Three-Month-Old Comics: The May 18 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Immortal X-Men #2:  This issue is fun.  Gillen corrects a problem that I didn't quite realize has plagued the Hickman era since its inception, namely the Council members sitting out most of the action despite the fact that they're some of Earth's most power mutants.  Hope and Sinister shine here, as Sinister uses one of his specialty chimera blends to incapacitate Selene's External Gate kaiju and Hope uses her various abilities to take out Selene herself (thanks to a tip from Destiny).  Crisis averted.  Along the way, Gillen shows how Destiny and Hope are not only powerful additions to the Council but significantly change its dynamics.  As I said last issue, I'm not entirely sure how stoked I am about this series overall, but Gillen moves me farther along that path here.

New Mutants #25:  Ayala starts us down an interesting road here, as Magik's attempt to turn over Limbo to Madeleine Pryor goes awry when a newly powerful S'ym attacks.  

Earlier, we saw a mysterious figure help S'ym create a weapon seemingly from his soul - a Soulclub, if you will.  S'ym then uses the Soulclub to destroy the Soulsword.  A wounded Illyana manages to teleport herself, Dani, Madeleine, and Rahne somewhere else in Limbo.  But they're functionally trapped given Illyana no longer has control over Limbo.  Ayala does a solid job of making it really unclear how they're going to escape - let alone win - this one.  

I haven't been the biggest fan of Ayala's work on this title, but she makes the right call in significantly narrowing the cast and focus for this arc.  She also leaves us some interesting breadcrumbs, particularly in the form of the mysterious goblin who pledges to help Illyana upon the team's arrival in Limbo.  I'm happy to see where we go from here.

Spider-Punk #2:  This series continues to be a rollicking good time.  

Taskmaster exposits that someone hired him - and he hired Kraven and the Hunters in turn - to take out the Spider-Band because their HQ was sitting on an Osborn blacksite.  Kraven eventually detonates himself to try to take out the Band, but Ri Ri throws up a shield in time to save the team.  (Taskmaster escaped, natch.). The team realizes that the blacksite under their HQ is just one of many blacksites that Osborn left behind and decides to go on tour to dismantle the sites and Osborn's remaining network.  

In other words, Ziglar really steps up the plot side of this endeavor, giving the heroes a mission that perfectly matches their modus operandi.  Along the way, we continue to get the character moments that make this series the fun it is.  

Star Wars:  Han Solo and Chewbacca #2:  It probably isn't a surprise to anyone other than Han that Graves' safe was empty.  It means either Greedo's information was wrong or Greedo is plotting against Han.  Either way, Han, his "father" (Ovan), and Greedo find themselves at the end of the issue trapped on the other side of the door from Graves' security forces, which he hired after Han broke into his penthouse last issue.  

Earlier in the issue, Han brought along Ovan on the job because his work for the Corellian Engineering Corporation (CEC) meant that he had access to a plasma cutter, which Han and he used to open the safe.  As they interact, Ovan has enough information about Han that he seems to start believing that he might be his father, which means that he probably definitely isn't.  Meanwhile, Marshal Buck Vanto is in pursuit of Han and uses leverage that he has over Bib Fortuna (something to do with him getting "dragged back to Ryloth") to find out he's on Corellia.  

In other words, Han is in a lot of trouble on multiple fronts but, typically, doesn't understand just how much trouble...yet.

X-Men Red #2:  I'm down with everything Ewing is doing here, particularly Brand realizing that her false-flag operation - in the form of Mars' X-Men - is no match for Ororo.  When Brand has Orchis send the Progenitors to Mars as a way to collect information on how Cable interacts with his techno-organic virus, she isn't expecting Storm and the Brotherhood to appear and save the day.

My only issue with this issue is the reversion of Vulcan to his previous iteration.  That said, I acknowledge that Ewing isn't just willy-nilly wiping away his previous characterization.  Ewing makes it clear that whatever good outer shell the mysterious alien trinity from "X-Men (2019)" #10 installed around Vulcan's evil inner self is coming undone.  Vulcan's deteriorating mental state is obvious, particularly when we learn that Petra and Sway haven't been resurrected but are constructs that Gabriel created.

At some point, though, someone has to explain why the trinity created that shell in the first place.  We also need to learn if Gabriel's insanity is due to, or cause of, the unraveling outer shell.  In the meantime, it's certainly going to be fun to see Gabriel unleashed on Arakko.

Also Read:  My Brother, Teddy #1