THE PHOENIX RESURRECTION: GENESIS #1 – December 1995

Credits:  Ian Edginton & Dan Abnett (writers), Darick Robertson, Mark Pacella, Greg Luzniak, & Rob Haynes (pencilers), Tom Wegrzyn, Art Thibert, Larry Stucker, Bob Wiacek, Phillip Moy, & Bob Almond (inkers), Vickie Williams (letterer), Rob Alvord & Malibu (colors)

Summary:  An alien mothership marooned on Earth sends a probe into space, looking for a power source.  The weakened barrier between universes allows the probe to make contact with the Phoenix Force.  Inside the Marvel Universe, the X-Men meet with Banshee, who’s concerned about Gateway’s recent behavior.  He shows the team a painting made by Gateway, depicting the X-Men and Ultras surrounding the Phoenix.  While the team studies the painting, Gateway abruptly teleports them to the Ultraverse.  The X-Men witness the mothership shoot energy out into the cosmos, which soon seizes the Phoenix.  Prime suspects the X-Men are responsible for the strange event and picks a fight with them.  A wounded Phoenix falls to Earth and selects Prime as its new host.  Ultraforce arrives to defend their teammate Prime, unaware of the danger posed by the Phoenix.  Eventually, the Phoenix leaves Prime and searches for a new host.  While watching the battle on television, teenager Rose Autumn collapses.  Later, in New York, Amber Hunt of the Exiles is selected by Phoenix as its next host.

Continuity Notes:  

• The X-Men appearing this issue are Storm, Wolverine, Bishop, Beast, and Rogue.  Banshee and Jubilee are also teleported away by Gateway.
• As established in previous Marvel/Malibu crossovers, Marvel heroes “operate at reduced power in this reality” for reasons that aren’t explained here.
• The Phoenix is searching for a host in order “to survive, to mend, to heal.”  Phoenix is acting erratically due to “the great ship's stabbing probes.”
• The alien mothership is responsible for the creation of Ultras (the term for superheroes in the Ultraverse), as revealed in the Break-Thru miniseries.
• Rogue shouldn’t be a member of the team this point, unless the story is set before the “Age of Apocalypse.”  Given the looks of Storm, Wolverine, and Bishop (with the long hair), this story would have to take place a year before it was published.  Another continuity problem, however -- Wolverine didn’t rejoin the X-Men until right after the “Age of Apocalypse” event ended.  Wolverine and Rogue weren’t teammates simultaneously during this era until she reappeared during “Onslaught.”  By the time Rogue had rejoined, Storm, Wolverine, and Bishop all had new looks.

Production Note:  Inker Bob Almond’s name was accidentally left off the credits this issue.  He’s given credit in a later issue.

How Did This Get Published?:  That is not the Phoenix emblem on the top of the cover!

Review:  Let’s be frank…no one expects this miniseries to be any good, right?  It has everything going against it.  It’s a forced cross-continuity crossover, generated by higher-ups in order to sell hardcore Marvel fans on an unrelated superhero universe.  Someone’s decided to release the double-sized issues on a biweekly basis, ensuring that each chapter has enough pencilers and inkers to start their own softball league.  No one inside Marvel editorial seems to have the slightest interest in its events, and Marvel’s actual comics only acknowledge its existence by running ads for mail-order firms like American Comics, who are promoting variant cover exclusives.  

All that said, the first official is downright readable.  Not the highest compliment, I realize, but I have to confess that the story is not only coherent, but interesting enough to carry the reader on to the next issue.  There’s no creative experimentation with the form, which is to be expected, but it is a competently executed superhero comic that does what it set out to do -- have heroes from different universes meet and fight each other.  

I was dreading the use of the Phoenix, assuming that the creators would present a dumbed-down interpretation of the concept and just dump it into the story as a universe-melding plot device.  Edginton/Abnett actually stay pretty loyal to the original premise and develop internally logical justifications for its place in the story.  Apparently, this is a payoff to a storyline that’s been building in the Malibu books for a few months, with the barriers between universes weakening just as the Ultras learn the full origin behind their powers.  Now, the cosmic force responsible for creating the Ultras has encountered the Phoenix, driving the Phoenix to search for a new host, which naturally leads to a hero vs. hero fight scene.  That’s the most boring aspect of the issue; thankfully Edginton/Abnett keep the fight relatively short, then move on to some character interaction scenes and a moral debate over whether or not the heroes can justify killing the Phoenix’s host if it means sparing the Ultraverse.  Honestly, so far, this seems more coherent than any Phoenix story Marvel’s published in the past fifteen years or so.  The art is as inconsistent as I was expecting, but there are only a few drawings so freakishly “x-treme” that they distract from the story.  I’m skeptical if the rest of the event rises to the great heights of “readable,” but I have to admit that it’s off to a surprisingly decent start.

THE PHOENIX RESURRECTION #0 – March 1996

Red Shift

Credits:  Ian Edginton (writer), J. Royle, Paul Pelletier, C. Wojtkiewicz, Randy Green, B. Murray, & Rob Haynes (pencilers), P. Moy, S. Moncuse, Mark Farmer, Terry Austin, G. Martin (inkers), P. Owsley & V. Williams (letterers), Rob Alvord & Malibu (colors)

Summary:  Barriers between the Ultraverse and Marvel Universe weaken.  Prime spots Gateway in a crowd and is annoyed that he isn’t cheering with the rest of Prime’s fans.  When he flies over to confront Gateway, Prime discovers only a painting of the Phoenix in the dirt.  Night Man looks into a puddle and sees inside Damion Hellstrom’s home.  Whizzer of the Squadron Supreme contacts the Beast (when other heroes won’t answer) and discusses the rise in dimensional anomalies.  Mantra, in her civilian identity, is briefly visited by Gateway.  A member of the Exiles worries that she might again become the vessel for a cosmic force.  Rune falls through a dimensional rift and briefly stands outside of the X-Men’s mansion.  Ultraforce accidentally sends a villain into the Marvel Universe, where he briefly encounters Spider-Man and Thor.  

Continuity Notes:  

• This Malibu/Marvel crossover represents continuity circa late 1995, which means Spider-Man is Ben Reilly and Wolverine has bone claws -- but also a nose, since he hasn’t gone fully “feral” yet.  
• Due to previous attempts to incorporate Marvel characters into Malibu’s Ultraverse, Black Knight is a member of Ultraforce and the Exiles team has Juggernaut, Reaper, and Sienna Blaze as members.
• Based on a flashback in the Exiles chapter of this story, the Malibu miniseries Break-Thru has already teased the arrival of the Phoenix Force in the Ultraverse.

Review:  In 1995-1996, publishers were legally required to have a zero issue.  Don’t question it.  The Phoenix Resurrection #0 is a one-shot published after the conclusion of the miniseries.  It’s a reprint of a series of back-up teasers that ran in Malibu’s superhero comics for a month, followed by a new story starring Jubilee.  Five pages of new Jubilee content cost you $1.95 in the early days of 1996; surely this was the golden age of X-completist gouging.

I doubt you’ll find an Ultraverse fan today who looks back with any nostalgia on the Marvel crossover days.  Marvel seemed to have an attitude that teaming their heroes with the Ultraverse characters would somehow legitimize the Ultras, but Marvel fans never seemed to care and Malibu fans always resented the intrusion.  Had this stunt been pulled four years earlier, it’s possible that diehard Marvel Zombies would’ve bought the hype and embraced characters like Rune and Prime with open arms.  By 1996, everyone was just burned out on these stunts.  If the Ultraverse characters had any shot at all of surviving the Marvel takeover, they probably should’ve been incorporated into the actual Marvel Universe.  Running two superhero universes simultaneously has historically not ended well, with the younger universe always paying the price.  Ending the Ultraverse and giving three or four of the heroes their own titles in the Marvel Universe, and actually treating them as authentic heroes within the Marvel Universe, was probably the best bet for getting Marvel fans to pay attention.  That’s assuming that the higher-ups at Marvel really wanted the Malibu characters to succeed, of course.  For years, the fan press reported that Marvel bought Malibu for its computer coloring department.  Now, we know that Malibu was purchased mainly to prevent DC from buying the company and taking a larger percentage of the marketplace.  Supposedly, Marvel didn’t even discover Malibu had a full-time computer coloring department until after the deal was finalized.

It’s hard to judge any of these shorts as stories, since every one is a brief scene that teases the idea of the Marvel Universe and the Ultraverse colliding.  Some of these shorts are more fun than I was expecting.  The Night Man piece has him inadvertently gaining access to Hellstorm’s bedroom, while he’s entertaining a “silver-tongued devil.”  The Whizzer back-up is about as interesting as a dry “two worlds are colliding” exposition piece can be.  (And notice that the major companies still can’t let go of the Conflicting Continuities Converge concept.)  I do feel sorry for Siren, though, whoever she is.  She isn’t even the star of her own back-up; Whizzer takes her place, in a short that doesn’t feature any Ultraverse characters.  Some of the pieces are borderline incomprehensible, such as the Ultraforce back-up, but overall the shorts set up the Phoenix event rather painlessly.  The art is the mixed bag I would expect any mid-‘90s superhero jam comic to be, with Paul Pelletier and Mark Farmer turning in the strongest piece, while B. Murray delivers a job worthy of Extreme Studios.  (Is this the Brian Murray who worked on Supreme?)  The cover also exhibits some of Bryan Hitch’s strengths and weaknesses during this era.  It’s a dynamic drawing, and the figures are well-constructed.  Those faces, though…why do Wolverine and Prime both have freakishly deformed left eyes?!

Generation X - Red Shift

Credits:  Ian Edginton (plot), Dan Abnett (script), Robert Stotz (penciler), Steve Moncuse (inker), Edd fear (letterer), Moose Baumann (colorist)

Summary:  Jubilee reflects in her school’s terrarium, questioning why Gateway included her in the group of mutants sent to defend the Ultraverse.  She discovers an emblem shaped like the Phoenix and wonders if it has any significance.  Nearby, Gateway smiles.

Review:  So, in the same comic, we get the prologues and an epilogue, which makes the reading order slightly annoying for anyone following this event with the zero issue first.  Calling this a “story” is a bit generous, with the narrative only offering the vaguest hint that Jubilee’s found something that might be important someday.  It isn’t, of course, since the Ultraverse characters were dismissed by Marvel not long after this event concluded.  Also, including new material in a reprint special is always a questionable move in my opinion.  If there are any Jubilee completists out there today, hopefully you can find this in a quarter box somewhere.

X-FORCE & CABLE ‘97 - June 1997

The Last Valkyrie

Credits: John Francis Moore (writer), Rob Haynes (layouts), Casey Jones (penciler), Jason Martin & Jon Holdredge (inks), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters), Leann Clark (colors)

Summary: Brunnhilda arrives on Earth, revealing to Moonstar that the Valkyries have been captured. She’s taken back to Asgard by a Hellhound, leading Moonstar to call X-Force for help. They travel to Ungava Bay, Canada, where they walk through a hidden gate into Asgard. They’re attacked by Malekith, the Valkyries’ captor. Cable is taken prisoner and X-Force is forced to retreat. They learn that Malekith is keeping the Valkyries prisoner in Valhalla, where only Moonstar is allowed. Sunspot sneaks along with her, though, and is almost taken by Hela. Moonstar charges her psychic arrow with the life force Brunnhilda passed on to her on Earth and revives the Valkyries. Soon, with Cable’s help, she uses another psychic arrow to defeat Malekith. The Valkyries return X-Force to Earth, but Moonstar still refuses to join the team.

Continuity Notes: Like this year’s X-Men annual, this story takes place before the “Operation: Zero Tolerance” crossover. At this point, Cable is still living in the mansion with X-Force and Moonstar is working undercover with the MLF.

Review: I had no idea this comic existed until a commenter pointed it out to me. This is one of John Francis Moore’s early tributes to the New Mutants series, as virtually the entire story is an homage to the X-Men and New Mutants stories found in the Asgardian Wars trade paperback. Even though Cannonball wasn’t available for the story, Kindra, the dwarf with a crush on him from the original story, still has a cameo. Obviously, much of the appeal is nostalgia, and the novelty of seeing X-Force in one of the fantastical worlds of the Marvel Universe doesn’t hurt the story, either.

Unfortunately, a lot of this relies on the art to work, and as much as I enjoy Casey Jones’ work, much of the issue looks rushed. One of the reasons why the original Asgard storyline is so well regarded is due to Arthur Adams’ insanely detailed art (even if the printing of the original issues didn’t do the work justice). Here, Asgard’s scenery is detailed just enough to let the reader know where the story’s taking place, but there’s no real effort put into selling it. Story-wise, Moore crams a lot into thirty-nine pages, so much so I wonder if the idea would’ve worked better as an extended story arc in the regular series. A few thought balloons and dialogue exchanges provide some insight into how the cast is reacting to the events, but the focus is really on getting the story done by the issue’s end. Rushed as it feels at times, this is still a decent read, and an early indication of the direction Moore will take the series.

CABLE #47 - October 1997

Moving Target Part Three: Man to Man

Credits: James Robinson (writer), Rob Haynes (layouts), Scott Hanna (finished art), Comicraft (letters), Mike Thomas (colors)

Summary: Bastion reveals to Cable that he’s stolen Xavier’s Cerebro files, and will terminate the relatives of the mutants if Cable attacks him. More of Bastion’s soldiers attack, but Cable fights them off and is able to draw his gun on Bastion again. Cable telepathically overrides the soldiers’ armor defenses and erases their memory of the X-Men’s mansion. They wander aimlessly out of the mansion, while the strain of using his powers causes Cable to black out. Bastion tries to shoot Cable, but learns Cable’s gun is empty. Cable later explains to G. W. Bridge that Bastion disappeared after emptying the mansion.

Review: Cable’s OZT tie-in wraps up, and the final chapter shows a few signs of editorial intrusion. The dialogue suddenly becomes extremely stilted in places (“You have caused too many innocents such woe already with your persecution of mutantkind…”), and much of the exposition feels awkward. I know Robinson’s reputation as a writer has taken a hit recently, but this reminds me of the clunkiness that often showed up in comics edited by Mark Powers during this era. The plot feels like it’s been partially rewritten as well, as Bastion’s threat to track down mutant family members is just forgotten, and the villain just decides to leave at the end of the story. Who cares if Cable’s gun is out of bullets? Isn’t Bastion a literal machine obsessed with hunting mutants? Why wouldn’t he at least keep Cable captive, just as he kept the X-Men prisoner? It’s a disappointing ending, and the three issues dedicated to this story amount to essentially nothing.

Years later, Bastion’s origin is revealed in a Cable annual. I wonder if that story should’ve appeared during this arc instead. Rather than teasing Bastion’s origin past the point where anyone cared, the actual crossover could’ve revealed his secrets. Placing it in Cable would’ve reaffirmed the title’s place as an “important” book, and justified the three issues dedicated to the tie-in.

EXCALIBUR #-1 - July 1997

A True & Terrible Sacrifice

Credits: Ben Raab (writer), Rob Haynes & Casey Jones (pencilers), Nathan Massengill w/ Rob Haynes & Casey Jones (inkers), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Nightcrawler invites his girlfriend Jimaine Szardos to leave the circus with him. Her mother Margali doesn’t want Jimaine to go, claiming that she must first teach her of the Winding Way. Margali shows Jimaine an image of the Soul Sword, which invokes a brief appearance by Belasco. Later, circus aerialist Sabu asks Jimaine if he can take her place during Nightcrawler’s final performance. Margali uses the opportunity to arrange Sabu’s death during the performance. Margali disguises herself as Belasco and delivers a warning to Jimaine. When Jimaine learns of Sabu’s death, she agrees to stay behind to gain revenge on Belasco.

Continuity Notes: “Jimaine Szardos” will later change her name to Amanda Sefton while spying on Nightcrawler, who was believed to be her brother's killer. Nightcrawler was working at the circus shortly before he joined the X-Men, so he had to have returned at some point over the years.

Miscellaneous Note: The cover is an homage to UXM #111.

Review: Nightcrawler was probably the best candidate to star in a Flashback issue, although Amanda/Jimaine ends up with much of the spotlight. Warren Ellis got a lot of mileage out of Amanda Sefton and Margali, so I can understand why Ben Raab would want to keep the characters around. I don’t know where exactly Raab intended to go with this, and I’m not sure if it really adds anything to the Amanda/Margali relationship. We already know Margali’s dishonest and manipulative, so the only new reason for Amanda to hate her comes from the death of a minor character. Raab does handle the characterizations of Nightcrawler and Amanda well, though, so this doesn’t feel like total filler. It’s also nice to see the return of Rob Haynes and Casey Jones, who are dynamic enough to pull off a dialogue-heavy issue. Either artist would've been a capable replacement for Pacheco.

EXCALIBUR #106 - #107, February - March 1997

Previously…in Excalibur: Warren Ellis left and there were a couple of fill-ins.

A Portrait of the Artist

Credits: Ben Raab (writer), Randy Green, Casey Jones, Rob Haynes, & Aaron Lopresti (pencilers), Martin/Haynes/Ketcham/Pinnock/Simmons/Lopresti/Jones (inkers), Araine Lenshoek & Malibu (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Colossus receives a message from the Acolytes, who want him to join Exodus in rebuilding Avalon. He travels with Excalibur to the X-Men’s former Australian base, where the Acolytes are located. After intentionally setting off all of the security landmines, Colossus is locked in a room with Scanner and Unuscione. Colossus tries to convince them not to join Exodus. His words almost sway Scanner, but Unuscione forces her to leave. As Excalibur flies home, Peter Wisdom tries to comfort Colossus.

I Love the ‘90s: Colossus is listening to Prodigy’s “Firestarter” while painting a portrait of Meggan in the opening scene.

Review: Ben Raab’s run begins with this issue, and if I’m to believe the conventional wisdom of the internet, we’re in for a rough ride. Raab was a Marvel editor who began picking up freelance work during this time, and I believe this was his first regular assignment. To Raab’s credit, he has found work with DC and several independent publishers, so clearly he’s been able to convince more than just a few people at Marvel that he’s able to write. I can’t find anything particularly wrong with his work in this issue, aside from a few questionable uses of Moira and Peter Wisdom’s accents. In his first issue, Raab picks up on the idea that Colossus is supposed to be redeeming himself with Excalibur. There’s a nice scene that has him walking through a minefield in order to clear a path for the team, which uses his powers effectively and helps to establish his state of mind. Connecting Colossus’ shame over betraying the X-Men and Wisdom’s conflicted feelings about his black ops work is another interesting angle that could be explored. The Excalibur tradition of multiple artists per issue continues, as four pencilers and numerous inkers are brought in. Green, Jones, and Haynes all meld together fairly well, but Lopresti’s style is closer to Alan Davis or Terry Dodson, which creates an awkward transition at the end.

Focus

Credits: Ben Raab (writer), Salvador Larroca (penciler), Scott Koblish (inker), Kevin Tinsley & GCW (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Following Charles Xavier’s example, Nightcrawler reveals his plans to use Cerebro to locate British mutants. Meanwhile, Moira MacTaggert and Douglock research the Legacy Virus, as Brian Braddock and Meggan visit London. The public’s backlash against the Onslaught disaster, and the satanic attack on London, leads Braddock to renounce his role as Captain Britain. While shopping for an engagement ring for Meggan, Spiral appears, wearing the mark of the Crimson Dawn. She warns Braddock of a threat to his family, the Dragons of the Crimson Dawn.

Continuity Notes: It’s stated repeatedly in this issue that only telepaths can use Cerebro, even though non-telepaths have been shown using it in the past (various stories over the years have contradicted one another on this). My No-Prize explanation for this has always been that telepaths are just better at using it. Even though there are no telepaths on the team, Nightcrawler doesn’t explain how exactly he plans on using Cerebro.

Review: Raab was supposed to begin his run with Salvador Larroca but filled in an issue early, so this is the true beginning of his stint. I don’t know if titling this issue “Focus” was a joke or not, since it mainly consists of unconnected subplots and setups for future storylines. Raab, being an editor on the X-line, is understandably familiar with the status quo of the books, so we get references to Onslaught, the demonic attack in issue #100, Rory Campbell getting a prosthetic leg, and Psylocke’s makeover by the Crimson Dawn. He also revives a few forgotten storylines, such as Moira’s curiosity over X-Man’s genetic similarity to Cable, the hint that Cable could somehow cure the Legacy Virus (Douglock was also supposed to be a key for the cure, so I’m sure it’s not a coincidence he’s used in this scene), and Captain Britain and Meggan’s engagement. This is mostly setup, so it’s hard to offer much judgment, but Raab is able to make a fairly smooth transition into the book. I do have to point out that his British accents are often horrendous, and his characterization of Brian Braddock seems odd. Would he really renounce his role as Captain Britain, which he only regained a few weeks earlier, because of some snotty comments overheard on the street? It comes out of nowhere and doesn’t seem to fit the character at all.

EXCALIBUR #104 – December 1996

Buried Secret
Credits: John Acrudi (plot), James Felder (script), Bryan Hitch, Rob Haynes, & Scott Koblish (pencilers), Paul Neary, Scott Koblish, & Rick Ketchum (inkers), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering)

Summary: Following his dismantling and reconstruction, Douglock begins to dream of Doug Ramsey’s funeral. After Douglock interrupts a conversation between Kitty and Peter Wisdom, Wisdom interrogates him about his identity. Kitty is still convinced that Douglock is Doug Ramsey, but he denies it. Agitated, Douglock jumps out of the window to avoid the conversation. Kitty decides to take Wolfsbane and Douglock with her to investigate Doug Ramsey’s grave. Later, Muir Island is attacked by the Mutant Liberation Front, who want to steal Moira MacTaggert’s Legacy Virus research. MLF member Selby learns of the Xavier Protocols, which detail how to kill the X-Men. When Moonstar confronts Moira, she reveals her true identity. Meanwhile, Kitty phases inside Doug’s grave, and is shocked to discover his body.

Continuity Notes: Mutant Liberation Front member Selby debuts. His power is the ability to “intuit binary language”.

Review: This is the beginning of a filler run that’s bidding time until Ben Raab’s debut as writer. I believe this is the next to last issue of Excalibur I purchased, so don’t expect too many posts on this particular series in the future. I assume the goal of this storyline is to give Douglock a definitive origin, which is something the initial Phalanx storyline had already covered rather conclusively. Kitty’s sudden belief that Douglock is Doug Ramsey doesn’t really work, as previous stories have already shown her accepting the fact Doug is gone. There is some justification for the story’s impetus, as it’s pointed out that Douglock has been reconstructed after Black Air’s dissection and his personality is off, but it feels like a stretch. The dialogue reads like something out of the 70s, as most of the cast members have long inner monologues that recap their entire histories and their current character arcs. Nothing’s advanced, of course, but we’re treated to more pages of Colossus questioning his place in the world and Moira agonizing over her Legacy Virus infection. Most of the scripting is terribly awkward, creating gems like, “Dani! You were one of Xavier’s young pupils – his New Mutants. I can’t believe it…has the world gone mad?!” Bryan Hitch’s art rises this above the level of your average fill-in, but that’s all this issue has going for it.

EXCALIBUR #102 – October 1996

After the Bomb
Credits: Warren Ellis (writer), Casey Jones and Rob Haynes (pencilers), Jason Martin & Scott Koblish (inkers), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Ariane Lenshoek & Malibu (colors)

Summary: The members of Excalibur reflect on the loss of the heroes during the Onslaught battle. Meanwhile, Colossus, Wolfsbane, and Amanda Sefton search for Margali Szardos at her home. The house is empty, but her maniacal laugh is in the air. Outside of a pub, Peter Wisdom and Kitty Pryde are attacked by representatives of the White House, who warn them to stay out of America. They take the leader of the group to Muir Island, and ship him off with the mutant criminals that Alistaire Stuart is taking into custody. A note attached to him says that he should be shipped back to the American embassy in a box.

Continuity Notes: The name of Alistaire Stuart’s new government agency is called “The Department”. The mutant prisoners on Muir Island (apparently, there’s eleven, even though Spoor is the only one that’s appeared on-panel) are shipped to The Department, which now has authority over them.

Review: Like last issue, this is mostly dedicated to having the cast react to the Onslaught event. Last issue, they were depressed that Xavier had turned into Onslaught. Now, they’re depressed about the apparent death of the non-mutant heroes, the rising anti-mutant sentiment in America, and Xavier’s inevitable arrest. Ellis handles the emotions well enough, there’s just barely anything else going on. The action comes from Peter Wisdom and Kitty Pryde fighting non-descript government agents for almost a third of the issue, and while Ellis plays it for laughs, it’s still pretty dull. The idea that the White House itself would send agents overseas just to tell some dirty mutants to stay out of America doesn’t work for me, because the only time the government has been shown to go after mutants indiscriminately is when rogue agents have been in charge. The government only officially sends Sentinels or troops after mutants accused of crimes, based on my recollection. The only time the federal government itself goes after all mutants is in dark, alternate futures, so Ellis’ treatment of the American government here seems mistaken (it reminds me of Mark Millar having the non-registered heroes arrested in Civil War, before the actual registration bill was passed). Aside from this complaint, there’s some nice character work in this issue, but it mainly feels as if Ellis is marking time until his last issue.

EXCALIBUR #100 – August 1996

London’s Burning
Credits: Warren Ellis (writer), Casey Jones, Randy Green, & Rob Haynes (pencilers), Tom Simmons, Jason Martin, Rick Ketcham, & Rob Haynes (inkers), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Ariane Lenshoek & Jim Hoston and Malibu (colors)

Summary: Excalibur arrives in London, as the city riots under the demon’s influence. Outside of Black Air’s headquarters, Peter Wisdom spots Scratch running away. He demands that Nightcrawler drop him off so that he can take care of him. The rest of the team enters Black Air’s headquarters, where the agents are going mad. Wisdom and Scratch fight throughout London, and the battle doesn’t end until Lockheed burns Scratch with his fire-breath. Meanwhile, Amanda Sefton teleports on to Muir Island. She tells Moira MacTaggert that her mother, Margali Szardos, has taken a new body and used the Soul Sword to kill all of the magicians ahead of her on the Winding Way. Margali told her personally that there’s a devil under London and she’s going to control it. Amanda’s story is interrupted by the arrival of the X-Men, who inform Moira that Professor Xavier has gone insane. Moira takes them to a secret room Xavier kept under Muir Island. When they enter, a pre-recorded message from Xavier plays. He unveils the Xavier Protocols, which are detailed plans on how to kill any X-Man, should they go rogue. Included is a blueprint of an anti-psionic armor that should protect the wearer from Xavier’s powers.

Inside the Hellfire Club, Brian Braddock emerges in his Captain Britain uniform. The Black Queen, who has just killed the mad Black King, tells him that she’s immune to the demon’s influence because she’s a mutant. Captain Britain assumes she’s Mountjoy, but he’s attacked from behind by Scribe, who is actually the member overtaken by Mountjoy. Captain Britain uses his newly enhanced suit to defeat the Black Queen, leading Mountjoy to target him with mutant bullets. He evades the bullets and punches Mountjoy into unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, Excalibur faces techno-organic versions of the Brood, and the Red King, who is still in love with Margali. Nightcrawler defeats him in a sword fight, and soon discovers a comatose Margali, who is still connected to Douglock. Amanda Sefton teleports in, telling them that the demon under the city has to be contained. Amanda teleports with Wolfsbane under the city, where she uses her claws to sever the link between Douglock and the demon. Amanda then recreates the prison that caged the demon. Margali suddenly begins screaming and disappears. The team emerges and is saluted by the local authorities. Wisdom tells Nightcrawler that he’s used his connections to make sure they get the credit for saving London.

Miscellaneous Note: The title of this issue is a Clash song (and apparently a UK TV show).

Continuity Notes: The X-Men scenes are supposed to be a continuation of Uncanny X-Men #335, but it doesn’t work. Cannonball didn’t leave with this group of X-Men to travel to Muir Island, and Moira is only now learning about Xavier, even though she was told by videophone in the UXM issue. Excalibur were also shown in the meeting with Moira in that issue, but here they’re in London fighting the Hellfire Club. Moira also doesn’t know anything about the Xavier Protocols here, even though she’s the one who brought them up in UXM. While I’m nitpicking, I’ll also point out that Psylocke’s facial tattoo is missing.

In the Xavier Protocols, Xavier claims that the enhanced healing factor that resulted from Wolverine losing his admantium skeleton means that attacks that were lethal “three years ago” wouldn’t work now. Three years ago is the amount of real time since Wolverine lost the adamantium, so it seems as if Ellis might be under the impression that these stories happen in real time.

Brian Braddock unveils a newly designed Captain Britain uniform. He claims that it’s his previous costume, and he’s spent weeks altering it. I’m not sure what exactly happened to the Captain Britain uniform after he was lost in the timestream and came back (in another outfit) as Britanic. The narration says that the suit now enhances his inherit powers rather than restricting them (a reference to an old Marvel UK storyline). Captain Britain uses the forcefield that surrounds his suit to attack the Black Queen, which seems to be a new use of it.

The mutant bullets Mountjoy fires at Captain Britain are the ones allegedly designed by his father years earlier (first mentioned in Ellis’ earliest Excalibur arc). I’m not sure if this issue is supposed to clear the senior Braddock or not. Mountjoy says that Captain Britain’s father resigned from the Hellfire Club after he found out his designs had been sold to Genosha, because he thought that his theories were only being applied “to a benign mutant detector for the government.” If this is supposed to present him in a more sympathetic light, it still doesn’t address the earlier revelation that the bullets were taken from the actual body of a dissected mutant.

Mountjoy reveals that he infiltrated the Hellfire Club in order to take control of their demon project. He could then rule the world, and keep humans in pens as food. The Black Queen (the still-unnamed British one, not Selene) is presumably his accomplice, and is immune to the demon’s influence because of her psychic powers.

Review: I’ve always liked big anniversary issues that have a lot going on. This one certainly fits that bill, as we have Excalibur attacking Black Air’s headquarters, the revival of Captain Britain at the Hellfire Club, Wisdom’s street fight with Scratch, the return of Amanda Sefton, and some crossover material thrown in. Ellis has a huge cast here, but he tries to give each character something to do, even if it’s just assigning them specific threats to take care of (Meggan uses her elemental powers to disrupt the Brood-Phalanx, Shadowcat debugs Douglock, Colossus takes on the crazed Black Air agents, etc.). There’s not a lot of room for each character to shine, but I like the fact that there’s an effort to make each cast member seem useful. It makes the team feel less generic, and gives you sense that there’s more than a little thought being put into the action.

After so many months of leisurely buildup, it’s odd to read an issue with such a dense plot. I can see why Amanda Sefton’s revelations about her mother couldn’t have happened until Margali was revealed as the Red Queen, and reviving the Captain Britain persona is a great fit for a hundredth anniversary issue, but I think Excalibur’s infiltration of Black Air and the Wisdom/Scratch fight could’ve taken up at least some of the previous issue. (Even with all of the various threads, the issue rarely feels rushed, leading me to believe that Ellis could’ve created another storyline while building up to #100 and fit it organically into the previous issues.) I suppose you could argue that the Wisdom/Scratch fight goes on for too long in this issue, but it’s fun to read and it serves as a nice contrast to the “end of the world” drama happening in the other scenes.

The Onslaught tie-in is relatively unobtrusive, as the crossover is just used as an excuse to have the X-Men visit Muir Island and pick up some information. The previous issue implicated Onslaught in the Hellfire Club’s plan, but this issue thankfully ignores his role and just finishes the story. The Xavier Protocols scenes could’ve been a dull intrusion, but Ellis actually gives the scenes some emotional weight, as the X-Men realize that their mentor has spent a lot of time figuring out ways to kill them. The scene doesn’t offer any real judgment of Xavier for creating the files (and, considering how often heroes are mind-controlled, he had a reasonable justification for doing this), but instead just gives the X-Men a purely emotional reaction. Ellis also does an admirable job with Nightcrawler’s scene with Margali, when he realizes that his foster mother is responsible for what’s happened. It’s brief, but it works. Other moments, such as Brian’s return as Captain Britain, and Amanda’s repeated attempts to reach London and help the team, are memorable because Ellis' characterizations seem very real. The art also helps to sell the character’s emotions, along with the action. The pencils are split up amongst three artists and four inkers, but the art manages not to look like sloppy rush job. The final four pages aren’t as strong as the rest of the issue, which is a shame since that is the climax of the story, but it’s still a decent-looking issue.

CABLE #26 – December 1995

The Long Way Home

Credits: Jeph Loeb (writer), Rob Haynes & Randy Green (pencilers), John Lowe & Bud LaRosa (inkers), Mike Thomas & Malibu Hues (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

Summary

Genoshan rebels Philip Moreau and Jenny Ransome meet with the mysterious Essex, who has been providing them with weapons and classified documents. He tells them that they’re close to uncovering Genosha’s darkest secret, and that this will be their last meeting because he’ll likely be discovered soon. Nearby, Cable and Domino materialize after their trip through time. They’re attacked by the Magistrate’s drones, which leads them to wonder how they ended up in Genosha. They come across Philip and Jenny, who recognize Cable as an associate of the X-Men. Cable and Domino follow them to their underground base, where humans and Mutates are working together to overthrow the secret power behind Genosha. Suddenly, the base is raided by Genoshan Magistrates.

Continuity Note

Essex is the alias often used by Sinister, and unless there’s some upcoming twist I’ve forgotten about, it’s safe to assume that this is really supposed to be him. The implication that he’s afraid of the Sugar Man finding him out seems out of character to me, since Sinister never seemed worried about much of anything before. It’s implied that he’s responsible for somehow sending Cable and Domino to Genosha.

Review

This is the first part of a three-part Genosha storyline, and like most of the Jeph Loeb issues, I have no memory of this story whatsoever. It’s mainly a setup issue, using a lot of space to recap Genosha’s history and reintroduce Philip Moreau and Jenny Ransome. To Loeb’s credit, he does try to merge the old Genosha continuity with the new retcons that are cropping up by focusing on Philip and Jenny, two mostly forgotten characters who played a large role in the original Genosha storyline. There’s also some time spent on Cable and Domino’s relationship, but it’s nothing new (Domino’s worried about Cable, but Cable’s too grizzled to actually express his feelings). Nothing in the story stands out as truly bad, but you can’t say it’s that interesting either. Most of the issue is drawn by Rob Haynes, who has an abstract style that I like. He plays around with a lot of shadows, creating a mix of Rick Leonardi and Mike Mignola that looks pretty cool.

X-MAN #6- #9, August 1995 – November 1995

#6 (Loeb/Skroce/LaRosa/Thomas/Digitial Chamelon/Starkings/Comicraft) – Once again, we’re given a story about a powerful villain sending a flunky to find X-Man. This time, it’s Sugar Man sending Rex, instead of Apocalypse sending Domino. It ends predictably with more giant panels of X-Man’s powers erupting, while the villain survives to continue the hunt. The rest of the issue is spent on X-Man’s conversation with Madelyne Pryor, which mainly consists of the two of them acting confused and clueless, since Nate still thinks he’s in the AoA and Madelyne doesn’t know where she came from. Loeb does drop a few hints about Madelyne that have potential (she’s terrified of Sinister’s name, and X-Man accidentally creates a monster that looks like Havok when he enters her mind), but I don’t have a lot of faith in a satisfactory conclusion. Skroce’s art brings a lot of energy to the thin story, and he’s one of the few artists that can capture the freakiness of Sugar Man.

#7 (Loeb/Skroce/Hester/LaRosa/Ryan/Williams/Thomas/Digitial Chamelon/Starkings/Comicraft) – On the run from Rex, X-Man and Madelyne end up in Paris…as the story begins to disturbingly hint at a romance between the two. If you’re a new reader and know nothing about these characters, I guess this doesn’t stand out, since the story presents it as two desperate people drawing comfort from one another. But any long-time fan (and who else would care about the return of Madelyne Pryor?) knows that Madelyne’s a clone of Nate’s mother. So not only is Nate a teenage clone of an existing character, but he’s also got the hots for his mom? And the story doesn’t even hint at how freaky this is? What a way to launch a new character! Was Loeb actually going somewhere with this? The story’s main plot involves Selene discovering Madelyne in Paris and tempting her over to her side. It’s not much different from the plots of the previous issues, only now it’s Madelyne who’s the villain’s target. Selene is actually successful in this story and it’s not dragged out over several issues, so at least there’s some variation, I guess. Selene says that she knows Madelyne’s identity and the power she possesses, but I can’t think of any previous comics where the two met. Selene is a sorceress, so I guess it’s possible she learned through supernatural means, though.

#8 (Loeb/Rozum/Skroce/McDaniel/LaRosa/Miller/Russell/Pennington/Ryan/Thomas/Malibu’s Hues/Starkings/Comicraft) – And now we have an issue with a plotter, a scripter, two pencilers, five inkers, and an extra ghost letterer who’s replacing pages of scripted dialogue (also notice that Malibu’s Hues did color separations, so Marvel must’ve purchased Malibu Comics at this point). This issue’s plot involves X-Man taking a job on a luxury boat, as he tries to deal with Madelyne’s departure in the previous issue. He has wild mood swings and gets drunk for the first time, and then fights Rex for a few pages. The crazy mood swings come out of nowhere, leaving you with the impression that he’s truly mad and not just troubled. So now he’s an insane clone of an existing character who’s got a thing for his mother. Not only is the art rushed and unattractive, but the dialogue annoyingly switches between thought and word balloons, so Nate ends up spontaneously saying things like “I’ve spent too many hours thinking about my past” to a girl who just complimented him on his paint job. Dark Beast saves X-Man from Rex on the final page, which isn’t that bad of a cliffhanger, but it doesn’t compensate for such an aimless issue.

#9 (Loeb/Ostrander/Skroce/Haynes/LaRosa/Carani /Lowe/Hanna/Pennington/Thomas/Malibu’s Hues/Starkings/Comicraft) and (Ostrander/Weeks/Sienkiewicz/Becton/Malibu/Comicraft)– “Creative differences” surface as Jeph Loeb receives a “story idea” credit and is replaced by John Ostrander. Loeb said in a recent interview that he left the book because he disagreed with Bob Harras over the title’s direction, which shockingly implies that someone at Marvel thought that this title had a direction. Counting the backup story, this issue has a co-plotter, a writer, three pencilers, and six inkers. I’ll give it credit for not looking like a total mess like the previous issue. Rob Haynes draws most of this issue, turning in some nice-looking pages that remind me of Rick Leonardi’s work. The story consists of Dark Beast trying to draw X-Man over to his side (gasp!), X-Man getting angry at him and unleashing his powers in a two-page spread (shock!), and a few pages of Blaquesmith tailing X-Man. At the end of the story, Nate decides that he should go find the X-Men, which leads into this issue’s back-up story. The backup, featuring Blaquesmith “in his first solo adventure” has decent artwork by Lee Weeks and Bill Sienkiewicz, but a nonexistent plot. While on his way to warn Professor Xavier about X-Man’s arrival, Blaquesmith is attacked by a strange aircraft. Blaquesmith plays possum, gets one good shot in, and leaves. End of story. This title’s only nine issues old and it’s already forced to run pointless filler. Not exactly a positive sign of what’s to come.