Shadow and Flame with Magik

Words Max Bemis

Pencil & Inks Michael Walsh

Colors Ruth Redmond

Letters VC’s Clayton Cowles

This is a fun little issue, Marvel Database isn’t doing a great job of keeping up with the cast list of the other issues but as far as I can see, Kitty is only in this first issue.  If I’m wrong, please let me know.

Issue opens with Bailey and a friend of his are trying to see which girls are in Bailey’s league.  Turns out, not that many young ladies are in his league.  Or rather, he isn’t in any of their leagues.  Poor Bailey feels like an outcast.  He’s pretty normal of a kid, he likes video game, he’s average at most things he does.

One day, his parents it him down.  They reveal that they are mutants – this excites Bailey as this means he could be a mutant.  I do like this approach, a teenager who embraces the aspect of becoming a mutant.

They go to the Xavier Institute to get Bailey tested.  Beast is going to administer the tests.  Bailey is all types of happy to be meeting Avenger and X-Man, Hank McCoy.  After the tests, Beats informs Bailey that he does have an active X-Gene.  That’s the good news.

The bad news is, Bailey has the ability to explode on demand.  Bailey thinks this means he has relatively the same powers as Gambit but he’s his own playing cards.  It is much worst, he can only use his power once – and then it is gone, as he would be too.  It isn’t like Nova, who can explode and mysteriously reforms his body.

Bailey is a mutant but one with a power he can never use.  He can attend the school, but he’s back to just being a nobody at this school.  Poor kid was excited, this has to be the worst case scenario.

As the family walks away, things get worst.

With a page turn, a giant Sentinel steps on Bailey’s parents!  It is one of those shocking splash pages but also, a complete shock.  I had to turn back the page and flip again, to fully comprehend this situation.

Look at Kitty phasing through the wall in the second row panel.  She’ll make a proper appearance later.

We get a fast ball special!

Poor Bailey, as the battle continues, he can only cry and hold his head.

A month later, Jubilee decides to check in on Bailey.  He hasn’t left a dorm, so he’s an outcast among outcasts.  He agrees to be shown around the school.

So far, this could have all been in continuity, or at least, possibly.  Since Kitty is a student, it clearly can’t be a present story and costumes and such imply that this is a fun out-of-continuity miniseries.  That really is the way to handle this.  Jubilee does state that Kitty is available now that she broke up with Colossus.

Jubilee introduces Bailey to Forge, who is working on a suit of armor for Bailey.  Sort of like Doug wearing Warlock so that he can fight.

Issue ends with the school being under attack and Forge and Jubliee head off to confront the intruders.  Bailey is going to take the armor out for a spin.

Such a fun issue, with a narly page turn.