87th Academy Awards

Posted by John Klein III on February 24, 2015
Posted in: Award Shows, Websites. Tagged: . Leave a comment

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/87th_Academy_Awards

Hulu actually has the award show, broken up over three parts, so I will watch this eventually but really, that year with the Writer Boycotts, and the award show was just a few people reading the awards, I would be more than fine with that being the norm.

Also, it is going to take many hours to watch the show at 15 to 30 minute intervals so I wasn’t worried about spoiling the results.

I mostly wanted to see if X-Men Days of Future Past won its Oscar, it didn’t, it went to Interstellar. On my way down to that result, I caught that Michael Keaton didn’t win Leading Male Perfromance, so that is highly disappointing as well. I figured X-Men wasn’t going to win but Keaton not winning stinks.

It reminds me how I’m still mad at the academy giving Sean Penn the Oscar instead of Bill Murray for his performance in Lost in Translation. Bill Murray only has one chance at winning an Oscar and they have since given Penn an additional Oscar. It drives me crazy sometimes when I see Bill Murray being brave in interviews for various other projects.

Glad Birdman won Best Picture, as did its director, Alejandro Inarritu – that should make Alex of www.andsoitbeginsfilms.com blog very happy, I love his film blog so much! Birdman also won for Original Screenplay. It also won Best Cinematography, which from what I heard, makes perfect since with what the ‘trick’ of the film’s direction.

Juilanne Moore is finally an Oscar winner, so that’s terrific! I need to watch, Still Alice.

JK Simmons being an Oscar winner feels like a big win, I have loved that man for years now!

Big Hero 6 won Best Animated Feature, so that’s awesome for Marvel! Now let’s get a Pet Avengers film in the works! Do it Marvel!

The Edward Snowden documentary, citizenfour, won the Best Documentary, so that seems pretty brave.

“Glory” from Selma, winning Best Original Song seems like a consolation prize for the entirely white nominees in all the other categories.   I imagine with NPH hosting the award show, that he would make a joke about that.

. . .

We got through the award show, my wife fell asleep during it.  It was a pretty boring show, outside of NPH, who did make the all white jokes, good for him!

I had forgotten some celebrities died, this year.  Apparently a bunch of people are upset that Joan Rivers wasn’t shown, she was great in Spaceballs but I’m not the biggest fan of her gimmick.

http://oscar.go.com/photos/2015-oscars-in-memoriam/media/846x_In-Memoriam_2015_1-48_Cover

Mickey Rooney / James Garner / Edward “Gilmore Girls” Hermann / Maya Angelou / Richard “Jurassic Park” Attenborough / Robin Williams, who I still can’t believe isn’t alive anymore / Bob Hoskins and Mike Nichols.

Excalibur : Weird War III

Posted by John Klein III on February 23, 2015
Posted in: Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

Excalibur Weird War III

Writer Michael Higgins

Pencilers Tom Morgan and Justin Thyme

Inkers Joe Rubinstein and Tom Morgan

Colorists Brad Vancata and Joe Rosas

Letterer Janice Chiang

Cover Dated December 1990

This is one of those large Treasury sized comics.  It doesn’t even fit on most of my bookshelves.  It spends most of its time on its back.

Poor Excalibur, cannot escape going to alternate Earths!  This story, if you are not that familiar with Lightning Force, the Excalibur from a world where the Nazis won WWII and are still in charge.

I like the back issue description –

The powerful Captain Britain, the shape-changing Meggan, the intangible Shadowcat, the swashbuckling Nightcrawler, the mysterious Phoenix, and Lockheed the Dragon . . .
Forged in the fires of their tragic pasts, they have banded together to fight a modern-day crusade against the forces of evil.
An age-old evil has firmly established itself in another dimension.  But now, realities are crossing and the malevolent power-with the help of some well-known mutants-threats to gain a foothold on Earth.

I just like that Lockheed gets a mention.

The issue opens at a concentration camp.  There are new members joining the camps and an old group going into the chambers.  The ones in the chambers are killed and their energy is transformed into psychic energy.  This causes Rachel to lose her mind.  The rest of the team come to see what is the matter.

Excalibur Weird War III Lockheed 1

When Rachel sees Kitty, she sees the Shadowcat from Lightning Force – from Excalibur 10.

Excalibur Weird War III Lockheed 2

Alistaire shows up and yells at the team.  This is the first indication that the team woke up not on the right Earth.

We see who is Hitler’s second in command, and it is Charles Xavier!  He is in charge of the camps and killing people to make himself stronger.

Excalibur Weird War III Lockheed 3

Excalibur heads over to the Nazi headquarters.

Excalibur Weird War III Lockheed 4

Kitty, naturally, hates having to talk to Nazis.  Captain Britain hates seeing his country being overrun by such filth.

We see that the Red Skull is Hitler’s right hand man.  They are suspicious of what Xavier has been up to.  Xavier is close to making his big move.

Excalibur Weird War III Lockheed 5

The Nazis are mad as Excalibur is showing their proper respect.  Kitty mistakenly refers to the team as Lightning Force, our first hint at something odd is going on.  Something more odd.  Excalibur tries to fight their way out of the room.  Rachel takes out Kitty, as she wants to try to get the team under control.  She wants them to play along, until they can figure out what is happening.

Excalibur Weird War III Lockheed 6

Excalibur is sent to see Moira MacTaggert, who we have seen in earlier issues of Excalibur.

Excalibur Weird War III Lockheed 7

I don’t get why Kitty is so surprised to see Moira, they were told who they were going to see on just the previous page.

Excalibur Weird War III Lockheed 8

Rachel explains, telepathically, what is happening.  The Nazi Earth and the Proper Marvel Earth are merging.  Which may be the first example of an Incursion that I know of.  At least at Marvel, Incurions seem to be just what Crisis of Infinite Earths were all about but two Earths at a time.

Kitty can’t stand all of this Nazi nonsense and punches Moira.

This is the last page that feature Lockheed, for some reason.

Moira’s Reichsmen show up – Nazi versions of the X-Men – Havok / Rogue / Psylocke / Banshee / Storm.  Captain Britain fights Havok.  Meggan pairs off with Rogue.  Nightcrawler takes out Banshee.  Kitty sadly fights a very scarred Storm.  Rachel goes against Psylocke.  Kitty and Brian both regret fighting these last two as they are believed dead, at this point in time.

Once the fighting is over, Moira explains that she is our Moira but in the Nazi body.  She has a plan but Brian, Meggan, Kurt and Kitty have to dress as their Lightning Force counterparts.

Elsewhere.  Xavier is showing Red Skull around. Funny seeing these two together with out in modern comics, Red Skull has Xavier’s brain in his head.

We see what happened to the Original Five X-Men here.  Cyclops is hung upside down, and his optic blasts are being used as an energy force.  Angel was skinned alive and they figured out his wings were real.  Beast seems to just have been killed for killing sake.  Iceman is brainwashed and is opening up Polaris’ head.  I believe that it is Jean who is in a tank, she is there as she turn down Xavier’s advances.

Later, Xavier has a meeting with Hitler.  Seeing him in this issue, even though he is missing his right arm, is bald and in a wheelchair – it starts to turn my stomach.  I was ‘okay’ with the story until Hitler actually showed up.  Xavier mocks him, he’s an old man and it is now time for a younger man to lead the party.  Red Skull is not thrilled with the open defiance.

Shortly.  Lightning Force shows up at one of the camps.  Rachel leads them to an abandon room, where she will be staying as people are only expecting a four person team.  I feel so bad for Kitty, not only does she have to wear that cloak but she had to draw a Star of David on her head, which must have really messed with her head.

Another group of people die in the chamber and this causes Rachel a major migraine.  Kurt slaps her, which is also unsettling to see.  It works and it calms her down but I feel like that is still unnecessary.

Lightning Force finds Xavier.  Kitty is disgusted to see him so fully evil.  He hits them with a mental blast and knocks them out.

At the same time.  Red Skull hooks Hitler up to a machine and it starts turning Hitler younger.  It is an extremely painful process, which makes sense.

The Phoenix Force can’t stand this anymore and gives some of its powers to Excalibur and they take down Xavier.  Fortunately, Red Skull was linked to Xavier and so Red Skull dies.  Also super good timing, Hitler is still strapped to the device and can’t get out of it and it reverted to a teenager.  He is then turn into a baby, then a weird glop of something and finally a piece of sperm.

The two Earths are split.  Excalibur wakes up, trying to shake off this adventure.  Alistaire shows up, and they are confident that they are back on the right planet.

Excalibur Weird War III Lockheed 9

Issue has a special pin-up at the back, so we get to see Lockheed one last time!

Death of Wolverine : Weapon X Program 3

Posted by John Klein III on February 22, 2015
Posted in: Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Death of Wolverine Weapon X Program 3

Writer Charles Soule

Artist & Cover Salvador Larroca

Colorist Frank D’Armata

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

Still buying this on the assumption (that I’m sure is correct) that Sharp’s second voice in his head is Ogun’s.

Weapon X Program 3 Ogun 1

Issue opens Sharp modifying his Star Lord gas mask.

Weapon X Program 3 Ogun 2

The mysterious voice says it is an improvement but it isn’t where it needs to be.  When he wears it, the eyes glow red, red like the mask of Ogun.

Weapon X Program 3 Ogun 3

Neuro wonders what Sharp looks like under the mask.

Outside Gonzales, Texas.   Headed East on Us-10.  Junk and Skel are bonding as Skel drives the van.  Junk verbally tells Skel his origin.  He was captured while walking on an open street and was experimented on.  We see that he is lying and he was a prisoner.

Weapon X Program 3 Ogun 4

Neuro mentions Logan.  We see a computer screen with all of Logan’s aliases.  Weapon X – Experiment 10 – James Howlett – Logan – Wolverine – Patch – Black Dragon – Mutant # 9601 – Emilio Garra – Agent Ten.  I only don’t recognize Black Dragon and Emilio Garra.

With all of this chatter about Logan, Sharp sees a mental flashback of 1938’s Nanking, where he ran into Victor Creed.

Endo interrupts them, as she really wants to go home.  They tell her that they are being followed and if she reaches out, the Weapon X folks will kill whoever she reaches out to.

Junk and Skel.  Skel starts having a seizure.  We get his origin of how he was a professional football player in Detroit, 1993.

There is a page of DCBS congratulating Marvel on 75 years.  Go to http://www.dcbservice.com and save so much money!

Neuro speculates that Skel needs to constantly use his super strength or his body will start breaking down, so he lifts the van back on its wheels and feels better.

Weapon X Program 3 Ogun 5

Weapon X Program 3 Ogun 6

New Orleans, Louisiana.  Sharp finds Sabretooth and they start fighting, naturally.  Neuro attempts to talk to Creed.  Sharp does a decent job of holding his own against Creed.

Weapon X Program 3 Ogun 7

Once learning that Creed has a healing factor, Skel can cut loose and wail on him, so he does.

Sharp takes the time to interrogate Creed, revealing the 1938 Nanking connection.  It isn’t Wolverine’s voice in his head as he was a spy in Madripoor at the time.  I’m not sure that Ogun and Sabretooth had a connection prior to this.

The Garden District.  Endo reaches out to her fiancee, and gets his voicemail.

Arcadia.  We see the Weapon X clean up squad, and they have killed so many other escapees and others connected to the escapees.

So far, I’ve read two issues and this is a pretty good miniseries.  Not the missable cash grab I thought it may have been.  Though it is written by Soule, who wrote Death of Wolverine, so it makes sense that this will be quality and be important.

Excalibur 30

Posted by John Klein III on February 21, 2015
Posted in: Reviews. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Excalibur 30

Author Dana Moreshead

Illustrators David Ross & Allen Milgrom

Pigmentator Brad Vancata

typographer Brad K Joyce

Esquire Terry Kavanagh

Baron Tom DeFalco

Cover Dated October 1990

Finally, a comic with plenty of Lockheed!

Issue opens with Alysande coming to the lighthouse for her brother’s birthday.  As she is about to open the door, Meggan crashes through the front door.  That would be bad enough but Meggan looks like a vampire.

Excalibur 30 Lockheed 1

Captain Britain and Lockheed are in hot pursuit.  Widget is close behind.

Alistaire starts updating his sister on what happened.  Meggan knocked Rachel down, causing her a concussion.  She also bit Nightcrawler and he threw Kurt into a closet and blocked it off.

Excalibur 30 Lockheed 2

I like Captain Britain and Lockheed hanging out.  Lockheed is following Meggan’s trail.  They catch up to Detective Thomas.

Excalibur 30 Lockheed 3

Dai Thomas tells Captain Britain that a woman had a heart attack due to a giant bat swooping down on her.  This is the fifth sighting of the night.

Excalibur 30 Lockheed 4

Lighthouse.  Alistaire opens his present from Rachel, it is a miniature version of Illyana’s soulsword.

Lockheed has tracked Meggan to a park.

Excalibur 30 Lockheed 5

Meggan attacks Captain Britain!

Lighthouse.  Alistaire calls Doctor Strange.  Wong answers the phone and he and Alistiare have a pretty funny exchange.  Wong tells Doctor Strange about the situation, after confirming it isn’t a prank call, Doctor Strange has agreed to help.

Excalibur 30 Lockheed 6

Poor Brian wants to stop Meggan but he doesn’t want to hurt her, which is super understandable.  But she is a risk to others.

Excalibur 30 Lockheed 7

Brian hits Meggan, she transforms back to her regular form.  It doesn’t calm her, at all.  People start recognizing Captain Britain, how could they not.

Excalibur 30 Lockheed 8

The people who recognize him and are not happy with him!  I love the panel of Lockheed covering his eyes.  Ross / Milgrom draw an amazing Lockheed!  Lockheed tracks Meggan again.

Lighthouse.  Alistaire starts being annoyed about how Doctor Strange is taking to get there.  Doctor Strange shows up with his apprentice, Rintrah, who is a bulky green demon type of fella.  I know him from the first two issues of Doctor Strange’s third volume.  Rintrah clears the debris in front of the closet that is keeping Kurt inside the closet.  Why he hasn’t teleported out, is beyond me.

Alistaire forgot that Kurt’s teeth are always fang like, he mistook them

Excalibur 30 Lockheed 9

Captain Britain calls Lockheed, Lock, like they are friends.  I sort of like it.  Meggan is about to attack a dog but Lockheed flame attacks her and Captain Britain attacks her into Widget’s portal.

Lighthouse.  Rachel is waking up.  There is a racket in the basement.

Excalibur 30 Lockheed 10

The giant dragon from Cross Time Caper is still around, whatever happens to her?

Excalibur 30 Lockheed 11

Doctor Strange freezes everybody.  I lose a little respect for Strange since he likes Brian’s previous costume better than his current one.  Which is clearly the wrong opinion.

I don’t really get the whole solution to the problem but Doctor Strange vanquishes all of the darkness from Meggan.

Excalibur 30 Lockheed 12

Meggan is back!  Doctor Strange is done and leaves.

Excalibur 30 Lockheed 13

The party ends on some laughs.  This was a pretty fun issue.

 

Marvel May 2015 Solicitations

Posted by John Klein III on February 20, 2015
Posted in: Solicitations. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

http://www.newsarama.com/23544-marvel-comics-full-may-2015-solicitations.html

Let’s see how expensive Secret Wars is going to be! I already had to add the first issue to my April DCBS order.

SECRET WARS #1 (OF 8)
JONATHAN HICKMAN (w) • ESAD RIBIC (a)
Cover by ALEX ROSS (FEB150650)
• THE FINAL INCURSION IS HAPPENING!
• THE MARVEL UNIVERSE IS COLLIDING WITH THE ULTIMATE UNIVERSE!
• AND NEITHER WILL SURVIVE!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99
SECRET WARS #2 (OF 8)
JONATHAN HICKMAN (w) • ESAD RIBIC (a)
Cover by ALEX ROSS
• WHEN THE MARVEL UNIVERSE IS GONE, ALL THAT REMAINS IS BATTLEWORLD!
• LEARN THE SECRETS OF THIS BRAVE NEW REALM IN THIS SPECIAL OVERSIZED ISSUE!
56 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

            After months of hype, this is finally happening! With loads of variants too! Some titles are having tie-ins and others are continuing like an entire universe ending storyline isn’t happening.

May 2015 Solicts Ultimate End 1
Cover by Mark Bagley

ULTIMATE END #1 (OF 5)
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (w) • MARK BAGLEY (a/C)
Variant Cover by DAVID MARQUEZ
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
YOUNG VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG
• MILES MORALES and the rest of the heroes of the ULTIMATE U face final extinction
• As the end of their world becomes inevitable, will the heroes’ heartbreaking sacrifices make any difference?
• The dramatic end of an era begins here!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

The storyline in New Avengers, with all of the Incursions – which the Facebook, Avengers Alliance game starting incorporating in Season Two, has finally lead to this. The Proper Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe are blending and neither will survive! Here is hoping that Ultimate Shadowcat makes it out alive! Also, Proper Kitty Pryde! Magik and Lockheed would be pretty nice too!

MASTER OF KUNG FU #1 (of 4)
Haden Blackman (w) Dalibor Talajic (a)
KICK-BUTT KUNG-FU ACTION!
• Welcome to the mystical land of K’UN LUN, where the study of martial arts reigns supreme!
• In a world where everyone is well-trained in at least some form of deadly combat, what becomes of a drunken, drop-out failure?
• If anyone speaks out against Emperor Zu, the price is their head! Good thing Shang-Chi’s a man of discretion and…oh, who are we kidding. This is going to get nasty.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

So, I’m buying this as there will be X-Men involved, specifically Kitty and Lockheed! Look at these character designs!

 Secret Wars 2015 Shang-Chi Kitty Lockheed

Lockheed being a snake is fun and Kitty being bald is a surprised.

Looks pretty fun! Now that I work at Hastings again, part time, I’m tempted to not order them through DCBS or use my Associate Discount at Hastings. The discount is still like twenty cents more, so I might as well stick with DCBS.

I do wish this series was a $2.99 title, but I don’t think Marvel has those. I just did a quick search of the solicts and they do have $2.99 titles, so is an option for titles that I don’t buy, apparently. I might get an issue of Ms. Marvel, one of these days. I was hoping that some of these Secret Wars 2015 tie-ins would just be one issue or so. The nice thing about ordering through Hastings, is that I only have to buy the issue that I want instead of committing the money to the series at the offset. I suppose it is an easy way to keep my order under $35. Ms. Marvel and the Marvel Cartoon tie in books are $2.99, which I like them trying to make their comics price right for children. Three dollars may still be too much.

Here is the link to the Comic Vine interview with the writer, Haden Blackman.

http://www.comicvine.com/articles/exclusive-haden-blackman-jumps-into-secret-wars-wi/1100-151191/

SECRET WARS: BATTLEWORLD #1 (OF 4)
JOSH WILLIAMSON & ED BRISSON (w)
MIKE HENDERSON & SCOTT HEPBURN (a)
Cover by PACO MEDINA
Variant Cover by JAMES STOKOE
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
• When the Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe collide, there is only…Battleworld!
• Featuring the fights, battles and blow-ups that are just TOO BIG for Secret Wars!
• When a Dr. Strange-possessed Punisher goes on the run, only Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk and Ghost Rider can track him down!
• Question: What happens when M.O.D.O.K. recruits every single M.O.D.O.K. ever for his evil schemes? Answer: M.O.D.O.K. M.A.D.N.E.S.S.!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

            See, this would be one of those series that I wouldn’t mind being put on a list for and not have to buy every issue of. Though this issue promises to have the New Fantastic Four, and I’m a huge sucker for any time Marvel gets those four characters back together. I wonder what the Action Figure variant means?

 

SECRET WARS JOURNAL #1 (OF 5)
Prudence Shen & Michael Rosenberg (w)
Ramon Bachs & Luca Pizzari (a)
WITNESS THE STRANGE TALES OF BATTLEWORLD! TWO SCINTILLATING STORIES OF SECRET WARS!
• Is LADY KATE of 1602 the nefarious HAWKEYE BANDIT who robs from the rich and gives to the poor?
• Can an enslaved band of MUTANTS in EGYPTIA overthrow their overlord, KHONSHU?
• Can YOU afford not to read the coolest, hippest, most continuity-important book in all of SECRET WARS??? Because this is TOTALLY THAT BOOK. But don’t tell anyone. It’ll be our little Secret…Wars Journal.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

This is a very fun write up! I wonder which mutants will be featured? I think I will, with these Secret Wars tie ins, that I will have Hastings pull the issues for me and I will buy them as I desire them.

DEADPOOL’S SECRET SECRET WARS #1 (OF 4)
CULLEN BUNN (w) • MATTEO LOLLI & JACOPO CAMAGNI (a)
Cover by TONY HARRIS
• NOT A SECRET WARS TIE-IN!
• Well…it is…but not THAT Secret Wars.
• Remember the original Secret Wars from 1984? And remember how Deadpool played a huge important role in it? Wait…you DON’T? Then you need to read this series immediately and be educated! From the team that brought you DEADPOOL KILLUSTRATED comes the most Secretest War of all!
• Plus: a bonus Deadpool Contest of Champions tale!
40 PGS./Parental Advisory …$4.99

Another fun write up! I’ll be getting Hastings to pull this for me as Lockheed may appear! One never knows! He was in the first two issues of Spider-Man & Secret Wars.

May 2015 Solict Inferno
by Javier Garron

May 2015 Solict Inferno Variant
by Adi Granov

INFERNO #1
DENNIS HOPELESS (w) • JAVIER GARRON (a/C)
VARIANT COVER BY ADI GRANOV
• Spinning out of the universe-shattering events of Secret Wars comes a new twist on the X-Men classic that’s a whole hell of a lot hotter than you remember
• 5 years ago a band of demons rose up out of the fiery depths and turned Manhattan into Hell on Earth. The X-Men fought to vanquish the demon horde and… The X-Men failed.
• Welcome back to the Inferno.
• On this the fifth anniversary of Manhattan’s fall, Piotr Rasputin is leading a small band of mutants back into the Inferno. Colossus doesn’t know what they’ll find on the other side of those flames but he knows for certain… They’re not coming back without his sister.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
I like how some of these are not titled, Secret Wars : New Twist on an Old Idea (especially as that is one clunky title!). Hopefully this is only a one shot but I sure do want it!

I haven’t seen Granov since he did those X-Men Second Coming covers.

INFINITY GAUNTLET #1
GERRY DUGGAN & DUSTIN WEAVER (w) • DUSTIN WEAVER (a/C)
Think your life is hard? Anwen Bakian’s family lives in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, scrounging for food and avoiding giant bugs intent on eating them. Mom left years ago to join the Nova force and never came back. So it’s just Anwen, her dad, her sister and her grandpa against the huge insects. That is, until she finds a mysterious stone that may or may not hold incredible cosmic power. Don’t miss this incredible new series by DEADPOOL writer Gerry Duggan and EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE writer/artist Dustin Weaver that will set the cosmic table for the Marvel Universe for years to come!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

Is it just me, or is this nothing like Infinity Gauntlet?

OLD MAN LOGAN #1
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (w) • ANDREA SORRENTINO (a/C)
• Enter the Wastelands…a realm where all heroes have been murdered by their arch-enemies, villains who now rule over the land with an iron fist. In the midst of this dystopian chaos, one man may make a difference…a reluctant warrior who was once the greatest mutant of all…a man known as OLD MAN LOGAN.
40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

Since Kitty is dead in this future timeline, I imagine I’m passing on this.

SECRET WARS 2099 #1 (of 5)
PETER DAVID (w) • WILL SLINEY (a)
Cover by Dave Rapoza
• When everything ends, it’s time to go back to the future. Revisit the world of 2099 and see it a whole new light, as characters who have never been seen before make their first appearances – including the AVENGERS 2099. Can the ideal of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes survive in a world where megacorporations rule with an iron fist?
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

I wonder if the characters from Marvel Knights 2099 will make it into this?

 

A-FORCE #1
G. WILLOW WILSON & MARGUERITE BENNETT (w) • JORGE MOLINA (a)
Cover by JIM CHEUNG
• Marvel’s Mightiest Women finally get their own explosive series!
• In a secluded corner of the Battleworld, an island nation is fiercely protected by a team of Avengers the likes of which has only ever been glimpsed before…
• Fighting to protect the small sliver of their world that’s left, the Amazing A-FORCE stands shoulder-to-shoulder, ready to take on the horde!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I like the idea of this, from the three covers they show, Kitty isn’t on any of them, nor is Magik so this will be another series to have Hastings pull for me.  It feels a bit freeing to have the pressure off of having to prepay a comic.

PLANET HULK #1
SAM HUMPHRIES (w) • MARC LAMING (a)
Cover by MICHAEL DEL MUNDO
Variant Cover by MUKESH SINGH
BLANK COVER VARIANT
YOUNG VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG
• A forbidden zone of wild HULKS
• A battle-worn gladiator named STEVE ROGERS
• A journey that could break the spirit of a world’s greatest freedom fighter.
• PLUS: A back up story by a surprise creative team!
40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

Kitty only showed up in a side issue of Planet Hulk, so this will be a pass for me but I do like Humphries so if you like Hulk, I would recommend this to you.

SPIDER-VERSE #1
MIKE COSTA (w) • ANDRE ARUAJO (a)
Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
• Spinning out of the SPIDER-VERSE event, a team of Spiders finds themselves face-to-face with Battleworld! Starring SPIDER-GWEN, SPIDER-MAN NOIR, SPIDER-MAN: INDIA, MAYDAY PARKER, SPIDER-UK and SPIDER-HAM!
40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

Spider-Man Noir, Mayday Parker and Spider-Ham – all in one book! That would have excited me five years ago!

 AVENGERS WORLD #21
FRANK BARBIERE (W) • MARCO CHECCHETTO (A)
Cover by JEFF DEKAL
• The last stand of A.I.M. … in the Savage Land!
• Thor and Hyperion unleashed!
• Can Namor survive The Cabal?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I know Magik appears in issue 17, so I’m not sure if she is going to keep appearing in this title.

 

UNCANNY AVENGERS #5
RICK REMENDER (W) • DANIEL ACUñA (A)
Cover by KRIS ANKA
NYC VARIANT COVER BY TBA
• The truth that will shatter the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.
• War between the Low and High Evolutionary.
• An Avenger has to choose between his friends and a perfect future.
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

There is a Low Evolutionary? There has to be a better name, right? Would you refer to yourself as the Low Kevin or the Lesser Kevin? Do I know any Kevins? Maybe one or two.

SILK #4
ROBBIE THOMPSON (w) • STACEY LEE (a)
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
• Silk and Johnny Storm’s first date! Nuff’ said?
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

So Marvel made a new female character and in her fourth issue, she is already dating the Human Torch? I guess that keeps the Fantastic Four in our minds. So I guess Marvel really is going to let some titles keep on trucking, eh? I guess all series have eight months to wrap up before the Post Secret Wars 2015 Marvel starts.

ANT-MAN #5
NICK SPENCER (w) • RAMON ROSANAS (a)
Cover by MARK BROOKS
NYC VARIANT COVER BY TBA
• The explosive first arc finale! There aren’t actually any explosions – but there IS a big showdown with our poorly lit villain, and plenty of heartbreak to go around.
• Nothing will be the same again! Except you’re still aging. That’s not going anywhere.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Who writes these? That person is getting pretty bold! But still funny!

THOR #8
JASON AARON (w) • RUSSELL DAUTERMAN (a/C)
• The final battle with the Destroyer!
• Guest stars galore!
• A shocking return!
• And oh yeah…Thor’s secret identity revealed at last!!!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Eight issues and we still don’t who Thor really is? Does any Thor really need a secret identity? I heard that it is pretty obvilous that it is Angela. Time will tell, I suppose. Well, we know it will be revealed this issue, so in four months, we will know.

HOWARD THE DUCK #3
CHIP ZDARSKY (w)
JOE QUINONES (a/C)
• Howard’s big first case goes off the rails as he’s pulled into investigating a NYC crime spree!
• But this spree features a Very Special Guest Star!
• We’ll only give you one hint: they’re a Marvel Comics character who has “died” before! Hope that narrows it down for you, True Believer!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Could it be Magik or Doug Ramsey? I highly doubt it, it is mostly a joke about how many people have died. I suppose that Kitty has died once too, for maybe a few seconds. In that respect, Magik and Doug died during Secret Wars II. Or was that only Magik?

GUARDIANS 3000 #8
DAN ABNETT (W) • Nico Leon (A)
Cover by Gerardo Sandoval
• Stranded on 21st century Earth, the 31st century Guardians finally have a chance to locate the anomaly that is ripping the past, present and future of the Universal Time-stream apart.
• But locating it is one thing…preventing it is something else altogether. Shocking twists and end-of-the-World action!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

            Wait, are the Guardians 3000 going to fix a Universal Time-Stream while at the same time, the entire Marvel Universe is being torn about by a universal time and space stream? So silly

 

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #27
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • VALERIO SCHITI (A/C)
• Guardians no more?
• Following the Black Vortex, the Guardians have come into conflict with one another more and more.
• With rifts forming between them, will their friendship and history be enough to hold the team together?
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

            I wonder if Kitty still has a chance at appearing in this title? What are NYC variants?

 

May 2015 Solict Guardians Team-Up 5 Lockheed Pet AvengersBy Humberto Ramos

 

GUARDIANS TEAM-UP #5
ANDY LANNING & ANDY SCHMIDT (W)
GUSTAVO DUARTE (A)
Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS
• The universe’s most powerful cabal of villainy has formed right under the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ noses–and they never noticed! This group of fowl (get it!) villains, is the Pets of Evil Masters!
• And they’re after world domination! Rocket must team-up with The Pet Avengers (much to his dismay) to face down the foes that no one else can (or will bother with) in this Earth-Shattering adventure that can only be told in the Mighty Marvel Manner!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
            oh man, the Pet Avengers are coming back! Also, they have arch enemies in Pets of Evil Masters, which I can’t even think of Evil Pets outside of Red Ghost and his three super-apes. I can see Rocket not liking to be considered a ‘pet.’

 

LEGENDARY STAR-LORD #12
SAM HUMPHRIES (W) • PACO MEDINA (A/C)
• So, yeah…things have definitely be interesting for Peter lately.
• After that whole deal with the Black Vortex, he could definitely use some rest.
• But when you’re the Legendary Star-Lord, and you’ve got bloodthirsty aliens on your tail, each nap could potentially be your last…
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

            Should I be concern that Kitty isn’t mention in the write up nor seen on the cover?

 

ROCKET RACCOON #11
SKOTTIE YOUNG (W) • Jake Parker (A)
Cover by Skottie Young
• Does the book of Half-World actually exist? Or was it all just one big HOAX?
• And finally, is Rocket really alone in the world?
• You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll wish you were a raccoon! (I mean a gun-wielding, smack-talking tough
guy who happens to be covered in fur!)
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

I wouldn’t have mind if Guardians Team-Up was a two part crossover with this title, that could have been pretty awesome.


NOVA #31
GERRY DUGGAN (W) • DAVID BALDEON (A)
Cover by ORPHANS CHEEPS
• The world is under threat and it’s up to Sam Alexander, A.K.A. Nova, and his friends Beta Ray Bill, Doc Green, the Guardians of the Galaxy and Cosmo to save the planet.
• You won’t believe the end of this issue!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

            Again, they are going to save the world while the world is also under threat of Secret Wars 2015? I really thought that the stories leading up to Secret Wars 2015 were going to be smaller more personal stories, I guess those are coming.

HULK #16
GERRY DUGGAN (W) • MARK BAGLEY (A/C)
HULK–SIZED GRAND FINALE TO “THE OMEGA HULK” EPIC!!!
• The HULK confrontation you’ve been waiting for: DOC GREEN VS JEN WALTERS
• What is Doc Green’s startling confession???
• And…the return of BETTY ROSS?!?
• PLUS: the reveal of LYRA THE SAVAGE SHE-HULK’S fate!
40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

16 issues does make for an epic! Could Kitty return in this finale? I doubt it.

May 2015 Solicts Uncanny X-Men 600
By Kris Anka

May Solicts Uncanny X-Men 600 variantBy Chris Bachalo

 UNCANNY X-MEN #600
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (w)
CHRIS BACHALO, STUART IMMONEN, MAHMUD ASRAR, KRIS ANKA and FRAZER IRVING (a)
Cover by CHRIS BACHALO
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER A BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER B BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER C BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
VARIANT COVER BY KRIS ANKA
VARIANT COVER BY PAUL SMITH
VARIANT COVER BY OLIVIER COIPEL
VARIANT COVER BY ED MCGUINNESS
VARIANT COVER BY ARTHUR ADAMS
VARIANT COVER BY LEINIL YU
VARIANT COVER BY RICK LEONARDI
• The final explosive issue in Brian Michael Bendis’ epic X-Men saga!
• Scott Summers – savior or destroyer? Questions will be answered!
• The Jean Grey School, the New Xavier School – it’s all going to change.
• The X-Men are at a crossroads. And not everyone will make it through in one piece.
• Featuring 40 pages of a host of popular X-Men creators!
56 PGS./Rated T+ …$5.99

Now that is how you celebrate a 600th issue! Look at all of those variants! I’m going to miss Bendis’ time on the titles. Here is hoping that there is an X-Men title after Secret Wars 2015.

I’m really hoping the Paul Smith variant has Kitty and Lockheed, it would have to, right?

I’m hoping Kitty on the cover means she makes it out of Black Vortex okay.  Not like covers mean anything – except that I will buy a cover with Kitty on it rather than if she wasn’t on it.

UNCANNY X-MEN #35
Brian Michael Bendis (w) • CHRIS BACHALO (a)
Cover by KRIS ANKA
• Mystique returns to the pages of UNCANNY X-MEN—and she’s out for vengeance!
• Will Magik’s soulsword be enough to halt the shapeshifter’s wrath?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Oops, I’m sure that Newsarama (and Marvel) meant to place this issue before issue 600 but that’s how these things work out.

I like that Magik for sure has a role in the issue.

WOLVERINES #17-20
CHARLES SOULE & RAY FAWKES (w)
Issue #17 – Juan Cabal (a
Issue #18 – JONATHAN MARKS (a)
Issue #19 – Ariela Kristantina (a)
Issue #20 – Juan Doe(a)
Issue #17-19 covers by Juan Doe
Issue #20 cover by Zach Howard
Issue #17 – Revenge of Mr. Sinister! See what heroes remain after Mr. Sinister’s had his way with them, and who managed to stay alive (or which parts of them!).
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99
Issue #18 – Depowered? What is the aftermath of the battle with Mr. Sinister, and has Mystique been betting on the results? The final pieces of the puzzle fall into place.
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99
Issue #19 – Mystique’s endgame is now in final swing – everything is exactly how she planned in this penultimate issue!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99
Issue #20 – Mystique’s full plan is revealed – and she’s not just aiming to bring back her long lost love, Destiny…but an old friend…and where does this leave the Wolverines?!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

I’ve already made myself a pull list at Hastings with this series so I’m no longer fritting about it. Shogun wasn’t on the cover that they shown and he isn’t refered to in any of the write ups so I’m not prebuying any of these. Though I’m certain he will appear in at least one of them.

I guess there is no issues of All New X-Men, so the Utopians story is the last.

ULTIMATE MARVEL OMNIBUS VOL. 1 HC
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, BILL JEMAS & MARK MILLAR
Penciled by MARK BAGLEY, ADAM KUBERT, ANDY KUBERT & BRYAN HITCH
Cover by VARIOUS
Witness the birth of a new world, in which the heroes you know are reinvented for the modern era! The bite of a genetically engineered spider gives Peter Parker great power, but a harsh lesson will teach him responsibility. To prevent war, Charles Xavier recruits his X-Men — but Magneto’s Brotherhood reaches Wolverine first. Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Giant-Man, Wasp and the Hulk — these are not the Avengers. They’re Nick Fury’s Ultimates. Young genius Reed Richards’ efforts to reach the N-Zone will forever change the lives of his fantastic friends. In a single volume, watch the Ultimate Universe — which helped make superstars of its architects, Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Millar — take shape through the opening acts of its core titles. Collecting ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN (2000) #1-7, ULTIMATE X-MEN (2001) #1-6, ULTIMATES (2002) #1-6 and ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #1-6.
768 PGS./Parental Advisory …$99.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9750-8
Trim size: oversized

I like the idea of the opening arcs for initial four Ultimate titles being collected, that is pretty handy. Once again, one hundred dollars is way too much!

 

 MARVEL FIRSTS: THE 1990S OMNIBUS HC
Written by HOWARD MACKIE, GREGORY WRIGHT, FABIAN NICIEZA, PETER DAVID, DAN ABNETT, DG CHICHESTER, CHRISTIAN COOPER, TOM DEFALCO, JOHN OSTRANDER, JORGE GONZALES, TOM PEYER & MORE
Penciled by JAVIER SALTARES, JACKSON GUICE, MARK BAGLEY, ANGEL MEDINA, STEVEN BUTLER, RICHARD CASE, RON GARNEY, ART THIBERT, RON FRENZ, GABRIEL GECKO, TOM TENNEY, SCOTT MCDANIEL, PASQUAL FERRY, JIM CHEUNG & MORE
Cover by VARIOUS
Revisit comics’ most divisive decade with a giant-sized compendium of daring debuts! All your favorites are here: Deadpool! Nomad! X-Force! Scarlet Spider! Quicksilver! ClanDestine! Venom! Nightwatch! Gambit! Vengeance! Spider-Man 2099! The Thunderbolts! Plus: Ghost Rider and Deathlok, reinvented for the ’90s! Guns! Swords! Leather! Clones! Pouches! Don’t dis the ’90s, they’re totally dope! Collecting GHOST RIDER (1990) #1, DEATHLOK (1990) #1, NEW WARRIORS (1990) #1, FOOLKILLER (1990) #1, DARKHAWK #1, SLEEPWALKER #1, X-FORCE (1991) #1, X-FACTOR (1986) #71, WARLOCK AND THE INFINITY WATCH #2, DEATH’S HEAD II (1992A) #1, SILVER SABLE AND THE WILD PACK #1, TERROR INC. (1992) #1, NIGHT THRASHER: FOUR CONTROL #1, DARKHOLD: PAGES FROM THE BOOK OF SINS #1, NIGHTSTALKERS #1, SPIDER-MAN 2099 (1992) #1, VENOM: LETHAL PROTECTOR #1, CABLE (1993) #1, DEADPOOL: THE CIRCLE CHASE #1, THUNDERSTRIKE (1993) #1, GAMBIT (1993) #1, WAR MACHINE (1994) #1, BLACKWULF #1, FORCE WORKS #1, BLADE THE VAMPIRE-HUNTER (1994) #1, GENERATION X SAN DIEGO PREVIEW, FANTASTIC FORCE (1994) #1, WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #118, BISHOP #1, X-MAN #1, ELEKTRA: ROOT OF EVIL #1, GREEN GOBLIN #1, CAPTAIN MARVEL (1995) #1, HEROES FOR HIRE (1997) #1, MAVERICK #1, QUICKSILVER #1, SPIDER-GIRL (1998) #1, SLINGERS #0, SPIDER-WOMAN (1999) #1, DEATHLOK (1999) #1 and WARLOCK (1999) #1; and material from CAPTAIN AMERICA ANNUAL #9, WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #100, MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS (1988) #147 and #158, and TALES OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE.
1288 PGS./Rated T …$125
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9816-1
Trim size: oversized

            I really like the concept of these trades, but seeing how the 80s one doesn’t continue after the second volume, I believe, how are people suppose to continue the fun? It isn’t like there is a slew of Essentials that are coming.

 

Web of Spider-Man 118 is Ben Reilly as the Scarlet Spider’s first appearance. I’m a huge fan of most of these 1999 series – Green Goblin, Captain Marvel (Jen-is), Heroes for Hire, Quicksilver, Slingers, Spider-Girl, Warlock. Suprrised Alpha Flight didn’t make the cut nor Thunderbolts.

 

This is what, the fifth time they have reprinted Spider-Man 2099 1 in two years?

 

There is an Ant-Man movie coming as nearly every story that ever saw Ant-Man spotlighted in, is seeing print. Well, not really.

 

ALL-NEW X-MEN VOL. 7: THE UTOPIANS PREMIERE HC
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by MAHMUD ASRAR
Cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
The time-tossed All-New X-Men are more than teammates, more than best friends — they have become a close-knit family. But the mysterious Black Vortex may sunder their family ties permanently! As the young mutants venture back into space to deal with a galaxy in chaos, they must decipher the Vortex’s secrets — and fast, because the villainous Mr. Knife has kidnapped some of their team! Beast and Kitty travel to Spartax to study the Vortex Book as Storm formulates a plan to break into Mr. Knife’s fortress. But will the Vortex’s cosmic power transform the young mutants into something unrecognizable? Meanwhile, back on Earth, the Utopians hold a secret that will change the future of mutantkind — but who are the Utopians? The All-New X-Men may regret finding out! Collecting ALL-NEW X-MEN #37-41.
136 PGS./Rated T …$24.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9240-4
Trim size: standard

I thought, reading the title of the trade, that the solict was going to spoil who the Utopians are. I’m surprised they are printing the Black Vortex tie-in issues in this trade, as Marvel typically doesn’t do that, those issues appear in the proper Black Vortex trade – once that comes out. Though, I’m all for it as those who only collect All New X-Men, in trade, don’t want a hole in their series. Those people exist, right?

X-MEN: THE HUNT FOR PROFESSOR X TPB
Written by STEVE SEAGLE, JOE KELLY, TODD DEZAGO & BRIAN K. VAUGHAN
Penciled by CHRIS BACHALO, STEVE SKROCE, LEINIL FRANCIS YU, BRANDON PETERSON, ADAM KUBERT, MIKE WIERINGO & PATRICK GLEASON
Cover by CARLOS PACHECO
Missing for months, Professor X seemingly returns — and debuts an newer, even more different team of X-Men! But when this new group kidnaps Shadowcat, something seems off to the real X-Men. The truth will spark a globetrotting hunt for Charles Xavier, leading to a showdown with the re-formed — but far from reformed — Brotherhood of Evil Mutants…and revealing the menace of Cerebro! But for the Children of the Atom to survive, must Professor X die? Plus: Gambit’s back! But so is the Juggernaut! Meanwhile, Colossus has a ghostly Christmas, Kitty Pryde and Marrow play cat and mouse with the terrorist Flag-Smasher, and the X-Men find themselves trapped in a land of epic fantasy! Collecting UNCANNY X-MEN (1981) #360-365, X-MEN (1991) #80-84 and #1/2, and X-MEN UNLIMITED (1993) #22.
368 PGS./Rated T …$39.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9720-1

Oh man, the storyline that got me buying Uncanny and X-MEN again! When I refer to the X-Men 35th Anniversary era, it begins here. So weird that this is being collected. The title doesn’t imply we can expect more of this era to see print. I hope so, as that would be great on the shelf. Forty dollars though, still pretty pricey but 14 issues is $2.86, so that does seem like a deal if you didn’t want to buy the back issues.

. . .

So my math for the month of May is –

Secret Wars 2 – $5
Ultimate End 1 – $4
Inferno 1 – $4
Guardians Team Up 5 – $4
Legendary Star Lord 12 – $4
Uncanny X-Men 600 – $6
Uncanny X-Men 35 – $4

I am really glad Uncanny X-Men 600 isn’t ten dollars like I thought it may have been. I reckon it isn’t going to be 600 pages like how Bendis joked about.

So the rough total is – $31 so that isn’t too bad.

Add that to my Hastings list of –

BattleWorld (buying one issue, for sure)
Master of Kung Fu (that I’m buying at least one issue of)
Journal
Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars
A-Force

Could get pretty expensive, but only eight dollars at one time, isn’t too bad.

. . .

Edit on May 3, 2015 –

Clearly, I am having to buy Guardians of the Galaxy 27 (and the rest of the series) so that adds another $3.99 to my list.  Still under forty, so that’s what matters to me.

Excalibur 29

Posted by John Klein III on February 19, 2015
Posted in: Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Excalibur 29

Writer Michael Higgins

Plot Assistance Seth Kruchkow

Penciler Chris Wozniak

Inker Joe Rubinstein

Colorist Glynis Oliver

Letterer Tom Orzechowski

Cover Dated September 1990

Lockheed making his thrice cover appearance!

You are not mistaken, we skipped issue 28 as that issue only has Captain Britain and Meggan.  I wonder if I should even keep it.

There is an editorial note stating this takes place after Power Pack 60.  Which I thought was written by Kruchkow but it was actually written by Higgins, pretty clever using your two titles to tell your story!

Issue opens with Captain Britain, Meggan and Nightcrawler – outside of the lighthouse, looking up.  They see a giant spaceship.  They head up to investigate it.  Kurt teleports inside of the ship.  He runs into a ghost horse boy combination.  I instantly recognize the ghost / cloud aspect to be Mass Master from Power Pack.

Does anyone know if the Kymelians (the horse race that gave Power Pack their powers) ever met up with Beta Ray Bill’s horse people?  One would think that would have come up before with how Beta Ray Bill is a friend to the Power children.  He even went to their Thanksgiving Day dinner.

Something happened, not sure if it is in issue 60, but I know that all of the Power children switch powers for a time.  So Alex, the oldest, now has his brother Jack’s powers.

Alex recognizes Kurt as he met him and Kitty in issue 12 of Power Pack (which has a editorial note for anyone doesn’t have that memorized).  Kurt, understandably, doesn’t remember any cloudy horse boys.  Alex properly introduces himself and Kurt remembers him.  They have no time for a ‘what happened to your powers slash human personal’ type of recap.

Rachel gets impatient and tries to established a psi-link with Nightcrawler, just then the pod bay doors open and Alex catches the team up on their new mission.

The flashback is of how Mrs. Powers got sick.  I know that, for some reason, if their parents ever found out they had powers, the parents would lose their minds.  I believe this is what may have happened to her.  So Mr. Powers has decided to take his wife and children on a world tour of doctors.  Franklin Richards is with them, as he is a member of the team.  Not sure why Reed Richards couldn’t just put a helmet on her and fix her but that must be the bane of all Power Pack stories.  Got to get them away from Reed.

The Powers came to this hospital, the kids noticed something wasn’t right about the staff.  It was too late, they were all gassed.  Since Alex was already a gas, he was able to escape.

The spaceship they are on is called, Friday.  I guess that’s a better name that X-Factor’s ship called Ship.  There is also Marty, a green alien dude is is the supervisor of Friday.  If I’m following correctly.

Phoenix transforms their costumes into hospital garb.  Alex and Kurt have to find another route, because of racism.

The white Excalibur members are discovered.  Kurt and Alex catch up to them, they all are gassed.

Rachek is the first to wake up.  I really like how the next four double page layouts resemble a heart monitor, it is very impressive of Wozniak.  We see that Nightmare is the villain of the issue.  Since he has control over her telepathic powers, he uses those to mess with the rest of the team.

Captain Britain’s experience is of him on trial.  Kitty, Kurt and Meggan deem him guilty.  The Queen of Hearts cuts off his head.

Poor Meggan.  Both Brian and Kurt call her a monster and she wishes she was pretty like Rachel.  Which is bizarre to me.

Kurt may have an even worst dream.  Amanda, Meggan and Kitty all break up with him, as he looks like a freak.  It is nice to see Kitty again amongst the team, even if it is imaginary.

Thankfully, Nightmare makes the mistake of turning Rachel towards young Franklin Richards.  Franklin frees Rachel and together, they defeat Nightmare.

So odd, in the future, they are lovers but here, Rachel doesn’t even comment on their shared time together.  Not like there is time for any of that.

Excalibur 29 Lockheed 1

Morning.  Look at that sweet logo on that mug!

Also, get a look at how comfortable Excalibur is with each other.  Only Kurt had time to put on a robe.  They all feel like they woke up from a dream.  I’m glad that the subplot of Meggan being jealous of Rachel was dropped after this.  As I don’t recall it at all.  I guess without Kitty thinking about how much better Rachel looks than her, we need someone to remind us of how hot Rachel is.  Which is something I’ve never noticed.

Lockheed gets a cover appearance and an inside one panel appearance!  He’s seen better days!

Issue ends with the Powers family leaving the hospital, they also don’t remember what happened.

There is an ad for Total Recall on Nintendo.

Ultimate Comics X-Men 20

Posted by John Klein III on February 18, 2015
Posted in: Reviews. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Post 600!!!

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Writer Brian Wood

Penciler Carlo Barberi

Inker Juan Vlasco

Colorist Jesus Aburto

Lettering & Production VC’s Joe Sabino

Reservation X Part Two of Four

Cover Dated February 2013

At this point in the title, President Captain America has given the remaining mutants, all 20 of them, a reservation in New Mexico, that the X-Men have called, Utopia.  The mutants are broken into two factions.  Kitty as the official leader, and Mach Two, who is starting to rally a movement against her.

Issue opens with, a page of Jimmy continuing his survey of their new home, including the outskirts.

Then we catch up to everyone on the settlement.  Armor and Magma are sharing a room.  Armor sees a lizard and mimics her armor to resemble the lizard.  Magma asks her what she is doing and Armor says, nothing.  Not sure if it is due to her being embarrassed or bored but not wanting to talk about it.

Ultimate Comics X-Men 20 Shadowcat 1

Kitty and Rogue, who I like, are trying to maintain a friendship, are jogging.  I got the impression this is a morning routine for them.  In the previous arc, the American government, came up for a cure for mutations and the vast majority of mutants opted to take the cure.  Turns out that mutants only exist because the government created them, which was explained in Ultimate Secrets. Which I’m still confused about, as that story didn’t quite go into details except for the headline.

I like how, like a Power Ranger, that Kitty’s civilian clothes are white theme.  I still say, who wears completely white in the desert?

Mach Two and Warpath are talking to each other.  He is like her second in command.  Kitty only won the leadership position by two votes or something like that so Mach Two is still upset about the lost.  Mach Two stole the gun that Nick Fury gave to Kitty.  Mach Two is pretty sure that Kitty will never notice the gun has been stolen, as Kitty hid it securely.  He is confused has the gun isn’t that great of a weapon as most mutants’ powers can outperform a gun.  Mach Two states that it is how she is going to use the gun to take down Kitty that is important.

Jimmy finally comes home and has a meeting with Kitty.  Kitty has been missing him, and they hug, even though he smells like eight days of sweat.

Jimmy delivers the bad news.  There is a nice five mile zone that they are currently living in, which is fine.  The rest of it is barren and nothing is alive out there except for a few lizards.  He even found a long stretch of land (roughly twenty percent of their land) that is radioactive.  It is official, this was an old Department of Defense testing ground.

Kitty tells Jimmy that Mach Two stole her gun.  It has to be her as she is the only one with any motivation.  Apparently part of the deal with Captain America was that the mutants wouldn’t have any weapons, nor leave the reservation.

We catch up with Storm, wearing a bikini as a top.  She is speaking with Blackheath, still maintaining that ridiculous hair style.  The right top of his head is shaved, the left side has rows of dreads.  How much work does that take to maintain, oh and his hair is green.  He tries to convince Storm to take Mach Two’s side, Storm states to not waste her time as Kitty saved them from the fleet of Sentinels and is loyal to her.  How great is it that Ultimate Kitty is this grand of a character?  There was a time when Ultimate Comics X-Men was one of my favorite titles.

Blackheath changes the subject, he just created a superseed thanks to his and Zero’s work with the seeds that Tony Stark provided.

Kitty is now looking at the seeds and is being told what the significance of the seed is.  Blackheath is sure that they created a type of life form, a seed that adapts to its surroundings and finds a way to grow.  He still needs to do experiments, but should know for sure in a week.  Kitty asks to speak with him in private.  She wants him to be more discrete with the information.  She wants to handle this in the best way possible.

Blackheath makes a mistake and refers to the seed as a mutant seed.  She stops him right there and says that is the problem.  The world isn’t going to want a mutant seed.  She tells him to keep working on the seed, she will work on the business side.  Kitty is going to call the one person she has a number of.

Rogue is enjoying a walk when Psylocke shows up and ruins her day.  Poor Rogue was falling for a guy, Ultimate Quentin Quire, who was immune to her powers.  He decided to take the cure, leaving her alone.  Rogue wishes she had taken the cure.  She then wakes up and realizes it was all a dream.  A sad tragic dream, or is Psylocke really running around in people’s minds and ruining their day?

Kitty had called Nick Fury and he had called Tony Stark.  He arrives to Utopia with a fleet of army trucks.  She tells him the name of their land, and he laughs as it sure doesn’t seem to be a Utopia.  He also finds out in this exchange, that Kitty is the leader.

Tony is shown the seeds, and they are barely growing out from the ground.  He isn’t impressed until Blackheath states that this is growth of only five minutes, which does impress Tony.

Tony lets Kitty in on what the ramifications are for this superseed.  That there are countries that depend on other countries and their manufactured seeds to survive.  Even Tony has development teams working on superseeds.  With Kitty’s seed, countries won’t need to rely on other countries for crops.  Especially as Kitty wants to give it away for free, to show that mutants are decent and wonderful people.

Tony tells her that two things are going to happen now.  One, he is now in charge of her business affairs and is her military consultant, which he will announced at a press conference along with Kitty.  The second thing is that Utopia is going to be attacked, Kitty wants to know by whom.  Tony states that it will probably be several different attackers from various countries that will not want the seed to be spread wide and far.  Tony goes as far as to state that it might not even be a real attack, it may just be an attempt to firebomb the entire place.

Tony tries to assure her that he has a plan even for that, and debuts the Ultimate Iron Patriot armor.  So funny how this armor started off as Norman Osborn’s attempt, in the Proper Marvel Universe, to appear as both Iron Man and Captain America as the leader of his (Dark) Avengers while he was in charge of SHIELD, that he quickly renamed to HAMMER, which was never explained what those letters stood for.  Next, it became the armor for Rhodes in the Iron Man 3 film.  Now it is in the Ultimate Universe, as protection for the X-Men.

That night, Kitty and Jimmy are having a romantic dinner.  She wonders if she is crazy and he states that if she is, she is no more crazy than when she lead the X-Men, which was her and him, Rogue and Iceman (poor Iceman started off as a lead in this title and now hasn’t been seen in issues) from New York City to the Southwest to attack the Sentinels.  She tells him that now is the best opportunity for him to put some distance between him and her.  He gives her, what I imagine is a movie line of, “or not” then we see that they shared a bed.

She’s 18 now and a leader of a minority, living each day like it is her last, so I’m fine with having a sexual relationship with Wolverine’s son, Jimmy.  I rather she was with a better guy but there are none of those around at the moment.  At this point, he is her third boyfriend, after Iceman and then Peter Parker Spider-Man.  He treats her well, which is all that matters to me.

Issue ends with Mach Two holding Nick Fury’s gun to Kitty’s head.  Kitty tells her that this is madness and that this is a sad desperate bid for attention.  With that, Mack Two points the gun from Kitty to Jimmy, who is sleeping.  Kitty shouts No! and Jimmy wakes up and Kitty hugs him crying.  Poor Kitty just can’t stop fighting battles on different fronts.

This is why I think they had sex, and not just slept in the same bed.  Jimmy took a bullet to the head on the way to the Southwest and survived it, like five issues ago, so two storylines ago.  He can take a bullet to the head and survive.  She should know this but now that they are in a relationship, she is looking out for his best interests instead of viewing him as an ally, knowing his strengths and weaknesses.  Also, Wood didn’t write that issue, Nick Spencer did so maybe he didn’t read the issues that closely.

Nick Spencer was writing Ultimate Comics X-Men as a revolutionary title and then Wood took over and made it into a political title.  Both were amazing and I really enjoyed this second X-Men title in the Ultimate line.  I will have to review the other issues in this storyline at a later date.

There were several house ads in this issue, funny how many of these are still being published and how many are not :

Avengers Arena, ran its course

Savage Wolverine, meant to be a rotating creative teams telling the Wolverine stories they wanted without having to deal with continuity.  Is coming to an end soon.

Superior Spider-Man, rave reviews, coming to an end with Peter Parker taking his body back from Doctor Octopus.

Uncanny X-Force Volume Two, ending soon to be merged with Cable & The X-Force

Punisher : Nightmare, never heard of it

Morbius the Living Vampire, an actual ongoing for the seldom Spider-Man supporting character.  Never heard much about it, I believe it is still being printed but I could be wrong.  Not bad for an issue that came out a year ago.  At least they were advertised.

Excalibur 27

Posted by John Klein III on February 17, 2015
Posted in: Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Excalibur 27

Writer Chris Claremont

Penciler Barry Windsor-Smith

Inker Bill Sienkiewicz

Letterer Tom Orzechowski

Colorist Glynis Oliver

Cover Dated August 1990

Cover by Chris Wozniak

I mention the cover because it would have been cool to have Barry Windsor-Smith drawing Lockheed.  Poor Lockheed is only on the cover, and Wozniak drew it.

Though it might be a good thing that he wasn’t in this issue.  It isn’t very good.  It seems to be that the creative team was trying to do Larry Hama a favor.  He was writing the Nth Man ongoing, and he and his cast are a major part of this issue.  It wouldn’t have me seeking out Nth Man comics.

Issue opens with Jamie Braddock, still in his white thong.  He is as crazy as ever.  Nigel comes in and is mean to the maid, Miss Collins.  This makes Jamie mad and he forces Nigel to change into Vixen, but dressed like a tart.  Jamie’s television set starts to glow.

Pinewood Studios.  The police have called Excalibur to help with an investigation.  A lady has crossed over into this world.  In her world, Excalibur is a comic book.  Captain Britain mentions how Excalibur has spent too long alternate Earth hopping.  Which further adds to why I think Cross Time Caper lasted forever and not fun.  Even the characters can’t reference it as a good time.

Rachel leaves, as the talk of Cross Time Caper reminds her that they lost Kitty.  Kurt catches up to her.  To make her laugh, they start dancing.  A flash of light happens and Kurt and Rachel switch places and clothes with Nth Man and a lady, Colonel Novikova.

Kurt and Rachel meet Alfie O’Meagan. He is dressed as Galactus, like the cover, minus the headdress.  Nth Man and the Colonel fights Excalibur.  Jamie watches the whole thing.

The Colonel hates being dressed as Phoenix.  Kurt hates his pants as there is no tail hole.  Nth Man looks funny with how Kurt’s boots don’t fit him right.

Jamie provides a giant remote control and Kurt uses it to get everyone back to where they should be.

Issue ends with Jamie looking at a cover of Excalibur and an issue of Nth Man.

 

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men

Posted by John Klein III on February 16, 2015
Posted in: Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men

Writer Joss Whedon

Artist John Cassaday

Colorist Laura Martin

Letterer Chris Eliopoulos

Cover Dated July 2008

Unstoppable Part Seven of Seven

Inside Front Cover ad is for the Iron Man the movie game.

This is the final issue of the Whedon / Cassaday / Martin / Eliopoulos era!

Issue opens with Spider-Man swinging around New York City.  I really like how Whedon takes this opportunity to let Cassaday draw as many Marvel characters as possible.

Nightcrawler bamfs in front of Spider-Man, startling him and he falls on Iceman’s slide.  If only Firestar had shown up!

Storm is also there, they are recruiting Spider-Man for the big adventure.  The Giant Sentinel, from the Danger arc, has returned to Earth in order to bring the four heroes to the SWORD Peak station.  At the Peak Station is – The Fantastic Four, Angel, Sentry, Pixie, Gentle, Warpath, Doctor Strange, Cannonball and Iron Man.

Spider-Man quips about the Civil War.

Angel tells Storm that Xavier was not invited and no one is explaining why.  Spider-Man is our introductory character here.  Warpath complains about how, once again, the mutants are left in the dark.

Storm is angry and chills the room, forcing Spider-Man to have some shrinkage.

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Kitty A

Poor Kitty, is in the bullet on the way to Earth.

Colossus is confronting Aghanne.  She wants him to remove the core of Breakworld, destroying it.  Colossus doesn’t want to do it, naturally.  The two start fighting.

On the surface, Emma and Scott are fighting fools.  Powerlord Kruun confronts Scott and Emma.

Agent Brand is about to be attacked by two Breakworlders.  They are going to enjoy themselves with her but she has a rule, never get gang raped on a a first date.  Pretty good policy!  She also reveals that, Brand, is not her given name.  Which is something that still hasn’t been touched on.

Beast arrives, too late to help Brand.  They regroup with Wolverine, Armor and Danger.  Wolverine wants to go after Kitty.  Danger states that their spaceship is too slow to catch up.  Beast reveals the plan, Scott and Emma are after Kitty in the fastest ship.  These five are to support Colossus.  Wolverine mutters that Colossus should do his job and move on.  Beast hears this, and is shocked as Wolverine just suggested genocide.  Which this is Post-House of M, where Scarlet Witch essentially caused the genocide of the mutant race, so that is an option in the Marvel Universe.  She also gets to be an Avenger and gets a convenient mind controlled by Doctor Doom to excuse her.

Brand tells Cyclops’ side of the plan, to catch up to the bullet, and radio Earth to see if the Fantastic Four and the Avengers can do anything to help.  So is the first part of the issue happening post this scene?

Armor asks the question no one wants to think about.  Colossus doesn’t know that Kitty is heading to Earth in an unstoppable bullet.  He probably should be told.

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Kitty B

Over with Team Earth, Doctor Strange is attempting a spell and goes into a coma.  The magical protection on the bullet is to prevent any magic from being used against it.  This was revealed in issue 24, pretty fantastic of Whedon to keep building from issue to issue and how it all gets tied up in this giant size issue.

It is now up to Reed Richards to come up with a plan.

Back in the core, Colossus is still having to fight against Aghanne (a name I can’t remember), and she is winning. She is in a protective suit as the flames would burn her alive.  She needs his metal, as only his metal can touch the core without harm.

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Kitty C

Beast and Brand are having a moment.  He senses that Brand is keeping something from him.  This conversation is so great, I miss Brand and Beast together, she’s the best part of modern Beast.  She’s keeping back a secret, she is strongly attracted to him.  Which leaves him speechless.

Aghanne is getting the upper hand, Colossus starts to unshift from his armor form.  As he is about to do that, Ord appears, on fire and rips apart her containment suit.  Colossus finishes her off as Ord is too badly burn to continue the fight.

Reed Richards reveals the plan, which uses each member of the Fantastic Four.  Thing is piloting the ship.  Human Torch controls the thrusters.  Sue is going to protect them with a force field.  The plan works and Reed smiles.  Then the panel is repeated but with Reed drooling.  We pan out to see that all of the heroes are stupidly smiling and drooling.

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Shadowcat 4

The bullet continues as Scott and Emma try to catch up it.  They are close enough where Emma and Kitty can telepathically communicate.  Scott realizes how there isn’t anything they can do.

Emma takes the time to try to assure Kitty.

We get a page of Sentry punching the bullet.  Iron Man lifting the bullet and Spider-Man webbing the bullet.  This doesn’t ring true to Spider-Man.

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Shadowcat 5

Kitty tells Emma that she can’t stop holding onto the bullet.  The two have become linked, to the point where Kitty is suffering some sort of poisoning from it.  Kitty isn’t able to disconnect to it so she won’t be able to escape from it.

Emma, I think, tries to use reverse psychology and get Kitty to try harder.  Kitty isn’t weak, she’s sick.  Kitty isn’t feeling pain from it though, she feels expanded.  She references issue four, of how there was an abyss of darkness (are there other types?) then she found a room where Colossus was being kept.  Which is exactly how she got into this current mess.

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Kitty D

Emma hints to Kitty that, if they had any luck of stopping the bullet, it should have happened by now.  Kitty knows.

Spider-Man punches Storm, to get her to wake up.  She was also having a moment where she saved Earth on her own.  So we have two heroes who are not in dream states.

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Lockheed

All of the heroes are drooling as they are deep into their visions of ultimate heroism.

We get Lockheed’s sole appearance in the issue!

Colossus confronts Kruun, he wants answers about the bullet.  Any type of weakness or way to slow its velocity.

I like how he goes in to shake his hand, Krunn is confused by the gesture.

Then Wolverine straight up slices his arm off!  Was that planned ahead of time!?!

Colossus is in the perfect position to rule Breakworld.  Krunn now only has the one arm, so that is a physical weakness and Breakworld is a planet that hates all forms of weakness.

Brand tells Krunn that if Earth is destroyed, these X-Men are going to make Breakworld their new home and no one will like that.  They want to know what the weakness is.

Scott is talking to Storm, the more powerful heroes are being more deeply controlled.  Spider-Man is trying to punch everyone awake.  Scott suggest that if they can get something big in front of the bullet, that might slow it down or divert it.  The Giant Sentinel hears this and races off.

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Kitty E

Kitty suspects that she will die when Earth is destroyed, like the bullet shouldn’t continue after the impact, so her time is almost up.

Spider-Man is all types of concern!

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Kitty G

Emma offers to put Kitty in a mental safe zone, like how she did for Beast, Brand, Scott and herself in issue 20.

Kitty wants to be awake for this, so she turns down the offer.  Kitty wants Emma to pass along a message to Colossus but changes her mind as it would be redundant.

That is such a great bottom two panel sequence!  Disappointed, Ms. Frost?  Astonished, Ms. Pryde.  Astonish, is a hard word to work into a conversation.

The poor baby Sentinel does its part but the bullet just smashes on through.

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Shadowcat 9

The bullet has entered Earth’s atmosphere.  Kitty has a plan.  Spider-Man is freaking the heck out!  He really wants someone to magically fix the situation before we all lose our favorite planet.  Which is odd as he knows that magic is useless against the bullet, as he is standing next to a comatose Doctor Strange.  Silly Spider-Man.

Kitty gathers all of her might.

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Shadowcat 10

AND SINGLE-HANDEDLY SAVES EARTH!!!  How amazing is that of Shadowcat?

Not many heroes can say that they, on their own, saved the entire planet.  Also, she saved the entire planet, not just like Marvel’s New York and everyone just refers to it as saving the world.  Earth would be a tiny dust cloud right now if it wasn’t for Katherine Anne Pryde.  In yo faces, doubters!

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Kitty H

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Kitty I

Everyone on Earth totally freaks out as they see a giant space bullet ghost right on through.

Later, back on Earth, Scott and Emma are meeting with Colossus.  Doctor Strange, Reed Richards and Iron Man are all working on ways to save Kitty – but they really are not, as they are stupid jerks.  Kitty is one with the bullet, so there might not be a way to save her.  If they do get her out, the bullet will still hit another planet, killing all of those folks.  So Kitty is saving planet after planet.  We’ll learn more in the first issue of SWORD, an amazingly good miniseries.

Emma is sad over the entire situation, me too!

There is an ad for Wolverine 66, the beginning of Mark Millar / Steve McNiven Old Man Logan arc.  I own issue 72.

Astonishing X-Men Giant Size Wolverine Are You A Beer

Wolverine is not happy that there is no way to save Kitty.  She saved them all but no one is going to be able to get to her.

Armor starts fighting him, so that he can snap out of it.  She could have at least given him a few more days of grieving.

Beast and Brand.  I like how the final pages are about pairs.  Beast believes he hates Brand.  She wants him to join her in SWORD, to keep her honest professionally and sexually satisfied personally.  Brand reveals that her father was a blue furry monster, so she has some daddy issues.  Her green hair is natural.  Her father is an alien, so she is half alien.

Scott and Emma.  Scott wants Emma to hand him is visor, his control over his optic blasts is about to end.  They love each other.

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Kitty J

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Kitty K

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men Kitty L

The issue ends with Kitty’s speech to Colossus about why she pursued this second relationship, that she told him on Breakworld in Astonishing X-Men 22.

So we get three pairs and the fourth pair is torn apart and it is the relationship that started in this run.  Well, Wolverine is paired with Armor and Beast with Brand.

The title of the issue is really, Gone, but it is essentially Unstoppable Seven of Six.

The comic ends with various variant textless covers.

Astonishing X-Men 24 Variant Textless

This is by far my favorite Kitty and Lockheed image!

So this issue came out May 29, 2008 and Kitty will not be back until Matt Fraction brings her back in Uncanny X-Men 521, which came out in February 17, 2010, which was 22 months later.  Just under two years.

Inside back cover ad is for Edward Norton’s Incredible Hulk film.

Excalibur 26

Posted by John Klein III on February 15, 2015
Posted in: Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Excalibur 26

Writer Michael Higgins

Penciler Ron Lim

Inker Joe Rubinstein

Letterer Agustin Mas

Colorist Glynis Oliver

Larger than Life Tom DeFalco

Cover Dated August 1990

This story takes place before Cross Time.  Which I think adds to why I thought it lasted forever.  comicbookdb assures me that Cross Time Caper was only from 12 to 24 with 20 being the only break in the run.  My mind also tells me how Cross Time had two main creative teams, so that adds to how long I think it is.  Now this issue, one after the immediate fallout of their return from their adventure, mentions how this issue takes place prior to it, it just keeps Cross Time as an active part of the title.  Maybe it is just me.  People seem to like it.

Issue opens with Days of Future Past Franklin Richards being killed by a Sentinel.  Rachel is having a nightmare, recalling the rest of Days of Future Past.

 

 Excalibur 26 Lockheed 1

Morning.  Rachel is happy to be alive.  Which is unusual for her as we can tell from Kitty’s reaction.  Poor Lockheed, he just wants a little attention but Kitty is trying to read her latest computer journal.  My wife has this problem with Walker Dennis, whenever she is on her laptop, he wants to see what she is looking at.

Kitty wants to go on a shopping spree.  I wonder how they pay for anything.  Does Brian provide them a trust fund?  Do they point at what they want and then Phoenix turns their old clothes into the newest styles?  Kitty also wants some new computer software.  They are all by themselves in a Lighthouse, one must keep themselves busy.  Kitty and the technology she uses or is interested in, is probably what dates the comic the most.

I really like Lim’s Lockheed.

Kitty does bring up the fact that Rachel can just create the clothes.  But they need the inspiration first.

Kitty tells a pestering Widget to go play with Lockheed.  Which, now that we know Widget is just Kate Pryde with a Swiss cheese mind, I bet she has a good time with the purple space alien.

Meanwhile, and this is the subplot that dates it to before Cross Time.  Meggan is sad about Brian and Kurt is trying to comfort her.  A subplot I’m glad they went away from.

Excalibur 26 Lockheed 2

Look how happy Lockheed and Widget are together!  Where is Lockheed in the Days of Future Past timeline?

They also have so much emotion as they try to be sympathetic to Meggan.

Brian comes into the room and Meggan tries to assure him nothing was going on but he’s a jerk.  He just wants them to be a couple already, which seems rather harsh.  Then he calls Lockheed and Widget, pipsqueaks!  That guy has to go!

The look of hurt on Lockheed’s face.  Lim was burning on all cylinders!

I wish I could say Captain Britain is being written out of character here but that’s pretty much what he was like at first.  A solo hero who feels like he’s wasting his time in a team.  I really should read those first three issues again, and see what it is about the team that he wants to be part of.

Kurt has to redo his efforts to soothe Meggan.  Kitty and Rachel are in town, they meet some guys.  Rachel sees adult Franklin.  They don’t lose any time getting together.  Rachel ditches Kitty, unknowingly.  Kitty recognizes Franklin, she knows this situation can’t be right.

Excalibur 26 Lockheed 3

Back at the Lighthouse.  Rachel and Kitty are back!  Look how quickly Lockheed goes from happy to see Kitty to running off scared once he sees an adult Franklin Richards!  Then they spy from the safety of the upstairs.

Kitty is off to enjoy her newly bought software.  Something that Rachel can’t just manifest.  Not that I’m aware of, anyway.

Rachel doesn’t want to waste a moment with Franklin, she wants to know everything!  He tells her to create a psy-link.  Seriously, can’t they just spend the time to talk?

Excalibur 26 Lockheed 4

Kitty is, once again, being pestered by Locket.  That isn’t a good name for the pair, is it? We can all see the problem with, Widgheed, right?

Lockheed really wants Kitty’s attention.  She finally realizes that this is unusual behavior from him, she should take the time to investigate.  She knows it has to do with Franklin Richards, so Lockheed’s suspicions echo her own.  This is what modern comics are missing today, Kitty and Lockheed actual interaction.

Not like his efforts get them anywhere, as Kitty tries to walk up the stairs and is magically back in her room again.  She can’t leave the floor!

Excalibur 26 Lockheed 5

Franklin starts putting the moves on Rachel, she senses something is wrong but its been a while since she’s wanted moves put on her.  We see that she is just making out with air.  Which is a good thing we get the angle of Rachel’s back as I’m sure if the camera was on the other side, we would be seeing a pretty awkward kissing situation.

It appears Rachel has yet another cosmic foe!

Kitty tries to launch a rescue party.  Meggan echoes my thoughts about how come Rachel even be with an adult Franklin Richards as he’s just a boy in our proper timeline.  24 years later and he’s still a point, that is pretty rough.  Unless this is during the time when he was aged and was using the codename, Psi-Lord.

Who, I’m pretty sure never tried to look up Rachel.  Well, I suppose he wouldn’t as it would still be his future.  I’m surprised once Rachel heard that Franklin had magically become of age, that she didn’t seek him out.

 Excalibur 26 Lockheed 6

Yellow doesn’t seem like a color Kitty should wear.  She needs some blue in that outfit.

Lockheed smiling on the staircase is pretty cute!

Kurt reminds Kitty that the Franklin from that future is dead, Rachel saw him die.  I guess Higgins is purposely ignoring the Days of Future Present storyline.  I would too, if I was him.

Kitty only has sense memories from Days of Future Past.  She was unconscious for all of it, but her mind probably picked up on things.  I wouldn’t blame her for trying to forget as much as she could.  It isn’t a pleasant timeline.

Excalibur 26 Lockheed 7

In Rachel’s mind, Franklin turns into Black Queen Jean Grey.  Which is the first hint at who is doing this to Rachel.  Also, a huge mistake on that person.  Don’t mess with someone who has psychic abilities and really don’t mess with someone who is harnessing the powers of a cosmic fire bird whose entire deal is to bring death and rebirth.

Lockheed is assisting with the Black Queen, what is going on here?

Excalibur 26 Lockheed 8

Rachel is understandably super upset with what is happening here!

Turns out, the reason why Captain Britain has been more of a jerk than usual is because he is really . . . Mastermind!  Jean Grey’s one true arch-nemesis!  Nice of him to give Lockheed and Widget their due credit for figuring it out.

Excalibur was disguising themselves to annoying Mastermind.  Kitty was Kate and Meggan was Jean Grey.

Excalibur 26 Lockheed 9

Rachel gets her sweet revenge on Mastermind.  Pretty much doing to him what Dark Phoenix did to him, reopening his mind to the cosmos. That will teach him!

Kitty undoes her hair and loses thirty years off her face, very impressive!

Rachel cries, she has had a day.  Rachel really needs a friend she can unload off onto.  Kitty does it but there are things about Rachel’s past that she wouldn’t want to taint her friendship with her.  She needs another bad girl turn good to confide in.  Magik and her could be great friends, if those two could be a) on Earth and b) on the same side, at the same time.

Lockheed is sad again, me too pal!