The X-Axis – w/c 16 September 2024
X-MEN: FROM THE ASHES INFINITY COMIC #15. By Alex Paknadel, Phillip Sevy, Michael Bartolo & Clayton Cowles. This is the first part of a Beast story, and it spends much of the time setting up its take on the character. We’re directly reminded that this guy is in fact the last surviving Beast clone with copied memories – something that X-Men itself has largely danced around, for perfectly good reasons, since it hasn’t been relevant yet. In this series, it does matter, because it goes to the fact that Hank has skipped all the decades of continuity in which he became evil or showed up as an evil version from another universe. Reasonably but predictably, Hank is struggling with the idea that this might be an inevitable direction for his character. Perhaps more interesting is the idea that he doesn’t even feel able to trust his own reasoning to avoid that direction, because his evil versions were all hyper-rational anyway. Having set up all that quite nicely, the story then packs Beast off to rescue a new mutant (everyone else is busy), and in true Silver Age style it turns out to be a villain. That side of things is a bit more sketchy so far, but it seems like a story that should be able to come together.
SAVAGE WOLVERINE INFINITY COMIC #8. By Tom Bloom, Guillermo Sanna, Java Targalia & Joe Sabino. End of the arc and, yeah, this was actually good. The story is perfectly fine, but Sanna’s angular and brutal art really is the draw for this series. I’m not 100% sure about the final reveal, but on balance I think it works – and I quite like the idea that the mutants who did skip out going to Krakoa might feel a bit uncomfortable about looking to the big name characters for help now. Anyway, if you’ve got an Unlimited subscription and you’re not overdosing on Wolverine already, this one is worth your time.
X-MEN #4. (Annotations here.) Jed MacKay’s X-Men feels like it’s still at the phase of getting its pieces into place with a series of single-issue stories, while hinting at a bigger picture to come. That bigger picture is obviously about the new mutants suddenly emerging in adulthood, but instead of getting back to 3K from the first issue, this story brings in Trevor Fitzroy and the Sugar Man as more players. I’ve seen this sort of approach work for MacKay’s other books, and I’m sure it’ll come together here. Mind you, this is an issue that really does need some faith in the bigger picture, since as a single-issue story it boils down to “Trevor Fitzroy is hunting mutants on social media” and a fight. I’ve never really been convinced by villains whose schtick is livestreaming murder – I just don’t buy that there’s enough of an audience to make it worthwhile. Most people want to rationalise that they’re the good guys. Still, it does give Fitzroy a clearly defined personality, which is all for the best, and guest artist Netho Diaz gives him a nicely pitched level of flamboyance. There’s some mileage too in playing him against the comparatively sullen Magik as rival teleporters, although I’m not sure those two aspects of the issue mesh as well as you’d think.
X-FACTOR #2. (Annotations here.) Polaris tries to stage an intervention to drag Havok away from the misconceived new X-Factor, which seems sensible enough. And at first this looks like Polaris is going to be the mouthpiece for Mark Russell to explain to Havok why he’s wrong, more or less by reading out last issue’s editorial. Except as things turn out, it looks a lot like Polaris has joined some sort of paramilitary cult, and that the bits Russell agrees with are maybe just the pitch. I’m intrigued by where he’s going with this, because the book certainly seemed to be setting up a story about X-Factor being suckers who signed up for the team out of desperation to be loved, and Polaris being the voice of reason. By the end of this issue, Havok feels like he might be one of those suckers, but Polaris seems to be losing the plot just as much, while the rest of the X-Factor members – all still relatively peripheral – seem to have a fairly sensible attitude to the whole thing. This issue is also a lot less open to comparison with X-Statix, which is for the best, though there’s still a sort of ironic distance to the whole thing. Still, plenty of interesting things here.
WOLVERINE: DEEP CUT #3. By Chris Claremont, Edgar Salazar, Carlos Lopez & Travis Lanham. Well, that’s an issue-long fight scene. Edgar Salazar does an extended sequence with Wolverine affected by Scrambler – you might recall that Claremont has just randomly retconned what Scrambler does – and that’s visually memorable. Beyond that… it really is just a fight scene that continues from last issue and continues into the next one, and I’m not convinced that’s what people are looking for in a Claremont nostalgia mini.
DAZZLER #1. By Jason Loo, Rafael Loureiro, Java Tartaglia & Ariana Maher. File under “not subtle.” Dazzler has a hit album and is going on tour as an icon of mutant pride. There’s a bit of fretting about whether Shark-Girl on drums will scare the humans (um, have we all forgotten that she can change back to human form at will?), there’s a random villain who attacks during the show, and there’s a song called “Out and Proud”. As a one-shot, it’d be fine, I guess? As issue #1 of a miniseries, I’m kind of baffled. It doesn’t seem to set up anything, and if anything it felt like the point was being stretched out even at issue length. There’s a certain cheerleading charm to it, but four issues seems like overkill.
“um, have we all forgotten that she can change back to human form at will?”
Okay, but good luck getting her to will it.
Also, I think it’s okay to be a little scared of someone who looks like a great white shark. Sharks are scary?
That Dazzler issue had all the subtlety of a mallet wrapped in other mallets.
“Okay, but good luck getting her to will it.”
The plot hinges on her being willing to use an image inducer.
“There’s a bit of fretting about whether Shark-Girl on drums will scare the humans”
Is her drumming really that bad?
I’m not liking the plot where Dazzler doesn’t use her powers to defend herself against Scorpia. Scorpia was attacking Ali in front of a stadium full of fans, some of whom were children. And Ali doesn’t use her powers to defend herself because Sofia told Ali that using her powers to defend herself against an attacker might be used against her by anti-mutant bigots. This was INCREDIBLY reckless and stupid. Some of Dazzler’s fans could have been hurt or killed in the crossfire. Dazzler’s first resposibility in a crisis is to her fans’ safety, not to whether it will be good or bad PR for mutantkind. And Ali’s fans getting killed wouldn’t exactly be good PR for mutantkind. And yes, Ali uses her powers at the end to stop Scorpia after Shark Girl just avoids being hit by Scorpia’s blast, but STILL..I can’t believe Ali and Domino agreed to this.
Speaking of Scorpia, it’s annoying that they used her as the villain. She’s a member of the Syndicate and the Syndicate is being used right now in the final storyline in Zen Wells’ Amazing Spider-Man run. (And to make it even more ridiculous, the Syndicate are working for Tombstone in NYC, and this story’s action takes place in Los Angeles.) Couldn’t they have found a villainess whose team wasn’t being used in an ongoing storyline? A few years ago they could have used a member of the Serpent Society but judging from Avengers Assemble 1 Marvel is still going with “the Serpent Society are servants of Mephisto”. even though the fans hate it. To make matters worse, Scorpia didn’t appear with the rest of the Syndicate in Amazing Spider-Man 57- I hope the artist wasn’t ordered not to draw her so she could appear in this story.
“It doesn’t seem to set up anything,”
I think we’re supposed to wonder who hired Scorpia.
In Avengers 18, Quentin combines his powers with Sif’s, Clea’s Strange’s and Wanda’s to locate Hyperion. It was a cool scene but I don’t know why Sif would have needed the others’ help if she’s taken over Heimdall’s role.
Storm joins the Avengers in this issue. A lot of readers didn’t like the reasoning. First. Storm says that it would be a tremendous opportunity for mutants. But it wasn’t a tremendous opportunity for mutants when Wanda, Pietro, Beast , Firestar, Justice or Logan joined, so why would it be a tremendous opportunity when Storm joined?
Then Storm says that she doesn’t want to go back to taking or giving orders to Scott. So could’t she just form another mutant team.
Then she says that she doesn’t have to worry about taking orders in the Avengers. because the Avengers are an assemblage of equals with a chairman, not a strike team with a combat leader. But in actual fact, the Avengers’ chairman usually serves as a combat leader in the field. Wasp and Hawkeye became two of the finest field leaders in the Marvel Universe due to their chairmanships of the Avengers. The difference between the Avengers’ chair and the X-Men’s leader isn’t as great as MacKay is trying to make it. It’s not like the X-Men are all Scott’s slaves.
(I suspect part of the problem is that part of Storm’s fan base doesn’t think she should be on a team if she’s not leading. This is a problem unique to Storm’s fanbase. Captain America was on the Avengers while Wasp was chairwoman and Iron Man was on the WCA when Clint was chairman and their fans didn’t have a problem with it.)
I did find it funny that Storm was replacing Thor because Thor was framed for murder by the Enchantress, who was angry that Thor wasn’t there when her son was killed:
Thor: My friends, I must leave the Avengers. I have been framed for murder by the Enchantress, who blames me for being absent when her son was slain.
Storm: My friend, there is a simple solution to your problem. You need to rip the Enchantnress’s heart out. Then she will somehow survive and join your team.
…Why is everyone looking at me like that?
Okay, I just read the Savege Wolverine story, and yes, it’s not bad. It does its subtext through a megaphone, but that’s comics. I do like the final scene, with Wolverine handing Jack the device to use if he’s ever in real trouble. Reminds me of the old Larry Hama stories.
Yeah, I thought it was weird Domino would agree that Dazzler shouldn’t use her powers aggressively, because it could lead to bad press. I’d think she’d take the approach, “Bad p.r. don’t matter if you’re dead.”
It feels like Loo’s setting Wind Dancer up as an antagonist, since she’s the one pushing a image inducer on Shark-Girl, and telling Dazzler not to use her powers aggressively – except I’m assuming she did to knock out Scorpia, so I guess it’s OK to use them aggressively eventually – for fear of blowback or hurting commercial success.
I assume Dazzler ultimately refuses to do that, because it’s stupid to worry about offending bigots that will only be happy when mutants are dead, anyway.
Cable is getting a five issue limited series starting in January.
A new ongoing series featuring Deadpool and Wolverine by Ben Percy is being launched in January. It will feature a returning X-Men villain. And involve an “ages-long plan”.
I wonder who the villain is. Sinister? Sabretooth? They were both involved with the Weapon X program. Lady Deathstirke knows both Logan and Wade but she’s appearing in Ahmed’s series. Plus, she’s not that old.I don’t think Percy would bring back Romulus.
Synch will be appearing in NYX starting in January.
I can buy Wind Dancer being gunshy (literally) about anti-mutant prejudice since she suffered after losing her powers on M-Day… she’s had a really rough career/life.
But honestly, forgetting that Shark Girl can turn back into human? And worse yet, that image induced form looks nothing like her actual self–it feels like a case of whitewashing the brown-skinned Brazilian character from what the art depicts.
And really… Sofia thinking that Dazzler’s fans, many of whom are depicted to be mutants, will somehow be shocked by a mutant band member? (I also find it weirdly random that Shark Girl, of all people, is a talented drummer. I mean, no reason why not, but it’s a really random choice.
Also, what blackmail material does Ben Percy HAVE???
Bloody hell no. Another ages-long plan involving Wolverie? Really?
As for Shark Girl, was she always a shape changer or was it just that one time with Spider-Man? I think she’d be more interesting as just a person with a permanent fish head, but there’s also a story to be told about a woman who can change whenever she likes, but prefers to be big and monstrous. That story is called She-Hulk, but hey, two characters can do it.
Maybe a 4-th-wall-breaking character like Deadpool is exactly who we need to finally make an intelligible plotline out of the whole Romulus mess!
…why are you all looking at me like that?
@Michael: I am guessing that the character is Revelation and the plan is Apocalypse’s.
Heck… yet more Wolverine and some of it is by Ben Percy again. No way I am following that.
I for one cautiously like MacKay’s writing of Storm. To me it is a definite improvement over Al Ewing’s, as is his writing of Scott over Gerry Duggan’s – but those are really low bars. For the time being I wonder how well coordinated her personality will be with that of Murewa Ayodele’s new Storm series.
@Michael — I think the whole Avengers issue is to set up the Raid on Graymalkin Schism plot happening later on. Storm isn’t rejecting the X-Men/mutants as a whole; she’s criticizing Scott’s team specifically. Her solo series is having her spend time with Rogue’s team.
I am not seeing criticism in Storm’s attitude.
I am seeing ego.
@Luis — Sure.
Maybe audiences will just assume that Shark Girl used to work with Katy Perry?
On a total side note, what RSS readers are Windows users here using? Looking for recommendations…
“[Shark Girl] have we all forgotten that she can change back to human form at will?”
Has she not lost the ability to become human again? I remember reading something like that, perhaps in one of the last Marvel’s Voices specials?
@Midnighter, Si- the last time we saw Shark Girl change to human was X-Men Red 16, which takes place shortly before the Hellfire Gala.That was her last appearance before this issue.
Someone should bring back Tantra (elephant boy) and pair him up with Shark-Girl. He was a former student, depowered on M-Day, and is currently presumed deceased, but they can get around that. Besides looking like an elephant, he had a great superpower: libido flares. Best character that Claremont ever created since Rogue, IMO.
Maybe he could play bass guitar in Dazzler’s band.
@Karl_H Thunderbird
@Si She-Hulk is rarely portrayed as monstrous though. Most of the time she is a really hot woman who happen to be tall and green. And She-Hulk often behaves as if Jennifer is the ugly one (even though she is generally drawn as attractive). So I think Shark Girl has her own angle.
I thought Vision coming up with a more humane solution to the Hyperion problem was the highlight of Avengers 18. As much as I like Storm, I’m glad her first mission with the team didn’t amount to her saving the day, that’s such a cliche in super-hero team books. Given how uninspired the two main X-Men comics have been, I don’t mind having Storm elsewhere.
I skipped Dazzler 1, sounds like I made the right decision.
Telling Dazzler not to use her powers and minutes later (why is all this stuff coming up right before the first show of the tour?) telling everybody else not to help her while she’s being attacked really makes no sense. Also yet another book with a different sense of public opinion about mutants.