GAMBIT AND THE X-TERNALS #2 – April 1995

Where No External Has Gone Before!

Credits: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Tony Daniel (penciler), Conrad/Milgrom/Christian (inkers), Chris Eliopoulos (letterer), Marie Javins & Digital Chameleon (colors)

Summary

The X-Ternals appear inside the Shi’ar Imperium, along with Apocalypse’s prelate, Rictor. They’re drawn into a fight with the Imperial Guard, but manage to escape into a nearby forest. Rictor offers to help the Imperial Guard find the team. Inside the forest, the X-Ternals learn that the planet’s vegetation is actually sentient. Lila senses that the entire planet wanted the team to arrive there. They meet a former Shi’ar soldier named Jonath, who was banished to the farming planet after failing to prevent the murder of the previous emperor. He explains that D’Ken and his sister Deathbird took control of the Shi’ar Imperium after killing their father. When D’Ken discovered the M’Kraan Crystal, he used its power to kill Deathbird and their other sister, Lilandra. D’Ken didn’t realize that wielding the crystal’s power caused its energies to radiate out into the universe and to nullify sections of space. The Imperial Guard finally catch up to the X-Ternals, as reality begins to blink out of existence. A crystal wave begins to consume the planet, but the X-Ternals are teleported away by Deathbird and the Starjammers. Onboard their ship, the team watches footage of the planet turning into crystal on the Starjammers’ video screen. Deathbird explains that the M’Kraan Crystal wanted the team to witness the planet’s destruction. According to the Starjammers’ sensors, two lifeforms escaped the plant before it crystallized, but Deathbird isn’t interested in them. Gambit declares that if the task has fallen to them, the X-Ternals will save the universe.

Continuity Notes

Deathbird apparently didn’t die, despite Jonath’s claims. No one in this story points this out when she shows up, though. Jonath describes himself as half Shi’ar and half Mephisitoid. I have no idea if he’s supposed to be a blood relative of Mephisto, or if “Mephisitoid” is some other alien race that may or may not have a connection to Mephisto. Am I the only one who thinks that connecting Mephisto to the Shi’ar is a terrible idea?

Review

I guess when Marvel brought in the M’Kraan Crystal to justify Legion’s reconstruction of reality, it was inevitable that all of the Claremont/Cockrum space material would show up. I’ve never cared too much for the various outer space characters in the X-canon, so seeing D’Ken, the Imperial Guard, the Starjammers, etc. doesn’t automatically elicit much of a response from me. Nicieza crams them all together in this issue, and it reads like a bit of a mess. Daniel’s art isn’t as muddled and chaotic as the previous issue, but he still has a hard time handling so many characters. (Daniel left for Spawn right after this issue, which was probably a relief to him. Drawing a masked man with a giant cape sitting around a dark alley feeling sorry for himself had to be easier than this).

Aside from reintroducing a glut of characters, there’s also a decent chunk of exposition delivered here. The story Jonath tells isn’t that hard to follow, but really, who is Jonath, and why should we care? Nicieza attempts to give him a character arc that involves embracing the simple life of a farmer and leaving violence behind, but it’s buried underneath the massive amount of characters and story involved. The effort put into developing Jonath feels awkward and rushed, and I don’t see how his personal story really has anything to do with the main narrative involving the M’Kraan Crystal. Nicieza also tries to sell the idea that the X-Ternals are going to evolve from mutant thieves to world saviors, but all of the characters are so underdeveloped it’s hard to buy into their story either. This is definitely turning out to be one of the weak links in the AoA event.

FACTOR X #2 – April 1995

Abandoned Children

Credits: John Francis Moore (writer), Steve Epting (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Glynis Oliver (colorist)

Summary

Polaris has a vision of Magneto helping her fellow prisoners in the Pens escape to freedom. Cyclops and Havok meet with Apocalypse, who thinks that Cyclops could potentially replace Sinister as a Horseman. Angered, Havok later tells his human lover Scarlett that Apocalypse will reward him when he sees his “strength and cunning”. Meanwhile, Angel warns Cyclops and the Bedlam Brothers about the rumors of a war with Europe. On Havok’s orders, McCoy experiments on Polaris, hoping to learn what she knows about the recent escapes. Cyclops orders him to stop, telling McCoy that he’s violating the Kelly Pact. That night, a cloaked man helps Polaris escape. They’re confronted by Northstar and Aurora, who were reassigned by Havok at the last minute. They manage to defeat the twins and escape before Havok arrives. Later, the mystery man drops Polaris off with a member of “The Underground”, Val Cooper. The mystery man removes his cloak to reveal that he’s Cyclops.

Continuity Notes

The AoA version of Polaris is given an origin. Her powers emerged after her parents were killed in the first Midwest cullings. Traumatized, she convinced herself that she was actually Magneto’s daughter. This (somehow) led to her pairing with another mutant, and losing half of her powers to Rogue. If Rogue is supposed to be the mutant she paired with, this issue isn’t clear on that. X-Men Chronicles #1 claimed that Rogue permanently absorbed a portion of Polaris’ powers during “a previous abduction attempt”. I can’t tell if Rogue was attempting to abduct Polaris, or if she was actually her aforementioned partner. It’s worth noting that more than one character says that DNA tests prove Polaris is not Magneto’s daughter, which contradicts future stories by Chuck Austen.

According to a mystery person Scarlet is talking to on the phone, she’s secretly working for the Human High Council. She thinks that things are too “hot” in Heaven, especially after Karma’s abduction (in Amazing X-Men #2), and she wants out.

Review

Instead of telling one large story like most of the AoA titles, Factor X focuses on a series of subplots at this point. It makes for a much denser comic, which almost feels like some of Claremont’s X-work in the ‘80s. There’s a sense that there’s a lot going on, with various characters scheming against one another and following their own agendas. It helps the series to survive on more than just the novelty of seeing established characters in twisted roles. Moore tries to do something with the political maneuverings established early on in the AoA event, but the Kelly Pact has to be the most moronic aspect of the entire storyline. Apparently, experimenting on Polaris violates the Kelly Pact, which would anger the humans. As opposed to…keeping humans in slave pens and conducting mass exterminations in large American cities? To be fair, most of the characters in the story refer to the Kelly Pact as a farce, but the idea that any human governments are negotiating with Apocalypse and creating treaties with him is beyond absurd. I get that the creators are trying to insert some realistic politics into the new world, but the reality they’ve established is already so far over the top it’s impossible to believe that any humans would be dumb enough to create treaties with Apocalypse. Maybe it’s revealed later that the human governments are stringing Apocalypse along, just as he’s doing to them (I don’t remember how this thread plays out), but it still seems too ridiculous to me.

After dropping a few hints in the first issue, this issue confirms that Cyclops isn’t a true villain after all. The twist at the end is handled well enough, although it opens up a “nature vs. nurture” question that doesn’t reflect too well on many of the other X-characters. If Cyclops is inherently good and able to fight against his upbringing, what does it say about Havok and Beast that they cannot? What’s strange is that Marvel did seem to use this storyline to justify relaunching Havok as a villain in the mainstream reality, yet Beast was able to stay a pure hero. If this storyline somehow reveals the true dark natures of the characters, why wouldn’t Beast turn out to be just as evil as Havok? Even though I liked this series in the context of the AoA, it did lead to the “Is Havok truly a villain?” nonsense that dominated the later issues of X-Factor (I think the final resolution turned out to be “Nah, he was just faking”, which couldn’t be reconciled with any of the previous stories).

X-CALIBRE #2 – June 1995

Burn

Credits: Warren Ellis (writer), Roger Cruz & Renota Arlem w/Charles Mota & Eddie Wagner (pencilers), Moy/Wegrzyn/Candelario (inkers), Joe Rosas/Digital Chameleon (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering)

Summary

In Manhattan, John Proudstar’s secret headquarters is invaded by Apocalypse’s Madri priests. They kill him for his role in smuggling refugees to Avalon. Inside the submarine Nightcrawler is taking to Avalon, the electrical systems have blown and the refugees are choking on the bad air. Desperate, the crew lights a flare to attract a nearby ship. The ship’s captain, Callisto, rescues the survivors and takes them onboard her ship. Meanwhile, Moonstar and Damask are trailing Nightcrawler, along with Dead Man Wade. Apocalypse gives word to Damask that their mission is now to destroy Avalon once they discover it. Damask then kills Moonstar as punishment for cutting Wade for fun. On Callisto’s ship, the survivors place all of their valuables in giant sacks on her orders. She claims that the ship’s cover is that it is a shipwreck recovery vessel, and the valuables will help sell the illusion if they’re boarded. Nightcrawler, wary of Callisto, doesn’t go with the other travelers inside the ballast tanks. Callisto opens the ballast tanks directly into the ocean, killing all of the refugees. Unknowingly, her ship later drifts into one of Apocalypse’s “Atrocity Zones”, small islands where excess corpses from America are sent. While Callisto’s distracted, Nightcrawler kills her crew. He then confronts Callisto, but they’re interrupted by the sudden appearance of Mystique.

Continuity Notes

John Proudstar’s name is now listed as “Ghost Dance”, which is odd since he wasn’t called that in the last issue. (EDIT - As Chris points out, I probably misread that scene, as "Ghost Dance" is a reference to the transport to Avalon).

Destiny’s power is listed as “psychometric clairvoyancy”, the ability to touch someone and see his or her future. In the mainstream reality, Destiny’s ability to see the future isn’t tied into actually meeting someone. Xavier’s death wouldn’t have actually changed her powers (especially since she’s an old lady who was already grown when he died), so this is either a mistake or a hint that her powers were altered (presumably by McCoy or Sinister).

Creative Differences

This is another issue with computer fonts, but hand-lettered corrections. The entire page where Nightcrawler kills Callisto’s crew has been re-lettered, although I can’t determine what might’ve been changed.

Production Note

The June cover date doesn’t match the other second issues from the AoA event, so I’m assuming it was a misprint.

Review

This is, not surprisingly, another dismal, grim chapter in the massive AoA event. There is a sense that this specific storyline is padded, with the first issue dedicated to getting Nightcrawler on a sub bound for Antarctica, and the second one devoted to his trip there, but Ellis at least tells an entertaining story along the way. The malfunctioning sub and the exploitation of the refugees add a sense of realism to the story, which helps to make the new world more conceivable. The idea that Apocalypse is sending his excess bodies to small islands also seems plausible at first, but doesn’t hold up to a lot of scrutiny. Couldn’t he just burn the bodies? Unfortunately, there’s a real word precedent for this. The art remains the weakest aspect of this series. Lashley is gone, replaced by Cruz and a small group of unknowns. Cruz’s cartooning looks okay on a couple of pages, but overall it’s a pretty ugly comic book. The art is somewhere in-between an impression of the “realistic” Jim Lee ‘90s style and the new, anime-influenced look of Joe Madureira. It doesn’t pull either of them off, and just looks like a mess. The fight scene between John Proudstar and the Madri is particularly dreadful.

WEAPON X #2 – April 1995

Fire in the Sky!

Credits: Larry Hama (writer), Adam Kubert (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Pat Brosseau (letterer), Joe Rosas (colorist)

Summary

Weapon X wakes up and discovers Jean Grey is missing. He follows a trace of his psi-link with Jean to Bristol, where she’s helping the humans being brought to England by the Sentinels. They discuss the upcoming nuclear strike against North America, which Jean is trying to prevent. Suddenly, Box and Copycat emerge from the crowd of humans and attack. The sound of screaming children triggers a flash of horrific memories in Jean, which Weapon X feels through their psychic connection. In a rage, he guts Box while Jean stops Copycat. She tries to calm him down, but he’s angry that she doesn’t realize that they’re fighting a war. He heads off to brief the High Council, leaving her alone. Later, before he can speak to the Council on one of their dirigibles, the altered human Pierce attacks a nearby airship. The giant explosion has sent the ship off-course, and it’s about to crash into the airship with the Doomsday Attack’s guidance system. Mariko tells Weapon X that the system is irreplaceable, motivating him to jump off his airship onto the one Pierce has boarded. He fights Pierce and his men, but isn't able to stop the ship from crashing into the airship with the guidance system. He emerges from the explosion, thinking of Jean. He follows their psi-link to an airstrip in Cornwall. She’s taking off for America to warn about the Doomsday Attack. He has an opportunity to kill her before she leaves, but can’t bring himself to do it.

Continuity Note

According to Weapon X, Braddock Industries manufactures the Sentinels. Mariko’s afraid that he has a vested interest in escalating the human/mutant war.

“Huh?” Moment

The humans fleeing America are riding on top of the Sentinels without any type of harnesses or straps (not to mention protection from the elements). The first issue showed Weapon X and Jean riding on top of a Sentinel, but at least Jean’s telekinetic powers could be used to explain the wonky physics there.

Review

Like the first issue, this one’s filled with action, but it also some has some nice character moments that take advantage of the new reality created by the AoA event. Hama’s able to persuasively convey Logan’s feelings for Jean through his inner monologues, and the conflict between them feels real, since both characters have legitimate points of view. The creators didn’t leave a lot of room for nuance when they developed the AoA’s dystopian world, but there’s at least an attempt here to show that both Jean and Logan have justifiable arguments to make about the nuclear strike. The final silent page with Logan and Jean is very effective, helping to convey Logan’s conflicting loyalties between his love for Jean and his determination to stop Apocalypse. Some of the mechanics of the final fight scene don’t work (what exactly is Logan hoping to do on an airship that’s already off-course?), but the energetic pencils help to pull it off. Kubert’s work is strong throughout the entire issue, once again blending cartoony exaggeration with aggressive fight scenes. His ability to create such expressive acting for his characters also helps the conversation scenes feel more authentic and real.

AMAZING X-MEN #2 – April 1995

Sacrificial Lambs

Credits: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Andy Kubert (penciler), Matt Ryan (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Kevin Somers/Digital Chamelon (colors)

Summary

The X-Men confront the Brotherhood, who have used Madison Jeffries’ power to take control of the Sentinels. Quicksilver orders the team to protect the humans while he chases after Jeffries and Copycat, who are escaping into a crowd of refugees. Jeffries reconfigures the Sentinels’ programming to attack Quicksilver, but Storm creates an electronic pulse to temporarily stop them. Banshee chases after the Brotherhood’s Madri priest and discovers the ark that brought them to Maine. Inside the ark, he learns that Apocalypse’s newest Horseman, Abyss, killed the Madri for failing the mission. Abyss threatens to kill the young boy he’s holding hostage if Quicksilver doesn’t arrive. Banshee gives Quicksilver the message, but Storm refuses to let him go alone. Storm rescues the boy from the ark, while Quicksilver fights Abyss. During the fight, Quicksilver manages to force Abyss inside the dimensional void inside his own body. They return with the boy, who is reunited with his family. Dazzler tells them that the Sentinels have been reprogrammed with Banshee’s harmonics, and are now helping the X-Men in the evacuation. Meanwhile, Sebastian Shaw has reported to Apocalypse that Angel told Gambit the X-Men’s secret location. Karma, the co-owner of Heaven with Angel, is being tortured for info on any security systems inside their headquarters. Apocalypse boasts that he’ll soon face Magneto and learn who is truly fit to survive.

Continuity Notes

The Brotherhood are revealed to be Spyne, Yeti, Arclight, Copycat, Madison Jeffries, and a Madri priest. The Madri are all duplicates of Jamie Madrox, as revealed in Gambit and the X-Ternals #1. Madison Jeffries is Box from Alpha Flight. Since Arclight is portrayed as a man here, I assume it’s not supposed to be the Marauder from the original reality.

Abyss says that he has a score to settle with Quicksilver, but when Quicksilver shows up it appears to be the first time they’ve met. When Quicksilver learns that there’s a new Horseman, he assumes that Abyss is taking Bastion’s place. Bastion hasn’t shown up in the Marvel Universe proper yet, so I don’t know if this was an intentional hint for a new character or if the name was just recycled a few years later.

Creative Differences

A Usenet post from Fabian Nicieza regarding this issue on the week of its release:

I wasn't going to say anything unless it was mentioned by more than one

person, and it was, so...
I will accept the nitpicks on EVERYTHING that was wrong with AMAZING X-MEN
#2 (of which, there was a LOT, whether they were my fault or not), but I
will NOT accept criticism for Banshee's ridiculous "harmonics"
reprogramming of the Sentinels!!
That rewrite surprised me (to say the least... to say the most would not
be nice).
In my original plot and script, QUICKSILVER is leaving the group to save
Jeremy and Exodus says, "What about the Sentinels? They're going to wake
up soon." and Q answers, "Talk to them." To which they all say, "Talk?!!"
Later, when Storm and Q return with the brat they saved, we find out that
indeed, the X-MEN did actually talk to them, trapping the Sentinels in a
logic bind and leading the robots to actually agree to accept the X-Men's
help.
I'm not saying my bit was great or nothing, but geez, it ain't worse than
"harmonics," is it?
I can take a hit and I'll dive on the grenade if I have to, I'm such a
wonderful guy, but I will NOT be blamed for harmonics! (that's my new
motto, catchy, ain't it?)

It’s worth noting that the lettering (a computer font), stays consistent throughout the entire scene, so it doesn’t stand out like a lot of the other rewrites in the past.

Review

This isn’t nearly as good as the first issue. While the first issue set an appropriate mood and introduced the cast in a credible way, this issue largely consists of unfocused fight scenes that don’t have a lot of payoff. It’s still drawn rather nicely by Andy Kubert, but that’s pretty much all this issue has going for it. There’s some attempt to invert Storm and Quicksilver’s personalities, so that she’s emotional and uninhibited while he’s repressed, drawing them together for a romance. It’s not a bad idea, but it seems a little forced and doesn’t really amount to much. The Brotherhood don’t offer any believable resistance to the X-Men, as most of them are defeated off-panel. The members were never identified by name anyway, so when Iceman lists the ones who have been taken care of, you’re forced to assume they were the same characters we saw earlier (it’s obvious who Yeti would be, but Spyne’s very obscure and this version of Arclight bears no resemblance to the established one). After looking through this issue twice, I have to assume that Jeffries and Copycat just escaped off-panel. This plot thread is picked up in Weapon X #2, but it's totally dropped in this issue.

The resolution to the Sentinel cliffhanger from last issue is feebly handled off-panel by giving Banshee new powers, apparently (“harmonics”?). Since Nicieza made it clear that this wasn’t his idea, you’ve got to wonder what role editorial interference had on the overall quality of this issue. The ‘90s reputation for incomprehensible stories is largely due to the inexperienced writing of many of the X-artists (which was actually a brief era), but the last-minute editorial rewriting can’t be overlooked, either. I don’t know how common the rewrites were at this point (even if the altered lettering sometimes provide a clue), but it seems like the disconnects between the creative teams and editorial only increase after the AoA is over.

ASTONISHING X-MEN #2 – April 1995

No Exit

Credits: Scott Lobdell (writer), Joe Madureira (penciler), Dan Green & Tim Townsend (inkers), Steve Buccellato & Digital Chameleon (colorists), Chris Eliopoulos (letterer)

Summary

While evacuating the humans in Chicago, the unstable Sunfire decides to go after Holocaust alone. Rogue uses her absorption powers to stop him, which exposes her to Sunfire’s memories of his family’s murder. He’s angry that Rogue knows the shame he feels about their deaths, but is willing to go along with the mission now. Meanwhile, Apocalypse’s human agent Rex reveals to him the X-Men’s secret headquarters is in Westchester, while Magneto spends a night alone with his son. Back in Chicago, Blink goes against Rogue’s wishes and teleports Sabretooth and Wild Child to Holocaust’s location. Sabretooth and Wild Child reappear in Indianapolis, and are quickly confronted by Holocaust. He brags that the city’s humans are twenty miles away in an Infinite processing plant, not knowing that Wild Child is intelligent enough to comprehend what he’s saying. Wild Child runs off while Sabretooth fights Holocaust. Sabretooth cracks open his life support armor, but not before Holocaust mortally wounds him. As Sabretooth falls down, Holocaust rematerializes inside his armor.

Continuity Notes

This issue confirms that Holocaust used to be Nemesis. He was nearly killed by Magneto years ago as retaliation for murdering Scarlet Witch. He presumably changed his name when he began wearing his life-support armor. Another specific time reference is made when a narrative caption reveals that Sabretooth joined the X-Men five years ago.

Approved By The Comics Code Authority

Rogue says, “Damn you, Apocalypse”, a line that goes against the no profanity policy Marvel had for its mainstream books at the time. A couple of “damn”s and “hell”s show up throughout the AoA (particularly in the X-Universe mini, as I recall), and then go away once the regular titles restart. I assume the creators were given more freedom with the language in order to sell the gritty nature of the new reality. People wouldn’t even notice this now, but I was shocked to see any profanity in an X-Men comic at the time.

Review

This is a decent effort, managing to cover characterization, backstory, plot advancement, and some action, all handled very effectively by Madureira’s art. None of the elements really overwhelms one another, so it doesn’t feel like the book’s dwelling too long on any one area. The interactions between the characters help to make the new world feel more real, while also allowing the cast to feel less like ciphers than they have in the previous crossovers. Sunfire’s shame over having his failure exposed, and Magneto’s conflicting feelings about ending the world that created his son, are both well-played. The fact that the AoA is still regarded as more than just a ‘90s stunt by a lot of fans is not only due to Marvel’s commitment to selling the new world, but the continued emphasis on characterization that also helped to make the books feel like traditional X-titles, even if the continuity had been radically altered. Reading this, it makes me wonder why Lobdell didn’t do more of these “balanced” issues during his regular UXM run. There, he seemed to segregate the character stories from the action stories. The routine crossovers undoubtedly had something to do with this, but even when they were over, Lobdell usually seemed more interested in character-centered stories with barely any plot or action.

If I have to complain about anything in this issue, it would be the horrible portrayal of Rogue’s accent. Rogue’s watching a sea of humans she’s convinced are about to be murdered run past her, and we get dialogue like this: “It ain’t enough for y’all to simply kill these people…ya have to terrorize them first?...If’n we cain’t find a way to calm these people, they’re gonna trample themselves t’death -- before we can get the chance to get them clear o’ heah…”. Rogue has always been portrayed with a heavy accent, but this is Snuffy Smith-level nonsense (“if’n”? Really?)

GENERATION NEXT #2 – April 1995

Hither Comes the Sugar Man!

Credits: Scott Lobdell (writer), Chris Bachalo (penciler), Mark Buckingham (inker), Steve Buccellato & Electric Crayon (colorists), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering)

Summary

Inside the Seattle Core, Illyana and Ace, another young girl, narrowly avoid being killed by the Sugar Man. Outside of the Core, a disguised Skin picks up two of Apocalypse’s human workers on a shuttle, who are soon killed by Chamber. Nearby, Colossus and Shadowcat plan to infiltrate the Core through the back entrance. After Shadowcat is discovered by one of the Sugar Man’s Undercloak guards, Colossus decides that they shouldn’t wait any longer. Elsewhere, Husk poses as a human escort for the High Foreman, Quietus. When his vaporizer device reveals that she’s a mutant, Quietus determines that she must be associated with the X-Men. While in the process of beating her, he grabs the flask Husk kept with her. She tricks him into drinking the liquid inside, which turns out to be her teammate Vincente. He solidifies his body inside of Quietus, killing him. Husk and Vincente look through Quietus’s files for any information on Illyana. When they're finished, they combine their powers to disguise themselves as Quietus and leave. While escaping, they run into Mondo and meet up with Skin and Chamber, who are disguised as human workers. “Quietus” requests that they join him on his rounds. Inside the Core, Illyana is awakened for another day of work.

Miscellaneous Note

“Quietus” is defined as either death, a finishing blow, or a release from a debt or obligation (I’m pointing this out because I had no idea what the word meant).

Review

It’s an entire issue dedicated to moving the cast inside the Core, which is pretty excessive. The plotting is a little odd, since the story opens with the team already divided up, pursuing different ways to get inside and find Illyana. It comes together fairly well at the end, but why exactly Colossus and Shadowcat are on their own isn’t made clear. Bachalo’s art helps to sell the thin plot, though, and the story does at least move at a reasonable pace. Unlike this month’s Astonishing X-Men, Lobdell doesn’t focus on a lot of characterization, choosing instead to showcase more of Bachalo’s bizarre new designs. Bachalo’s dark environments do suit the AoA world, but some of the villain designs are more quirky than intimidating. Quietus is essentially a giant nose with kinky hair and a bad polyester suit. It’s not necessarily a bad design, but I don’t buy him as a villain. He looks like something out of ‘70s underground comix, not someone who should be beating up a mutant superhero. Bachalo inserts all kinds of random weirdness into the background of Quietus’s home, such as a photostat of Farrah Fawcett, McDonald’s wrappers, and an Opus doll. I can’t tell if he’s doing this because he’s bored, or if he really thinks it’s adding something to the book. It was the ‘90s, so I guess we were just supposed to accept the arbitrary non-sequiters.

GAMBIT & THE X-TERNALS #1 – March 1995

Some of Us Looking to the Stars

Credits: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Tony Daniel (penciler), Kevin Conrad (inker), Chris Eliopoulos (letterer), Marie Javins (colorist)

Summary

Jubilee is caught by a group of Apocalypse’s Infinites while stealing medical supplies. Sunspot and Guido arrive to help her escape. They travel to their safehouse where Lila Cheney disburses the supplies to the human refugees. The X-Ternals head underground to the Morlock Tunnels to meet their leader, Gambit. The team is shocked to discover Magneto is waiting there with Gambit. Meanwhile, an angry Rictor receives word that Jubilee escaped. If Rictor captures the X-Ternals, he’s convinced that he’ll be promoted by Apocalypse. Inside the Morlock Tunnels, Magneto leads the team to Apocalypse’s hidden “science chamber”. He’s surprised to learn that Gambit and Lila Cheney are an item. When Sunspot asks Magneto how he can be sure this isn’t a trap, Magneto responds that he once saved the life of the chamber’s human librarian. Lila picks the lock, and the X-Ternals learn that the chamber is filled with displays of various galaxies. Suddenly, Apocalypse’s Madri guard, all duplicates of Jamie Madrox, teleport in. The team fights off the Madri while Sunspot finds Dr. Peter Corbeau, the human in charge of the lab. Corbeau tells Magneto that he’s found the Shi’ar galaxy. Magneto reveals to Lila Cheney that she has latent mutant powers, and will be the one to take the X-Ternals on their journey to steal the M’Kraan Crystal. She’s connected to a visor that links her to the lab’s navigational charts so that she can locate where she needs to teleport to. Her powers suddenly flare, as Rictor enters with backup. The team abandons the fight and escapes through Lila’s teleportation chamber. Enraged, Rictor follows them. Magneto wonders if he’s sent the X-Ternals to their deaths, then apologizes to Corbeau for setting him against Apocalypse. Corbeau knows Apocalypse will kill him, but he programs a systems crash to spite him.

Continuity Notes

According to the first page’s narrative captions, Apocalypse conquered North America on Jubilee’s sixth birthday. When her powers later emerged at age twelve, she had the opportunity to join Apocalypse, but went off with Gambit instead. “Everett” is listed as one of her former teammates who died (this is presumably Synch).

According to the narrative captions that introduce Gambit, he fled the Thieves Guild and joined the X-Men after Holocaust killed Candra “in one of the last battles for succession”. He left the X-Men two years ago and formed the X-Ternals after Magneto married Rogue.

Dr. Peter Corbeau is a supporting character who used to show up sporadically back in the ‘70s. Even though he was never used that much, he did play an important role in the original Phoenix story, and even showed up in the '90s X-Men cartoon.

Miscellaneous Note

Am I the only one who thinks the title is missing a word? There’s an empty black circle at the start of the title, where perhaps another word should’ve gone (I don’t know what would really fit there, though).

Review

And, finally, we have Gambit and the X-Ternals to round out the inaugural launch of AoA titles. While the rest of the AoA titles had some obvious connection to their predecessors, the only cast member this series has in common with X-Force is Sunspot (who had actually been written out of that title over a year earlier). Rictor is introduced as the team’s antagonist, which at least offers some connection to the regular series, but it’s not much of one. One of the earlier X-Force storylines involved the X-Ternals, but I don’t see any obvious connection between that story and the name of this team. I guess Marvel felt that Gambit’s popularity justified casting him as a leader of an X-team, but placing him as the leader of an alternate X-Force seems pretty random. Pairing Guido, Sunspot, Jubilee, and Lila Cheney with him just makes the cast feel totally arbitrary. If Nicieza’s devised some exciting group dynamics for the new team, they’re barely on display in the first issue. The story’s essentially two fight scenes with a plot setup in the middle, not offering any real opportunities for characterization. The fight scenes, at least, aren’t totally gratuitous (although how exactly the Madri found the team isn’t explained, unless we’re supposed to believe that Corbeau really did betray them). The first fight scene helps to establish the new world, while the second one sets Rictor up for a future role in the storyline. The heavy action does evoke the feel of the regular X-Force series, even if the cast doesn’t.

I didn’t mind Daniel’s art when he first began on the title, but his work at this point is looking haphazard and rushed. A lot of the faces look flat-out ugly (especially Gambit’s), and most of the page layouts are too cramped and claustrophobic. His decision to make almost the entire issue full-bleed just makes things feel even more jumbled. With the exception of just five pages, all of the art in this issue extends to the end of the page, directly bumping up against the artwork on the opposing page. It feels like every event overlaps the next, with no time to actually absorb what’s going on. I flipped through the book and didn’t really feel like reading it, as it just looked confused and messy. The story’s not exactly a strong introduction to the team, but the art really makes things feel even more chaotic. Out of all of the AoA debut issues, I’d say this one ranks down there with X-Man and X-Men Chronicles, with the art making it the weakest overall.

FACTOR X #1 – March 1995

Sinister Neglect

Credits: John Francis Moore (writer), Steve Epting (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Starkings/Comicraft (lettering), Glynis Oliver (colorist)

Summary

Cyclops, Havok, Northstar, and Aurora track down escapees from Sinister’s pens. As Cyclops fights their leader, Havok comes from behind and kills her, telling Cyclops he’s gone soft. Sinister watches the events from his hidden lab inside a giant statue of Apocalypse , which took the place of the Statue of Liberty years ago. Havok meets with McCoy, called “The Beast” by the prisoners, to discuss Cyclops’ recent personality change. The Bedlam Brothers join Havok for an evening out at Angel’s nightclub, Heaven, where they later stop a human insurgent. Backstage, Havok continues his illegal affair with the human lounge singer, Scarlet McKenzie. When they return home, Cyclops asks his fellow Prelates to help him break into the missing Sinister’s private lab. They discover that Sinister trashed all of his equipment and extensive research data before abruptly leaving. With Sinister gone, Cyclops reluctantly takes command. Meanwhile, Sinister sets off an auto-destruct sequence in his hidden lab inside the statue of Apocalypse.

Continuity Notes

The continuity between the various titles gets dodgy with this issue. An enraged Apocalypse already discovered Sinister’s trashed lab in X-Men Alpha. A much calmer Apocalypse received news that Sinister was gone from Rex during a brief scene in Astonishing X-Men #1. In Weapon X #1, Cyclops reports to Apocalypse that Sinister is gone and has likely turned against him. Weapon X #1 explicitly takes place before this issue because Havok’s mishap with the Sentinel hand is referenced here. Actually, Apocalypse is told about Sinister’s defection and Havok’s incident with the Sentinel in the same scene in Weapon X #1, which makes this issue’s ending even harder to fit into continuity.

The Pens are prison camps that provide “genetic stockpile of human and mutant alike”. Sinister explains that Apocalypse wants the next generation of homo superior to be created “not by accident, but by design”.

The Infinites are created with a “patchwork protein of mutant DNA” developed by breaking mutants down to “protoplasmic soup”. Havok comments to McCoy that they can’t survive for more than a year.

Cannonball and his sister, Elizabeth Guthrie, are revealed to be guards in the Pens. Sinister says that their sister, Husk, refused his “sponsorship”. Elizabeth Guthrie is described as a “teenaged Amazon” who can increase her size and mass. I have no idea if she showed up in the regular continuity, but I’m afraid to think about what Chuck Austen might’ve done with her.

The mutant Bedlam Brothers, Terrence and Jesse Aaronson, appear for the first time. Terrence can create mental confusion in others while Jesse psionically disrupts machinery.

The escapees from the beginning of this issue are Artemis, Phantazia, Pyro, Avalanche, and Newt. Artemis is apparently this world’s version of Callisto, although she seems to have chameleon powers here (EDIT - actually, didn't Callisto show up in X-Calibre?). Pyro is shown with the ability to create flames, which contradicts his ability only to control fire in the mainstream continuity (a fact the movies surprisingly got right). Since all of the characters have been experimented on by McCoy, it’s possible that his powers have been altered, though (it’s established here that creating the fire hurts him, so it’s possible that Moore did this intentionally). Newt resembles Jack Kirby’s original Toad design, which implies that the Toad in X-Man might not be Mortimer Toynbee (the X-Man character more closely resembles one of the new Dark Riders introduced a few months earlier in Cable). Was there ever a comprehensive list of all of the alternate versions of the established characters during the AoA?

Review

Like most of the other AoA first issues, this issue is more concerned with reintroducing the cast and establishing the new world than telling a specific story. Aside from setting up various plot threads for this specific series, there’s also a lot of time spent covering material the other X-titles have already dealt with. I understand that Cyclops needs to have a dramatic realization that Sinister has abandoned him, but the scene obviously needed to be better choreographed between the titles. That’s really the only distracting aspect of the story, as the rest of the issue is dedicated to establishing the world of the Pens and the relationships between the Prelates. Most of the setups are pretty interesting, although the future conflict between Havok and Cyclops is telegraphed way too obviously. At the very least, this seems to be a better fit for Moore than the regular X-Factor series turned out to be. Steve Epting’s art suits the dismal mood very well, even though it wasn’t slick enough for my tastes as a teenager.

X-CALIBRE #1 – March 1995

The Infernal Gallop

Credits: Warren Ellis (writer), Ken Lashley (penciler), Wegrzyn, Moy, & LaRosa (inkers), Joe Rosas (colorist), Starkings/Comicraft (lettering)

Summary

A young mutant named Switchback travels through Antarctica to reach Avalon, a refuge where mutants and humans live in peace. She’s escorted by a large monk named Cain through the forest and finally through the entrance of Avalon. In New York, Nightcrawler intimidates Angel into making travel arrangements for his journey to Antarctica. After Nightcrawler meets his mother there, she’ll take him to Avalon to retrieve Destiny. At the X-Men’s base, Magneto makes an intercontinental call to Mystique, threatening her life if she doesn’t aid Nightcrawler. Nightcrawler travels to an abandoned building to meet John Proudstar, the mutant who will take him to Antarctica. When Proudstar criticizes Nightcrawler’s mother for charging refugees large fees for transport into Avalon, Nightcrawler severs his index finger by teleporting it away. Danielle Moonstar overhears the conversation, and reports back to Apocalypse that Avalon is in the Antarctic. Back in Avalon, Switchback meets Destiny for the first time. When they touch hands, Destiny cries out in pain that she sees the apocalypse.

Continuity Notes

Avalon is this world’s version of the Savage Land. Cain is the AoA version of the Juggernaut. Deadpool is revealed as “Dead Man Wade”, a lackey for Apocalypse who can only say the letter “X” apparently.

Nightcrawler meets Proudstar in a dilapidated warehouse once named “Stark Holdings".

Nightcrawler tells Angel that he exists “solely upon the excellence of your groveling to Apocalypse – and your worth to us.”

Approved By The Comics Code Authority

Angel sarcastically lists “watering pot-plants” as one of the activities in Avalon.

Review

It’s another satisfactory chapter for the massive AoA event. Ellis’ dark style is obviously a natural fit for the grim new world, and Lashley delivers his strongest artwork so far (even if it is still firmly rooted in the stereotypical ‘90s style). All that basically happens in this issue is Nightcrawler travels to Antarctica, but Ellis tells an entertaining story that gets him there, while also developing more of the AoA’s world. Revealing that Proudstar’s people are performing the same tribal dance they used to ask God to remove the white man against Apocalypse now is a nice touch that helps to convey the impact Apocalypse has had on all aspects of society. The inversion of Nightcrawler, that he’s a ruthless jerk with a disdain for religion, is a little obvious but Ellis pulls it off well. It’s too bad that Ellis was only used on this title during the AoA stunt, because he would’ve done a great job on some of the peripheral titles that came out during this time.

WEAPON X #1 – March 1995

Unforgiven Trespasses

Credits: Larry Hama (writer), Adam Kubert (breakdowns), Karl Kessel/Dan Green/Chris Warner (finishes), Pat Brosseau (lettering), Mike Thomas (colors)

Summary

Weapon X and Jean Grey go on a mission for the Human High Council to infiltrate Apocalypse’s Great Sea Wall in the Atlantic. They ride on a Sentinel, which is spotted by Apocalypse’s Infinite soldiers when its radar-jammer burns out. When the Infinite soldiers learn that two alpha-level mutants are on board, they send out a call for one of Apocalypse’s alpha-mutants. Jean sends Weapon X to eliminate the control center while she waits for the mutant presence she senses to arrive. Havok responds to the Infinite’s call and confronts Jean. Weapon X quickly disables the control center and returns to stop Havok from killing Jean. They escape on the Sentinel, but Havok follows. The Sentinel shoots off its hands, grabbing Havok and sending him through a teleporting transporter. Meanwhile, Cyclops informs Apocalypse that two mutant couriers have brought information given to them by Sinister to the Human High Council. McCoy sends a message to Apocalypse, telling him that Havok requires surgery to remove the Sentinel hand that’s been merged with his body after his fight with Weapon X. Apocalypse theorizes that Weapon X and Jean Grey are Sinister’s couriers. In London, the Human High Council meets to discuss the information Sinister sent them. They now know that Apocalypse’s peace proposals with humans in America are a diversion to cover his plans to attack Europe. They discuss a “doomsday strike” against North America. Suddenly, Magma appears and attacks the Council. She’s stopped by Weapon X, but not before she wounds Brian Braddock. Angered, Braddock says that Project Scorched Earth must be initiated.

Continuity Notes

Weapon X is, of course, this world’s version of Wolverine (he must’ve dropped the hyphen some time after the X-Men Chronicles stories). His partner is Jean Grey, whom he suspects only loves him out of gratitude for saving her from “the pens”. In a previous battle with Cyclops, Weapon X lost his hand and Cyclops lost his eye.

The Human High Council members are revealed to be Brian Braddock, Moira (MacTaggert) Trask, Bolivar Trask, Emma Frost, and Mariko Yashida. Psylocke also appeared in the background with the rest of the Council in X-Men Alpha.

Review

According to a comment Alan Davis made in the first issue of Rough Stuff magazine, the X-editors always wanted him to draw Wolverine and Jean Grey making out on a cover during his run. When he asked why, he was told that the “fans” would go nuts over it. I guess Marvel used the AoA event to give the audience what it thought they wanted, as Wolverine and Jean now get their own series together. The appeal of Wolverine and Jean together is kind of lost on me, but Hama does a decent job with the pairing. Having Wolverine suspect that she feels gratitude more than real love is a good idea that at least introduces some complexity to their relationship.

This is an action-heavy issue, but it also manages to move the storyline along. The pair’s mission at the start of the issue is a little unclear, but since it mainly serves to re-introduce the characters and allude to more backstory, it doesn’t bother me too much (at least it’s not another training session). If the idea is that they’re disrupting the base so that the Sentinels can reach America undetected, that’s ground already covered in Amazing X-Men #1. This could be the first continuity disconnect within the AoA titles, but since their mission is so vague in the first place, it’s hard to say. At the very least, the opening action scene gives Adam Kubert a lot of cool things to draw. I like his interpretation of the new Sentinels and Havok’s redesign especially. The three inkers don’t really mesh well, but most of the pages come out looking fine.

Hama continues to interject realistic elements into his stories, even when the title has been removed even further from the real world. A lot of the opening dialogue in this issue combines military speak and technological jargon with varying degrees of success. The Infinites don’t just say “The Sentinel’s broken through our defenses”; instead it’s, “The Sentinel must be running a fifth generation passive ECM suite! It is invading all weapons tracking systems and has penetrated our inner perimeter!” Havok doesn’t just complain about teleporting, he gripes, “You had me go through molecular disincorporation, risk the E.M. distortion wave and risk cellular-mapping reconstruction…”. It’s one of his writing quirks that I actually do enjoy, but it’s pretty heavy in this issue. The meeting of the Human High Council also tries to apply real world politics into the new reality, with the characters debating the merits of preemptive strikes and nuclear attacks. This scene feels more organic, although the selection of the Council members is odd. It’s pretty convenient that they’re all established X-characters, isn’t it? (And why on earth would Mariko Yashida be a member?) It seems like the Council became a dumping ground for the X-characters that couldn’t be worked into any of the main titles (and don’t ask me to explain how a few mutant characters ended up on the Human High Council). The actions of the Council will actually have large consequences that impact the entire event as the months go on. After Hama finished playing with the repercussions of Wolverine losing the adamantium, his solo title started to feel somewhat aimless, so it’s nice to see the AoA crossover give the title some direction.

AMAZING X-MEN #1 – March 1995

The Crossing Guards

Credits: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Andy Kubert (penciler), Matt Ryan (inker), Kevin Somers & Digital Chameleon (colorists), Richard Starkings/Comicraft (lettering)

Summary

In Maine, Copycat spies on the humans heading towards a harbor town. She reports to the other members of Apocalypse’s Brotherhood that the humans are expecting to escape. Meanwhile, the remaining X-Men (Quicksilver, Storm, Banshee, Exodus, Dazzler, and Iceman) train against a Sentinel while the rest of the team faces Apocalypse’s men in Chicago. The team’s preparing to help the Sentinel evacuation of the humans in Maine. Quicksilver practices installing a virus disc that will prevent the Sentinels from targeting them. Magneto appears, warning the team to be ready to face Apocalypse’s forces in Maine. He anticipates that the Sentinels will focus only on Apocalypse’s men after the disc is loaded into the Sentinels’ neural network. Iceman prepares to use his powers to send the team to Maine, but Magneto asks Exodus to try teleporting for the first time. The team arrives in Maine, where Storm promptly uses her powers to obscure the Sentinels’ arrival on Apocalypse’s radar. The Sentinels land, and immediately detect nearby mutants. While Dazzler creates holograms to distract them, Quicksilver loads the virus disc. The Sentinels announce that the mutants aren’t targets, but still attack Iceman when they see him. Quicksilver theorizes that the program did work, but it’s now protecting the wrong mutants. The Brotherhood appears, bragging that they were the ones who scrambled the disc.

Review

This is the strongest of the AoA issues so far. Andy Kubert’s pencils look remarkable, creating one of his best renditions of Magneto yet. He also does a great job with the redesigned Sentinels and Iceman. This is another issue that requires him to draw dozens of characters, but he keeps a consistent level of quality for most of the issue. Nicieza’s script is able to give the main characters firm personalities, while also presenting a villain like Copycat in a sympathetic light. The idea that the humans would be scared out of their minds of the Sentinels sent to rescue them is another nice touch that adds an additional layer of realism to the story. Rather than spending too much time on the setup, the story moves at a decent pace and concludes with a nice twist ending. The narration is excessively grim, but it suits the new world and doesn’t go overboard like some of Nicieza’s previous work.

Despite Marvel’s hard sell on this new world, there were always doubts that it would just turn out to be an extended What If? story. Nicieza at least tries to make the new world relevant by laying the groundwork for future stories that can be told in the original continuity. Showcasing several new powers for Iceman connects the AoA to the ongoing subplot about his true potential. Dazzler is given a power upgrade that also could’ve been carried over to the original reality. Exodus, a barely developed mystery man in the original continuity, at least has his first name (“Paris”) revealed here, which is more information than his original appearances gave. Unfortunately, Nicieza doesn’t last very long on the X-titles after the AoA and most of the hints dropped here don’t amount to anything. It’s still an admirable effort, though.

LINK – An interesting online conversation between Peter David and Fabian Nicieza that occurred after Marvel’s first cryptic press release hyping the AoA event was released.

GENERATION NEXT #1 – March 1995

From the Top

Credits: Scott Lobdell (writer), Chris Bachalo (penciler), Mark Buckingham (inker), Steve Buccellato/Electric Crayon (colors), Richard Starkings/Comicraft (lettering)

Summary

Chamber, Husk, and Mondo train under Colossus and Shadowcat’s supervision. Colossus calls Chamber weak when he discovers that everyone is still alive. Skin and Vincente join their teammates and spar against their teachers. Magneto enters, asking to speak to Colossus and Shadowcat in private. He tells them about Bishop’s claim that reality fractured twenty years ago, and asks them to find a way to travel back in time. Apocalypse has already killed all known mutants with the ability to time travel, so Magneto uses the young mutant Know-It-All to scan Apocalypse’s records for any information that can help them. She learns that Illyana, Colossus’ sister, was erroneously reported dead earlier, and is currently in Portland.

Continuity Notes

Know-It-All is the AoA version of M. Her body is connected to a giant workstation and she speaks with a computer’s voice. Vincente is a new mutant introduced in this reality who exists in a gaseous form. This version of Shadowcat uses gloves with Wolverine-esque claws. Chamber is still missing part of chest but does have a mouth in this reality.

Chamber says that Colossus and his brother were “Russia’s greatest heroes” before his brother joined Apocalypse and Colossus followed Magneto.

Review

I guess this is an attempt to counteract the laidback, warm tone of the regular Generation X series. Considering how bleak the “Age of Apocalypse” is supposed to be, that would of course make sense, but I think the creators take things way too far. The first half of the issue hammers home the fact that these training sessions are “kill or be killed” and that Colossus honestly wants to see his charges die. That’s just incredibly stupid. I can buy that Magneto is supposed to have a harder edge than Xavier, but I refuse to believe that he would allow Colossus to oversee the deaths of the next generation of mutants. I don’t know if the series later backs off on Colossus’ bloodlust, but it’s certainly overplayed here. The training scenes are also extremely long, and while they do serve to re-introduce the cast and provide some characterization, it feels like the issue’s killing time after a certain point.

Bachalo turns in a lot of great work in this issue, and I think his costume redesigns look much better than the standard yellow/red Gen X outfits. His storytelling is starting to get choppy, though, as there are a couple of action pages that are hard to follow. The scene where Husk attacks both Skin and Shadowcat is especially confusing (what exactly is she supposed to be doing?). There are also some shaky plot elements, like the opening scene that has Chamber running from a series of explosions, and then being attacked by wooden objects. He talks to an off-panel character called “Claudia”, and says that he should sense her thoughts but can’t. Claudia? Is this supposed to be confusing? Was Lobdell referring to Husk but using the wrong first name? The final scene doesn’t make a lot of sense either. Know-It-All is apparently searching for mutants who haven’t manifested their time traveling abilities yet, but how exactly would Apocalypse have records on that? And if Illyana’s “possibility of mutant manifestation” is “infinitesimal”, how exactly did she come up in the search? (And if both her siblings are known mutants, why would she be labeled that way?) Since Magneto absorbed Bishop’s knowledge of the original timeline, the story could’ve had Magneto already know about Illyana’s latent time travel powers and specifically searching her out. That’s not the best solution in the world, but it’s better than the awkward scene we’re given here. Bachalo’s art can only distract from so much shaky plotting. I do actually remember liking the AoA incarnation of this series, even if the first issue doesn’t hold up that great, so hopefully things will improve soon