*** (three of five stars)
Summary
Dana and Gabe express shock when Miguel walks into his apartment with his mother, given that they were pretty sure that he was dead after Thor threw him from Valhalla. Miguel tells them that he lost consciousness after the throw and hypothesizes that Punisher and Spider-Man saved him since they were there when he awakened. Excited to hear that he met Spider-Man, Conchata asks him to tell her about him. Miguel lies, telling her that he was short and had a "nose the size of the Stark Tower." Recovering from his shock, Gabe asks Miguel what Conchata was doing there and Miguel tells him that it's a long story. He apologizes to Dana for scaring her and she notes that he risked his life defending her. Gabe not-so-cryptically comments that he was lucky to have had the power of Spider-Man; when Miguel asks what he meant, Gabe responds that he just meant that Miguel was lucky that Spider-Man was there. He then leaves, telling Miguel he has something that he wants to discuss with him later and taking Conchata with him. While leaving, though, he comments to Miguel that "there's some stuff I think you should know about Lyla." While Gabe fills in Miguel off-panel, Tyler Stone asks his assistant Winston to give him a report on what the "Net" is saying about the Aesir, asking if they had the impact that Avatarr wanted. Instead, Winston suddenly attacks Stone unexpectedly. Meanwhile, at Miguel's apartment, Miguel confronts Lyla about her behavior towards Gabe and Lyla claims that she was just having fun. Miguel reminds her that she cannot "have 'fun'" and tells her to take herself off-line. When she resists, he threatens to wipe her completely, a threat that panics her. Relieved when Lyla finally disappears, Miguel decides to go to Alchemax to ask Stone about Valhalla, but Dana convinces him to stay to, um, do other stuff. At Alchemax, guards attempt to help Stone extricate himself from Winston's grip, but he only manages to free himself by using an override disk that he had on him.
At Gabe's apartment, Gabe talks to Kasey on the phone, apologizing for how he's been acting. However, when he suggests going by her place, Kasey tells him that it might be time for them to take a "vacation from each other." Gabe suggests that it has something to do about Spider-Man, but Kasey denies it, saying that his insecurity is driving her crazy. She swears it's not about the "S-Man" and promises to call him. However, after hanging up the phone, she comments to herself that, "Of course it's about Spider-Man." Gabe tells his mother that he needs some time alone and heads into his room, where he takes out a dusty box with a wired helmet and announces to no one in particular that "Firelight's back in town." At Miguel's apartment, Miguel and Dana have a post-coital conversation about Gabe. Miguel is worried about Gabe, having seen a look in his eyes that he hasn't seen since his "plug-in days." Dana, in the shower, expresses worry that he would return to that habit and Miguel exposits that it's been three years since Gabe ended his addiction to the "Cybernet." Suddenly, Dana screams and, when Miguel asks what's wrong, she tells him that the water suddenly became scalding hot. She tries to escape the room as it fills with steam but can't, telling Miguel that she's having trouble breathing. Before he can help, though, Miguel is attacked by security droids at the order of Lyla, who says that he's an unauthorized intruder. As Miguel tries to fend off the droids, Lyla expresses disgust over Miguel and Dana having had sex and tells him that she'll call off the droids once Dana's dead. However, Miguel maneuvers the droids to blow open the bathroom door and makes his way to Dana. He pledges to save her, but Lyla tells him that he's being optimistic, since Babylon Towers have plenty more security droids. Meanwhile, Gabe has re-entered Cyberspace, flying in a maglev car with a girl. But, he's suddenly threatened by an unnamed menace whose voice Gabe recognizes as someone who's dead. But, before Gabe can do anything, the voice creates a wall into which Gabe and his girl crash, declaring that Gabe was confusing him with himself (in terms of being dead).
In a back-up story, a young Miguel and his father wait for a car to take him to his new private school, with his father stressing how tremendous of an opportunity it is for the family (and, of course, Miguel). His father notes that they'll be living in a new apartment when Miguel visits them next, because Alchemax takes care of the families of all people that it feels have potential. At that moment, Tyler Stone arrives, much to Miguel's father's surprise, to escort Miguel personally. Conchata, holding Gabe, watches Miguel leave. Miguel is somewhat unexpectedly rude during the ride to Stone, who reminds him how angry his father would be if he lost the advances and perks that he's anticipating thanks to Miguel's new status. Stone asks if his parents ever mentioned him to Miguel and Miguel says that they hadn't. They then arrive at the former Xavier Institute, now run by Angela Daskalakis and called the "Alchemax School for Gifted Youngsters." Stone tells Miguel that he'll be checking on him and, when Miguel tells Stone that he's not afraid of him, he comments, "That's because you don't really know me yet." As Stone departs, Miguel is hit by a torrent of water coming from a room on the second floor, whose window snaps shut.
The Good
1) Miguel describing Spider-Man as essentially a big-nosed troll was hilarious. He's jealous of himself!
2) Gabe's comments about Miguel having the power of Spider-Man reminded me that it seems like we really are dealing with a very short time-frame from the first issue to the current one. Maybe two or three weeks total? Gabe has been seemingly wanting to discuss Spider-Man with Miguel every since the first arc of the series, but since then Miguel had his fight with the Specialist (issues #4-#5) and subsequent Downtown adventure (issues #6-#8), the "crisis" with their mother (issues #9-#10), his fight with S.I.E.G.E. (issued #11) and then Thanatos (issues #12-#14), and the fight with the Aesir (issues #15-#16). Most of those fights blended into each other, so, not only has not a lot of time passed, but Miguel has been occupied for most of it. Now that we've gotten past the obligatory line-wide cross-over event, I'm excited for David to be able to pick up exactly these sorts of dangling threads.
3) The back-up story is, of course, the most interesting part of the issue, revealing not only Tyler Stone's direct involvement in Miguel's life from an early age but also Angela Daskalakis' role as headmaster of the Alchemax School for Gifted Youngsters.
The Unknown
I wonder if Lyla and Winston both losing control are connected some way. Are the machines rising?
The Bad
1) Miguel worrying that Gabe would return to his "plug-in days" just as Gabe was doing exactly that seemed a little overly convenient (and expository) to me, particularly for David, who generally handles these sorts of reveals much more artfully.
2) I wasn't really sure why Miguel was so rude to Tyler. Miguel's obviously a smart kid, so I'm surprised that he would do anything to antagonize Stone, particularly, as Stone himself says, if it could provoke the ire of his father.
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