X-Men: First Class II by Jeff Parker Volume 3

One of the main reasons why my X-Men comics diet for this month of June was filled with so much laid-back fun and unexpected warmth is because of the collaborative work of writer Jeff Parker and artist Roger Cruz for this phenomenal PG-13 series I never thought I would fall in love with called X-Men: First Class. Featuring the adorable bunch of the Original Core Five (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Angel and Iceman), this series is an updated version of the Stan Lee sixties era when times were simpler, sorta campy and Marvel superheroes like the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, the Avengers and the X-Men are relatively new players in the game.

With a roster of two seasons, the issues ran for a total of twenty-four installments and four collected volumes. This is the last one of the batch but there's a Giant-Size issue coming up that I will review alongside the mini-series X-Men: First Class: FINALS because there truly must be a fanbase for this series and people must want some more definitive closure for Parker's re-imagining of the OCF, and that's just dandy to me.

Comprised of issues #11-16, this fourth and final volume of the run had a more invigorating storytelling that is almost at par with the previous volume. My only problem with this collection was the inclusion of the one about the "continue-teens" which was more or less a meta story about nerdy comic book readers being able to interact with the Marvelverse so they can save the day or some shit like that. It was a baffling filler issue that I advise you skip because the next ones (namely #12, 13, 14) are the most enjoyable part of the entire volume. It deals with Warren Warrington's abrupt departure from the team so he can vacation in the Land of Mists where the people wholly accept his physical mutation, and the introduction of the short-lived android Aaron who seemed to be a likely candidate as a replacement for Angel but was sadly taken out due to unlucky circumstances.

I love these three issues the most because of the way the characterizations have flourished once we started talking about mutant seclusion, loneliness and pursuit of societal acceptance which is what the X-Men is fundamentally about. For issue #12, Warren spent discovered a place that is more tolerant than ours while the rest of the X-Men were worried so they set out to find him. But Warren wasn't in any kind of trouble. In fact, he feels right at home. Everyone was welcoming and they saw his winged feature as a beautiful vessel. That was rather unexpected for him and it was the very first time he felt at ease being different, much more so than when he was among his classmates in Xavier's school. Once his friends saw for themselves how happier Warren is, they felt a bit guilty for not seeing before how lonely he must have been even among mutants, cooped up in a single place, limiting his interactions and contact from the rest of the world. The professor himself has also realized that he shouldn't obligate any of these kids to a life of crime-fighting if there is something else that makes them happy and Warren has clearly found it.

In issues #13-14, we get to see how the team adjust to the loss of a team member and how each of them copes based on their interactions with the android Aaron, notably Scott and Jean's reactions. I don't find it peculiar at all that Scott seemed cold and uncaring that Warren is no longer with them; the dude is goal-oriented and would rather dwell on what is to gain in the aftermath of something. Scott had also recently come to terms that he wants to lead his comrades this time without any of his usual self-doubt and ridiciously extreme caution. He has made that choice to stay on the course as much as Warren decides not to do the same. I think Scott respected that choice and accepts that bygones are inevitable which was why he welcomed the robot Aaron into their team easily because he trusts the professor's intentions and now is ready to treat every new event as a learning experience. He sees the X-Men foremost as an operational team who need to function at their best and I think he was simply trying to set an example. 

But Jean sees the X-Men as a family foremost and when a loved one goes way you should allow yourself to be sad. Both have a different approach on the matter which affects how they dealt with Aaron. While both Henry and Bobby are generally curious to have a robot working with them during a new mission, Jean is uncomfortable and distrustful, treating Aaron indirectly as a threat to the way things were and what she believed should stay the same. But Scott looks at the addition of Aaron as a pragmatic advantage. After all, Aaron's abilities are handy. As far as Scott is concerned, anyone who will replace Warren shouldn't need to have a personality, let alone feelings, which I know pisses Jean off even if she maintains a calm demeanor through the rest of the issue.

The last two issues featured Madam Medusa, a Fantastic Four villain, and the collaboration between Iceman and the Human Torch as they try to form their own partnership to get away from the pressures and expectations of their respective teammates. It was all good fun in the end, and this volume of X-Men: First Class had been an enthralling and pleasant ride that may be less adult-oriented in tone and themes but is guaranteed to entertain and make you laugh and even cry a little.

RECOMMENDED: 9/10

X-Men: First Class II by Jeff Parker Volume 2

The second volume for Jeff Parker's irresistibly fun series in its second season, continues the winning streak of finely crafted action-adventure tales centered on the promising Original Core Five (whom I fondly fall OCF). The stories included for this volume are some of my favorities in the entire title run, particularly issues #8 and #10 which dealt with some grea character exposition about Jean Grey and Scott Summers respectively. 

In issue #8 illustrated by guest artist Eric Nguyen, we see a darker take of events in the future which is probably the farthest Parker can take this general-audience series into grimmer territories, metaphorically and quite literally which was a refreshing pace for once.

While in a mission, the X-Men encounter Man-Thing and they were transported into different timelines of human history in one blink of existence at a time. There were warriors on winged horses, Nazis on ships, etc. For a time the five of them managed to fight theit way through,  that was until present and future started blending together and the team lost Bobby and Jean in the midst of the commotion. And if they don't find them before dimensions start closing up, they might lose them forever. It's an exciting race against time as they try to save their valued friends.

The real draw of this issue has to be the climactic revelations concerning the possible grim futures awaiting Jean and Bobby; worlds in which Jean becomes the Dark Phoenix as she slays everybody in her wake. Meanwhile, Bobby becomes a cruel Frost Giant and battles the Mighty Thor. The present young versions of these two somehow united with these grim future manifestations and the rest of the heroes have to find a way to pull them out while not freaking out as they watch their friends literally becomes nightmarish monsters. Fortunately enough, they were successful in saving both of them but Bobby and Jean also remembered what happened and are now going to carry those revelations from now on. It's up to them to decide if those futures will come true. After all, their choices will determine who they will become someday. 

Issue #10 is all about Scott Summers. For this installment, we finally get a story where Scott is the sole central figure which was odd in itself because you'd think a single character can't carry an entire plot by himself but if there is anyone who can do it then I suppose it has to be Scott. The reason why everyone else is out of commission is because the four youngsters got some awful case of stomach flu and Scott was already sent in a solo mission by the professor so he did not get sick. 

The professor wanted to train him separate from everyone else because he was confident in Scott's abilities and as soon as they figured out together what Cyclops is up against, Xavier maintains that he wouldn't have chosen anyone else but him. It has always been apparent that Xavier is training Scott to one day take over when he's gone so sending him out on his own was only necessary. I'm also glad that he has an open communication with Xavier here the entire time.

In this mission, Scott learns that there are dangers to always having your guard up. The truth is, he needs to be less cautious and more sensitive to other needs and to stop treating himself like a walking hazard. It's just heartbreaking that when he did eventually get over this insecurity, he gains a less than optimistic perspective on his powers and leadership and became the harsher and inflexible semi-villain he is today in comics. So I was happy to be reminded of a young Scott, brimming with potentials. I really missed this version of him and I really want to keep reading this series just so I can hold onto this Scott Summers a little longer, if possible.

This volume is definitely a stronger collection than the first one for this season.

RECOMMENDED: 9/10 

X-Men: First Class by Jeff Parker Vol. 2 issue #16

The cover should say it all--this was going to be a very wickedly fun issue. Featuring the guest appearances of the Human Torch and Spider-Man this final issue of Parker's XMFC roster was a conclusion to a rather delightful, breezy and enthralling run that leaves for more stories to be continued in the future which I sure hope so.

In fact, even though the second season has officially ended with sixteen issues, OCF will be back in a Giant-Size one and the mini series X-Men: First Class: FINALS which you will damn sure I'll be reviewing before the month of June ends. So let's finish this review together hrr and go forth to bolder horizons!

For this final installment, Jeff Parker examines the other two classic titles from Stan Lee's sixties era which were the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. These two were published and released alongside X-Men (and the Avengers). They are also arguably the more popular series which makes sense since they have already established a fanbase while the X-Men is still building up credibility, both as a comics title itself and as superheroes within their fictional universe. In this case, we see the X-Men and the Fantastic Four's youngest and most excitable members, Iceman and the Human Torch respectively, team up and fight crime in the name of badass-ness.

How does Spider-Man fit into all of this? Well, Gwen Stacy just invited Peter Parker to a pool party but he needs to stay and guard the city streets. Luckily for him, the two guys decided to step in and take the reigns from there on. Spidey was only slightly reluctant to let them do his own job but he was convinced eventually, mostly because he really wants to see Gwen in a swimsuit so he entrusts Bobby and Johnny to stop whatever supervillains decide to cause havoc in New York. 

Both Bobby and Johnny are not camera-shy and their media exploits soon reach their respective teams whose reactions primarily range from mild amusement, annoyance and shock. But the two boys were actually great together, what with their polar-opposite powers enhancing each other. All good things have to come to an end, however, when the two prove to be slighlt irresponsible and too laid-back to ever establish a stable partnership. Still, it was good while it lasted. Much like the series as a whole. See y'all in FINALS!

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

X-Men: First Class by Jeff Parker Vol. 2 issue #15

Professor X and the X-Men just happened to be riding their Blackbird jet plane when they picked up a distress call from an airport where a freaking flying saucer just crashed-landed. They rose to action immediately, much to Bobby's annoyance because he was really enjoying his nap when Beast threw him out the sky, clutching the younger boy with only his massive feet. Again, this greatly upsets Bobby--it's days like this that he wishes they have Angel around whenever any of them goes airborne. 

So Cyclops, Beast and Iceman get themselves landed on the saucer as it flew itself back into the air. As soon as Beast and Iceman finished their small argument about the basic laws of physics, Jean mentally takes control of the saucer (muttering quite comedically "It's just me and the saucer, thr saucer and me..."). So the saucer was grounded again and the X-Men try to see who was operating the damn thing and it turns out to be a Fantastic Four villain named Madame Medusa.

I don't know anything about her except that she has long red hair that terrifyingly elongates and ensnares enemies. Basically, bitch got magic hair. After some brief altercation, M.Medusa confesses that she is no longer in league with the bad guys and wants to understand what and who she is since she has no memories of her past nor any knowledge as to where her powers came from. She surmised that perhaps she is a mutant which intrigued the professor, of course, so he agreed to take her to their mansion, seeing as Xavier didn't pick up any threats in her subconscious.

So there's a girl other than Jean in thr household and the guys flock to her with eager curiosity. Jean, meanwhile, obviously envies Medusa's luscious long locks and tries, humorously, to get her own auburn hair long using telekenisis. I always enjoy these subtle odd behaviors from Jean whenever there is another girl around. She's so adorably awkward, alternating between fuzzing over the other girl or becoming rather stiff and clumsy in her interactions. This time it was in the latter. You can tell she's uncomfortable around Medusa while Henry is clearly smitten and acts like the perfect gentleman around her. Aside from that, I was just fine with this installment. It was nice to see Jean in such a dorky way where as Henry tries to impress a girl with his nerd skills and such. Another brilliant thing which I was so shocked by that I literally squealed was the RETURN OF WARREN WORTHINGTON. It looks like his vacation is over and he's back on the game. It was such a sweet moment to see him swoop in and scoop his three friends who were suspended in the air during a fight scene. 

I am so glad to see Angel again.  I wonder if he is staying for good...

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

X-Men: First Class II by Jeff Parker Volume 1

This is the first volume of the second season of Jeff Parker's uber-fun and delightfully dynamic teen series X-Men: First Class, and it's quite another lovely turn-out for the heroes I deem the Original Core Five (OCF, trademark still pending). As I've mentioned in my official review of the first volume, the nineties cartoon series were my X-Men growing up, and Stan Lee's sixties fivesome used to be something I don't care for. But thanks to Jeff Parker, my opinion on that matter has entirely changed. I love my OCF to the depths of my soul! 

I just love reading Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Iceman and Angel together, taking on a variety and supervillains, criminals and the usual off-the-kilter monster-of-the-issue, while dealing with the usual problems of fitting in, making connections and embracing the unique things their respective individuality can accomplish. If you're n adult in your twenties like me, or even if you are in your thirties or forties, and you read the first collection of this series AND WERE ABSOLUTELY ENTHRALLED, then you'd be just as in a celebratory mood as I am that the title has continued on with a second season; this time running for a total of sixteen issues.

Comprised of issues #1-5 plus a special, Mutant Mayhem maintains the same balance of fluff, thrill and poignancy as the last one, putting our favorite merry band of crime-fighters in a dangerous island for a two-parter story, Jean Grey having a sisterly bonding moment with Invisible Girl of the Fantastic Four; while Bobby and Henry have a road trip together to get a clean break from all the exhausting vigilantism. It's a great volume that will appeal to the readers who were already established fans to begin with and are more than thoroughly invested to see where the OCF are headed, and hopefully to more wacky adventures and bizarre scenarios that make them grow as friends and as people, and challenge their perspective as well as relationships with one another.

For a PG-13 series with no gore or violence or grim premises and depressing pay-offs, X-Men: First Class still knows how to deliver compelling, remarkable stories by relying on its core strengths which is really about these five lovable dorks and their struggles as mutants and aspiring heroes, and how to balance their lives outside of crime-fighting and the social politics their mentor incorporates them in. It only goes to show that comics could be fun and clean while still having emotional maturity and resonance at the same time.

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

X-Men Forever [Annual issue] by Chris Claremont (2010)

The first cycle of the X-Men Forever series has come to an end with Requiem as its final official issue (#24) and Into That Good Night as its ending arc. We also had that Giant Size Special afterward which was included in the fifth volume collection of the series. Now I'm about to review the Annual issue in this post. It centered around the budding romance between Jean Grey and Logan (Wolverine) and illustrated by artist Sana Takeda. The illustrations are very delicate and pretty to look at so for me it's quite the visual allure, and a rather appropriate choice of artwork for a story that's heavily 'romantic' (except when it's not because there's a plot here that has less to do with the Jean-Logan affair but is actually less interesting than the former).

Of all the X-Men characters in this series, Jean Grey is the one who is given a character arc driven by the fractured relationships she established with men who either died (Logan and Hank)or became alienated from her (Scott and Charles). I've complained more than once that I thought this was a disservice to her character, turning her into a love-sick damsel always nursing her broken heart. To a certain degree, I still uphold this opinion. However, I would counter that her ongoing internal conflict concerning the men she loved and lost was a justifiable development for her but I'm just not comfortable about the idea that this is something that seems to solely define her role and importance for the XMF series. It's not a great direction for her.

I mean, it's already one thing for her to fall in love with two men in just a short span of time but it's another to be depicted as powerless about the situations she is thrust in when it came to these men. She's grieving ninety-percent of the time in this comics. I have yet to see her take on a more assertive stance in the duration of her character arc so far which is slightly off-putting for someone who enjoyed the independence established about this character throughout the years. Nevertheless, I would argue that this annual issue did show Jean having some agency even if it still has something to do with a man.

The plot for this issue was simple enough; I think it's supposed to serve as a prologue before the vents that occur in the very first issue of XMF where Nick Fury contacted the X-Men to ask for their help in apprehending this cult called The Hand. Cyclops reasoned out that he's been busy helping Hank with strengthening the security measures of the mansion so he cannot come to the mission. Jean and Logan decided to volunteer and they travelled to an island somewhere and posed as newlyweds which proved to be something Jean was secretly enjoying somehow. At this point, she had just been resurrected from the dead after becoming the Dark Phoenix so her telepathy has been absent for a while now, rendering her unable to read minds. Logan asked her if this is bothering her but she dismisses it and actually feels comfortable to know how it's like for ordinary people to live their lives, not always readily prepared to read the contents of other people's thoughts. The pages before the eventual confrontation were leisurely ones concerning the tension and affection these two have for each other. They shared a sudden kiss and then were abducted by The Hand.

The Hand, as it turns out, kidnapped Psylocke long ago and tried to convert her into their own personal assassin. They almost successfully turned Wolverine himself but luckily Psylocke and Jubilee (whose absence in this series is noteworthy, by the way) together with Kitty Pryde, arrive just in time to kick butt. Wolverine, however, is berserk and almost beats up Kitty unconscious. It was ultimately Jean who was able to stop him and reverse whatever spell the Hand has crafted. This issue was okay. There was nothing here that got me excited or annoyed me so this neutral reaction has made me rate this issue fairly. Also, the artwork is just gorgeous. It fits the romantic mood of the setting especially between Jean and Logan who finally admitted to themselves and to each other that they want to be together. I suppose it's a tad poignant that this relationship will remain unconsummated after Logan's death. I would be more convinced and invested that Jean truly has deep feelings for Logan if only she didn't readily jump into Hank McCoy next. It's just a bit tacky, you know, and made Jean seem fickle and eager to give away her love and devotion to whoever man shows interest. I'm still on the Scott-Jean bandwagon at that and I sincerely look forward to their interactions the most because I could tell theirs is a possibility of a real friendship enhanced by their long history together.

So this annual issue was a good preparation for the second season of the XMF series that I'll get started on next week.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

X-Men Forever by Chris Claremont volume 5

This volume has to be the most perplexing collection of X-Men Forever so far. It only includes issue #21 and the Giant Size Special that span for 53 pages. I don't understand why they felt the need to forgo and leave issues #22-23 unenclosed (even that funeral issue #24 was excluded) when they are unmistakably substantial since they are the pieces that complete the story arc, Into That Good Night after all. I think I reached a point in reading Claremont's comics where I stop trying to make sense of XMF in particular, and its needlessly complicated storylines let alone the volumes in which they are divided.

In issue #21, A Plague on Both Your aHouses, Fabian Cortez finally passed away after enduring gruesome and torturous experiments courtesy of the Consortium. It was through his genetic mutation that the Consortium has figured out a way to eliminate mutantkind. The two mutant-hating Trask women, mother Amelia head of the Consortium, and legacy-deranged daughter Sigrid, having a fateful meeting where the daughter reveals that she has re-programmed her stupid killer robots and deemed them as Neo-Sentinels. We also just found out that one of the corporate figureheads for the Consortium is no other than Tony Stark himself, an Avenger, but Nick Fury remains unconvinced that Stark is a turncloak like Storm was so he decided to gather more convincing spy intel.

Meanwhile, Hank gets angrier the more he learns stuff, and Agent Daisy Dugan develops "feelings" for Sabretooth because he rescued her earlier in the story and now feels responsible for his amputated hand. Ro and Kitty research the connection between Trask and Stark and found it. In any case, it looks like the Trask-Stark connection goes way back the family tree. Stark Industries have also funded the Sentinel program! Afterwards, Fury just received some compelling evidence regarding the experiments done on Cortez. He hands Hank a flash drive. Its contents revealed that the Consortium has found the most effective way to sterilize mutantkind in the world which includes a satellite operation base orbiting near the planet. It carries a deadly concoction for mass genocide.

This was the only installment included for the arc and then the rest of the pages are  all about the Giant Size issue which is set after the events of Into That Good Night where Hank McCoy and Tony Stark sacrificed their lives for their comrades. And it doesn't make sense why they would discard three issues that should lead to this Giant Size special! Anyway, the fifty-three pages for the special include the story Can Love Find a Way whose title almost made me burst out laughing at the office where I was supposed to be quietly reading it. This storyline was actually previewed in issue #24 where the Shi'ara empire's precious library of some sort was infiltrated and the last person to access it was no other than Charles Xavier who is the royal consort to their empress Lilandra. If you don't know your X-Men canon, then you should know that Lilandra is an alien aristocrat who communicated with Xavier via astral plane one time and since then they have struck an ongoing romantic relationship that is bizarre and sort of disturbing, depending on how a writer approaches it. She is the second longest relationship Charles ever had (the first being Magneto who is totes his on-and-off ex-boyfriend). Anyway, a momentous family reunion occurs where the pages of this story are filled with LOTS AND LOTS of characters. It's a bit dizzying. It also started very slow where Scott and Professor X are trying to have a conversation where I was hoping they would discuss how Scott feels about Charles lying to the X-Men about the Burnout. But they were interrupted by other heroes they haven't seen in a while. They were also in Scott's family home with his parents and son Nathan. Alex and Lorna (from issue #18) were still vacationing there. And then we cut back to the Xavier Mansion where Jean, Kitty, Gambit, Sabretooth and Ro were transported to help out their fellow comrades in fighting some bad guys...

You know what, I cared very little about this story which was why I hardly paid attention especially when the only thing that truly stood out for me was that moment between Professor X and Jean Grey. Apparently, Lilandra and the Shi'ara people still believe she is dead and if they found out she's been resurrected, they will assume she is the incarnation of the Dark Phoenix and will proceed to dispose of her. Charles surrenders himself to Lilandra and was punished for breaching her trust when he accessed their console so he can gather more information on the Burnout cure. The punishment indicates his exile to their alien planet which means he will never see the X-Men again unless Lilandra allows it. Scott gives in easily, understanding that this was Charles' way to make up for the suffering he did not intend to inflict on the X-Men before. With Charles' sacrifice, Lilandra was never able to find out about Jean Grey and the Shi'ara empress left with her royal consort, never to bother the X-Men again. Devastated beyond reproach, Jean could only stare at the sky as Scott tries his very best to console her YET AGAIN. FOR THE THIRD GODDAMN TIME. And we get this exchange that really drove it home for me:

Oh, Jeannie. To think that you came back to life only to watch the men you love die or leave you: Logan, who was brutally murdered by one of your own friends; Hank, who sacrificed himself to save everyone; Scott, who mourned your demise for a while but moved on to have a son with another woman; and, finally, Charles Xavier, your mentor and father figure whom you wanted to open up about certain things with but will never get a chance again. I am so sorry, Jeannie. If I ever underestimated the depths of your pain or judged you harshly before, I'm taking some of them back. I feel awful for you especially when I'm reading this at a time when I am also recovering from my own trail of heartbreaks.

The rest of the pages follows the update concerning Amelia Trask who actually fucking recovered after Stark shot her; and the revelation that yet another fucking woman is the directorate of the Consortium. We also get some bonus scenes with Steve Rogers (Captain America) and the Avengers as they try to get past the loss of Tony Stark to fight for another day. The last story included in this special was Claremont's The Uncanny X-Men issue #108 which is actually written in the late eighties, I think, and tells the story of Jean as the Phoenix and her scuffle with the Shi'ara empire. I think this was supposed to be supplemental background as to why Jean and the Shi'ara race are ot odds with each other in the first place. Issue #108 is a worthy read, actually, and something I enjoyed better than whatever shite Can Love Find a Way was intended to be. The Giant Size special had redeeming factors but overall underwhelming.

The volume should have really included #22-24 which is why I'm rating this lower than I would have originally.

RECOMMENDED: 6/10

X-Men Forever by Chris Claremont issue #21-24 (2009)

 

I cannot stress how relieved I am to be writing story arc reviews as oppose to individual ones from now on when it comes to Chris Claremont's X-Men Forever series which proved to be as exhausting as it is as enjoyable to read. The last volume (issues #16-20) has been disappointing although I can argue that XMF's readability and cohesiveness have been walking a thin line since the Sentinels story arc. Speaking of which, those killer robots are back here again, led by Sigrid Trask, the absolutely bollocks bitch I really didn't want to see again. But I'm getting ahead of myself. In this post, I'm going to briefly summarize the highlights for each issue. Afterwards, I'm going to discuss some important issues or character arcs I have the most investment in. I would assert that all the concerns I addressed in my previous reviews were somewhat zeroed in by Claremont in this arc although they still lack the proper delivery/resolution that I need as a reader.

Artist Rodney Buchemi illustrates this arc and collaborates with the writing process as well, I suppose, much like the previous artists (Tom Grummett, Graham Nolan, Steve Scott) were credited as co-writers. This three-issued spectacle is entitled Into That Good Night, a phrase taken from Welsh poet Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" villanelle which is admittedly a much appropriate literary allegory for the events that transpired within this arc. If there is anybody who should 'rage, rage against the dying of the night', it's the X-Men especially against the unanticipated burnout concerning the mutation of their species. This is what was explored for this arc and it was a well-balanced one featuring cool action fights and dramatic moments between certain characters. As much as possible, I would like to keep things light whenever I review X-Men because I'm still in Claremont territory and the man knows how to write soap opera in its finest and sometimes to its fault as well so it's often advisable to just have fun with it. In any case, Into That Good Night was certainly more well-rounded that the previous three arcs (after Love--And Loss which was still my favorite XMF arc EVER) because it managed to be exciting during the course of the climactic confrontations between the X-Men and the Consortium after all that painfully slow build-up in #16-20 which is why I was grateful to read this batch. Nevertheless, this arc did have some problems. So let's get right to it. 


Issue #21 - A Plague on Both Your Houses

Fabian Cortez finally passed away after enduring gruesome and torturous experiments courtesy of the Consortium. Normally, I would have been in a celebratory mood because fuck this asshole and all that. However, it was through his genetic mutation that the Consortium has figured out a way to eliminate mutantkind. But before that tragic discovery, this issue first starts with the two mutant-hating Trask women, mother Amelia head of the Consortium, and legacy-deranged daughter Sigrid, having a fateful meeting where the daughter reveals that she has re-programmed her stupid killer robots and deemed them as Neo-Sentinels. They are now normal-sized purple cyborgs. Sigrid also put on the same Sentinel armor like some badly costumed female Robo-cop or something. If you think that's depressing then you should know that, in the last issue, we just found out that one of the corporate figureheads for the Consortium is no other than Tony Stark himself which sucks balls for Nick Fury and Hank, his fellow Avenger members because HOLY SHIT. Fury remains unconvinced that Stark is a turncloak like Storm was so he decided to gather more convincing spy intel.

Meanwhile, Hank gets angrier the more he learns stuff, and Agent Daisy Dugan develops "feelings" for Sabretooth just because he rescued her earlier in the story and now feels personally responsible for his amputated hand. On the flip side, Ro and Kitty research on the connection between Trask and Stark and found it, much to Kitty's disgust and Scott's wariness. In any case, it looks like the Trask-Stark connection goes way back the family tree where these two happen to be friends and colleagues. Stark Industries have also funded the Sentinel program as it turns out and I was just as floored as Kitty the entire time I was reading that. I'm very affected. As much as I don't really consider Stark as a character I have any emotional investment in, I just can't stand the idea that this Avenger is yet another two-faced dick like Storm. The dog pile doesn't end there, however. Fury just received some compelling evidence regarding the experiments done on Cortez. He presently hands Hank a flash drive. Its contents revealed that the Consortium has found the most effective way to sterilize mutantkind in the world which includes a satellite operation base orbiting near the planet and it happens to carry a deadly concoction, and a load of batshit crazy genocide.

RATING: 7/10

 

 

Issue #22 - Rise to the Challenge

The issue opens with Kitty shouting "TONY STARK IS A JERK!", channelling all the Wolverine-inspired rage you can possibly imagine. Scott dissuades her from doing anything irrational as he and the rest of the X-Men gather (specifically Hank, Jean Grey, Gambit, Ro, Kitty, Rogue, and Nightcrawler plus Nick Fury) around the round table to discuss their gameplay. Hank reveals his plans about dismantling the mechanism that will release that ominously named substance Plague X which will target mutants and kill them once it enters the earth's atmosphere. Ro expresses her desire to join them in the fight but she has yet to have control over her weather powers so they had to no choice but to leave her behind. Flying their ship, Kurt takes them to the Consortium's satellite base. This is all very nostalgic of that time back in the nineties run when the X-Men confronts Magneto in Asteroid M. The parallelism is unmistakable. Cyclops, Jean, Hank, Kitty, Rogue and Nick Fury confront Sigrid and her Neo-Sentinels midway through the issue and we get some pretty cool fights between them. My personal favorite moves were Rogue teleporting behind a Sentinel and ripping its head off, and Kitty phasing INSIDE the Sentinel and ripping it from there using the adamantium claw. Totes badass, these two ladies. Meanwhile, Stark and Amelia Trask talk about killing mutants and at this point I was suspicious of Stark's allegiance so when later on he whips out guns to shoot Amelia, I was not that surprised to learn he was a mole after all and not a traitor to our heroes. Still, I can't help but feel relief wash over me.

While their team members fight off the Sentinels, Hank and Jean Grey go straight to the main weapon where Plague X is contained. This scene alternates with Stark getting shot at and bleeding to death as Amelia Trask gloats with what she and her daughter are about to accomplish in a manner on genocide-driven assholes can deliver. Hank was unable to fully stop the deadly mechanism from activating so now he has to work on dismantling it while extreme time pressure is in place because the only way to stop Plague X from being dispersed on earth is if he stays behind to make sure the firing projector will be disarmed right before expulsion. Or something like that. Let's not get too caught up in the technical aspect of this plot because what matters at that point is Jean Grey is yet faced with the same situation of yet another love interest whose life is in peril. Isn't that just bloody perfect? Jeannie always has to suffer, apparently.

RATING: 7/10

Issue #23 - Do Not Go Gentle

Oh, my. Everything is becoming yet another clusterfuck of drama that almost, almost rivals Love--And Loss! story arc. The X-Men continue to battle it out with the Sentinels as Jean rushes to Cyclops' side to inform him of what Hank entails to do. But the violence doesn't just stop there even with that depressing revelation because Sigrid and her Neo-Sentinels still continue to pile on so the X-Men have no choice but to hold their ground. Meanwhile, Hank was contacted by a bleeding Tony Stark from the other side of the satellite base. Stark just shot Amelia dead earlier which was an overdue gesture, thanks very much. Now both men are ready to die for their friends and they have this heartfelt talk of the old times. Hank said he never doubted Stark, that he knew in his heart and gut that Tony would never have betrayed everything that the Avengers and X-Men stood for. It was a nice moment. Back in the Blackbird plane, Fury, Kurt and Kitty were there just in time as Tony communicates with Fury and the two youngsters realized that he was the "spy" Fury received the intel about the Plague X from (Stark's codename was "Deep Throat", of all things). Anyway, fight scenes continue to happen. We get this panel from Jean Grey which actually makes me truly bad for her situation. In spite of my complaints that her primary role in the series has now been reduced to a rather sappy character arc regarding romances with three men (Scott, Logan, Hank), I still sympathize with her predicament.

Hank and Jean say their "I love you"s just in time before the entire satellite base goes BOOM! The X-Men on the base managed to float in space since they've been geared up in space suits since the last issue. Unfortunately, Hank and Tony did not survive. In disbelief, Scott asks Fury if he is absolutely sure that they are gone. Jean glumly contemplates to herself that sometimes that's the price to pay to save your friends OR the whole world. Yeah, sometimes life just sucks balls for superheroes.

RATING: 7/10

Issue #24 - Requiem

This all feels painfully familiar now, a rather unpleasant aftertaste that doesn't seem to go away. It has only been a few weeks since they last buried a fallen comrade and here they are again and this time they had to grieve the loss of two of the noblest and most admirable of men, Hank McCoy of the X-Men and Tony Stark of the Avengers. This issue was illustrated by Tom Grummett and I've always been a fan of his artwork since the first story arc. He does expressive faces and well-lit panelling quite superbly especially with a story that demands a quiet sort of atmosphere that is subtly animated as well. I feel terrible that our heroes have once again attended another funeral and hear themselves talk about old friends who were ripped from them too soon. Naturally, Jean is taking all of this the hardest.

The issue opens with a nightmare sequence where Jean was unable to hold onto Scott, Logan and Hank. Charles heard her anguish so he invites her for a stroll outside the mansion where he tries to comfort her. Afterwards, Fury talks more about his plans to merge S.H.I.E.L.D with selected X-Men during missions. He maintains that he, Dugan, Sabretooth and Gambit should have more covert assignments since there are still Consortium operatives out there that need to be brought to justice. At the funeral later on, Jean says her goodbyes for the second time to a man she could have had an amorous relationship with. Back in the Blackbird plane, Ro opens up to Gambit, asking if he will leave with her (Kitty can even come, she says) because she's not too sure she can handle any more of this. I can understand her feelings, of course. After all, it's far too traumatic and grim for a young girl like herself to witness so many deaths like this. On the other side of the plane, Charles and Kitty talk about her ailment which seems to worsen. But Kitty vows that Logan's death will mean something  especially when she has a piece of him (literally and genetically) so she will continue to fight another day. They get back to mansion and this is when Scott decided to approach Jean, hoping he could say or do something for her but Jean asserts that all Scott can do now is to live, not for her, but rather for the sake of his son Nathan. And I kind of teared up, honestly. I love these two together but I can accept that their romantic relationship had run its course and now they can just be colleagues if not eventual close friends.  

Back in the laboratory, Moira examines Sabretooth's injuries and claims that because of the burnout, he won't be healing like before and that the damage Storm has inflicted in his eyesight was far too extensive so there is no way he will regain it back. She can do something about his arm though. Agent Dugan stayed close by during this conversation and it's obvious she seems to be liking him and that confounds me. Afterwards, we get that single page of Kurt and Rogue that also made me tear up again. Rogue has still retained Nightcrawler's physical mutation so she's the one who has to wear a perception image filter. Everyone is just suffering and reeling in this issue. But the upside is that Kurt is able to touch her since he is officially immune to each other after they switched powers. Kurt says that she's still beautiful and that he has faith that there must be a reason they switched powers like this. For now, he's just so happy and content that he's feeling close to someone again in such a visceral level like with Rogue, his newfound "sister". *wipes single tear from cheek*

The issue ends with Professor X in his study, reminiscing of the past as he looks through a photo album where he finds a picture of himself with all of the original five X-Men (Cyclops, Jean, Beast, Iceman and Angel) gorgeously rendered by Grummett. It was the best way to end this issue. I was so impatient of the slow developments and irrelevant plotlines that overcrowded the last five issues so my expectations for this series have tempered but I was quite pleasantly grateful that we get such an insightful and dignified story like this as an overall examination of the aftermath of chaos and loss our characters have experienced. It's a cleansing one too and have somewhat rejuvenated my enthusiasm although I will still remain critical and wary of the future storylines ahead.

RATING: 8/10

X-Men Forever by Chris Claremont volume 4

This volume collects issues #16-20 of Chris Claremont's continuing X-Men Forever soap opera saga. The biggest crime it ever committed was the sole fact that it didn't even put issue #15 in its roster which was the Storm-centered installment that would have added another star to this volume but since it didn't, I'm sticking with my final rating below. This was hardly what I can call a polarizing collection--it's just downright grating and disappointing in a lot of places that are not even worth mentioning.

Since it started, the XMF series has walked that fine line between convoluted yet compellingly entertaining storytelling and atrociously delusional baggage of bullshit storylines. For a time, it's always been an optimistic reading experience for yours truly but now I can honestly say that this volume is everything that's distasteful, bland and irreconcilably bad about this series as a whole. There's no way to sugarcoat it.

First of all, the story arcs that were present here only lasted for two issues each (Rogue and Nightcrawler's misadventure in Mississippi was in issues #16-17; Finding Fabian Cortez in the Consortium base lasted from issues #19-20) and there just wasn't enough content to go around with so everything feels stretched out and unsatisfying. Not failing to mention, of course, that perplexingly boring issue #18 that was Cyclops-centered but could have easily been written in less than five pages because the events that happened in that issue were so catastrophically uneventful that it hurts. I don't even have any other way to expound on this review so let me re-post my most important criticism and that's how Jean Grey's role in all of this debacle so far and the mutant burnout storyline are being executed:

If the mutant burnout was a really important plot thread then I certainly hope Claremont brings his A-game and stop giving us filler story arcs in between and just focus on the burnout crisis instead. The irony about it thought is that he still has to build up certain subplots that are in relation to this main one and yet he manages to accomplish little every time he does because there's just something underwhelming and half-baked about the way he's written the last four issues or so. I think the pacing has started to suffer by the end of the Sentinels arc and we're trudging along the dangerous possibility that this could get more convoluted than necessary. We have S.H.I.E.L.D vs. The Consortium vs. the X-Men. We got individual vendettas from Storm and Black Magik (who will make an appearance because their arcs are unfinished after all), and then we have the blindingly stupid character conflict of Jean Grey regarding the men she's romantically interested in.

In issue #17, Jean and Moira have a girl talk during tea time. Of course, it's about Jean's love life because apparently that's the storyline she's been strictly confined in since we stared XMF. She hasn't been going in missions and taking on more active, participatory roles either, and her bereavement process had stretched far too long that it was derivative by now. Worse, she had just made out with one of her long-time friends while recovering from the loss of another which is just so tacky. I don't know about you but Jean is not impressing me at the moment. She's basically helpless, making some truly confounding decisions and becoming receptive to Hank's affections which he never blatantly expressed, mind you. I know I said in my review for the third volume that I won't be harsh with her because I understand her grief but honestly! This is a grotesque way of characterizing one of the most empowered superheroines in comic book fiction, reducing her into a small role of a woman who lost her love interest and is now eager to jump with another because hey, it's the only way she could deal with the potentially life-ending mutation burnout. It's just frustrating because so much fucked-up shit are happening around her and with other characters and we have yet to see her involved in a decent piece of storyline outside her romantic dilemma at hand. I mean, how long is she going to stay cooped up in the mansion, going on meditative walks or having various heart-to-hearts with people who obviously have more important things to do than listen to her pain? I am not happy about the role in which you have cased Jean Grey in, Mr. Claremont. Please remedy this ASAP.

RECOMMENDED FOR POSTERITY: 6/10



X-Men Forever by Chris Claremont issue #20 (2009)

This issue is the final installment of whatever the fuck is happening with S.H.I.E.L.D, the Constortium and Fabian Cortez. It picks up right after the previous issue's cliffhanger where Nick Fury, Agent Daisy Dugan, Sabretooth and Gambit are confronted by Consortium operatives as they are just about to whisk away Fabian Cortez to get more information from him. As an action-packed issue, I had no problem with this. The pages illustrated by Graham Nolan were captivating enough to hold my attention as I follow our heroes as they escape the clutches of the enemy. 

Visually, it was great. However, Claremont's narration boxes sort of annoy me because they were so self-aware and needlessly chatty. I would have preferred for the artwork to speak for itself so it can heighten the sense of danger and high stakes but with Claremont's narration, the supposedly tense atmosphere gets underwhelming at times. I think that's my only strong nitpick for this issue and I don't really feel like picking this apart more than it needs to be. For what it's worth, at least the fourth volume is over and I can now post my official review of it and then finally start posting a single review per story arc so I don't get irritated when a particular issue slows down my momentum and spoils my enjoyment at the same time.

The only thing of note that happens during the action sequence was the instinctive way Sabretooth rescued Agent Dugan. That was surprising because he actually risked his life for someone during the heat of the moment which was odd yet sort of nice for a jerkwad like Sabes to do. As a result, he got his hand chopped off in the railway. Later on, Hank would surmise that the mutant burnout is also taking a toll on him which was why his eyesight hasn't returned yet and his hand will not grow back either.

But anyway, this discussion happened after the heroes escape the Consortium first, carrying a wounded and barely alive Fabian Cortez with them. Cyclops assigned the newly-turned-nightcrawler Rogue to pick them up from the location so they were all able to get home safely. That's it. Then they have that discussion about the burnout and then Jean tells them that Cortez has something to tell them that's very urgent so they all went there to hear his piece. And boy, it's a good one too.

He reveals that the Consortium is much bigger than they could ever imagine and that he has managed to meet their top guy. Cut to the final two pages where we see Mrs. Trask (second wife to Bolivar) who has been the face I associated the Consortium with for a while now, get direct orders from a guy whose face we don't see until we flip to the final page. They mention the Sentinels program and bitch-face Zigrid Trask and that she will be playing into the cards soon (and this really annoys me). Finally, we see who is this top guy Cortez was talking about and it's no other than TONY STARK. Oh my stars and garters and all the JUBILATION and NOPES in the world!

First off, WHAT. Second of all, THE FUCK?

RECOMMENDED: 6/10

X-Men Forever by Chris Claremont issue #19 (2009)

The Ties that Bind has multiple scenes and interactions, as well as a few plot developments that should matter more at this point and yet somehow I felt like their progress is taking too slow hence the diluted effect of their impact. I just want to give my full disclosure and say that I'm getting somewhat bored; characters seem to be stuck in a standstill and the segregated subplots only serve to alienate me as a reader further. That s not a good sign. Even typing this review right now is enough to drain whatever enthusiasm I used to have since I began reading X-Men Forever. I hope that things will pick up soon. For now, I'm just mulling over the damnable slow pacing of it all.

The setting for this installment is divided between the events in the Xavier Mansion, and an ongoing infiltration mission in a Consortium base somewhere led by Nick Fury with Diane Dugan, Sabretooth and Gambit along for the mission. The latter is something that should be exciting but the only thing that happened was the discovery of Fabian Cortez which I spoiled ahead in the previous issue because it was such a shit issue and I have nothing to fill its content so I just decided to mention and expound Cortez' situation there. In any case, I'm going to repeat myself again: apparently, the Consortium has been experimenting on him and he tried to bargain his way with Fury and the others by pointing out that his genetics may be the key in solving the mutant burnout crisis everyone is making such a big deal of since issue #6 but I have yet to see any tangible or horrifying implications of it. Really, everyone is living on borrowed time--do the mutants really believe that they should be an exception to this just because they are an evolutionary leap from their less evolved kin, the homo sapiens? I suppose people like Mystique and Sabretooth have some form of immunity but the rest are doomed to die young so they're racing against the clock to find a solution that can guarantee the survival of their species.

If this is a really important plot thread then I certainly hope Claremont brings his A-game and stop giving us filler story arcs in between and just focus on the burnout crisis instead. The irony about it thought is that he still has to build up certain subplots that are in relation to this main one and yet he manages to accomplish little every time he does because there's just something underwhelming and half-baked about the way he's written the last four issues or so. I think the pacing has started to suffer by the end of the Sentinels arc and we're trudging along the dangerous possibility that this could get more convoluted than necessary. We have S.H.I.E.L.D vs. The Consortium vs. the X-Men. We got individual vendettas from Storm and Black Magik (who will make an appearance because their arcs are unfinished after all), and then we have the blindingly stupid character conflict of Jean Grey regarding the men she's romantically interested in. It's just insane, the amount of story threads that Claremont had plot out in just nineteen issues and none of them are coming into brilliant fruition, let alone a nuanced development that I can actually stay invested in. At this point, I'm grasping at the straws. I'm noticing the flaws more in the narrative and characters I'm supposed to root for are getting under my nerves. 

I'm going to cut my ranting short so I can discuss the three key scenes for the Xavier Mansion. First we have Rogue and Nightcrawler in the laboratory being examined by Hank. They are trying to determine the extent of their switcheroo debacle. Jean and Professor X decided to test it by having Charles touch Kurt and that's when we find out that Kurt has now the ability to siphon and absorb mutant powers while Rogue is stuck with his tail and teleportation shtick. Speaking of disastrous borrowed power, Kitty Pryde is getting surlier by the moment, concerned about the adamantium claw and whatever genetically inherited personality quirk Wolverine may have left in her system that makes her capable of murderous instincts. Not even 'Ro can cheer her up. Meanwhile, both Jean and Hank have the opportunity to disclose their slight indiscretion from issue #14 to no other than Scott but both of them decided to delay the inevitable some more especially since Cyke is hearing none of it. It's not like they have to ask his permission to date or anything, but they do owe him an explanation. It would suck if Scott once again finds out about Jean's new romantic prospect by accident or under duress. But who am I kidding? That's probably what's going to happen because I'm reading Chris Claremont and it's not an X-Men by Claremont unless we have these precious soap-opera moments thrown in.

The next issue is the last time I will be doing individual reviews of XMF. After #20 and my official review for the fourth volume, I'll be posting one review for a story arc regardless of how many installments. That way, I can save time and discuss only what is necessary. I think it's just more practical and proficient that way. Anyway, I'll excuse this issue because there are at least more scenes in the content than the Cyclops-centered one. I really need to raise my standards at this point, XMF!

RECOMMENDED: 6/10

X-Men Forever by Chris Claremont issue #18 (2009)

The Mississippi mission with Rogue and Nightcrawler only lasted for two issues? Srsly? I'm sorry but that was rather lame. How can you have two of the most interesting X-Men plus the intriguing Mystique in a story arc and tell a story so bereft of entertainment, insight or drama? This is not what I expect from Chris Claremont who can always find drama in anything gratingly insignificant and then turn it into guilty-pleasure fun. That was not the case with that easily forgettable two-issued arc that didn't give me any kind of satisfaction whatsoever. Basically, Rogue and Nightcrawler have switched powers there which sucks, I guess. However, we only get some new updates about that clusterfuck by the next issue after this.

So let's talk about this first. There isn't much to say, really. It's a Cyclops-centered issue where we see him still vacationing with his folks and son Nathan. We also get the Consortium and the much needed update on what they have been doing to Fabian Cortez which is gruesome. He's been experimented on. But since I hate that asshole, so I can't be too sad about it.

What else happened...uh, Alex (Havoc) and Lorna visited the family and then Nathan gets abducted by the Consortium. Why the fuck that happened, no one is really sure but it allowed Scott some action sequence as he saves his son. I just want to mention real quick that we will get back to Cortez in the next issue who will try to bargain his way out of captivity once the X-Men do find him by saying that his mutation may be the key to solving the burnout, considering he has the ability to speed up the process after all. I would just like to point out that he's responsible for Kitty getting the adamantine and for Rogue's siphoning ability to get haywired which was probably why she ended up absorbing Nightcrawler's powers to the most extreme degree. So yeah. We hate this guy. However, he may have some use indeed and it's not advisable to let the Consortium have him.

But hey, why am I addressing this future event in this review already rather than just focus on the plot has hand? Well, because nothing really happens for this fucking issue except the fact that we see Scott hang out with his son and brother, see son get kidnapped, has his brother help him rescue son, and then successfully gets his son back though we don't really get an understanding as to why the Consortium wanted the boy in the first place. Boring shit, basically. Anyway, the only thing I liked about this issue was that Alex was right to say that Scott needs to get back to the Xavier Mansion and not shrink from his responsibilities. That means we finally get to see him back in action, leading his team instead of playing house. I get that he does have a family and a boy to take care of but this is a superhero comic book and there's nothing remotely interesting or emotionally stirring about his relationship with the young boy. So I'd rather have Scott being Cyclops and kicking ass. Besides, I really hope he and Jean work out their issues because I still have hope that they can overcome this current roadblock. But I won't hope too much.

Yeah, fuck this issue. Let's go ahead with the next one which at least had a heftier content and some other promising developments. But, honestly, the fourth volume (issues #16-20) has been remarkably tedious and a little bland in some places. You can just skip this and nothing would really affect the flow of the current main narrative later on.

NOT RECOMMENDED: 5/10

X-Men Forever by Chris Claremont issue #17 (2009)

As much as I enjoy Rogue and Nightcrawler as characters in general, with the former as my ultimate favorite X-Men of all time, this Mississippi storyline's second installment is still taking its time developing a story we're supposed to invest ourselves in, if not rightfully so. This has ben a character-driven piece so far with a few breaks in between where we become privy to the events in the Xavier Mansion and one of S.H.I.E.L.D.S' base operations where Fury, Dugan and Sabretooth are pursuing a lead regarding the Consortium. Just like with my review of the previous issue, let's discuss about these subplots first.

The investigation about the Consortium-hiding-secret-agents-in-S.H.I.E.L.D plotline hasn't begun to yield any clear, productive results. Fury and Dugan had only managed to incite a single testimony from a female agent whose account was elusive at best. Of course, from what we know about the Consortium, perhaps our heroes should be more concerned. The said organization is behind the revival of the Sentinels project, and employing Storm as a spy within the X-Men. Honestly, the latter is the only crime that makes the Consortium a grave concern for me. But I will be reserving my final judgment until we get an answer as to what they intend to do with former Magneto Acolyte, Fabian Cortez. I'm sure we would be getting an update on that when we least expect it, just like that unforgivable Storm-centered issue #15. It shouldn't be long.

Moving on to the Xavier Mansion: Hank and Professor X finally do work out their small disagreement from the previous issue. Charles had a humble moment too when he admitted to his arrogance in the past and that he wants to learn from his mistakes. Hank opens up to him as well; about the fact that he wants to have grandkids someday and if that future will just be snatched away from them because of the burnout, then what is the point of saving the omniverse they live he, he queries.

Meanwhile, Jean and Moira have a girl talk during tea time. Of course, it's about Jean's love life because apparently that's the storyline she's been strictly confined in since we stared XMF. She hasn't been going in missions and taking on more active, participatory roles either, and her bereavement process had stretched far too long that it was derivative by now. Worse, she had just made out with one of her long-time friends while recovering from the loss of another which is just so tacky. I don't know about you but Jean is not impressing me at the moment. She's basically helpless, making some truly confounding decisions and becoming receptive to Hank's affections which he never blatantly expressed, mind you. I know I said in my review for the third volume that I won't be harsh with her because I understand her grief but honestly! This is a grotesque way of characterizing one of the most empowered superheroines in comic book fiction, reducing her into a small role of a woman who lost her love interest and is now eager to jump with another because hey, it's the only way she could deal with the potentially life-ending mutation burnout. It's just frustrating because so much fucked-up shit are happening around her and with other characters and we have yet to see her involved in a decent piece of storyline outside her romantic dilemma at hand. I mean, how long is she going to stay cooped up in the mansion, going on meditative walks or having various heart-to-hearts with people who obviously have more important things to do than listen to her pain? I am not happy about the role in which you have cased Jean Grey in, Mr. Claremont. Please remedy this ASAP.

As for the main plot with Rogue, Nightcrawler and Mystique--it was painfully uneventful. After Rogue wakes up from siphoning all of Kurt's physical characterization and teleportation power, she gets to use the latter first-hand to rescue people from a burning building WHICH SHE CAUSED IN THE FIRST PLACE after mindlessly attacking Mystique from the previous issue. Anyway, there were no horrible consequences. Everyone gets saved. Some dude takes their picture and it turns out to be Mystique in the end who was smiling coyly in the last page while looking at said picture for some reason. Does she have a diabolical plan in mind? We'll hopefully know soon enough. In the meantime, I'm slightly disappointed with what I just read in the last two issues. It was surprisingly bland and vague in some moments. Considering this is Rogue and we not get Mystique, I'm wishing we're getting something exciting later on.

RECOMMENDED: 6/10

X-Men Forever by Chris Claremont issue #16 (2009)

I was out of commission for four days due to a full-day re-watch of Doctor Who series 8 with a trusted geekmate and then an unexpected attack of stomach flu afterwards (two unrelated events, of course). That has to be the worst crippling illness for a glutton like me because there were only a few sources of pleasure I can derive from (comics being one of them) and food usually occupies the top of that list. I had to slightly fall behind my readings so I'm going to have to adjust my schedule for XMF issues for this week. I've also realized that I might stop doing individual reviews after volume 4 which is the current one I'm reading about Rogue and Nightcrawler's Mississippi mission. I might decide to post one review for a story arc instead regardless of the number of issues it is composed of just to save time and whittle down my insights to the most important content.

But I digress. Let's talk about the aforementioned story arc now. With the addition of the main plot, two other things happened for this issue. We'll briefly tackle those first since they're merely details in the background that more or less signify the process of the ongoing threads we've been following for a while now. 

First is the one concerning Nick Fury after S.H.I.E.L.D agent Diana Dugan and Sabretooth uncover a man posing as one of the agency's officers sneaking in the underground rooms of the Xavier Mansion, possibly planting or taking out something there (we have yet to find out). Fury and Dugan went on to investigate possible agents who may be double-crossers themselves but has so far only made some definable progress with a female agent who, teary-eyed, explains that it was the Consortium who found her first and recruited her in no time, that she had no other choice but to obey their orders because this organization has certain pulls in places she warns that they wouldn't believe. I believe this means her loved ones must have been threatened. Fury and Dugan obviously want to get to the bottom of this so they may apply more questionable tactics and that's where Sabretooth is more than happy to provide.

The second one is about Hank and Professor X in the laboratory with Moira MacTagert, arguing about their research concerning the cure for mutant burnout. Xavier agrees to share his notes with Hank but Hank still believes he is hiding something and this offends Xavier so they started yelling at each other and Moira had to get in between them and stressed that the task they are undertaking should be prioritized more than whatever petty unresolved issues they may have between them. Xavier apologizes again for withholding the discovery of the burnout this long but Hank decided to walk out of the lab, possibly to clear his head. I honestly can't blame Hank for still resenting the professor but I sure hope they can work together nevertheless. There is a bigger picture here that needs to be understood perfectly before they ever hope to accomplish anything.

Now Southern Comfort mainly focuses with that hinted storyline from the previous issue where Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler) receives a phone call from a childhood friend-turned-lover-now-ex named Amanda and she seemed to be in some sort of trouble. Rogue offered to help since she is after all born and raised in Mississippi where Kurt is headed to see said woman. On the way there, he started discussing the nature of his relationship with her and their eventual fallout. Amanda was the first person who loved him regardless of his physical mutation (being blue and having a tail). Worried sick, Kurt could only hope he's not too late. When he and Rogue arrived at the place, they started looking for her inside a house whose address Amanda left Kurt awhile back in case he wants to contact her. To their surprise, it was Mystique who was waiting for them. It turns out that she shape-shifted into Amanda when she made that phone call to Kurt. But why the deception?

A little historical background for the novice: Originally, Rogue used to be a villain and she was Mystique's adopted daughter back in the early decades of the X-Men continuity. Fast forward to now: this should explain the tension and bitter feelings Rogue has for her during this encounter. When Mystique delivered her to Professor X, Rogue became a different person under his tutelage (one can say a different character interpretation; truly, thanks to Claremont, Rogue's present characterization has turned her into a fan-favorite heroine) and so she's not that eager to make any sort of reconciliation with her former guardian after all these years especially when Mystique has proven time and time again how elusive and deceptive she could be. However, Mystique maintains that this time she wants to make things right, starting with her children. She atomic-bombs the revelation that Kurt is her son after all which shouldn't be surprising to anyone who may have suspicions about it considering they both have blue skin (it's totally not racist to make that connection, okay?).

Rogue is not fucking pleased and doesn't want to listen to any more of Mystique's bullshit (apparently, Misty is worried about the mutant burnout though assures his son that Kurt has an immunity to it, thanks to her genetics). Rogue tackles her and they break into a window and crash a car. Unfortunately, with Rogue's super strength, she managed to destroy some sort of gas tank when one of the car's door ends up landing on that tank and everything goes KABOOM! with the impact. Once Kurt teleports to the scene, he finds Rogue unconscious but no sign of Mystique. He panicked when he realized that Rogue was hardly breathing so he decided to perform CPR on her, knowing that she will siphon his powers through such a direct contact. Mystique watches from afar, unable to discern what was happening at first. When she finally approached them, she realized what Kurt had done. Apparently, siphoning can be a two-way thing: Kurt was momentarily transformed to an average-looking human while Rogue got everything definable about Nightwalker: the blue skin, four-fingered hands, tail and the teleporting ability. Well, joy. But for how long could they both stay that way?

RECOMMENDED: 7/10