Tuesday, June 2, 2015

X-Men: First Class by Jeff Parker issue #2

I'm not gonna lie. I've always been a sucker for the love story clusterfuckery that is Scott Summers and Jean Grey of the X-Men Universe, regardless of the version I'm subscribing to. I just really like the idea of these high school sweethearts/fellow superhero teammates/whatever the fuck is going on with them in whatever mileage may vary; always having to claw their way into a happily-ever-after until the next time something horribly goes wrong again. Their relationship is a guilty pleasure that's just as painful as an unexpected paper cut. What they have and will always have is insane--like balls-out crazy since the Dark Phoenix saga and that unforgivable arc concerning Madeleine Prior switch-and-bait bullshit courtesy of Sinister. 

Regardless, I fucking enjoy them together and more so in their idyllic sixties version where all they have to worry about is teenage hormones and teenage problems coupled with superpowered enemies who might get lucky just once during mission and kill either of them. Basically, just your typical YA-romance of guilt-ridden tears, emo-angst and plenty of unresolved tension. And that's not even taking into account the messy triangle with Wolverine later on!

Now this version of Scott and Jean in Jeff Parker's X-Men: First Class is most acceptable for me indeed because for now they're still young and unburdened with the accumulated scars and damages from their future selves. There is no asshole like the Phoenix force messing around with either of them which is always a relief for this shipper. For the second issue, the core five travels with their professor for some overdue relaxing vacation, only to discover that they are once again involved in a surprise rescue mission because they're the X-Men and normalcy is only a fantasy to indulge in daydreams, apparently. They have to help a scientist friend of the professor who experimented with reptiles for regenerative surgery and whatnot and then gets accidentally transformed into a life-size lizard. That's just the usual people Xavier surrounds himself with and now the teenagers in his care are just going to have to deal with the same thing.

Beast and Angel volunteer for the mission while Bobby gets left alone with Scott and Jean who obviously want to spend quality time together at the beach and not have to babysit their youngest member who has been amusing himself trying to turn seawater into ice. I'm beginning to steadily love Bobby Drake for this series, though, especially when he says things like 'tants as a shortcut for mutants.

Professor X happens to agree that Jean and Scott need some 'alone time', so, in all glibness, he sends Bobby out to aid Beast and Angel who are humorously struggling to appease a grown-ass reptile-man who may likely devour Warren specifically like a live chicken if he's not careful. It's so nice for the professor to function as a wingman for Scott while also endangering the lives of the other three teenage boys. Favoritism? Not so much. Still, way to multi-task, Chuck. And thumbs-up for encouraging two teenagers to isolate themselves from the pack with the absolute trust that nothing fishy is gonna occur. That goes both ways for the Scott-Jean and Henry-Warren pair, but only one of those pairs could actually die. But hey, it could be worse. He could be hitting on Jeanie himself. PLEASE GOD NO.



Questionable adult supervision and surrogate parenting skills aside, this second issue was able to give Scott some time-out from all the stressful leadership obligations just so he can enjoy a calming swim on the beach with his dream girl while the rest of the boys try not to die via reptile attack on the other side of the pond. So, overall, "good times".


RECOMMENDED: 8/10

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