin’s aircraft, Maverick and Red Guardian are discovered by Omega Red and Sickle. Turbulence throws the heroes off the plane, but they’re soon able to locate the AIM base Pushkin has targeted. While Red Guardian disables the chemical weapons, Maverick has a second confrontation with Sickle, but refuses to kill him. Red Guardian is caught by Hammer, who smashes his leg. Maverick sends Red Guardian away in an escape pod as the AIM base self-destructs. After fending off Omega Red, Maverick sneaks back onboard Pushkin’s plane and destroys the stolen missiles. Sickle strikes again, gouging Maverick’s left eye out and throwing him out of the plane. Maverick survives the fall, and uses his powers to cauterize his wound.

Continuity Notes: For some reason, it’s important the editors tell us this story takes place before Quicksilver #6. Chris and Elena make a brief appearance, as Elena lies comatose in the Bradleys’ home. The pain Maverick experiences at the end travels through their telepathic bond and forces Elena out of her coma.

“Huh?” Moment: Apparently, you can “permanently neutralize” chemical WMDs “forever” by pressing a button on a computer console that will deactivate their biological agents.

Review: I don’t remember people talking about the Maverick series when it was new, but I do recall some speculation that its cancellation was significant because it was the first X-spinoff to be cancelled due to low sales. (I guess the 99-cent Professor Xavier and the X-Men book didn’t count, as it wasn’t strictly in-continuity and a part of an entire line that folded.) An X-association was no longer enough keep a title afloat, and surely Marvel would learn a lesson from this and be more careful about exploiting the brand in the future. And that is exactly what happened, because unquestionably no X-titles have been cancelled since 1998. Readers just can’t get enough spinoffs about new teenage mutants, or solo books with popular characters like Rogue and Nightcrawler. That X-brand is still a healthy cash cow, here on Bizarro World.

I do feel a little bad for Maverick. I can’t say it’s been an exceptionally great book, but it’s tended to hold a higher level of quality than many of its spinoff brethren. Had it launched just a few years earlier, I could see it making it past the twenty-five issue mark quite easily. However, Maverick had the misfortune of being released in the summer of 1997, a solid year after the X-brand started to lose its shine as the overall industry continued to collapse. Maverick probably would’ve performed just as well as, say, Cable’s solo title, had it been released within a year of his first appearance. This was a Jim Lee character with mysterious ties to Wolverine! He shoots people and has a bad attitude, just like the Punisher! In 1993, that’s printing money. In 1997, you’re hoping that the people who still remember/care about that stuff will give the book a shot.

And if someone actually wanted to see the original, tough-as-nails merc Maverick, the series didn’t exactly deliver. At this point, he’s mellowed out so much that he doesn’t even kill the assassin that’s obsessed with killing him, the one that helped to murder his mentor earlier in the series, and is in the process of stealing WMDs, when he has the chance. Maverick doesn’t want to be brought down to Sickle’s level, so he lets the guy live to terrorize and murder another day. Or just another hour, as Maverick has to face him again a few pages later, which ends with Sickle gauging his eye out. Sickle lost an eye to Maverick earlier in the series, so maybe this is a play on the old “eye for an eye” axiom, although it’s a little odd that Maverick loses his eye after he’s already decided to spare his opponent’s life. Maybe this was intended as a cynical message; a warning that doing the right thing could also have tragic consequences. The final pages are rather dark, as Maverick tends to his wounds while stranded in the frozen wilderness, so perhaps Gonzalez really was going for a totally downbeat ending. However, given the more traditional tone of the rest of the series, I wonder if the ending was originally intended as a cliffhanger that just became the closing after the pink slips went out.

I’m not sure why exactly Maverick was softened up for this series, but it’s one of the choices that could’ve led to the title’s demise. Maverick’s the guy who shot a flunkie seven times in the face in his first appearance for no compelling reason, outside of it making a nice quip after the goon told him he needed to go to Level Seven (“Seven, huh?” BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM). He’s not the type of character you put through a “true heroism” arc, unless there’s a skilled writer at the helm who can really pull it off. Nothing in this series leads me to believe Jorge Gonzalez is that man. His stories mostly make sense, his action sequences can be fun, and he tends to give Jim Cheung interesting things to draw, but he isn’t someone you turn to for intense character development. Gonzalez’s characterizations are just too flat to execute that kind of an arc, which leaves Maverick as a slightly dull superhero by the time the final issue arrives, rather than the cold-blooded mercenary with a dark sense of humor that Scott Lobdell and Jim Lee introduced to fans. If you wanted that Maverick, you were probably better off reading Joe Kelly’s Deadpool.

MAVERICK #10-#11, June-July 1998

Red Reign Part One - Cold Front!

Credits: Jorge Gonzalez (writer), Leo Fernandez (penciler), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Chris Eliopoulos & Virtual Calligraphy (letters), Kevin Somers (colors)

Summary: Maverick awakes in Russia, where Ivan the Terrible is waiting. While being escorted to a dungeon, Maverick escapes and steals a horse. He’s forced to surrender when Ivan threatens a young boy. Later, Ivan meets with AIM representatives and backs out of an arms deal. When they leave, Ivan sends Sickle and Hammer to follow the AIM agents. They’re joined by Ivan’s new hire, Omega Red.

Continuity Notes: The body of Etta Langstrom (the scientist who attempted to brainwash Maverick in issue #2) is in the dungeon. Ivan also breaks the fingers of one of his mistresses when she accidentally interrupts his conversation with Maverick.

Review: I don’t think you can blame Jim Cheung’s covers for Maverick’s short run. Most of them are strong attention-getters, with appropriately vivid colors, and this is one of my favorites. And what about Maverick’s daring horseback escape? It’s literally one page of the story. Gonzalez seems more interested in having Ivan strut around for a few pages and remind us of how evil he is. Maverick barely has anything to do, and the action scene he’s given is too brief to be effective. The Ivan vs. AIM subplot does have potential, though. I’ve always enjoyed villain vs. villain conflicts.

Perilous Choices

Credits: Jorge Gonzalez (writer), Leo Fernandez (penciler), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Chris Eliopoulos & Virtual Calligraphy (letters), Kevin Somers (colors)

Summary: Chris sneaks into Dr. Keller’s office, disguising himself with the energy that surrounds his electric powers. His powers snuff out while fighting the gang, however. Lying on the floor, Chris can no longer protect his identity.

Review: Two of the five pages in this backup are spent on recapping the previous chapter, making this even more flagrant filler. The story doesn’t even end here, which means it’s going to be stretched out into three issues. Leo Fernandez’s art is still clean and attractive, though, and I don’t mind him as a fill-in for Cheung.

Red Reign Part Two - Raising the Stakes

Credits: Jorge Gonzalez (writer), Jim Cheung (penciler), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Chris Eliopoulos & VC (letters), Kevin Somers (colors)

Summary: Maverick discovers his cellmate is the new Red Guardian, while Ivan unveils to Omega Red his plan to pin the robbery on Hydra. Maverick escapes when his powers flare up and returns to Ivan’s mansion to retrieve his gear. With the help of Ivan’s mistress, Maverick discovers Ivan’s plot to rob AIM of WMDs. Along with the Red Guardian, Maverick sneaks onboard Ivan’s plane.

Continuity Notes: Maverick says he knew the original Red Guardian, Alexi Shostakov, personally. The new Red Guardian claims to be an independent hero who wishes to inspire the disheartened people of Russia. While reading Ivan’s files, Maverick learns that Major Barrington was innocent of the charges made against him during Dr. Langston’s brainwashing.

Review: Maverick only has one issue left, so it’s time for a few plot threads to be resolved. In a quickie scene, the hero learns that his mentor Major Barrington was never involved with his evil ex-wife and he shouldn’t have questioned him earlier. Well, yes, Maverick. Allegations the villain makes about someone while brainwashing you probably aren’t true. This was a silly subplot in the first place, but letting it drag on for almost a year and then resolving it in a way that just reinforces how dumb the protagonist has been…that wasn’t the best way to go. Ignoring the ridiculous subplot, the main story makes decent progress. After a rather dull issue, the action is amped up this time, so Cheung is given some cool things to draw. I’m not sure why exactly a new Red Guardian is introduced, other than the fact that the story takes place in Russia, but Cheung also has a nice interpretation of the character.

Exposed

Credits: Jorge Gonzalez (writer), Leo Fernandez (penciler), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Chris Eliopoulos & VC (letters), Kevin Somers (colors)

Summary: Before the gang can learn Chris’ identity, they’re attacked by a groggy Dr. Keller. Chris’ powers return long enough for him to defeat the teens. After the gang is in custody, Chris apologizes to Dr. Keller.

Review: Three issues. This lugged along for three issues. A total of fifteen pages were wasted on Chris going to the doctor and stopping a teenage gang that happened to show up. And it took three months to get to the conclusion. Can you imagine if an annual backup was needlessly padded out and serialized over the course of several issues? That’s essentially what we have here. I realize the decision to cancel Maverick most likely came before these backups started, but surely this flagrant use of page-killer didn’t help sales.

MAVERICK#8-#9, April-May 1998

Fractured Lives

Credits: Jorge Gonzalez (writer), Jim Cheung & Leo Fernandez (pencilers), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Chris Eliopoulos & Virtual Calligraphy (letters), Kevin Somers (colors)

Summary: The Confessor breaks Sickle out of Canada’s “Ice Box” prison. In Florida, Maverick watches over Elena, who remains comatose. For her protection, Maverick’s kept her in Chris Bradley’s home. Maverick and Chris resolve their differences, and Isabel arrives with a new suit of armor. Maverick announces he has to travel overseas to take care of old business. Meanwhile in Russia, Ivan the Terrible sends the Confessor after Maverick.

Continuity Notes: Maverick reveals to Chris that his Legacy Virus infection has resurfaced. He suspects that his remission is caused by his psychic connection to Elena, which is severed now that she’s in a coma. His powers are now out of control, which means his hands melt anything they touch. The erratic powers have left both of his hands with third-degree burns. Before he leaves Florida, Maverick asks Chris to come up with a code name to use on their “chatterboxes” (which are basically cell phones). Chris comes up with “Bolt,” which sticks around until the character is killed off.

Review: This is mostly a “quiet” issue, and since character work isn’t Jorge Gonzalez’s strong suit, it’s quite dull. Maverick spends the issue at the Bradley’s suburban home, where he watches over Elena, recaps the past few issues, goes on a boat ride with Chris, recaps a few more plot points while spelling out the new status quo for his powers, and then decides to leave on a mysterious mission. I understand that Maverick’s connections to Chris and Isabel are supposed to ground him with the real world, but Gonzalez has never made any of the suburban material that interesting, and now it’s taking up the bulk of the issue. The continued focus on Maverick’s powers and the Legacy Virus is also getting tedious. And how exactly is a psychic rapport supposed to keep a terminal disease at bay? The rest of the story is dedicated to the Confessor breaking Sickle out of jail in the middle of a blizzard, which does alleviate some of the boredom. These are enjoyable action scenes capably rendered by Jim Cheung, who is still the highlight of the series.

The Wall

Credits: Jorge Gonzalez (writer), Jim Cheung (penciler), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Chris Eliopoulos & Virtual Calligraphy (letters), Kevin Somers (colors)

Summary: In Paris, Maverick asks his estranged friend Jean Luc Vivant if he knows of any connection between Major Barrington and the murders of Cell Six. Jean Luc angrily sends Maverick away. Later, he receives a message instructing him to travel to St. Augustine’s Church in Germany. Maverick arrives and is promptly ambushed by the Confessor. Before knocking him unconscious, Confessor reveals that Maverick’s parents and brother were Nazis.

Continuity Notes: Jean Luc Vivant hates Maverick because he blames him for his paralysis. Maverick says it was an accident.

I Love the ‘90s: The Bullpen Bulletins recounts James Cameron’s recent appearance on the Howard Stern Show, where he revealed his intentions to make a Spider-Man movie with Leonardo DiCaprio as the star.

Review: This is closer to what I would’ve expected from a Maverick solo series -- conspiracies, mystery characters from the past, and action scenes set in unusual locales. The dialogue is still pretty flat, and the narrative captions have a habit of just dumping blunt exposition that isn’t relevant to the story (this issue, it’s a dry recap of the history of the Berlin Wall), but the action scenes are energetic and Cheung is given some cool environments to draw. As for the Nazi revelation, this is pretty much The Most Predictable Thing You Can Do with a German character, isn’t it? Perhaps Gonzalez had some twist on the concept in the works, but the series is close to cancellation and the idea is never properly explored.

Easy Targets

Credits: Jorge Gonzalez (writer), Leo Fernandez (penciler), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Chris Eliopoulos & Virtual Calligraphy (letters), Kevin Somers (colors)

Summary: Chris visits Maverick’s friend, Dr. James Keeler, for a checkup. Chris leaves despondent, but returns to apologize for his sour attitude. Before entering, Chris notices a gang from his high school is raiding the doctor’s office.

Review: Hooray, Chris Bradley’s monotonous subplot pages are now relegated to their own back-up story. Since most of the main story is told as a flashback (with an appropriate ‘90s “hazy” coloring effect), I imagine these pages were shuffled to the back in order to retain the main story’s flow. Chris is still complaining about the things he always complains about, but now he’s placed in a potential action scenario. When he sees the teenage punks harassing the doctor from outside the window, he questions, “what do I do?” It’s the classic “hero in civilian identity has to use his powers to help an innocent” dilemma, and apparently Chris has never read a comic book before. As a child of the Chromium Age, perhaps he just kept his comics in mylar bags and never opened them. The proper response is to use your clothing as a partial mask, Chris, that way the bullies will magically be unable to recognize the rest of your face. Duh.

MAVERICK #6-#7, February-March 1998

Hunters

Credits: Jorge Gonzalez (writer), Jimmy Cheung & Leo Fernandez (pencilers), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Kevin Somers (colors), Chris Eliopoulos & Virtual Calligraphy (letters),

Summary: A friend volunteers to give Maverick and Chris medical exams. Chris walks in on Maverick’s exam and discovers the scars created by the Legacy Virus are gone. Chris is angry Maverick kept his remission a secret, but Maverick must leave after getting a call from his contact, Gregor. He soon learns Gregor has been placed in a trap by Sabretooth, who knows Elena is hunting him. After rescuing Gregor, Maverick follows the note left by Sabretooth and heads for the sewers. In the tunnels, he discovers Sabretooth and an unconscious Elena.

Continuity Notes: Chris Bradley is now referred to as “Brian,” the false identity given to him by Maverick. Maverick even calls him Brian during their private conversations, even though the recap page still lists his name as Chris Bradley.

Review: Elena’s vendetta against Sabretooth has never been too interesting for me, but Gonzalez does explore one angle that works in the opening of this issue. Because she’s a telepath, Elena can recall all of her memories. This allows her to dream of Sabretooth’s murder of her pregnant mother and her own c-section, and recall the details with absolute clarity. This truly is haunting, and it’s certainly a great opening for the issue. Unfortunately, what follows is pretty bland. Chris overreacts to Maverick keeping his remission a secret, while his technology dealer Isabel reminds him that her ex-husband will start a custody battle if she doesn’t cut ties with him. This is the drama this gruff, shadowy secret agent has to deal with -- teenage emotions and divorce issues? Maybe if Chris and Isabel were fleshed out more as characters I would actually care about these plots, but as it stands they don’t seem appropriate for the series. The art still carries a lot of this weight, and I’ll give the editor credit for finding a co-artist who meshes with Cheung. I can’t really tell where Cheung’s pages end and Fernandez’s begin, which is extremely rare for an issue with two artists.

Desperate Moments

Credits: Jorge Gonzalez (writer), Jim Cheung (penciler), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Kevin Somers (colors), Chris Eliopoulos & Virtual Calligraphy (letters),

Summary: Maverick battles Sabretooth, as he begins to suffer seizures and his powers go haywire. Elena regains consciousness and psychically attacks Sabretooth. When she discovers her mother amongst the memories of his victims, a psychic backlash is triggered. Maverick destroys the pipes and creates a flash flood, escaping with Elena. He soon discovers Elena is now in a coma. Meanwhile, Chris begins to lose control of his powers.

We Get Letters: The editorial response to rumors Maverick is close to cancellation: “If we ever find the guy who’s spreading these rumors around, we’re going to string him up! Maverick is here to stay…!” Maverick is cancelled with issue #12.

Review: It’s an issue-long fight scene, and Jim Cheung really gets the most out of it. The actual content of the fight is extremely shallow, though, as Jorge Gonzalez is still unable to give Maverick or any of his foes much in the way of personality. I remember Scott Lobdell giving Maverick some snappy, action movie quips in his early appearances, which might not be the most original take on a secret agent character, but at least he doesn’t just sit there on the page. Gonzalez’s Maverick has the charm and wit of a sack of potatoes, which has to be a partial reason why this series died at #12, while its contemporary Deadpool lasted for several years, buoyed by a vocal and devoted fanbase. Couldn’t Maverick say something slightly clever while fighting the villain, rather than dryly spelling out how each of his weapons work, or explaining how his powers are acting up? Gonzalez does get some decent material out of Elena, though. The trip through Sabretooth’s psyche, which recalls the glimpses of his childhood seen in the Sabretooth miniseries, is a nice scene. Revealing that Sabretooth has a mental gallery of all of his victims gives him another creepy touch, and using Elena to expose that uses her character wisely. Like the previous issues, there are some ideas that work quite well, but it’s hard to really care about a book with such an uninteresting protagonist.