Writer / Penciler Alan Davis
Inker Mark Farmer
Letterer Chris Eliopoulos
Colorist Glynis Oliver
Cover Dated April 1993
Inside front cover ad is for the film, Fire in the Sky, which I still need to watch. In November 5, 1975, there was an alien abduction, at 5:49pm, in the White Mountains of Northeastern Arizona.
Issue opens with an absolutely amazing three page sequence of what Rachel saw, right before dying. We see Jean and Scott giving her a bamf doll, Xavier dying, Ahab (pre-cyborg days), the gravesite of Days of Future Past. What I like, is that each panel is from Rachel’s viewpoint, so we are seeing what she is seeing. We are treated to Kate Pryde, in the classic blue Excalibur outfit, the time traveling to the present, her joining the Uncanny X-Men, watching Maddie and Scott with baby Nathan, her feud with Selene, Wolverine stabbing her. Which is pretty intense, as we get an extreme close up of Wolverine’s face with a SNIKT effect – which must be what so many people have seen, before dying. Rachel’s time with Spiral in Mojoworld gets a panel, her joining Excalibur, Ahab as even more of a cyborg and the conclusion of the previous storyline, her big fight with Necrom.
Rachel comes around, surprised she isn’t dead. She can’t locate Necrom, the Phoenix Force informs her that Necrom is dead.
On Earth. Captain Britain and Meggan are having a tough fight with the Warpies. They lose this fight and are brought to Cloud Nine. Snoop is informing Peter, the director of RCX.
To be honest with you, I’m not crazy for this RCX arc.
Meanwhile, a well intended doctor, Nicholas, is with Nightcrawler and Shadowcat. Kurt is training, so that Nicholas can learn more about mutants. RCX has been experimenting and they want Excalibur to cure the children’s illness. Except that they are tricking Excalibur, to be there. Kitty is super suspicious of the whole situation. Kitty fakes a reason to go off on her own, but the doctor insists that Static goes with her. All Static can say is, meep.
I really do miss this art team together. Kitty has a holographic version of herself, in a space opera – so this distracts Static. There is a great moment when Kitty sees her holographic self and thinks about how old her uniform is. She still won’t end up changing it for quite some time.
Now that Kitty is on her own, she can search around the complex.
Braddock Manor. Now we get to the good stuff. Davis’ Lockheed may be more cartoony than dragon but there is no denying the playfulness and expressiveness.
Poor Lockheed is stuck with Feron, so neither can understand each other. Feron starts complaining about Lockheed’s “mistress” Lockheed angrily shows Feron the list of chores Feron is suppose to complete.
Things to Do –
Clean West Wing (done)
Disinfect Lavatories (done)
Weed Rose Garden (done)
Unclog Foundation
Wax Hall Floor
Clean Attic Room
Paint Stable Door
Catalogue Library
Just then, Widget appears. It is trying to talk to Rachel, trying to get her to remember and trust it. Of course, Rachel is nowhere near the planet.
I guess Lockheed and Feron can communicate, as long as Lockheed can stick to one syllable words.
Such a fun scene!
Cloud Nine. Captain Britain has doctors poking him and he lashes out at him. Peter tires to calm Cap down, it doesn’t help that the Warpies arrive behind Peter – so now Cap knows that Peter is with the bad guys. Peter tries to explain that the Warpies would never have threw the first punch but since Captain Britain did, the fight escalated. Peter explains that they might be able to answer the question of why Captain Britain’s powers have been broken, as of late.
Peter explains that 64 percent of parahumans are effected with genetic destabilization. Cap has it, as does Meggan. These special children, are being created so that they can try to eliminate the disease. Kitty is watching from behind a vent, not being happy that Brian is falling for this. Ferret, another one of the Warpies, shocks Kitty. He isn’t happy that it appears to have hurt her. Luke, who looks like 90s Lex Luthor, with the big beard of red hair and the red hair mane on top of his head. I guess it would have been Lex’s “son” the “clone” but without the baldness gene.
Luke is going to put Kitty in a tube, next to Meggan, microMAX, Kylun and Alistaire.
Meanwhile, a fake Kitty Pryde tells Kurt that RCX can be trusted and there is nothing to worry about. Pretty sneaky, RCX!
Hypeline : On Sale This Week – Dark Angel 10, Doctor Who 196, Doom 2009 4, Excalibur 94, Marvel Age 123, What If 48, X-Factor 89 and X-Men 19.
Meanwhile, in deep space. Phoenix Force Jean is continuing to have a nice chat with its host, Rachel. The issue ends with Rachel adopting the Dark Phoenix red suit. Which I want to say, she keeps it for a while.
Next Issue – white lies and dark truths.
Sword Strokes, letters from – Mark Phillips of Knoxville, TN / Dan Woodward of Fresno, CA / Helen Moore of England, Dale Critchley of Madison, WI / Robin Bielefeld / Damien Cox of Beckley, WV and Kayla Griffin of Canada.
We’ve reviewed issues 66 & 67 already when we did our Days of Future Past Event Month. So the next issue we are going to cover is – Excalibur 68!
. . .
For Super Bowl 50, we’re rooting for the Denver Broncos – my mother-in-law’s favorite team.
Shadow and Flame with Magik 