Spider-Man 2099: Exodus #2: Oof. This issue isn't terrible, exactly, but it isn't all that interesting either. It's basically a long flashback where a new Valkyrie describes the fall and rebirth of Asgard.
After its initial Aesir program (i.e, "Fall of the Hammer," I think) failed, Alchemax used mysterium to create a Midgard Serpent that destroyed the real Asgard for reasons that aren't 100% clear to me. (Valkyrie was part of the assault with other Aesir-program members, though I'm also not clear why Alchemax needed them if it had the Midgard Serpent.) Seeing the writing on the wall, Loki fled (because of course he did). Valkyrie meets him after he arrives at the Celestial Gardens to collect enough raw Celestial DNA to recreate Asgard.
Unfortunately, the Midgard Serpent's mysterium remains ambient in Asgard's ruins, preventing Loki (again, for unclear reasons) from resurrecting Asgard. Instead, he sacrifices himself to purge Asgard of said mysterium. By mixing his blood with the Celestial DNA, Valkyrie is able to turn herself into a god and create more gods from Earth's undesirables, per Loki's wishes.
What does it have to do with the story at hand? I have no idea. It makes even less sense when you consider that Valkyrie is telling Miguel this story as she refuses to help him take down the Cabal. According to her, the New Asgardians have suffered at rich people's hands enough. Assuming I buy this idea that Loki really cared about the undesirables in the first place, wouldn't they want to take on the Cabal now that they have the power to do so? I guess not. Valkyrie simply tells Miguel that the best way to destroy gods is to make them mortal, which isn't exactly novel assistance.
At least next issue it looks like we're getting the story about the Cabal killing the Avengers, so I guess that's something?
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #24: This issue is solid, though you can tell that Sacks is struggling to find a way to keep Valance in this series. The panels dedicated to his failure to save an Imperial general from a Crimson Dawn assassination feels like an unnecessary distraction from the main story.
Speaking of said story, Dengar predictably betrays T'onga and her crew. First, he convinces T'onga to allow him to interrogate Vukorah; he cuts the video feed and hands Vukorah a knife. (You would've thought T'onga would've questioned why he needed to cut the video feed, but you would've gussed wrong.) At any rate, Vukorah is gunning for Losha, who's furious that T'onga left her on the ship while she and the guys invade the Vermillion. That said, they're not in a great place as they come face-to-face with the Knights of Ren.
Meanwhile, Dengar thinks he can successfully play both sides against each other so that he can make enough money to extricate himself permanently from the bounty-hunting game, though I don't have high hopes that he's going to outsmart Qi'ra.
X-Men Red #3: I feel like I missed an issue here.
First, I don't recall Thunderbird's altercation with Cable at the Red Lagoon, a score that Thunderbird intends to settle when he arrives at Arbor Magna immediately after the Five resurrect Cable. It turns out it's all a ruse so they can get some alone time to discuss Brand with Manifold. Even if I did remember the original altercation, I don't get why they couldn't just have met somewhere to talk. Why the elaborate ruse? Is Krakoa a surveillance state where they have to convince Council members that it isn't worth spying on them?
Second, I didn't realize that Tarn was some sort of enemy of the Arakkii? I searched my blog and only found one reference to him. Given that I'm supposed to understand that all the Arakki hate Tarn, it probably would've been helpful for Ewing to remind me why a little more. "X of Swords" was a while ago, and we're still juggling a lot of new characters here.
At any rate, the Cable and Thunderbird discussion is obviously coming to relevance at another time as this issue is dedicated to Vulcan challenging Tarn for the Seat of Loss. Ororo is suspicious that Brand set up Vulcan: the Seat of Loss is apparently the Great Ring's least influential seat, and Ororo figures that Vulcan on his own would go a more important one (like hers). It's interesting that the Great Ring's seats have different values, even though they all have the same voting power. Meanwhile, working for Brand, Mentallo discovers Vulcan's mental barriers, which he figures are fading if he can see them though Xavier initially didn't.
It all leads to Tarn making quick work of Vulcan after they both use their powers to shut off each other's mutant powers. Magneto eventually steps into the ring after initially declining Ororo's invitation to do so. He uses his helmet to block Tarn's powers (which are apparently psycho-kinetic in nature) and then crushes his skull with the helmet.
This outcome is essentially a foregone conclusion after Roberto bets Isca the Unbeaten that Tarn wins. Since her side of the bet would be Magneto winning, Ewing implies that Isca's power ensures Magneto's victory, as Roberto knew all along. I'm glad that Ewing isn't putting Roberto in a kiddie role, as his deception here proves how remarkably clever he is. That said, it took me several readings to understand the stakes. I also don't know if I buy them. Isca never accepted the bet, so I don't get how her powers were activated. Couldn't everyone just make a one-sided challenge to her? Roberto says that he's found a way to make her lose without losing, which I guess means that she supported (and lost) Tarn. After all, she mentiones that she fought alongside him for 1,000 years. But Ewing doesn't make it clear if she did so because she supported him or if she had to do so?
At any rate, the Seat of Loss is relevant to Magneto, as he previously said that he refused to fight over his ongoing devastation that his daughter Anya wasn't a mutant and thus the Five can't resurrect her. I wonder where we're going with that idea.
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