New Mutants #49: DnA really wrap up this arc pretty cleverly, even if time-travel stories make my head hurt. The alternate timeline in which the New Mutants found themselves last issue was created as a result of future Doug re-writing the past reality to create a new future reality, one where he is no longer a benevolent dictator but an absolute ruler. His main way of doing so appears to be inserting himself into the new alternate reality earlier than he appeared in the previous future reality. (I know. I'm just going to stop trying to explain it. Suffice to say, it works, if you don't think about it too hard.) At any rate, after future Doug absorbed present Doug, present Doug spent years trying to find a way to stop his future self. He realized that he should send the Hellions after the New Mutants at that crucial moment, since their presence would activate Dani's Valkyrie abilities, which she could then use to "kill" his future self. At that moment, I realized that the genius of DnA is that I'm not sure which idea came first: did they want to incorporate the Hellions as the team's last villains and so invented the plot to make that happen or did they have the future Doug plot in the first place and realized that they could incorporate the Hellions into it? Either way, the fact that either option could be plausible reveals just how tight DnA's writing is. I had actually thought that Doug would stay dead and I had come to terms with it since it's such a better way for him to go than his last death. But, thankfully, we get to keep present Doug. For good measure, Dr. Strange removes the effects of the "interdimensional entity" that caused all the problems in the first place. In other words, all's well that ends well. The only negative to this issue is the abrupt change in the art. I'm hoping that we get someone decent for the last issue.
X-Factor #244: So far, I can't say that I've been all that surprised by the events of "Breaking Points," in part because Peter David has been building the stories that see their denouements here for a long time. It was pretty clear that Guido wasn't magically going to regain his soul, so his decision to leave the team made sense, given Monet's constant rejection of him. Similarly, it made even more sense that Rahne left the team to take care of her son. However, I'm shocked that Terry is leaving. I've always thought of Terry as the heart of X-Factor, the one that notices the things that Madrox doesn't notice, that makes sure everything and everyone are moving in the right direction. In fact, it's exactly this trait that sets up this issue, since she asks for a boon from the Morrigan to repair Lorna's fractured mind.
I'm not really sure what I think about the developments in this issue. First, I had a lot of questions about the Morrigan and her motives when she first appeared. She seemed to be aware of Theresa before Theresa was aware of her, and, after reading this issue, I'm wondering if she had already identified Theresa as her successor before the events of issue #239. Although it makes sense if you don't think about the details too much, it doesn't if you remember that the whole reason that the Morrigan attacked Theresa is that she wanted her to worship her, not become her. Moreover, in terms of this issue itself, how did the Morrigan know to start appearing to Theresa before Lorna actually went insane? Is she omniscient? (In issue #239, I also questioned how she knew that Terry called herself Banshee, which was in theory why the Morrigan originally went after her, since she was offended at Terry for using the name). David doesn't really answer any of these questions related to the Morrigan. Whether she just spontaneously decided to surrender her divinity or had been planning it for a long while, I guess we're not going to know. All we do know is that Theresa has now ascended to some form of godhood and, based on her conversation with Jaime at the end, we're unlikely to see her again any time soon.
Terry's departure definitely leaves a hole in the group. I'm assuming that we'll see Layla step into her role, particularly as Layla has become more human as a result of her decreased ability to "know" the future. But, it's still sad to see Terry go. It's really hard to predict how these departures will change the series, since David has so carefully paid attention to each character's interaction with other characters. In most books, a character is just how s/he is and everyone usually responds to her/him in the same way. David is such a great writer (usually) and has written these specific characters for so long that he has developed a more nuanced set of group dynamics. Everyone interacts with everyone else differently. Without Terry interacting in her specific way with Jaime or with Monet, it's difficult to tell how they'll each be affected, not to mention the team as a whole.
As a side note, I actually thought the most poignant part of this issue was Alex's confession to Lorna. Alex gets incredibly short shrift from Marvel so it was nice to see him in a quiet moment. I particularly liked how he wasn't in costume, perhaps for the first time since he re-joined X-Factor. It seemed to accentuate that he was just a guy trying to figure out a way to lead a team, deal with a girlfriend who needs help, and figure out his own needs and priorities. Given that Alex is going to be in "Uncanny Avengers," I'm guessing that he's going to leave "X-Factor," which is a shame. His dynamic with Jaime has been excellent and I feel like Rick Remender isn't going to approach him with the same care and insight as David would.
Onto the next depressing day...
X-Men Legacy #273: Blah, blah, blah, cats and dogs, living together, blah, blah, blah. I'd say more, but, really, this whole arc has been so tortuously over-written that I'm just glad to see it done.
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