X-MEN FOREVER 2 #16 - March 2011

Shall We Rise Again?

Credits:  Chris Claremont (writer), Ramon Rosanas (art) Tom Orzechowski & Lois Buhalis (letters)

Summary:  In the aftermath of their battle, the X-Men and Avengers regroup.  Thor takes the injured Nightcrawler with Mystique and Rogue to Muir Island, while Storm and Shadowcat reconcile.  Storm announces that she’s going to take Perfect Storm’s place as queen of Wakanda, after Masque alters her face to match Perfect Storm’s scar.  Ziggy Trask arrives with SHIELD and is fooled by Storm’s masquerade.  Meanwhile, Robyn Hanover overtakes Corsair’s plane and flies Nate to Mr. Sinister’s lair.  In Genosha, Havok’s funeral is held.  Shadowcat and Callisto stay behind to aid Storm, who plans Wakanda's peaceful union with Genosha.  Perfect Storm is given to the Genoshan authorities, who hope to deprogram her.  Cyclops and Jean reflect on what they’ve lost and face the future.

Continuity Notes:  

• Nightcrawler now speaks Runic, and is near death.  Moira MacTaggert says she’ll treat him on Muir Island with Dani Moonstar, who she hopes will do what’s needed to save Nightcrawler as a Valkyrie.  
• In a flashback to the day Cyclops and Havok leapt from a burning plane as children, Cyclops is incorrectly drawn with his ruby quartz glasses.  He didn’t need the glasses until after he fell and damaged the part of his brain that controls his power.

Review:  It’s the final issue of perhaps the strangest footnote in Chris Claremont’s history with the X-Men.  Ignoring the renumbering and arbitrary designation of some issues as specials or annuals, the series reached over forty issues, which actually isn’t so bad in today’s market.  Most X-spinoffs don’t survive so long, and certainly most out-of-continuity titles could never hope to reach forty issues.  From what I can gather, the ending of the series was ordered after Marvel reevaluated its cutoff sales point and gave numerous lower-level books the axe.  Marvel perhaps would’ve given the book another shot, a la Moon Knight, but I think its status as yet another X-spinoff and an alternate reality book caused internal interest to fade fairly quickly.

With one last issue to go, Claremont tries to strike a balance between emotional closure and actual plot resolutions.  He does a decent job, overall, as Polaris and Cyclops have their own moments to mourn Havok while the niggling details from the Genosha/Wakanda storyline are resolved.  Sabretooth is also given a chance to show that he’s truly a member of the team now, when he rejects Perfect Storm’s offer to jumpstart his powers and restore his hand and vision.  (Bizarrely, it turns out that “X-Tinction Agenda” perhaps had the keys to Burnout’s cure all along.  If this genetically-altered Storm can restart mutant powers, she could possibly counteract the effects of Burnout.  At the very least, she could restore Sabretooth’s healing factor, which could then potentially pave the way for a cure.)  Claremont’s joined by Ramon Rosanas, another fill-in artist I’m totally unfamiliar with.  Rosanas’ work is a peculiar mix of Euro-comics and manga, with early Stuart Immonen and John Cassaday thrown in.  Not every page is great, but overall he handles the acting very well.  His Cyclops is fantastic, and I like his interpretation of the Avengers as well.

Never one for a definitive conclusion, Claremont can’t go out with everything wrapped up in a tidy bow.  Nightcrawler is near-death, and part-Asgardian now, a plot that I see zero potential in, frankly.  Not that it will live on to annoy us, of course.  And Robyn Hanover finally makes her move, leaving Nate with a very uncertain future.  Claremont could’ve ended the series with this scene, but instead it’s tucked in the middle, leaving the final pages for a philosophical discussion between Cyclops and Jean.  I can understand why he wants to end the title with hope instead of fear, but the threat of Cyclops’ kid being taken by Sinister would’ve been a great cliffhanger to go out on.  

In retrospect, X-Men Forever is a peculiar beast.  The pre-release buzz was positive, and there is a brilliant premise behind the book.  It should’ve been able to climb past the bottom of the charts, but the title was never capable of rising above the level of any other modern-day X-spinoff.  Even though many fans were excited when the premise was announced, the book had a rough start during those early issues.  The book is clearly aimed at the type of fanbase that remembers the original Claremont days, and any fan that (yes) fanatical is sure to know which characters were actually members of the X-Men at the time.  Preview pages that casually dropped half the team and included two characters from Excalibur that “weren’t supposed to be there” caused the predictable internet outrage.  Even if you’re a more patient, composed reader, the continuity gaps between the “real” continuity and the Forever universe were never truly filled.  And by the time you get to tween Nate Summers, it’s obvious Claremont’s intentionally playing a game with the reader.  This kind of stunt might’ve worked with a more captive (and younger) audience, but readers today are much quicker to drop a title, especially one set in a “fake” reality anyway. Also not helping matters was the $3.99 cover price, a dollar more than the standard Marvel book of the time.  

As the series progressed, the quality became erratic.  Artists came and went.  Some issues were densely plotted, others were quick breezes.  The cast began to bloat.  New plotlines were added each issue before old ones were resolved.  And everyone got a makeover, if they needed it or not.  Dropping the early ‘90s looks was a huge mistake, I feel.  Those costumes automatically evoke the age Claremont’s allegedly returning to, yet they’re dropped as soon as the cast is given a chance to take a shower and change clothes.  It’s a telling sign; regardless of how the book was marketed, it was never going to be a direct continuation of the original Claremont run.  Perhaps Claremont felt restrained by the outline he’d always given in interviews about what could’ve been in Uncanny X-Men, but he didn’t need to throw everything out.  The best moments of the series are the ones that feel connected to what came before -- and why shouldn’t they be?  There’s a great foundation here with numerous avenues to explore.  I don’t think anyone would begrudge Claremont for exploring some new ideas, but not at the expense of the core premise of the series.  If Marvel wanted to give Claremont room to do an alternate take on the X-Men, then it should’ve released a monthly What If…? starring the X-Men.  Not taking advantage of the original premise of the Uncanny X-Men you didn’t get to see was a colossal mistake, and the book never fully recovered.

X-MEN FOREVER 2 #15 - March 2011

The Price of Life -- is Death!

Credits:  Chris Claremont (writer), Andy Smith (pencils), Cory Hamscher (inks), Wilfredo Quintana (colors), Tom Orzechowski (letters)

Summary:  The X-Men face the Avengers and Perfect Storm in battle while Ghost Panther and ‘Ro secretly meet with Dr. Strange.  When Nightcrawler absorbs Thor’s powers, he’s overwhelmed and forced to unleash a massive lightning bolt that causes both sides to pause.  Cyclops uses the lull to explain to Captain America that Perfect Storm is working with the Consortium and was Wolverine’s killer.  Perfect Storm fires a lightning bolt at Cyclops, but Havok leaps to his brother’s defense.  Havok is killed by the blast.  Ghost Panther arrives, and with Polaris’ help, defeats Perfect Storm.  Ghost Panther unmasks, revealing that Dr. Strange has merged her spirit with ‘Ro, and is now Storm in her true body.

Continuity Notes:  Nightcrawler is colored with white temples after he absorbs Thor’s power and collapses.  The next issue makes clear that his hair is now supposed to be an inverse of Rogue’s.

Review:  With only one issue to go, the lengthy Storm storyline finally reaches a resolution, but not before Claremont makes one more attempt to turn this title into the new millennium’s What If…?  If Havok were the only established cast member killed off during the run of this title, I wouldn’t mind so much, but he’s easily the fifth character whose death is just thrown out there as casually as a rape reference in a Garth Ennis comic.  There’s no dramatic impact here, just a sense of “This again?” as another character bites the dust in a rushed, inert scene that ultimately adds nothing to the book.  Especially in this case; since there’s only one issue left, there’s certainly no chance that Havok’s death is going to be affecting anything in the future of a title that has none.  

Ignoring the gratuitous death, this is actually a decent resolution to the Perfect Storm arc.  The Avengers are rendered very well by Andy Smith (better than the X-Men, truthfully), and the earlier cameo by Dr. Strange finally makes sense.  It’s arguable that using Dr. Strange’s mystic powers to revert Storm to her true body is a copout, but Strange tends to get a pass when it comes to these things since he’s Dr. Strange and is well established in the Marvel Universe as the guy who can pull this kind of stunt off.  While it’s debatable if he’s really been as much of a “friend” to the X-Men as Storm claims here, it’s still fun to see Dr. Strange in an issue that also features the Avengers.  (The issue reminds me that while Claremont rarely explored the larger Marvel Universe while writing Uncanny, when he did, he made it a worthwhile effort.)  Emphasizing that the Avengers are chasing the X-Men not only to avenge Tony Stark, but also Perfect Storm’s husband the Black Panther, is also a nice way to tie together the previous events of the series so far.  I’m not naïve enough to believe that every other plotline in this title is going to have a gratifying conclusion, however, and I’m wondering now how exactly Claremont’s going to draw this erratic series to a close in just one issue.

X-MEN FOREVER 2 #14 - February 2011

Strange Days!

Credits:  Chris Claremont (writer), Andy Smith (pencils), Cory Hamscher (inks), Wilfredo Quintana (colors), Tom Orzechowski (letters)

Summary:  The X-Men defeat Perfect Storm’s private guard and confiscate their aircraft.  After sneaking into Wakanda, the team invades the palace while Ghost Panther takes ‘Ro on a secret mission.  Ziggy Trask is notified of the X-Men’s activity and sends in SHIELD.  Havok gains access to Perfect Storm’s encrypted data and sends it to Nick Fury at the mansion.  Fury warns the X-Men that another superhero team has arrived in Wakanda.  Soon, the Avengers enter.  Elsewhere in a secret location, Ghost Panther introduces ‘Ro to Dr. Strange.

Review:  The Evil Storm storyline draws that much closer to a conclusion as the team rallies and invades Wakanda.  It’s a pretty entertaining, fast-paced issue that has the X-Men beating up bad guys, breaking off into smaller units, sneaking around, almost having a victory, and then forced to face the Avengers in a double-page spread.  Andy Smith has come a long way from his ‘90s fill-ins on the X-titles, even if his faces are still occasionally odd, and he handles the action quite well.  Cory Hamscher’s inks are a bit tighter and neater than they normally are under Tom Grummett, which I suppose fits Smith’s art, even though I miss more of the McFarlane influence.  Looking back, this is one of the better action issues of the series.  It doesn’t feel as padded as many of the earlier fight scenes, and the stakes are actually much higher this time.  My only complaint would be Ghost Panther’s decision not to reveal her true identity to the X-Men, which doesn’t make any obvious sense.  She’s already revealed her identity to ‘Ro, and it’s not as if there’s anything to be gained from keeping the truth from her friends (I’m assuming they would like to know that Storm isn’t truly evil). It comes across as an arbitrary decision made to increase drama, one that doesn’t make sense within the context of the story.  Isn’t it cruel of Storm to let her two closest friends, Jean and Kitty, still believe that she’s a ruthless, murderous villain now?

X-MEN FOREVER 2 #13 - February 2011

I of the Storm

Credits:  Chris Claremont (writer), Robert Atkins (pencils), Rick Ketcham with Sandu Florea (inks), Wilfredo Quintana (colors), Dave Sharpe (letters)

Summary:  Ghost Panther charges ‘Ro with more electricity and unlocks her memories.  ‘Ro is taken back to the day the Genoshan army invaded Salem Center and kidnapped her and the New Mutants.  ‘Ro was taken by the Genegineer to be used as a Trojan horse against Cameron Hodge.  He created a clone of ‘Ro, designed to restore mutant powers.  The clone grew to adulthood faster than the Genegineer expected, but he was forced to use her in his plan.  With Pipeline’s help, the adult clone took ‘Ro’s place and restarted the powers of the X-Men in Cameron Hodge’s custody.  Pipeline was soon killed in the collapse of the Genoshan Citadel, however, leaving the digital file he created of ‘Ro to be later discovered by the Consortium.  Shortly after the Consortium took ‘Ro to New York, she escaped and discovered the X-Men.  Tony Stark soon discovered Storm’s life energy, and later as a tribute to his slain friend, created the Ghost Panther armor for Storm.  Today, following her defeat, Perfect Storm swears revenge.

Continuity Notes:  

• All of the flashback events are set during the “X-Tinction Agenda” crossover.  Storm was a child at the beginning of that crossover, which took place after Nanny kidnapped and de-aged her.
• ‘Ro doesn’t have her memories because they were lost when the Consortium attempted to open the digital file Pipeline created of her.  (Pipeline teleports by transforming people into digital files and uploading them in a new location.)  ‘Ro returned to her physical body while the energy form of Storm was released.
• Yet another member of the Trask family, Ingrid, appears in ‘Ro’s flashback as a Consortium member.  
• Ghost Panther explains that Perfect Storm (the adult clone of Storm created by the Genegineer) became evil after her mind touched the Shadow King’s while battling him on Muir Island.  Since the Genegineer had spliced the ability to absorb other mutants’ powers in her genome, “that fleeting contact somehow grafted a measure of his malevolence onto her.”

Review:  It’s the big info dump issue, which in any other title might be an annoyance, but here it’s almost a blessing.  I don’t doubt that Claremont had a plan in mind when he introduced Perfect Storm and ‘Ro in the early issues of this title, but given the history of his projects, the odds of the audience ever reading an actual explanation for this insanity was about 50/50.  It’s possible the impending cancellation of this title influenced Claremont’s decision to just put all the exposition out there at once, which isn’t his usual modus operandi, even if it is a welcome break from the title’s usual pattern of teasing ideas and then leaping on to a different plot before anyone’s really sure what just happened.  And for an issue clearly designed to please a continuity purist, it’s pretty effective.  I’m not sure why the Genegineer felt the need to create a clone of Storm in the first place, and it was never established at the time that Pipeline was killed when the Citadel fell, but these are fairly minor points.  Claremont himself didn’t use Pipeline during the rest of his stints on Uncanny X-Men or X-Men, so he’s playing fair on that account (even though I think Pipeline did appear later during Claremont’s Fantastic Four run, it isn’t canon in this reality).  And the motivation for creating a clone of Storm isn’t too hard to No-Prize out…looking back, it seems as if Claremont’s implying that the Genegineer created the clone to avoid altering Storm’s DNA, but that still doesn’t answer the fundamental question.  Regardless, the major questions regarding Perfect Storm and ‘Ro are answered this issue, the continuity lines up surprisingly well (especially considering some of the previous uses of continuity in this book), and overall it’s a treat for longtime fans.  As a kid, I never understood how exactly Storm was transformed back into adulthood during “The X-Tinction Agenda,” and now I have an overly elaborate explanation for what actually happened back in 1990.  I realize this is catering to what’s likely an extremely small faction of the readership, but it’s hard to complain about a comic you feel like is specifically made for you.

Now, if only we had an info dump issue to explain why Nathan’s a preteen now, where the rest of the X-Men went, what actually happened on the moon during X-Factor’s battle with Apocalypse, how the Muir Island Saga “really” ended…

X-MEN FOREVER 2 #12 - January 2011

Fire -- from the Sky!

Credits:  Chris Claremont (writer), Rodney Buchemi (pencils), Greg Adams (inks), Wilfredo Quintana (colors), Tom Orzechowski (letters)

Summary:  The X-Men fly to Genosha, while Ghost Panther patrols the streets of Hammer Bay.  At the UN, Everett Ross warns of Wakanda’s plans to annex Genosha.  Ghost Panther’s Hammer Bay base is attacked by Perfect Storm and her royal guard, who are searching for ‘Ro.  The X-Men arrive and join the fight.  During the battle, Ghost Panther unleashes a bolt of lightning that charges ‘Ro’s powers.  Perfect Storm is forced to retreat, but she swears she’ll return. Ghost Panther unmasks to reveal to ‘Ro her true identity - a living energy representation of Storm.

Continuity Notes:  

• The living energy incarnation of Storm has her ‘80s mohawk.
• Havok and Polaris have apparently joined the X-Men now.  With the addition of Mystique and Sabretooth, that leaves the lineup at around eleven characters.
• The opening scene’s narration claims that Archangel is from Chicago, which is a ridiculous continuity error.  It’s been established for decades now that Archangel was born and raised on Long Island.  Archangel is also keeping his true appearance in disguise even at his own business; not only is his flesh white but his wings are also concealed in the office.  Given that Archangel has been an “out” mutant since the ‘70s, this is nonsensical.
• ‘Ro is stunned to see Morlocks living with Ghost Panther in Genosha, even though she encountered the same characters last issue after waking up in Genosha.

Review:  Essentially, the entire issue is a build-up to that final page reveal, which unsurprisingly means we’re in for more filler.  And bad continuity, not just with Archangel’s Handbook entry but with the details of the previous issue as well.  There are a few good ideas in here, such as Archangel funding what Claremont calls a “revolution” in Genosha because he feels partially responsible for what his former friend Cameron Hodge did there, but the inconsistent pace of this title has gotten extremely annoying.  I’m assuming the pacing of this Genosha arc is particularly odd since the next issue has to be an issue-long origin story for ‘Ro and Perfect Storm, but as I’ve said before, Claremont has more than enough plates left spinning.  There’s no real reason for the pacing of this book to suddenly screech to a halt when the issue has plenty of room to check in on any number of open subplots.  I will say that this is Rodney Buchemi’s best issue so far, as he produces a pretty impressive fight scene with the three incarnations of Storm.  I’ve never known what exactly to make of Buchemi’s art; he’s never been bad per se, but his style usually seems too subdued for superhero fare and his faces could use some work.  In addition to the Storm(s) fight, he constructs a pretty dramatic splash page of the X-Men arriving in Genosha this issue, which gives some hint of his potential as an artist.  He’s still nowhere near Tom Grummett’s league, however, and it’s frustrating that someone closer to that caliber was never hired to replace him.

X-MEN FOREVER 2 #11 - January 2011

The Gathering Storm

Credits:  Chris Claremont (writer), Rodney Buchemi (pencils), Greg Adams (inks), Wilfredo Quintana (colors), Tom Orzechowski (letters)

Summary:  The Ghost Panther attacks the plane taking the captive ‘Ro from Japan to Wakanda.  ‘Ro awakens in the Genoshan underground.  Lockheed, who has secretly followed her the entire time, is there.  Callisto and the Ghost Panther explain to ‘Ro that’s she’s needed to stop Perfect Storm.  Meanwhile, the X-Men meet inside the Starjammer in Summers Cove.  Shadowcat reveals that she traveled to Japan to find Wolverine’s clone.  Using the Starjammer’s technology, Havok tracks ‘Ro to Genosha.

Continuity Notes:

• The narrative captions refer to Ghost Panther as a “he” -- which is a cheat given future revelations.
• Havok says that he’s still officially a Genoshan magistrate, which will enable the X-Men to search Genosha for ‘Ro.  Whether or not Havok and Polaris are supposed to be members of X-Factor in this reality is never clear.

Creative Differences: Apparently, the originally solicited cover for this issue was scrapped and used in issue #13.

Review:  The glacial pacing has returned, even though the title is only a few issues away from cancellation.  Almost half of the issue is devoted to getting ‘Ro from Japan to Genosha, all to learn that she’s to play an unrevealed role in the next issue.  The opening fight scene with Ghost Panther runs a little long, but that’s somewhat forgivable considering Claremont’s using this opportunity to sell the ruse that Ghost Panther is somehow a resurrected Black Panther.  But the pages wasted on ‘Ro being shackled for no reason by the Morlocks in Genosha, and then escaping and sneaking around their base, are inexcusable.  Ghost Panther, Callisto, and the Morlocks are on ‘Ro’s side.  That’s made clear in the opening scene, then repeated explicitly by Callisto after ‘Ro is “caught.”  There’s no reason for her to be shackled, other than to kill a few more pages before the issue’s over.

And the pages that aren’t devoted to ‘Ro consist of the various cast members talking about ‘Ro.  Numerous pages in the story are spent on Perfect Storm in Wakanda and the X-Men in Alaska discussing events we’ve already seen, developing theories, and then making plans for the future.  The most grating scene has Mariko condescendingly mocking Perfect Storm for losing ‘Ro, since Claremont has somehow decided that Mariko should now have the White Queen’s speech pattern.  Even if Claremont intended this to be a possessed, brainwashed, or evil doppelganger version of Mariko, this wouldn't be any less annoying, since the title has already seen so many “evil” versions of established characters suddenly appear.

The only genuine human interaction in the issue comes from Shadowcat’s revelation to the team that Sinister made a Wolverine clone, and even that seems needlessly melodramatic.  (Surely the X-Men are used to the concept of cloning by now.)  It’s not as if Claremont hasn’t already set up around eighty other plots in this title so far; maybe a few of them could’ve received this attention instead?

X-MEN FOREVER 2 #10 - December 2010

Friends -- No More!

Credits:  Chris Claremont (writer), Mike Grell (pencils), Nelson & Hennessy (inks), Veronica Gandini (colors), Tom Orzechowski (letters)

Summary:  Wolverine’s clone interrupts the meeting between Silver Samurai and Matsuo, and after he kills their guards he quickly turns his attention towards Shadowcat and ‘Ro.  Shadowcat uses her powers to escape, taking ‘Ro to a bullet train.  Wolverine tracks them but is pushed out of the train with Lockheed’s help.  Shadowcat and ‘Ro are arrested when the train stops and later bailed out by Mariko.  They soon learn, however, that Mariko is now the leader of the Consortium, and by extension, SHIELD.  Gambit and Jean Grey suddenly arrive to rescue their teammates, but during their fight, Mariko sneaks away with ‘Ro.  Via satellite, Matsuo offers a partnership to Perfect Storm, who’s persuaded when she discovers the Consortium now has ‘Ro.  Meanwhile in Genosha, Ghost Panther meets with Dr. Strange.

Continuity Notes:

• The recap page claims that the cloned Wolverine wants his adamantium claw “back” from Shadowcat.  I don’t recall this as his stated motivation in the previous issues, but he does mention it in the actual story this time.
• To escape Wolverine, Shadowcat uses her powers to somehow phase within the earth’s rotation and essentially teleport, the same stunt she used in Wolverine #125 that drove people nuts.
• Ziggy Trask blames the X-Men for the death of her mother…but wasn’t her mother watching over her in the hospital just a few issues ago?  Apparently, this was a misdirection.  Amelia, not Ziggy, was actually the female in the hospital bed and Mariko was the mystery woman watching over her.
• The Consortium have a power neutralizer that they use against the X-Men during their fight this issue.  How long it’s supposed to last isn’t established.

Review:  Yeah, I think the Wolverine clone has overstayed his welcome by now.  I can understand why Claremont would use him just to tease the idea that perhaps Wolverine isn’t dead, but that cliffhanger was several issues ago (and wasn’t very convincing anyway), so why is he still around?  His previous motivation was that as a dark copy of Wolverine he desired to kill anyone close to Logan, which is fine, but now he’s babbling about taking back that adamantium claw from Kitty's body -- how could he even do that, and what would he do with the claw even if he retrieved it?  The only real conflict he introduces into the story is Kitty’s angst over whether or not she can bring herself to kill the clone, assuming she's physically able in the first place, and that idea is barely touched upon during the issue.  I didn’t mind the diversion with Clonverine in the previous issue, but it’s clear now that the book has much more pressing issues to attend to.

As for the Yashida Clan/Hand/Consortium alliance…where is this coming from?  The idea actually does have promise, in the sense that it is fun when Claremont pulls from the various corners of X-canon, but the execution has been far too rushed to give the development any impact.  Getting the characters to this point so quickly requires the reader to ignore anything we know about Mariko, who was last seen pledging to break her family’s ties to organized crime and prove herself worthy to Wolverine.  In the space of a few pages, her family has sealed an alliance with the Hand, and apparently joined the Consortium on the same day, all based on her jealousy over Wolverine and Jean’s affair.  An affair that only consisted of one kiss on the beach, by the way, a kiss Mariko couldn’t reasonably know about.  (Also, Wolverine was more than friends with Tyger Tiger during the early issues of his solo series -- was Claremont plotting a jilted lover story with Mariko all the way back then?)  This isn’t the only problem with the plot development; how does joining the Consortium automatically give Mariko authority over Ziggy Trask?  Why is Ziggy already having inner monologues about her desire to overthrow Mariko?  Isn’t this something she would’ve had a say in before it happened?  How exactly is Mariko going to be taking over SHIELD?   Even if Claremont’s new interpretation of Mariko is an intentional feint, like “Evil Storm” from the earlier issues, that wouldn’t address all of the wonky plotting this issue.  After a run of entertaining issues that read smoothly and stayed true to the premise of the book, we’re now back to some of that rushed, muddled storytelling that marred the earlier issues of the title.

X-MEN FOREVER 2 #9 - December 2010

Blood Debt!

Credits:  Chris Claremont (writer), Mike Grell (pencils), Nelson (inks), Veronica Gandini (colors), Tom Orzechowski (letters)

Summary:  Shadowcat has a nightmare about Wolverine’s clone returning to Summers Cove and killing her friends.  Convinced the clone is still alive, she uses the Starjammer’s technology to track him down.  She discovers he sailed to Japan on a stolen fishing boat.  Shadowcat sneaks away in the Starjammer’s skimmer, unaware that ‘Ro and Lockheed are inside.  She travels to Japan to warn Mariko that she could be the clone’s next target.  Instead of finding Mariko, Shadowcat discovers the Silver Samurai forming an alliance with Matsuo of the Hand.  Meanwhile in the mansion, Mystique trains with Nightcrawler and Rogue, while Cyclops suffers a head injury while playing basketball with Daisy.  The injury unlocks his childhood memory of Robyn Hanover.

Continuity Notes:

• The recap page claims that Mr. Sinister is suffering from Burnout, which would seem to directly contradict information given in previous issues.
• Jean Grey is staying with Gambit, ‘Ro, and Lockheed in Alaska to be with Shadowcat while she recovers from her injuries.  The ending of the previous issue didn’t make clear that she would be a part of this group.
• Jean notices that Robyn Hanover has unusually strong mental barriers.
• Mike Grell draws Wolverine’s claws extremely off-model.  Instead of coming from his knuckles, they extract from his wrist.
• Mystique’s (extremely gaudy) new costume debuts.  She also has pupils now for some reason.
• Daisy refers to Sabretooth as “Victor,” indicating that Claremont has accepted the real name given the character after he left the title.

Review:  It’s hard to complain about getting Mike Grell as a fill-in artist, but that off-model Wolverine is difficult to overlook.  Although, looking at the cover of the next issue, I see that Tom Grummett is also drawing Wolverine’s claws extracting from the wrist, so who knows where this is originating from.  It’s a strange move to make (why change where Wolverine’s claws appear now after all these years?), almost as unfathomable as the decision to change Mystique’s classic costume into this bizarre gold-plated ‘70s stripper/Bond Girl ensemble.  And Mystique with pupils always looks wrong to me.  The movies might be able to get away with it (live actors with no pupils might be excessively creepy), but I can’t understand why anyone would think this is acceptable in the comics.  Those are all fanboy complaints based on the way I’m used to seeing things, of course, and not a comment on the actual quality of the art.  It’s a nice looking issue, although it takes a few pages to adjust to the fact that Grell’s style is based more on traditional illustration and not superhero art.

The story continues the ongoing Shadowcat plot, which is probably my least favorite storyline from this series.  Kitty’s actually written rather well for the majority of the issue, I’ve just yet to hit a moment in the story that convinces me that turning her into a partial clone of Wolverine is a good idea.  The potential romance between Gambit and Kitty is also touched upon, with Gambit now deciding that he can’t get involved with Kitty while she’s going through an identity crisis.  I’m not sure if there ever was a real point behind bringing them together, aside from Claremont just proving that he can because this is a new continuity, but I suppose this offers some insight into Claremont’s characterization of Gambit.  He’s certainly not Dirtbag Gambit, unless Claremont intends a major fakeout later.  Honestly, if this is the end of their flirting, I’m perfectly okay with that.  The story might initially seem needlessly decompressed, given that it opens with a six-page dream sequence, but the pace picks up admirably and Claremont packs enough into the issue to make it pretty satisfying.  Probably the weakest moment of the issue would be the quick check-in on the mansion, which brings us a ridiculous scene of Cyclops spontaneously remembering who Robyn Hanover is after getting fouled in basketball.  I really have no words for this.  It’s not ridiculous enough to affect my judgment of the entire issue, but it is one of the most awkwardly composed scenes during the entire run of this series.

X-MEN FOREVER 2 #8 - November 2010

You’re Supposed to be Dead!

Credits:  Chris Claremont (writer), Ron Lim (pencils), Cory Hamscher (inks), Wilfredo Quintana (colors), Tom Orzechowski (letters)

Summary:  With Gambit’s help, the Wolverine clone is defeated.  Sabretooth takes care of his own clone, dismembering its hand in the hopes that Moira will use the tissue to recreate his lost one.  Lockheed stops Hepzibah before she can harm Cyclops’ grandmother, and with Polaris’ guidance, Havok cuts off Malice’s choker.  Gambit reaches the airfield just as Scalphunter attacks Robyn and Nathan.  He rescues the duo and takes them back home.  Corsair launches the Starjammer for a final assault.  Jean uses her telekinesis to protect the X-Men and Starjammers from the massive cannon blast.  The Marauders are killed, although some life remains in the Wolverine clone.  Later, Shadowcat, Gambit, ‘Ro, and Lockheed announce they’re staying in Alaska with Nate.  Mr. Sinister, meanwhile, is pleased that Robyn has earned the Summers’ trust.

Continuity Notes:

• The recap page refers to Mr. Sinister as a “robot” Nathan uses.  It also makes the claim that Sinister has ties to the Consortium, which hasn’t been established in the actual comic at all.
• Shadowcat can now grow bone claws as her fingernails, much like Sabretooth in the X-Men movies.  Sabretooth also claims that the healing factor she absorbed from Wolverine is what enabled her to survive her wounds from the previous issue.
• Mystique steals Malice’s choker when no one is looking, saying it should be “delightful to play with.”
• Mr. Sinister claims that young Nate has the keys to the cure for mutant Burnout, which is presumably the explanation in X-Men Forever’s continuity for why he’s obsessed with Nate.
• Jean Grey cannot read Shadowcat’s mind, but Jean knows that she’s hiding something.  Shadowcat is keeping the existence of the Wolverine clone a secret, although Gambit and Sabretooth also saw him, so I’m not sure how that would work.

Creative Differences:  Rodney Buchemi was the original artist listed in the solicitations for this issue.

Review:  Yes, the X-Men/Starjammers/Marauders fight has now reached its third issue, although there’s enough running around and small character moments to keep things interesting.  Ron Lim also handles the action well for most of the issue, even though his art is getting fairly loose.  There are a couple of those Generic Lim Faces that sneak their way in, which I’ve always taken as a sign that the issue is a rush job.  Still, the story is executed competently, the dramatic moments seem appropriately dramatic, and Cory Hamscher’s inks give the issue that nice mix of polish and grit.

Thankfully, there are a couple of payoffs for the long-term fans, such as Polaris recognizing the choker that she once wore as Malice, and the three Summers men united in battle for (I believe) the first time in a Claremont story.  The elaborate method for having Robyn Hanover ingratiate herself within the Summers family is also well-played, making the conclusion feel like less of a copout.  It’s not a clear win for either the X-Men or Sinister, and the door’s open for more stories in the future.  I’m not exactly thrilled with the revelation that even little Nate now has a connection to Burnout, but the book established a while ago that it’s going to be using existing continuity to sell this storyline, so it’s something the reader has to accept going in.  Having Burnout become the secret reason behind Sinister’s interest in Summers’ DNA makes sense within the context of this series, and I guess it’s no worse than just keeping the resolution a mystery for several years for no real reason.

The major annoyance this issue is the next step in the Kitty-is-Wolverine plot.  I’ve yet to see the appeal of this storyline, and why on earth does Kitty now have bone claws when she already has one of Wolverine’s adamantium claws?  Everything about this plotline just reads like a dead-end.  Even more frustrating is knowing that Claremont could’ve used this space to finally resolve the Kitty/Courtney Ross/Sat-yr-9 storyline he began in Excalibur years ago but never resolved.