Five-Month-Old Comics: The October 26 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

A.X.E.:  Judgment Day #6:  You know, this event wasn't half bad!

Gillen delivers what I can honestly say is the best concluding chapter to an event in recent memory.  The resolution isn't convenient or easy, and the Marvel Universe's status quo really is changed.  Go figure, right?

First things first, the heroes win by convincing the Progenitor to change his mind.  Gillen walks us through the Progenitor's thought process throughout the issue, as he finds himself impressed in the small and big ways the Earthlings are resisting his efforts.  That said, he's still actively trying to destroy the Earth and decides to go straight to the Eternals' city at the Earth's core to destroy the Reality Loom.

Meanwhile, Tony's team makes its way to the Progenitor's core, where they encounter the Progenitor's astral form (more or less).  Before Jean can go all Betsy on it, Ajak stops her.  I initially thought it was the moment Ajak turned on the team in the Progenitor's defense.  Then she pointed out he's the only way for them to resurrect the seven billion humans that he's killed, a consequence she (rightfully) says Jean isn't taking seriously given the mutants' ability to resurrect themselves.

At the Earth's core, Cap, Nightcrawler, and Starfox respond to the Progenitor's arrival by opening up Uranos' armories and arming all the humans who sought refuge in the city.  To help defend the city, Syne the Memotaur works with Exodus to somehow channels mutantdom's powers into her so she can take on the Progenitor.  To Jean's horror, Orchis also helps fight the Progenitor.  Believing that they don't have anymore time, Jean commits to taking out the Progenitor and saving who she can.

However, the Progenitor surprises everyone by revealing that he was aware they were in his core (despite him seemingly ignoring them).  He tells the team that Jean's actions secured his belief that the Earthlings deserve to die, since they're all creatures guided by self-interest.  To prove him wrong by showing the Etnerals can change (as seen in "A.X.E.:  Eternals" #1, when the Progenitor feed them from their restraints), Sersi has the Machine connect her to the world's population.  She reveals that the Eternals kill a human whenever they're resurrected and asks the non-Eternal Earthlings to judge them for it.  As Sersi tells the Progenitor that her actions show the Eternals' ability to change, he kills her since the Earthlings wanted her dead.

Before the Progenitor can finish off Earth, Jean reminds him that he failed her for killing a planet when she was totally insane and points out he's doing so with a "cold heart."  She ask if he thinks he can live with his choice, and he begins to realize that he can stop his course.  (Previously, he mused that stopping himself would mean that he made a mistake and thus wasn't a god, something that he comes to realize).  Tony gets him there by saying that he makes amends every day for his actions.  Finally acknowledging that he isn't a god, the Progenitor uses his power to fix what he's done.  Dying from the power he's expended, he asks Ajak if he was a worthy god and she says no.  He agrees and tells her to be better as he gives her his remaining power.

As Tony's team takes in its win, Ajak arrives as Ajak Celstia.  She says that the Progenitor didn't resurrect Sersi as she's a martyr for the Eternals' "new church," bringing "a chance of redemption for our fallen people."

In the epilogue, we get a number of touching moments.  Kenta tells his parents all about the people who helped him in the Eternals' city, not realizing that they were dead.  As a parent, Gillen tugs at my heart strings here as Kenta's parents realize that they're weirdly comforted to learn that kind-hearted strangers took care of their son after they died.

Meanwhile, Zuras apologizes to Storm in front of the cameras for the Eternals attacking the mutants and offers the Arakkii Uranos for one hour in compensation.  Zuras later reveals that he sentenced Druig to serve as Uranos' cellmate, which isn't going to be a pleasant experience for him.

The biggest status quo change here isn't that humanity hates the Eternals (though it does).  It's the revelation of Starfox's plan:  the resurrection of worthy humans.  Jean explains to the world that mutantkind will first resurrect the mutants who died in the mutant genocides.  Then, since mutantkind doesn't have the resources to backup the minds of eight billion humans, Jean will personally backup the chosen few through the Phoenix Foundation, with a priority on "the vulnerable, the weak, the poor and those whom the world has abandoned."  The Five will use five percent of their time to resurrect them.  

Scott tells Jean that it's a win, and it's hard not to see it as such.  In fact, it feels like it really fulfills Hickman's promise of a new reality for the X-Men.  They're not only helping to extend humans' lives and heal humanity's sick, they're now resurrecting humanity's most vulnerable.  But Scott points out the fight was also a win for Orchis, too, given its publicly viewed heroics, which complicates matters.

All in all, though, it was a pretty solid event.  I think we probably could've wrapped it up more quickly and you probably only really enjoyed it if you're an X-Men fan.  But I definitely take a good event any day!

Amazing Spider-Man #11:  Oof.  This issue is a mess.  

When Norman confirms to Peter that Kingsley was on hand when Hobgoblin thrashed him, Peter heads to Betty's. When Betty confirms that Ned has been wearing the costume again, she sends Peter to Ned's secret office.  There, Peter learns that Ned is using the "Winkler device," which is what Kingsley originally used to make Ned think that he was Hobgoblin. 

As such, it isn't a surprise when the Hobgoblin attacks Spidey or when Spidey unmasks him as Kingsley.  It is a surprise when Kingsley seems unaware that he was at the site of Hobgoblin's hit on Kingsley and Norman and when Ned appears beside Kingsley as Hobgoblin.  Two Hobgoblins!

I'm assuming Kingsley is actually Daniel Kingsley, Roderick's twin brother.  If he is, Wells has to explain how he isn't dead.  But I'm disappointed that Wells seems to tread on familiar ground hre.  Insane Hobgoblins with memory issues aren't really a hot take on this old character.  We'll see where we go.

Moon Knight Annual #1:  We get an excellent annual here, as Jack Russell kidnaps Diatrice in order to fulfill a prophecy that allows him to murder Khonshu.  Marc and Badr stop him, obviously, but not before McKay makes you wish that Marlene would allow Diatrice to stay in New York so we could marinate in her awesomeness more often.  In addition to Diatrice's awesomeness, McKay peppers great character moments throughout the issue, like when Marc slips into the Jake persona over the shock of seeing Marlene and Badr showing almost a sense of humor when he refuses to obey Khonshu's orders to kill Diatrice.  Marlene's warning to Reese that she'll one day realize that she can't keep Marc safe also rings scarily true.  All in all, it's a textbook definition of what a great annual should be.

New Mutants #31:  I have the same problem with this issue as I do with most gay movies, which is that I don't understand how we gays can make good movies for straight people but not for ourselves.  You would think that Charlie Jane Anders could write about the transgendered mutant she created for "Marvel Voices:  Pride" in a way that worked.  Instead, Escapade feels just like every "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss," where the only notable thing about the character is that they're [x].  Knowing this series is canceled after another two issues, I don't feel the need to hang around any longer.

Sins of the Black Flamingo #5:  For how uneven the last few issues were, Wheeler really sticks the landing here.

The issue begins with Sebastian touching the Devil's Tooth so that he can find Ezekiel.  (Apparently he saw Ezekiel the first time he touched the Tooth, which I don't remember.)  We then move to Ofelia later meeting with Scar and offering him Ezekiel's location since she's (allegedly) furious that Sebastian is going to give him to the Nazis.  Ofelia also gives Scar the Tooth as proof she isn't lying and asks only that Scar doesn't kill Sebastian.

At Ezekiel's location, Merrilee is none-too-pleased when Scar's men surprise her men.  Believing Sebastian betrayed her, she shoots him.  Sebastian plummets off the roof of the building where they're standing as Scar and Ofelia land in his helicopter.  Ofelia is furious that Scar let Sebastian (seemingly) die, though Scar makes the excellent point that he didn't kill Sebastian and it isn't his fault if Sebastian has so many people who want to kill him.  (Fair.)

As Scar prepares to retrieve Ezekiel, Sebastian arrives burning a magical incense that paralyzes Scar with fear.  Having covered himself in "dead things that allow us to walk among marsh lights" (whatever that means), Sebastian reveals that he's immune to the incense's power.  He then opens the storage container where Ezekiel is imprisoned and tongues him.

Meanwhile, in a nearby alley, a distraught Ofelia contemplates leaving behind magic and living a quiet life somewhere nice.  ("Open a bakery.  Date someone in flannel.  Live, laugh, love.")  Always-sexy Abel is with her and worries about Sebastian.  Ofelia is also worried, though more because Abel dies if Sebastian does.  It isn't looking good for Sebastian (and Abel), though, when Scar reveals that he was playing dead and stabs Sebastian in the neck with the Tooth.

As Abel collapses, Ofelia begins a spell that would sever his connection to Sebastian, though Abel stops her from completing it, giving Sebastian some time.  Sebastian proves worthy of Abel's trust as we learn that he slipped Ezekiel a shard of the Tooth when they kissed.  Ezekiel uses it to cut his collar and then destroys Scar and heals Sebastian, possibly also returning his soul (which Sebastian allegedly sacrificed when he touched the Tooth again, according to Ofelia).  As Ezekiel dissipates, he encourages Sebastian to live.

In the epilogue, Ofelia and Sebastian walk with Abel contemplating how to make the world a better place.

If it isn't clear from this recap, this issue crackles with efficiency and energy.  You really don't know what Sebastian is planning from page to page, making his redemption not a foregone conclusion but a welcome one when it comes.  I'm excited for the next installment in Sebastian's story, because he may just start seeing the benefit of walking on the light side.  Either way, he should definitely fuck Abel.

Also Read:  X-Terminators #2

Six-Month-Old Comics: The September 21 and 28 Non-Event Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

New Mutants #30 (September 21):  Ayala's run on "New Mutants" has been a mixed bag for me, though I've never questioned her love of the characters.  When the first story's text box describes young Sam as "'nigh invulnerable while blastin'," I knew she took this 40th anniversary assignment seriously.

For old-school fans, this issue is a wonderful reminder of where we've been.  In the first story, Danielle recalls when she first realized who Roberto really was behind his arrogance, when he repaired her belt after he damaged it in the Danger Room.  I was totally crying by the end.  I also loved the unexpected delight of seeing Karma and Shatterstar heading to a queer festival.  It occurs during an era where both Karma and Shatterstar were emerging from other people defining them, and Shatterstar pushes Karma to experience joy as her authentic self.  It was just lovely.  It was the friendship I didn't know I needed.  If Ayala is leaving the title, I wouldn't mind her penning the unexpected break-out hit of 2024, "Karma and Shatterstar!"

As Ayala said, this issue exists as a stand-alone way to celebrate these characters who mean so much to so many of us, and it succeeds wonderfully.  To another 40 years!

Star Wars:  Darth Vader #27 (September 21):  I don't know why, but, man, I just find this entire Sabé saga boring as hell.  Maybe it's because any feelings that Vader's interactions with Sabé inspire in him are just a replay of what we've previously seen ad nauseam between him and Padmé.  Maybe it's because the revelation that the Emperor was the one directing Governor Tauntaza's actions as a way to test Vader also isn't novel.  Whatever it is, I just hope Pak wraps it up soon.

X-Terminators #1 (September 21):  I have no idea what the $*%& is going on here, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the $%^* outta it.

Old Dog #1 (September 28):  Shalvey overdoes it in using a split narrative to tell this story.  I understand why he did it, since it sets up the shocking reveal at the end, that old man Lynch from the past is young man Lynch in the present.  But it was sufficiently confusing (even after reading the issue twice) that I don't feel inspired to return next issue.

Sins of the Black Flamingo #4 (September 28):  I can't tell to what extent I'm enjoying this series because I'm blinded by the incredible hotness of Moore's art.  I mean, that opening sequences alone...woof.  The plot isn't terrible, though it's pretty predictable.  But again thirst so...

Merrilee Pepper, our blond villainess and "curator of the Museum of American Heritage and Culture [and] Grand Dragon of the Florida Klan," walks us through Ezekiel's history.  It turns out some post-Revolutionary War era luminaries summoned him, only for God to burn them for their heresy.  But the criminal they hired to bring them the corpse that Ezekiel would inhabit watched from the shadows and collected the angel from the ruins.  

Sebastian is weirdly (and pretty unbelievably) oblivious here, as Merrilee has to tell him the obvious:  Scar was the criminal, and he's been using Ezekiel's blood to stay alive these last 200 years.  Of course, Merrilee wants the angel for herself to set up a 1,000-year Reich (because it needs a "1,000-year bitch" to lead it).  Sebastian and Merrill arrive at the rendezvous point with his friends, and Ezekiel surrenders himself to Merrilee all the while knowing that Scar is coming for him.  Scar does and, thanks to his trusty rocket launcher, takes Ezekiel.  

When Merrilee makes contact later, Sebastian offers her Ezekiel if she helps him defeat Scar.  Merrilee is too smart to fall for that trap, but they need each other if they're going to take out Scar, so I'm guessing we're going to see some fun double-crossing next issue.  And maybe some cock?

Star Wars:  Han Solo and Chewbacca #6:  Oof, this issue is a mess.  It's hard to follow all the various interactions here, as we haven't really had a good enough introduction to Tanna's crew to know who's who.  

Surprising no one except Tyra, when the crew gets to the Falcon, the urn is gone.  Along the way, we're introduced to a young thief named Phaedra who wants to use two other prisoners (Evazan and Ponda from "Star Wars") and Chewie and Max to escape from the Marshalls' prison.  

I also just realized in this issue that T'onga is part of Tanna's crew, which makes me wonder where we are timeframe-wise.  Also, Han has somehow washed ashore on a tropical island, despite the fact that he was dead in Tanna's ship last issue.  It's all...a lot.

X-Men #15 (September 28):  Duggan returns us to the Vault here, as Forge reveals to Cyclops that, at the Council's request, he has built an enormous gun point at the Vault.  He plans to use it to shoot a black hole into the Vault the next time the door opens.  Unfortunately, the gun misfires, for reasons that aren't explained, and the fourth generation of the Children of the Vault lay waste not only to Earth but also Asgard.

In a clever reveal, though, it turns out we're seeing what the Children think happened.  Duggan has Cassara repeat the scene of Forge walking through the forest to the Vault with Cyclops, only, this time, Forge reveals not a gun but a dome over the Vault.  It turns out he created a Matrix-like simulation within the dome; the events that we just saw occurred within the dome, though the Children think it's all real.  Clever, right?

I was wondering why Duggan was telling this story, if Forge has neutralized the threat, until we learn that they're at the Vault to rescue Darwin.  The X-Men accompanied Forge to take out the Vault's guardians who exist outside the dome but somehow don't see it as a threat, in a convenient bit of storytelling.  Using a suit comprised of Caliban and somehow embued with Mystique's powers, Forge enters the dome disguised as Perro, one of the Children.  Jean expresses concern about the suit falling into the Children's hands, which Forge dismisses, which means it'll definitely happen.

As clever as it all is, part of me wonders why we keep returning to this story.  The authors and editors seem to feel like the Children are much more interesting than they actually are.

Six-Month-Old Comics: The August 17 Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

New Mutants #28:  This issue is a weird conclusion to Ayala's story as it feels like we skipped a chapter or something.

Illyana and company have spent weeks hiding in a cave while Illyana instructs Madelyne in magic and tries to reforge the Soulsword.  The action begins when she agrees with Madelyne that it's time to complete the ritual that binds Madelyne to her promise not to attack Krakoa.  With the ritual complete, they can take the fight to S'ym.  

In addition to me feeling like we skipped an issue given that we pick up weeks after last issue's ending, the next few pages are essentially an issue in and of themselves as the party waltzes right into S'ym's throne room.  It would've been fun to see them battle their way through S'ym's hordes.  Alas, we don't.

Surprising probably no one, Ayala reveals that an Illyana who decided to stay in Limbo to fix it (rather than return to Earth as our Illyana did) is the power behind S'ym.  She needs to destroy Illyana to solidify her powers, but Madelyne kills her first.  Wah-wah.  As a result, our Illyana absorbs the other Illyana's powers, presenting us with another seemingly unified Illyana.

Several other authors - notably Zeb Wells during his "Fall/Rise of the New Mutants" storyline in "New Mutants" (2009) - have "healed" Illyana.  For various reasons (and likely editorial fiats), though, it's never really stuck.  Ayala may succeed because she gives us a pretty solid narrative about how both Illyana and Madelyne are putting behind what hurt them (the mutants, in Madelyne's case, and Limbo, in Illyana's) and embracing what saved them (the opposites, for each of them).

I'm hoping this duality is enough to give Illyana a shot at a new iteration.  As Colossus says to Madelyne here, the Powers That Be have given X-Men like him so many chances:  it feels like Illyana deserves at least one.  On the plus side, Ayala makes the right decision in using the space that she does have to put Illyana and Peter on the road to reconciliation, which is filled with so much hurt that I can't even remember why they're not speaking.  It's like they're the Real Housewives of Krakoa.  (Marvel, if you're reading, I would totally read that series.)

Star Wars #26:  This issue is random and terrible, and I'm not even talking about the art.  I love Soule, but he bounces around so much in this issue that you're never really sure which events are important and which ones are filler.  

The only promising development comes in the final scenes as we're introduced to two Imperial employees turned Crimson Dawn spies.  Once activated, they flee (with their children) from the black site where they work to inform the Rebellion about its power.  Said site?   The second Death Star.  Dun-dun-DUN!

Undiscovered Country #20:  It's been a while since I've read one of these issues, and I was pleased to see Valentina is as impatient with the constant loop as I am.  I'd normally consider it pet peeve #3 but, honestly, I totally feel her.

We begin with Charlotte and Valentina resurrecting in Revolutionary America for the third time, awakening right before Paul Revere rides by them to warn...well, you know.  They take out Revere to abscond with his horse and find Uncle Sam, who apparently killed them one of the two previous times.  Threatening him with a Zone Possibility gun Daniel gave them, they demand the truth.  Surprisingly, Sam gives it to them:  they've the key, and Ace, Chang, and Janet are the door.

Speaking of the other members of the group, they're in Hegemony, a different "channel" in History.  They're also currently on the run as Hegemony considers them war criminals.  The Destiny Man isn't the only doppelgänger here, as his assistant confirms that Hegemony's elderly versions of Chang and Janet are still locked under tight security in the Black Cells in Hamburg.

Back in Revolutionary America, Sam admits that he doesn't know more than he's told the women because Aurora is getting "strange:"  he says it feels like she's "flailing, trying to course-correct."  He suggests they're resurrecting because Aurora wants Charlotte and Valentina to observe something in History that they'll need later.  He then shoots them.  Instead of respawning in Revolutionary America, they find themselves in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Meanwhile, in Hegemony, the trio successfully flee their pursuers, and an AEA agent and PAPZ agent contact them to help.  I was happily surprised to learn that we're in Beijing in 2074, 15 years after the team left for the United States.  It's a great twist, followed by another one:  Chang and Janet eventually leave the United States and convinced the AEA and PAPZ to invade, starting World War IV.  The United States obviously wins in this scenario, but I wonder if we're going to see one where they lose.

A.X.E.:  Death to the Mutants #1:  This issue isn't the easiest to follow and mostly covers ground we've covered elsewhere.  For example, the Eternals actually conduct the séance that we briefly saw in "A.X.E.:  Judgment Day" #2, but it isn't really all that illuminating (or interesting).  

The most significant event that we haven't previously seen is the Forgotten, Ikaris Kingo, and Sprite infiltrating the Eternals' armory and opening the door to Magic, Wolverine (Laura Kinney), and (I think) Jean Grey.  While the mutants shut off the Hex's power supply, Ikaris takes out Zuras by doing what I've always thought Eternals' enemies should do, namely shunting part of Zuras' brain into another dimension so he's immobilized but can't be resurrected because he's still alive.  

Most interestingly, the Forgotten and Ikaris ponder whether the new god's decree that everyone has to justify themselves is a racially segregated one.  In other words, if the Eternals are found lacking, are they removed from Earth, even if enough of Earth's inhabitants meet the new god's test?  I guess we'll see.

X-Men #13:  We get another "A.X.E.:  Judgment Day" tie-in issue here, this time expanding on what happened after Ikaris and company opened the door to the Eternals' armory to the mutants in "A.X.E.:  Death to the Mutants" #1.  It isn't all that enthralling.  It turns out Magik led the new X-Men team (minus Jean and Scott) into the armory.  With few options, Bobby and Synch froze the engine that fuels the Hex.  It's fairly anti-climactic since, as we see at the end, it's really the new god's arrival that saves Krakoa from the Hex, not the X-Men's actions here.  That said, it does seem like each group is getting judged individually as implied in "A.X.E:  Death of the Mutants" #1, so we'll see how it all goes.  I'll admit any excitement I had for this event is starting to wane.

Three-Month-Old Comics: The July 13 Edition - The X-Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I'm going to put these issues in what I think is their chronological order, though it isn't the order in which I read them.

X-Men:  Hellfire Gala #1:  Despite its 66-page length, this issue is pretty to the point.

Beyond the naming of the new X-Men team, this issue's most significant development is Moira informing Druig (the Eternal) and an accomplice that the Five are the secret to Krakoa's resurrection protocols.  As we'll see in "A.X.E.:  Eve of Judgment" #1, Druig uses this information as inspiration to remove the "deviant" mutants from Earth.

That said, Moira's other actions in this issue don't particularly make sense.  At the risk of exposing herself to the Krakoans (as she eventually does), Moira inhabits Mary Jane Watson's body in order to attend the Hellfire Gala.  (Mary Jane is apparently Emma's new spokesperson for the Krakoan medicines initiative because it's helping with Aunt Anna's dementia.)  Apparently, Moira's only reason for attending the Gala is so that she can taunt Proteus by telling him that she never loved him, seeing his creation as merely necessary to bring about the resurrection protocols.  Duggan never explains why Moira does so, particularly now.  Given the attention the Gala attracts, it seems she had plenty of other avenues to taunt Proteus.  I assume she had reasons why she did so and did so now, but again Duggan doesn't delve into them.

In terms of setting up later developments, Tony learns from Reed that Charles and Erik stole his memories of suppressing the X-gene, which sets up an alliance between them.  But Tony also informs Emma that they did so.  Scott eventually gets to talk to a reeling Emma, revealing to her that Nathaniel Essex is Dr. Stasis.  he tells her that he and Jean only trust her with this information, which inspires her to tell him about Moira.  She also tells him what Charles and Erik did to Reed, and he shares her concern that they're almost too far gone.

We have other developments whose directions are less clear.  Dr. Stasis appears to invade one of the secret Krakoan facilities where the mutants grow the Flowers of Krakoa that produce the medicines.  I'm assuming Moira told him about its location, though Duggan never confirms that.  At any rate, he not only seems to steal one of the Flowers but also detonate the facility.  Either way, I don't buy it.  Shouldn't someone be guarding it?  I'm pretty sure the Quiet Council knew that Moira was still in the wind.  Since she knows all their secrets, wouldn't they have been more careful with one of the more important ones?  Couldn't they see that the Gala was a perfect time for a raid?

In other words, meh.  For all it seems like we're going to war with Orchis soon, we're actually going to war with the Eternals.  Although I'm stoked that Firestar, Havok, and Iceman joining the X-Men, this promised fight with Orchis is starting to drag out way too long.  We need at least a skirmish soon lest it becomes the X-Men's Kindred.  [Shudder.]

Immortal X-Men #4:  Ugh.  I just can't with this series.  

On the plus side, we finally get somewhere when it comes to the Sinister drama, as Emma relays Scott's discovery to the Council that someone claiming that he's the "real" Nathaniel Essex is Dr. Stasis.  As Emma says, it's hard to tell by his reaction if Sinister knew or not.  He opens a portal to escape to his lab.  Destiny is standing next to where the portal is and, as he passes through it, tells him not to be a coward.  As he prepares to activate a Moira to burn this reality, Destiny's words give him pause.  Instead, he returns to the Council to offer his apologies.  However, as we'll see in "A.X.E.:  Eve of Judgment #1," someone kidnaps him via teleportation before the Council can act.

Also running through this issue is the fall-out from Scott's revelation of the resurrection protocols. Unsurprisingly, Emma has the best answer when an ambassador presses her to give humanity's VIPs the secret.  The response?  "16 million."  It seems a pretty solid position to say that the mutants won't resurrect a human until the 16 million mutants lost on Genosha are resurrected.  That said, the grieving woman who throws pig's blood on Emma after she lost her husband shows that humanity won't necessarily accept said position, even if it's a solid one.

Despite the good, I still find myself suffering through these issues as they mostly involve some arrogant mutant leader expositing all over us.  This issue isn't too terrible because Emma is the least insufferable of them.  I'm dreading when Gillen puts us in Charles' mind.

A.X.E.:  Eve of Judgment #1:  You have to get through a lot of exposition about the current state of the Deviants and Eternals here, but it sets up an interesting enough premise for this event that it's worth it.

After his appearance in "X-Men:  Hellfire Gala" #1, Druig - the Eternal Prime - is advancing two separate schemes in this issue.

First, the Machine that is Earth informs us that the Eternals have three core directives:  1) protect the Celestials; 2) protect the Machine; and 3) correct excess deviation.  According to the Machine, the last one is open to interpretation.  

Druig wants to eliminate all mutants as excess deviations.  As the Machine notes, Druig could rule for a million years as Druig the Merciless if he shows the Eternals his commitment to principles "in a fallen age" by destroying the mutants.  However, Domo's plan to detonate an anti-matter bomb under Krakoa backfires when it turns out Krakoa is part of the Machine.  Druig decides to consult Uranos for some help.

Ikaris, Sersei, and Thena are living in Lemuria to help the Deviants recover from an attack by the Eternals and Thanos.  They've separated themselves from the Eternals since they're reeling from the revelation that the Machine kills a human every time it resurrects them.  For Ikaris, protecting the Machine means protecting humans, and he's working out this contradiction of his existence.

Meanwhile, Druig releases one of Ikaris and company's allies, Phastos, who is also appalled by the secret of Eternal resurrection.  Druig releases him at the request of Ajak and Makkari, two priestesses who want him to determine whether their plans to create a god could work.  Their plan appalls him, but his response inadvertently confirms that they could do so.  The person they plan to upgrade?  Sinister (as seen in "Immortal X-Men" #4).  Why did Druig help?  He's just currying favor with the priestesses before he can find away to mind-wipe Phastos and the other rebels of the resurrection secret.

Again, it isn't the most exciting issue, but Gillen really does a solid job quickly moving us through the Eternals' status quo without making it too boring.  Moreover, as I said, the premise here - of the Avengers between two immortal species at war - could go really interesting places.

Marauders #4:  You guys, this issue is so bad.

It starts OK-ish.  Kate dies (eye roll) saving Bishop from the Kin soldiers as the team makes their way to the Chronicle.  It turns out the Chronicle is a person, so Kwannon reads his mind.  It turns out the ancient (and more avian) Shi'ar stumbled upon the First Mutants' colony (named Threshold) on a pre-humanity Earth.  Furious the mutants defeated their attempt at conquest, they returned with more troops to commit genocide.  But Threshold won again.  This sequence is what the Kin mean by "First Blood."

The Shi'ar then engineered themselves to become stronger and less avian, though I lose the plot after this point.  Per the Chronicle's memories, the Shi'ar returned to confront Threshold a third time, but it had disappeared.  I thought that the focus of the next few issues was going to involve the Marauders trying to find where they went.  Instead, the Chronicle says that the Kin's "prescients foresaw [mutants'] desperate lifeboats in time...and vaporized them on arrival."  What lifeboats?  Previously, we learned that the Shi'ar only survived their first altercation with Threshold because its mutants were scared of space and didn't chase them.  What changed?  Was it the K-T extinction event?  Also, arrival where?  Did they try to flee to the Shi'ar?  Also, the Chronicle was pretty clear that the mutants were gone before the Shi'ar arrived, so how did they also destroy them?

To make matters worse, Cassandra says that some escapees survived and were kept in "timedrives," which were stored on a destroyed Shi'ar base.  As such, Bishop and Cassandra want to travel in time to save them; of course, it turns out the "base" was Asteroid M, and Tempus has them arrive just as Nemesis does to destroy it.

What a fucking mess.  It's one thing for an arc occasionally to lose internal narrative consistency, but Orlando can't even keep this issue internally consistent.  It's just plain bad.

New Mutants #27:  As confusing as this issue could've been, Ayala does a solid job moving the pieces around the board in a followable way.

Young Illyana accidentally turns Limbo - or, at least, her part of Limbo - into Alice in Wonderland, summoning not only Dani, Illyana, Madelyne, and Rahne but also Colossus.  Young Illyana saves Illyana as the Red King (i.e., Belasco) kidnaps Dani, Madelyne, and Rahne.  She, the ever handsome Colossus, and Illyana confront the Red King, and Illyana manages to summon the Soulsword briefly again to break the spell.

She's hesitant to leave her former self to the torture that she knows is coming, but young Illyana assures her that she has to do so so that she can become her, who she'd be proud to be.  She then gives Illyana an acorn she created in her 1983 limited series ("Magik"), though I don't remember why it's significant.  (It's been a while.)

The most compelling parts of this issue are Colossus and Magik's interactions, as they're full of hurt and sorrow.  You have to hope that Ayala is showing us these emotions with the intent on addressing them down the line, particularly as it seems like Illyana might unify her soul next issue.  Belasco's comments about how broken she is makes it seem like her soul is still fractured.  I remember a previous iteration of "New Mutants" tackling this issue, but I don't think we ever got a clear resolution.  I'd love for us to get one here.

Three-Month-Old Comics: The June 22 Edition - Part Two (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Newburn #8:  To save Emily, Newburn has Sumire's boyfriend (i.e, the Yakuza head's actual murderer) take the fall for the Albano nephew's murder and turns over Sydney (i.e., Emily's academy classmate involved in the death of said nephew) to the Albanos to satisfy their need for revenge.

To be honest, I'm not sure I buy either outcome.  The Yakuza head's (i.e., Sumire's husband's) murder remains unsolved, and it seems weird the Yakuza would be OK with the other criminal elements believing that they just let their head's murder go unavenged.  Moreover, the Albano head seemed pretty bound and determined in both this issue and last issue to get both Sydney and Emily.  The Albano family even sent guys to kill Emily outside the police station, which, as I said last issue, was reckless at best (and ridiculous at worst).  Newburn watches the Albanos torture and presumably murder Sydney, so maybe he struck some sort of a deal with them.  But we're never told why they would accept it.  For that matter, we're never actually told how Emily and Sydney were involved in the nephew's death.  Emily claims that it was an accident, but we have no further details.  [Update:  I eventually realized that I somehow missed issue #6, which shows us how Emily accidentally kills the Albano nephew to protect Syd.]

Along the way, Newburn loses his shit on McGinty when she balks at the deal he strikes with Sumire's boyfriend.  With Newburn telling her that he runs the town, Zdarksy definitely seems to imply that Newburn may have officially gotten too big for his britches.  I don't see the upcoming next volume as going well for Newburn.

New Mutants #26:  Now this issue I love.

Following Rahne as she hears combat sounds, the team (such as they are) comes across an aged Illyana wielding a Warlock arm.  As the team watches, she takes out a horde of demons infected with the techno-organic virus and then invites the team into her fortress.  

Inside, aged Illyana reveals that she's from a future where S'ym breaking the Soulsword left her and her teammates indefinitely trapped in Limbo.  Her versions of Dani, Madelyne, and Rahne have all died, though she's survived because Warlock arrived from Earth after Krakoa fell.  She discovered that Warlock's essence wounded the demons who attack her fortress every few weeks, so she crafted a spell around that.  Both she and Warlock are weakening, though.  She hopes to take out the horde's mysterious leader and return to Earth, but she doubts she can do that given the current state of their powers.

Our Illyana sees the flaw in her plan.  She has aged Illyana challenge S'ym (the horde's "mysterious" leader) and use Warlock to take control of his techno-organic virus when he touches her.  She destroys S'ym and de-viruses the horde.  Our Illyana uses S'ym's core to create a Soulsword temporarily, and she and the team decimate the de-virused horde.  

In the epilogue, aged Illyana declines to go with the team so she can address her own losses.  The team goes to find a way to fix what's preventing Illyana from summoning the Soulsword permanently.

In addition to the excellent plot, which finally does something with Illyana as a person for the first time in a long time, the art is excellent.  This arc is really righting this series' footing after it's spent so much time adrift lately.

Star Wars:  Crimson Reign #5:  Soule is smart enough to make clear that Qi'ra didn't think that she was going to defeat the Emperor in a fair fight.  

As Qi'ra knew he eventually would, the Emperor puts two and two together and realizes that Crimson Dawn is responsible for his and Vader's recent setbacks:  the Hutt Council's attack on Vader's flagship, the Syndicate War, Zahra's failure to take out the Rebel Fleet (a stretch), his Royal Guards' assassination.  The Emperor brings in Director Barsha, the head of the Imperial Security Bureau division focused on the criminal gangs, to confirm that Crimson Dawn is behind these moves.  (It's clear Barsha will play an important role in the next event because his face is covered in shadows.)  The Emperor then launches his counterattack.

Knowing said attack was coming, Qi'ra puts into action her next plan.  She sends the Knights of Ren with the Archivist to use the Screaming Key they took from Vader's citadel to activate some sort of creature, which I'm guessing will provide Qi'ra with a connection to the Force, either directly or indirectly.  (Based on the Emperor and Vader's conversation, Maul told Qi'ra about the creature.  The Archivist herself didn't believe it was real.)  Qi'ra then activates her network to create chaos for the Empire, announcing it as her Hidden Empire.

I'll be honest, I'm not sure this story need a third arc.  Sure, it was interesting to see what Qi'ra had planned after "Star Wars:  War of the Bounty Hunters."  It seems difficult to believe, though, that she's going to accomplish anything more than annoying the Emperor with guerrilla-war tactics now that he's focused on her.  I guess we'll see.

X-Men #12:  This issue is pretty great.  

I love the possibility that Dr. Stasis isn't Mr. Sinister but Nathaniel Essex, who despises Mr. Sinister for taking Thunderbird's DNA and polluting himself with mutant genes.  (Did we know that he took Thunderbird's DNA?)  Of course, as Cyclops says, I use "the possibility" here because it's anyone guess whether this guy really is Essex.  That said, it doesn't really matter; he thinks that he is.  To be fair, he does seem significantly less crazy than Sinister.  He apparently also has a secret mission to save a boy, but he'll get to that after he destroys the X-Men, natch.  

Later, Cyclops and Synch meet with Ben Ulrich to give him back his notebook and confirm that mutants are immortal.  As Scott said, if the X-Men don't stand for the truth, they're just another Council "and the world has enough of those."  Heh.  Cyclops is anticipating his actions may cost him a spot on the roster, which prompts a discussion about who'll stand for re-election at the upcoming Gala.  At this point, it's Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Synch, and maybe Wolverine.  Meanwhile, Essex has his own plans for the "fall of the mutants" at the Gala, which involves a woman. 

Oh, also, the ladies defeated Cordyceps Jones and saved trillions of lives in the process.  Lorna may have found a handsome man to kiss and/or slap.  You should really read the issue to see why that line is so fucking funny.

Man, it's a good time to be a X-Men fan.

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

Three-Month-Old Comics: The Superhero February 2 and 9 (2022) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #88 (February 2):  Hoo boy.  Beyond's Board members are less than thrilled Maxine lost the drive, so she puts her career on the line by doubling down and getting them to activate the "Halifax Protocol."  

As she later villainsplains to an imprisoned Marcus, Halifax was an oil-company CEO with a super-mansion full of bodies in Broxton, OK.  The police were on the scene investigating his crimes when Thor's fight with the Sentry happened in "Siege."  Maxine notes that no one cared about Halifax anymore.  As such, she reveals that Beyond's product - a question that I've had since the beginning - is chaos.  The Halifax Protocol is Beyond's super-villain division, and Maxine activates it by using Norman Osborn's sins (i.e., the contents of that creepy jar that she's been holding) to turn Dr. Kafka into Queen Goblin.

Meanwhile, Janine goes to MJ for help, and MJ brings her to Glory Grant at the "Daily Bugle."  Tracking Janine, Beyond sends Queen Goblin after them, and Ben arrives just in time to save Janine.  Queen Goblin manages to destroy the drive, but, to Maxine's surprise, Ben announces that it isn't his problem.  He departs with Janine, leaving MJ to face Queen Goblin by herself.  In other words, Ben is losing it.

X Lives of Wolverine #2 (February 2):  This issue at least gives us a better sense of what we're actually doing here.

At some point, Mikhail Rasputin stole the Cerebro Sword, which Magneto made from the Cerebro unit that Professor X was wearing when something (someone?) called XENO attempted to assassinate him.  (I'm assuming it happened in "X-Force.")  As such, Rasputin has some connection to Cerebro and discovered that X-Force tampered with Omega Red's resurrection, installing the surveillance chip and editing his problematic memories.  Rasputin provided that information to Omega Red when he was on a mission in Moscow with Domino and Wolverine, leading him to break into the Hatchery (as we saw last issue) to confirm the information.  

Meanwhile, we learn that Sage created a program to monitor any memory alterations since they could be connected to "timeline terrorism."  As such, she's able to detect Omega Red's attempt to eliminate Xavier and/or his ancestors, hence why Jean sends Logan back into the timestream.   However, Logan is starting to lose it as he comes face to face with his sins, particularly his actions with Team X.  Is Logan going to fuck up everything because he can't help himself?  Maybe.

Amazing Spider-Man #88.BEY (February 9):  OMG, I love this issue.  First, I love Hobie Brown.  I remember when he debuted in "Amazing Spider-Man," and I've always been disappointed that he's been such an underused character.

That said, this incarnation of him is fantastic.  First, I love him in the Hornet costume.  But, the premise is even better.  Hobie tells his wife that the destruction he witnessed during the "King in Black" event made him realize that Damage Control helps corporations but not people.  He talks about how his crowdsourcing platform, Fairplay, is full of people asking for help to rebuild their lives after super-powered events.  He figures that he can match their requests for help and the public's funding with his deep-pocketed superpowered contacts. 

As he's describing it, I'm realizing that it's the opposite of what Maxine describes in "Amazing Spider-Man" #88:  she wants to create chaos, and Hobie wants to end it.  As such, I wasn't surprised at all when Beyond suddenly buys Fairplay.  Hobie is initially furious...until he gets his $15 million parachute.  But, his wife Mindy notes that everyone got a parachute.  In fact, Beyond spent $200 million on a $70 million company.  

Suspicious, Hobie breaks into Beyond to swipe their records.  While there, Dusk sees him and follows him home.  She tells them that Beyond kidnapped Ricochet, and she needs help freeing him.  The files allow Hobie to find him.  While Mindy (who's a great character) goes through the rest of the files, Hobie and Dusk head to the farm where Ricochet is being held.  

But, it turns out Beyond just hired him the previous day to fight some inter-dimensional monsters.  He's only been gone so long due to temporal dilation.  Hobie works with Dusk and Ricochet to shut down the portal allowing the monster to enter our dimension, and Beyond is so impressed with his intelligence and physicality that they offer him a job.

Man, please, please, please let the Slingers get their own series.  This issue is one of the best issues I've read in a while.  The characters all have great charisma together, and I'd love to see Hobie in action with a top-flight creative team.

Devil's Reign #4 (February 9):  It feels like we're moving to our denouement early, so I wonder what else Zdarsky has up his sleeve.  When Kingpin accidentally uses his staff to make Typhoid Mary remember their past together, he realizes that he can use it on himself to remember Daredevil's identity, which he does.  He believes that doing so will end his insane drive for revenge, but, um, based on the expression on his face on the last page, I kind of doubt that we're going in that direction.

Moon Knight #8 (February 9):  This issue is odd.  

Badr is running the Mission since Kingpin locked up Marc, and a former detective, Flint, approaches him for help on a case.  Flint is apparently a long-standing Moon Knight character who works with Marc to solve crimes on the "freak beat."  He informs Badr that another former Moon Knight character, Stained Glass Scarlet, has reappeared, which is odd since she died a few years ago.  

Badr goes to the church where she died and learns that people seeking revenge venerate her.  As such, they her into a minor god.  But, she's no match for Khonshu, who helps Badr chase her from the church.  I'm guessing that McKay is going to return to this story at some point, because we never really learn why Scarlet is now just willy-nilly killing people, when in the past she only killed organized-crime figures (i.e., bad guys).  

I can't say that I disliked the issue, but it leaves a little too much on the table.

New Mutants #24 (February 9):  I haven't been a fan of Ayala's run, but she wraps up a number of threads here in a way that feels organic.  

The New Mutants realize that they haven't helped mutants who've been asking for help.  As such, the Five give No-Girl a new body (she now calls herself Cerebella), and Masque helps Cosmar find a form in which she feels comfortable.  The New Mutants escort Amahl as he leaves for Arakko to undergo therapy and eventually become a more productive member of Krakoan society.   Finally, Dani and Rahne clear the air between them, and I'm going to guess that they're going after Tier soon.  

But, it's Magik's conversation with Rictor that was the most interesting to me.  They discuss something that I've often mentioned during the "Dawn/Reign of X" era, namely the lack of anyone paying attention.  The pair note how the mutants still don't seem to communicate with one another well.  They're not talking about a language but a more basic emotional connection.  Rictor is apparently now a druid, and he and Magik commit to use their magical powers to make those connections possible.  To make matters even more interesting, Magik enlists a resurrected Goblin Queen to help!  (I'm assuming that the Five resurrected Madelyne after successfully lobbying for the Quiet Council to life the ban on resurrecting clones for Gabby.)

A little Google-ing revealed that Rictor and Shatterstar are back together.  As you can see in the below "Also Read" section, I went and read those issues.  In the meantime, I'd love to see them more involved with this series and their friends.

Secret X-Men #1 (February 9):  Howard loses control of the crosses, double-crosses, and triple-crosses in this issue, to the point that I'm not entirely sure what happened.  

I think that Delphos and Oracle - the Imperial Guard's precogs - convinced Xandra to set up a training exercise to test her "friends" from Krakoa.  It's unclear to me if Deathbird was aware that the alleged threat to Xandra wasn't real, but, at any rate, she recruits Roberto to help.  (We're apparently calling him Beto instead of 'Berto now.)  He assembles a team pulled from the mutants who were most disappointed that they weren't chosen for the X-Men.  

Later, it turns out he was under Xandra's influence in putting together this team, as she was impressed that they all commiserated like friends and didn't fight like enemies.  After Roberto and his team make their way through Deathbird's traps to find Xandra, someone kidnaps Deathbird.  The precogs appears to have known that it was going to happen, making it unclear to me why they would've green-lit this exercise given how essential Deathbird is to the Empire and Xandra.

I mean, sure, I enjoy Roberto and Sam action as much as the next guy, but Howard leans into that too much, as if their banter compensates for the lack of a coherent plot.  I hope that we get to see Xandra's "Secret X-Men" in action soon, but I'm not sure that I'd want Howard at the helm.

X Deaths of Wolverine #2 (February 9):  This issue is intense as fuck, but I still have no idea what exactly we're supposed to believe is happening.  

Future Logan is part of the Phalanx, so I guess that it's possible that the machines sent him back in time to kill Moira.  But, why?  Do they know Moira is now capable of dying?  If so, why would they want her dead now, given that it won't reset the timeline now that she's human.  I'm sure that it'll benefit them someway, but I'm not sure how.

In terms of Moira, Jane Foster tells her that she detected "floronic matter" in her cancer, and Moira supposes that the No-Place biome is somehow responsible.  In a truly graphic scene, she goes to a hotel, gets drunk, cuts off her Warlock arm, and cauterizes the wound with an iron (!) since she believes that Mystique is tracking her that way.  (I'm not sure that's true, but it seems like it's how Future Logan is/was.)  Moira at least gets in a lick when Mystique breaks into her hotel room only for a bomb to explode and kill her.

For some reason, Future Logan is now after someone named Arnab Chakladar.  Does he need him to find Moira now that he possibly can't track her?  I guess we'll see.

Also Read:  Excalibur #21 (June 9, 2021); X-Factor #10 (June 30, 2021); Hawkeye:  Kate Bishop #4 (February 9)

Five-Month-Old Comics: The Superhero December 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29 (2021) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Amazing Spider-Man #80 (December 1):  Ziglar hits all the right notes in this issue, from Aunt May brining in Dr. Octopus to consult on Peter's condition to Maxine siccing her lawyers (and hopefully just her lawyers) on "Brooklyn Spider-Man," a.k.a. Miles Morales.  Ben's psychedelics-induced banter with the other captured Beyond employees was a real highlight.  It's nice to have some fun again in a Spider-Man comic.

Darkhawk #4 (December 1):  I initially rolled my eyes at Captain America's appearance here until I realized that "Mr. Colt" was the AIM recruiter from "Winter Soldier (2019)," which was one of the best and most devastating mini-series that I've ever read.  Given how blithely Colt used RJ in that series, Colt's experiments on Shawn probably aren't going to end well for him.

New Mutants #23 (December 1):  OMG.  SO.  MUCH.  TALKING.  I mean, I like the idea that the Lost Club gets the adults (i.e., the New Mutants) to realize that Amahl is just as much the Shadow King's hostage as they were.  But, Ayala has the Lost Club repeat those points over and over and over again.  I was basically skimming at the end.  I hope the new story arc that they're teasing for next issue isn't as boring and chaotic as this one has been.

Winter Guard #4 (December 1):  This mini-series wraps up fairly unsatisfyingly if you're not planning on reading "Avengers" indefinitely to get the necessary answers.  

It isn't at all surprising that Red Widow disabled Crimson Dynamo for fear that he would side with Red Guardian.  But, I still don't understand what Red Guardian gained from betraying White Widow at the end of last issue.  After all, she's forced to provide Red Widow and Vanguard his location in order to secure her freedom.  

Moreover, it seems hard to believe that Red Guardian would keep the Operation:  Snowblind drives in a briefcase that a kinetically driven shield could destroy since he had to know that a guy with a kinetically driven shield was coming after him.  I'm also not sure what White Widow gains by seemingly controlling one of the drives, since I though that the user had to use them all together to access the information.  

At any rate, I enjoyed spending time with these characters, but if you were expecting a self-contained story you'll be disappointed.

X-Men:  Trial of Magneto #4 (December 1) and #5 (December 22) (TPB):  Overall, I'm OK with the story that Williams told here.  She manages to thread the needle in probably the only way possible to turn Wanda from the Pretender to the Redeemer.  

To atone for her sins, Wanda creates a pocket dimension where all mutants souls - including the ones who died before Cerebro came online or before their X-gene manifested - go to wait for resurrection.  It's sufficiently grand to, well, redeem her.  After all, it advances Krakoa's first law:  make more mutants.

But, Williams seriously, leaves out some pretty important details.  Bullet points!

• I don't think that we're ever shown how Wanda recruited Hope and Toad to implement her plan.  Toad's participation is particularly important as he accepts exile as his punishment for "killing" Wanda.  Did he agree to sacrifice himself or did Wanda manipulate him without his knowledge for the greater good?

• We're never told why Wanda had to go through the Resurrection Protocols to create the pocket dimension.  It makes a certain amount of sense, but I would've liked it spelled out a little more clearly, particularly since the idea that she could go through them itself is dodgy, since she's allegedly not a mutant.  

• I don't buy that it was necessary for Wanda to act in secret lest people suspect that she was colluding with Magneto.  I get the Council would be distrustful of Wanda, but I feel like they've got enough powers between them that they could've vetted her scheme.  It seems like Magneto could at least have brought Lorna and Pietro into the plan.  After all, Pietro's rage almost jeopardizes the outcome.

• Eye-Boy can see magical enchantments but not uru?  What?

• I don't understand how the Waiting Room, as Hope dubs it, replaces the Crucible as a way for mutants to opt into resurrection.  The Crucible was only necessary for mutants who lost their powers in M-Day; every other Cerebro-era mutant was automatically opted into the Protocols.  Presumably they could've just put themselves on a "do not resurrect" list if they didn't want to go through the Protocols.

In terms of the characters, everything wraps up way too neatly.  Magneto somehow reconciles with Lorna, though I don't buy that she would simply forgive him for the awful things that he said to her over the course of this series.  He could've pretended that he was the villain without saying what he did.

[Sigh.]

In all honesty, it feels like, going into issue #4, Williams had one outcome in mind and editorial made her change it.  I would say that you really don't need to read this series unless you're a dedicated Wanda fan.  Wanda is redeemed, and Thunderbird is resurrected.  I'm going to guess that all this mini-series' other developments will fade into obscurity.

Amazing Spider-Man #80.BEY (December 8):  You guys, this issue may be the worst one that I've ever read.  Ziglar renders May and Otto into ridiculous caricatures of themselves.  Their innuendo-filled dialogue is just painful to read.  I skimmed most of the issue, and I'll save you the trouble.  

Otto realizes that the U-Foes were the ones who were fighting the Spider-Men when Peter got hurt, and he and May break into a super-villain holding facility to get samples of Vapor and X-Ray's powers.  (May's conversation with Vapor is this issue's highlight.)  In the process, Otto discovers that Beyond runs the holding facility, and May is furious that his search for more information on Beyond distracts him.  She leaves, though Otto later provides Peter's doctors with his findings, allowing them to heal him.  

Later, Otto attacks some guards on a rooftop to hack into a terminal that seemingly holds all Beyond's secrets because why wouldn't every random terminal provide the user access to all a corporation's secrets?  He discovers that Beyond purchased Parker Industries and [sigh] swears vengeance.

In other words, a Google search could've resolved Otto's questions about both who attacked Peter and who owned Parker Industries.  I don't understand how an editor decided that this story needed 33 pages, but someone should demote them.

Devil's Reign #1 (December 8):  I have to give Marvel credit for waiting so long to get to this point, of Fisk declaring war on superheroes.  They could've rushed it and foregone all the interesting moments that Fisk's mayoralty has brought.  Instead, they bided their time, which is hard to do in comics.

This series is clearly an outgrowth from Zdarsky's "Daredevil," and Zdarsky does a decent job of presenting that series' status quo for the rest of us.  Most relevantly, Fisk has apparently appointed his other son, Butch, as Kingpin, and Matt's "brother" Mike is apparently helping him.  I rolled my eyes at these long-lost relatives, but I'm not reading "Daredevil" so it isn't my problem.

The catalyzing event that kicks off this story is that Kingpin loses his shit when he realizes that he no longer remembers Daredevil's secret identity; in fact, even the file on Daredevil that he keeps in his safe no longer contains it.  Enraged, he announces a ban on unsanctioned superhuman activity, following a federal ban on unsanctioned superhuman activity by people under the age of 21 years old.  (I'm assuming that happened in "Champions?")

Kingpin has clearly been planning this move for a while, because he deploys his shock troops - in the form of mixed superhuman and human Thunderbolt units - quickly.  Darkhawk and Moon Knight are almost immediately taken off the table.  

A Thunderbolt unit grabs Miles Morales as he's saving people from a burning building, but Captain America saves Miles before they unmask him.  (This issue comes on the heel of Cap and Miles' appearance in "Darkhawk" #4, and I'm really digging that team-up.)  Daredevil, Elektra, and Spider-Man arrive to help, and, in a safehouse later, Daredevil admits that he provoked Kingpin into action.  But, in a great moment, Cap tells him that sacrificing himself won't stop Fisk. 

Meanwhile, Dr. Octopus and federal troops storms Four Freedom Plaza.  If you read "X-Men/Fantastic Four," you'll appreciate the Schadenfreude of Otto using a power-dampening collar on Reed and Sue.  Sue manages to alert Ben and Johnny who escape with the kids.  Chechetto is on fire throughout this issue, but the look on Ben's face when the Thunderbolt unit opens fires on him and the kids (who he blocks with his body) is worth the price of admission.  Otto is keen to access a specific Reed invention, seemingly one of his multiverse portals.  I'm sure it's for totally benign reasons.

Later, Shocker and his Thunderbolt unit come after Luke Cage and Jessica Jones as they're trying to help victims of a bus crash, and Luke delivers a Cap-like speech telling people that Fisk is coming for them once the superheroes are gone.  

The issue ends with one revelation coming right after another:  Wilson murders the Purple Man whose powers he seems intent on taking the Power Group that installed Kingpin as mayor plans on running him for President, and Tony tells a fleeing Jessica and Luke that he plans on running against Fisk for mayor.

Honestly, I'm pretty thrilled with this issue.  It feels like how the inevitable confrontation between the heroes and Kingpin would go, and it's clear that Zdarsky has a bunch of tricks up his sleeve.  I can't wait to see what they are.

 

Inferno #3 (December 8):  Hickman is unusually concise in this issue, despite its 44 pages.  We have three major developments.

First, we learn that Cypher initially prepared Krakoa to host mutantkind by having Warlock consume part of Krakoa and then Krakoa consume the new parts of Warlock.  In so doing, Warlock essentially became Krakoa's nervous system.  Since he and Warlock didn't trust Professor X, it meant that he maintained knowledge of the No-Space that Krakoa created for Magneto and Professor X.  As such, he knows all their secrets.

Second, Emma informs Destiny and Mystique of Moira's existence.  They all agree that Moira represents a threat to everything that they've built since at any moment she can start a new life and change this particular present.  Emma declines to throw her support clearly behind Destiny and Mystique but makes it clear them that she's no longer in Charles and Erik's camp.  Destiny and Mystique engineer Orchis kidnapping Moira at her Paris gate and bringing her to Terra Nova.  When Charles and Erik arrive to save her, Nimrod arrives through the translocator (whose existence Mystique discovered last issue), ready to take out Charles and Erik.

Finally, we learn that the "Trickster Titan" sent back Omega Sentinel's consciousness so that she could bring Nimrod online earlier than in her timeline.  She informs Nimrod that Apocalypse will return to defeat the Children of the Vault and eventually humankind and the machines.  Only through the Trickster Titan separating himself from his sibling does he survive long enough to send back Omega Sentinel's consciousness.  She then uses this knowledge to find Devo and convince him that he also experienced her future.  Together, they create Orchis.

In other words, man, shit goes down here.  It's hard to see how Krakoa even remotely functions as it has after this event.

Amazing Spider-Man #81 (December 15):  The Beyond Board is doing an excellent job of slowly but surely making Ben's position at Beyond more and more untenable given Maxine's goals conflicting too often with his own goals.

In this issue, she disciplines Marcus when Ben fails to confront Miles Morales during their team-up over his "use" of Beyond's trademark.  When Ben suggests that he wasn't going to beat up a teenager, Maxine makes it clear that it's exactly what she wanted him to do.  

Ahmed does some nice character work throughout this issue, as Ben admits to Janine that he's not as impulsive as he was thanks to his work in therapy.  It means that he doesn't get mad at Janine when she asks if he's ready to fight Rhizome with Miles right after his fight with Kraven.  Ahmed also connects the dots that Ben's patience with Maxine comes from this work.  That said, it's pretty clear that said patience is going to end.  

Meanwhile, as Kaeden says in their note in the back, the art team is on fire here.  If you're a Miles fan, you definitely want to check out this issue.

Devil's Reign #2 (December 29):  As I expected, Kingpin moves to the next stage as Crossbones and his Thunderbolt unit break into Danny Rand's apartment to arrest him even though he's no longer Iron Fist.  

In an example of pet peeve #2, we learn form the intro page that Kingpin didn't kill Purple Man; he cut off his finger and put it in his staff, somehow giving him his power.  (Yeah, it's a stretch.)  Meanwhile, Otto creates a device that harnesses the rest of Purple Man's powers, allowing Wilson to coerce, though not control, New York's population.  It ends Otto's part of his bargain with Kingpin.  That said, he uses Reed's multidimensional gate to bring Ghost Rider, Hulk, and Wolverine to "our" Earth, so he's clearly got something up his sleeve.  

Meanwhile, the heroes aren't doing so well.  Kingpin assigned Taskmaster to find out Spider-Man's secret identity, and Taskmaster somehow manages to block Ben's powers in their ensuing fight.  Where's Beyond when you need them?  Also, the reformed New Avengers convince Tony that Luke should run (since rich guy vs. rich guy might not read well with the public), and Tony doesn't seem happy about it.

My only criticism of this issue is that it's a little hard to follow the status quos of the various heroes.  In addition to finding out Danny isn't Iron Fist, for example, Elektra is panicked because she realizes that Fisk knows that she betrayed Matt, though I have no idea what she did.  But, every event stuffers from a similar problem, so it's small potatoes give how much I'm enjoying the event overall.

Also Read:  Marauders #26 (December 1); Nightwing Annual 2021 #1 (December 1); Amazing Spider-Man #82 (December 22) and #83 (December 29); Hawkeye:  Kate Bishop #2 (December 22); Moon Knight #6 (December 22)