Shadow and Flame with Magik

Space Writer Greg Rucka

Space Artist Russell Dauterman

Space Colorist Chris Sotomayor

Space Letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna

Space Cover Artist Alexander Lozano

Space Editors Nick Lowe, Jeanine Schaefer and Tom Brennan

Space Assistant Editor Frankie Johnson

I really like the cover, but what is happening to the back of Corsair’s shirt?

I only bought this for the very first page, which shows the rest of the Original Five and Kitty Pryde as they watch Scott join his father, Corsair, and the Starjammers for some stellar adventures.

The rest of the comic is pretty good too.  I imagine the final issue will end with Kitty and the All New X-Men welcoming Scott back to Earth.

I really like how well Scott and Hepzibah get along in this comic.  She is overly sexual, which older Scott was in a relationship so there was no mixed feelings there but this young, sixteen year old Scott gets along with her pretty well.  He just doesn’t have a label for what she is to him.  He settles on weird-step-mother-maybe, which is as close as he is going to get.

Scott is testing out a new spacesuit that the helmet works with his visor so that he can propel himself through space.  It seems odd though as he will have to face the other direction of the route he wants to take so he will be going at it back first but he’s working on it.

The other Starjammers seem to get along with Scott pretty well, which I like.  I’m sure they are used to taking on new houseguests and Scott keeps to himself for the most part.

Corsair isn’t sure he can be a father to this Scott.  It was so much easier with the proper Cyclops as he was a grown man, he had a father figure he already had so Corsair just had to be nice around him.  This young Scott wants to hang out with his father who he thought was dead.

Speaking of which, Scott’s narration captions about how he isn’t thrilled about growing up to be Adult Scott, is pretty amazing.  What he wants to be is what every sixteen year old boy wants to be – an astronaut / a pirate / an adventurer.  Which is all things his father is.

We see Sikorsky, who may be my favorite Starjammer, examining Corsair.  Corsair isn’t happy with the process, he’s a grown man and will do what he wants.

A small Badoon ship attacks.  Scott heads to the bridge, knowing he can’t do anything but wants to be there for support.

The Starjammers win the fire fight, and Corsair takes his lady and his son over to the ship to take it.

Hepzibah says something that Scott can’t help but to think that her phasing is sexy.  Poor boy, doesn’t have those defenses yet.  Plus, it doesn’t help that she is a very touchy feely type of gal.  It took me a moment to figure out what that extension is on her spacesuit.  It is her tail, which seems thicker than I remember but that’s one of those details that is up to the artist to decide.  I wonder how hard it is to put her tail through that section of her suit?  It can’t be comfortable.

Once they have their prisoners, Corsair gets a nice idea.  Scott sees a sword and Corsair encourages him to take it.  I like how Corsair talks to his son about how carrying a sword isn’t easy.  At first, he kept bumping into things with it and if he wasn’t doing that, he was tripping people.  Scott appreciates the story.

Corsair has the idea of taking this smaller ship and meeting with the Starjammers in a few weeks and he is going to take the scenic route with his son.  Hepzibah loves the idea.  She tells him that he doesn’t have to worry about being Scott’s father, he already is that – he just needs to worry about being there.  That’s all the boy wants.

It takes Scott a moment to realize what is going on but he gets so excited about the prospect of space traveling alone with his father.  The issue ends on a sweet moment of Corsair telling Scott that he may not know how to be the best father to a sixteen year old.  Scott tells him he isn’t good at being sixteen.  Corsair shares with him that no one is good at being sixteen.

    . . .

Hey, did you know that this weekend is the San Diego Comic Con?  There is no X-Men panel, which is lame – but Bendis has stated that he will make any announcements at the Joe Quesada panel.  Technically, the AXIS panel can work as the Avengers and X-Men panel, but the Avengers are also getting their own panel.

As usual, I will be checking Newsarama for any Con news.