Shadow and Flame with Magik

Writer Greg Pak

Artist Takeshi Miyazawa & Ario Anindito

Colorist Yen Nitro

Letterer Joe Caramagna

They got me with Magik being on the cover.  Magik does not appear in this comic!  But it is a cool cover.

Luna Snow is about to put on a concert for the nice folks of Seoul.  Some in the audience haven’t forgotten her time on Doom’s Division.  But they’re more upset she turned on Doom to side with Sunfire.  She didn’t know he was a bad guy, but Sunfire rightfully points out, much later in the comic, that the name should have been a clue. 

The record label is done with her, immediately, and hires Vibe, who isn’t as talented, but the manager has particular set of skills to get her over.  Let’s get this out of the way now.  The manager is secretly Starfox, who is the absolute worst.  Should be a warning that he is in this comic.  So, this is that warning. 

There was also parts where I kept thinking, so we’re doing the Dazzler down slope part of her career for Luna Snow?  Where she has to build herself back up, or at least, back in some people’s good graces?  Shame she can’t be loved, and we get a fun one shot of her being a huge success with personal drawbacks, or something.  People do like an underdog.  I just would have liked to see a woman succeed.

Tokyo, one month later.  Some guy is harassing her, she asks if his mom cuts his hair, he admits she does, and Luna softens.  I really like that moment.

Did you know they have released five KPOP songs for Luna Snow?  That’s fun.  She’s had two different singers to be her, Hyungseo, and Krysta Youngs.  The songs seem good.  I haven’t bought them.

Sunfire shows up to help Luna Snow.  They go to Vibe’s concert.  Her song has something to it, that people can tell it isn’t good, but it is very catchy.  Wave is part of Vibe’s security detail.  I don’t know Wave that well, besides people like her in Marvel Snap.  Wave has special ear plugs, so she can hear, just not the music. 

We get the Starfox reveal, ugh.  I imagine Thanos rather him not name drop him in his name reveal.  The Titan of Desire, double ugh.  I just hate emotion manipulators.  In comics, and in life.  They’re gross.  Especially when they lean into the grossness.

Rick Jones shows up.  Luna Snow calls him the greatest superhero musician of his generation.  He correctly corrects her that Dazzler has that title, so I like that. 

It is a good comic, I wanted more from it, but it isn’t an X-Men comic featuring Luna Snow, this is her one shot, so we got Sunfire, that’s the X-Content, with Dazzler references.  That should be enough.