All New X-Men 25

Posted by John Klein III on June 2, 2014
Posted in: Paul Smith, Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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Writer Brian Michael Bendis

The issue is billed as the ‘Greatest Artist Roster Ever Assembled” and here is why :

Artists David Marquez with Justin Ponsor on colors for the Framing Device – the others are :

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

Along with the incredible artistic talents of :

Bruce Timm & Laura Martin, Arthur Adams & Justin Ponsor, David Mack, Skottie Young & Jason Keith, Robbi Rodriquez & Justin Ponsor, Lee Bermejo & Marte Gracia, Kent Williams, JG Jones, Ronnie Del Carmen, J. Scott Campbell & Nei Ruffino, Maris Wicks, Jason Shiga, Dan Hipp, Max Wittert, Jake Parker & Matthew Wilson, Jill Thompson and Paul Smith & Bob Wiacek & Jordie Bellaire

That is an impressive lineup!

Thanks to The Complicated’s Review thread over at the X-Boards of Comic Book Resources.  He took the nice to match up the artists with the pages (as the comic doesn’t do it for us).

http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?492706-All-New-X-Men-25-Reviews-and-Spoilers

Here is what he wrote :

“David Marquez drew, with Justin Ponsor colors, drew the Beast and Watcher scenes

Bruce Timm draws a recap of Jean Grey’s history and then her (possible) future: Sitting on a throne of almost-naked people in her Xorna get-up (sans mask and pants).

David Mack shows us Cyclops getting burnt on an x-shaped cross because he has no team to back him in his fight for equality.

Skottie Young and Jason Keith finally has Iceman unleashing his full potential: Hordes of Icemonsters.

Robbi Rodriguez and Justin Ponsor has Archangel/Death/Apocalypse killing everyone.

Lee Bermejo and Marte Gracia gives us Colossus channeling his inner Cable with a BIG-ASS GUN!

Kent Williams paints Emma Frost going insane.

Arthur Adams and Justin Ponsor shows us Beast being a beast in the Savage Land.

JG Jones and the X-Men on parade!

Ronnie Del Carmen gives us Kitty and Illyana “Free to live. Free to love. Free to experience adventure and friendship. Free to just be all that one can be.” which apparently involves them teaming up and fighting dragons, demons and ninjas and I really want this as an ongoing pronto.

J. Scott Campell and Nei Ruffino have Storm, Psylocke and Nightcrawler in space with guns. Presumably having fun.

Maris Wicks presents us with the epic and hilarious romance of Kitty Pryde and Peter Rasputin.

Jason Shiga gives us old Scott and Logan living together as “BFFs Forever!”

Max Wittert has an alternate reality installment of his Jean Grey comic strips where she and Logan are finally together.

Jake Parker and Matthew Wilson shows us the Sorceress Supreme, Illyana Rasputin, meditating in her Sanctum Sanctorum.

Dan Hipp gives us the children of the X-Men (and some Avengers)

Jill Thompson with EMMA FROST: AGENT OF SHIELD alongside Pixie, a red-headed woman and someone with green and white hair!

Paul Smith, Bob Wiacek and Jordie “Fresh Prince of ” Bellaire gives us quick cuts of Cyclops and Mimic in an optic blast battle, Wanda Maximoff being famous, Doctor Doom choking Magneto, Nightcrawler and Captain America fighting AIM, Tempus time-freezing criminals for the police and Beast tumbling around fighting Skrulls in space.”

So thanks for that as I wouldn’t have been able to figure it out on my own!

The framing device is Present Day Beast is in bed, not able to sleep and the Watcher shows up.  So this is clearly a tie in to Original Sin but it doesn’t state that anywhere either.

Uatu, the Watcher shows him first all of these bad realities that he is responsible for.  Then he shows him some nice ones, the hard truth is that the nice ones can never occur because of Beast.  Not sure if it is all his fault or if Uatu is going to go to the other Illuminati members and showing them the error of their ways.  From what I’ve read in New Avengers, the Illuminati are destroying alternate Earths.  To save the Proper Marvel Earth but still.  That’s a lot of lost lives.

All New X-Men 25 JG Jones Kitty Lockheed

JG Jones gives us the parade, both Kitty and Lockheed are there.  Lockheed needs to be painted more often.

All New X-Men 25 Demon Hunters

Ronnie Del Carmen, I really want a Kitty and Illyana ongoing!  Come on Marvel, give us our Demon Hunters ongoing already!  Thanks to DakenGirl for the better image!

All New X-Men 25 Wicks Kitty Lockheed 1

All New X-Men 25 Wicks Kitty 2

Maris Wicks does a great job of recapping the Kitty and Colossus relationship.  I even like the implied future too.  He even added a little Lockheed that I just noticed!

All New X-Men 25 Parker Magik textless

Jake Parker and Matthew Wilson, I am all for Magik being the Sorcerer Supreme.  When Bendis had Strange step down, I thought he was going in this route.  Instead he went with the ‘shocking’ Brother VooDoo.  It didn’t last.

All New X-Men 25 Hipp Magik Cap son

Dan Hipp gives us some never before seen children of X-Men and Avengers hookups.  I am curious about Captain America and Magik’s son.  What must that relationship be like?  I imagine she dominates him, in every way.

All New X-Men 25 Paul Smith

Can’t believe Marvel got Paul Smith and Bob Wiacek to do a page and it doesn’t even feature Kitty nor Lockheed.  Instead, we get – Cyclops, Mimic, Scarlet Witch, Doctor Doom, Magneto, Nightcrawler, Captain America and Beast.

Still not interested in Original Sin.

Excalibur Annual 1

Posted by John Klein III on June 1, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Writer Evan Skolnick

Pencilers Chris Marrinan & Audwynn Newman (pages 15 – 22)

Inkers Mark McKenna, Danny Bulanadi & Keith Williams

Colors Dana Moreshead & Mike Thomas

Letterer Janice Chiang

Cover Dated 1993

Black Magik

There is a second story with the Technet but Excalibur doesn’t show up in that so I’m not reviewing it.  Taking a stand!

This is one of those 1993 Annuals Marvel did that introduced a mandatory character, we got Khaos in this Excalibur Annual.  More on that at the end of the review.

This issue came polybagged and with a trading card

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Nothing states big important new character like this two punch combo!  Right now from Mile High Comics, you can own this issue for $3.20!

Inside front cover ad is for the film, Meteor Man.  Don Cheadle is also in the film.  One of the movie channels has been airing it quite often.

Cerise wakes from another nightmare, she’s been having the same one with various recurring details for seven days now.  She is fighting a dark skinned demon with two swords and the ability to fly.

The entire team of Excalibur comes rushing in, so they must make it a priority to wear something sensible to bed in case they either have the entire team standing over them when they wake up or have to make a surprise appearance in their bedroom.

While Cerise is explaining her nightmare, Kitty and Feron exchange dirty looks.  It isn’t brought up in the story at all but that’s what they are doing.  This is not the last exchange of looks this issue.

After hearing the nightmare, Kitty wonders if Cerise is just dreaming about the team.  The dark skin demon, could be Nightcrawler, his use of two swords could be Kylun, and his ability to fly is Captain Britain.

Cerise doesn’t like the idea of having her nightmare dismissed in such a fashion as she can sense where the source of her problems are coming from.  Rachel states that she did a scan and she can’t detect any source.  This further annoys Cerise as she is leaving in that direction, the team can stay or come along with her.

Sixty odd miles to the north of Braddock Manor, they come across an old castle.  There is an odd looking panel of the team leaving the plane, that looks like it is still in the air and everyone is doing the Superman, belly to the ground, flying stance to the reader.

Cerise is leading the team down some stairs.  Then she lets out a scream, as some old white wizard fella comes out to greet him.  His name is Ghath (yep) and he has been banished from his realm where he is the rightful ruler and is trying to get back there.  He’s been trying for seven nights and wonders if Cerise is being bothered by his attempts because she is also from another dimension.  Which she isn’t she’s a member of the Shi’ar, so she’s from outer space but not another dimension.

Just then, Khaos comes breaking through the window, shouting that he will kill Ghath this night.  He believes Excalibur are Ghath’s minions.  Khaos uses a relic, Ibic, to channel his mystical energy that the two of them refer to as, teknomystical abilities.

Khaos does his best against Excalibur.  Kurt distracts with his usual teleport and hit technique.  Khaos makes the mistake of pointing out what Ibic is, as before, it was only a weird word to say in battle.  So now Rachel knows what to target.  Once Ibic has been taken from Khaos, he is susceptible to attacks, and Captain Britain punches him out.

Ghath, whose name keeps reminding me of Kulan Gath – so he has that going against him.  Ghath apologizes for including Excalibur in this battle.  He offers to keep Khaos as a prisoner.  Captain Britain tells him that they will take Khaos with them to interrogate and to let him heal.  This doesn’t please Ghath, at all but he lets them take Khaos away.

Ghath tells them farewell, he is going to keep working on his portal but he will do it so that it doesn’t bother Cerise anymore.  I wonder what the difference in his spell will be, don’t use any references to birds?

Back at the Manor.  The team is sleeping, except for Cerise who is standing outside of Khaos’ cell, which really, is a bedroom with a few bars and a door made out of iron.

Khaos wakes, sees he is a prisoner of minions.  Cerise explains that that isn’t who they are, they were speaking to someone, then a second person came crashing through, threatening to kill the first person and they were not going to stand by and watch a murder.

Cerise wants to know Khaos story, which he tells, just because he has nothing else to do.

So it turns out that Khaos is actually the hero of the story and Ghath is the villain.  Which I like that reversal of the dark being is the hero and the light being is the villain.  It is a nice twist with expectations.  Weird for it to take place in a comic that already features a dark being in Nightcrawler but assumptions are assumptions for a reason.

Khaos and Ghath are from the planet, Irth (get it?).  On their world, the planet is broken up between the light skin people – humans, elves and fairies and the dark skin people – demons, goblins and dwarves.  The planet has been at war for centuries.  So at one point, the continent Dungertheb is conquered by the goblins.  They are quick to make the light beings into slaves.

Ghath, is the human leader to the dark ones, and wants to expand to Terr’va continent, that houses the island of Ameroth (which I took to be the America equivalent).  Khaos was born on Terr’va, and adopted by light beings.

Khaos leaves home, finds some friends, and has adventures.  Then one day, he learn his true heritage.  He is the rightful ruler of the dark beings.  So coupled with his light being adoptive parents, he is actually destined to be the ruler of everybody, thus bringing peace to Irth, finally.

Khaos and his team and the army they build, start being able to go on the offense against Ghath.  Once they beat him back, they created the capital city of Nottlob and Khaos was the peaceful ruler.

Of course, Ghath keeps leading a rebel group against Khaos.  Eventually they capture Ghath, decide he is too powerful and Khaos has two of his friends create a spell that banishes Ghath to parts unknown.  Those parts, turns out, are in Great Britain on our beloved planet.

Ghath has been able to attack them from Earth, for the past few days, so Khaos and his people created a second spell to send one volunteer here to deal with Ghath.  Ghath scrambled that spell, so that Khaos was the one to be sent here instead.  Now Khaos feels that he can never go home.

Cerise tells him that Excalibur will have to be told the story and then the team will aid Khaos in his quest.  Cerise then leaves to confront Ghath and figure out what the truth is.

Khaos mentally brings his swords to him and he escapes.

Cerise reenters the castle.  She notices all the damage has been fixed.  She sees a young man, who is secretly Ghath in his true guise.  He knocks her out with a blast.

Khaos is working his way to the castle, now.  He is thinking about how he made enemies of the only allies he could have had against Ghath.  He sees that Cerise is alive and unconscious.  He wonders why she hasn’t been killed yet.  Khaos tries to open the door and gets blasted back.  Ghath shows up and mocks him for being taken out by such a simple trap spell.

Ghath explains that Cerise’s energy channeling abilities are going to come in handy, whereas Khaos has nothing to offer him.  Khaos, is an odd word to keep having to retype out.

At the Manor.  Kitty is the first to notice that Cerise and Khaos are missing.  She gets the team together to go back to the castle.  They get there to see Cerise and Khaos still fighting Ghath, which must have been several hours of battle.

Ghath does even better against Excalibur, he fights cheap with using shields to block all offenses.  Then he grabs Ibic and burns a hole around him and escapes through the bottom of the castle.  He is going to use the relic to finally go home.

Excalibur and Khaos get down there just in time to see Ghath go through a portal.  Without hesitating, they jump through as well – it helps that Khaos and Cerise jumped in first.

Khaos is glad to be home again.  He sees some of his friends.  They informed him that he has been gone months.  Ghath has been there for a few months and has already regained his army and they are about to attack the capital, with ships.  So time moves differently here than on Earth.

So we get a battle that is essentially Excalibur versus Pirates, which is pretty fun.  Kitty goes around and starts phasing portions of the ships, so that water can seep in.  Which is an amazing use of her powers.  Too bad we don’t see that more often, but she doesn’t really fight many boats.

Kurt and Kylun get to have a swashbuckling good time!

Rachel is melting arrows before they can reach their intended targets.

Feron is throwing energy spheres that no one on Irth has dealt with before.  This is where Feron excels, no dialogue and barely in a comic.  He is too whiny of a character for my taste.

Cerise and Meggan are throwing their own energy blasts.

Captain Britain and Khaos fight Ghath.  This fight doesn’t last long.

Khaos thanks Excalibur for their aid.  The team worries now about how to get home.  Khaos explains that leaving was never a problem, it was getting back that was the issue.  Before they are teleported away, Cerise kisses Khaos.  She still calls it a lip massage.  I guess they don’t kiss on Irth, which is weird.  I wonder how they do show affection.  We saw as Khaos was a boy, that his parents hugged him.  Maybe that’s as far as it goes?

Kitty jokes that Cerise has a type.  Rachel states that it might not be the man but Excalibur as every dimension has a version.  But she doesn’t go on about a version of who or what?  So why even speak up, of course, he’s this planet’s Nightcrawler, she likes Kurt and so this guy reminds her of him and she kisses him as she knows it isn’t going anywhere.  Also, she may not know that she isn’t suppose to kiss other dudes while in a relationship.

So Excalibur is teleported back to Earth but so is Khaos.  He is going to spend the rest of his days trying to recreate Ghath’s spell.  I get the impression that it wasn’t the easiest of spells and that guy might still be in that castle to this day!

Cerise gives him an invitation to join Excalibur, but he doesn’t want the distraction.  Which is a shame, as I’m sure he would have gone home by now if he was on the team, as that is how it usually works out.

That’s how the story ends, with Khaos flying away and the team watching on.

Back cover ad is for Mortal Kombat, the first game.

. . .

Khaos is another character, I’m collecting all of his appearances of, as he has only appeared in this annual as well as All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z issue 6. That’s his two appearances.

Khaos was one of the forced new character creations of 1993.

Apparently DC did the same in their Bloodlines Annuals of the same year as did Marvel, but not as part of a storyline. These things happen like that I suppose.  I do like how somehow the DC Bloodlines trading card set got an ad in this issue.

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2013/04/27/the-past-was-close-behind-marvels-1993-annual-characters-are-built-to-last-unlike-squirrel-girl/

Brian Cronin did a great article with all of the Marvel characters and the covers to the annuals.  I only read the Amazing Spider-Man Annual 27, Excalibur Annual 1, Spectacular Spider-Man 17, and Web of Spider-Man 9, at the time, I didn’t realized it was all new characters.  I should have as each annual came polybagged and came with a trading card for the new character.  Excalibur, being the only annual I still own from this year.

I was eleven, so I was probably just happy to get a trading card with a comic.  I wasn’t thinking of collecting at that point so I didn’t buy two copies or anything silly like that.

The only characters to escape these Annuals are – X-Cutioner, Gen-is, the son of Captain Marvel who had his own ongoing years later by Peter David, which I liked it, Annex, and the most famous is Adam-X the X-Treme!

Excalibur 1 is the only annual I own of this year so this is the only time I get to discuss it.

http://www.comicvine.com/profile/tamabone/lists/lost-characters-marvel/37384/

Tamabone created this nice list of the character’s name which issue they appeared in:

1. Annex – Amazing Spider-Man Annual 27

2. Bloodwraith – Avengers Annual 22

3. Raptor – Avengers West Coast Annual 8

4. Bantam – Captain America Annual 12

5. Devourer – Daredevil Annual 9

6. Dreamkiller – Darkhawk Annual 2

7. Tracer – Deathlok Annual 2

8. Kyllian Kell – Doctor Strange Annual 3

9. Khaos – Excalibur Annual 1

10. Wildstreak – Fantastic Four Annual 26

11. Night Terror – Ghost Rider Annual 1

12. Cu Chulainn – Guardians of the Galaxy Annual 3

13. Lazarus – Incredible Hulk Annual 19

14. Face Thief – Iron Man Annual 14

15. Assassin – Namor the Sub-Mariner Annual 3

16. Darking – New Warriors Annual 2

17. Eradikator – Punisher Annual 6

18. Phalanx – Punisher War Zone Annual 1

19. Genis-Vell – Silver Surfer Annual 6 as Legacy

20. Nocturne – Spectacular Spider-Man 13

21. The Flame – Thor Annual 18

22. X-Cutioner – Uncanny X-Men Annual 17

23. Cadre – Web of Spider-Man Annual 9, a whole team of characters – Dementia, Shard and Vortex

24. Hitmaker – Wonder Man Annual 2

25. Adam X – X-Force Annual 2

26. Empyrean – X-Men Annual 2

There are a few things I really like about this. Some of these names are so early 90s that it hurts. Clearly those characters never had a chance.

Another thing I like is how many monthly comics Marvel had released, 26 titles! That is impressive! Very telling with who was popular enough for multiple series. Of course, Spider-Man and X-Men but also, Punisher had two titles as well.

I also like how you can tell how long a series has been around with how many annuals they have had prior. Though it isn’t a hard and fast rule as Excalibur has been around since 1988 and only got their first annual in 1993, a whopping five years!  They had various other specials and such prior to this. Also Annuals were not even an initial release as you minus 27 from 1993, you get 1966 for Spider-Man’s first annual in Amazing.

I really miss Annuals, now that I’m looking at this one.  Grant it, most annuals are either part of a mega crossover that isn’t referenced or discussed anymore but at the time, it was a big deal – plus it was a way to tell a bigger story without having to interrupt the main series.  Sort of like how miniseries come out of the Big Crossover event as the current writer doesn’t want to stop what they are doing to tie in but Marvel still wants a Spider-Man titled miniseries, that’s what they did with House of M and various other events like Secret Invasion X-Men or World War Hulk X-Men, even Civil War X-Men. The X-Men don’t like playing with others.

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe : Alternate Universes 2005

Posted by John Klein III on May 31, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Cover Dated September 2005

This is the first Handbook I have reviewed and not quite sure how I’m going to go about reviewing it.

Head Writer / Coordinator Jeff Christiansen

Writer Sean McQuaid / Stuart Vandal / Mark O’English / Eric J. Moreels / Michael Hoskin / Bill Lentz / Chris Biggs / Anthony Flamini

That is one sweet cover by Tom Grummett and Morry Hollowell.

There are several timelines spotlighted, including Days of Future Past and the art provided is clearly labeled.  Which helps whenever I would like to do an artist spotlight but there are nine writers on this and I’m sure only two or three of them work on any one article.

I like how the significant issues per universe are listed in the back.

The Timelines I really like in this Handbook are –

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by John Byrne

Days of Future Past – covers the main story, the Davis story and Days of Future Present.

Earth X – One of the alternate universes where Colossus kills Kitty.  Not even in the story proper but in one of the text pieces.  Then Colossus is made a tsar of Russia afterwards.

Here Comes Tomorrow – Morrison’s attempt at a Days of Future Past style story.

Kitty’s Fairy Tale – Love this story so much!  We have been able to revisit it on occasion and it is fun every time.

Larval Earth (Spider-Ham) – The X-Men are bugs in this universe.  Kitty-Bug.

Mutant X-Verse – Kitty was Bloodstorm’s human blood donor, then she became the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club.  Lockheed was a member of Cyclops’ Starjammers.

Corps – Otherwise known as the Captain Britain Corps, whom Kitty has experienced several times during her time with Excalibur.

. . .

With this, Days of Future Past Month comes to an end!  It has been a huge success, thank you all for making it so!

Looks like we won’t be watching the movie any time soon, unless we catch a break, but we Kleins rarely do – so I am not holding my breath.  Here’s to hoping that the BluRay comes out soon!

Captain America 2 comes out on August 19th, so I am looking forward to that.

For June, we are doing a more subtle quieter event month.

Days of Future Past Rap

Posted by John Klein III on May 30, 2014
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

These are the Days of Future Past

These are the Days of Future Past

We have to go back

To save our future

Our only hope

Is Kate Pryde!

She has to change the past

By switching with her own

1980

2013

Dates are irrelevant

The Past

The Present

The Future

Nothing is Safe

These are the Days of Future Past

These are the Days of Future Past

The X-Men have to save Senator Kelly

Kelly is a hater

The Brotherhood know what is up

Destiny predicts the future

Kelly has to go

Mutants will be hunted

Sentinels are killing machines

Robots are evil

These are the Days of Future Past

There are the Days of Future Past

Kate stops Destiny

Time is changed

Kitty wakes

Doesn’t know what is happening

Shadow and Flame with Magik

These are the Days of Future Past

These are the Days of Future Past

Boom

. . .

I know this is so dumb but I kept having the opening lines stuck in my head and had to write them down.  I figure it is dumb but I have to post something.

New Mutants Volume One Issue 18

Posted by John Klein III on May 29, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Writer Chris Claremont

Artist Bill Sienkiewicz

Colorist Glynis Wein

Letterer Tom Orzechowski

Cover Dated August 1984

This is an issue full of firsts!  First Bill Sienkiewicz issue.  First issue of what will be known as the Demon Bear Saga.  First Appearances of Rachel Summers (in the proper timeline) as well as Warlock and his father, Magus.

Technically, the Demon Bear has made various appearances as a mental thought of Dani’s from the beginning of the series and it showed up at the very end of last issue but there is a world of difference between Sal Buscema’s Demon Bear (which looks like a big bear) and Sienkiewicz’s Demon Bear – which looks like a bear ripped from a young lady’s nightmares.

New Mutants V1 18 Splash

Right with the opening splash page, readers knew they were in for a different type of treat.  Sal Buscema is awesome, don’t get me wrong but Sienkiewicz is an artist of an higher caliber.  The way Dani is laying in bed with her blanket over her and how the blanket blends into the Demon Bear, is incredible.

I imagine if the Internet was around in 1984 (to the point where it is today) that fandom must have erupted.  There were probably people who hated it or didn’t get it but what he does on the page, is a true sight to see.  I’m sure I probably thought it wasn’t to my taste back in the day, but now I really like it.

Sienkiewicz loses me while he was the artist during the Clone Saga issues of Spectacular Spider-Man (220 to 229), his inks are way to heavy on Sal Buscema’s work.  I can tell you that I for sure didn’t like those issues.  So I read those first and then I read these New Mutants issues with hesitation but I was able to pull my head out of my own arse and appreciate them.  He must have just been trying a new style or something during that year, 1995.

We get Rachel’s origin story.  The Mansion is under attack.  Xavier tells Rachel to get to the Danger Room, even in 1984 it is the safest place in the building.  Xavier gets near the window and in an awesome panel that takes up the upper section of both pages, is just blasted away, the blast is done in completely white  (instead of a red or orange hue) and poor Rachel has seen her mentor gun down like a criminal.  She is the sole survivor.

Rachel, in the present, looks like how she did at the end of the Uncanny X-Men 142, if not a tad younger.  She is walking towards the Mansion.  The last time she was there, as we have seen, was not a great time.  A police officer sees her and makes sure she is okay.  Rachel tells him she is there for Xavier and the police officer drives off.  Rachel goes through the gate.

The New Mutants are in the Danger Room.  The members training right now are – Cannonball, Magma and Sunspot.  Watching them is Dani and Magik.  Cannonball is flying too fast and is about to hit Magma.  He thinks about a suggestion Nightcrawler gave him recently and tries it out.  Before he gets to close to Magma, he turns off his mutant power, spins in a different direction and then blasts off again.

Unfortunately the damage is done, she was distracted by the close collision.  Some metal tentacles grab her, she burns as hot as lava and escapes her mechanical foe.

Watching this, in the room, Sunspot can’t help himself but to laugh.  Apparently Sam has a crush on Amara, he hasn’t told her and I have forgotten about this brief attraction.  Amara is also the new girl on the team, so I reckon there would be feelings from the guys.

Amara falls backwards and Sam is there for the catch.  Sunspot is glad that Sam is able to at least get her into his arms.

All the robot opponents are defeated, Sunspot declares they are the winners.  To which, Dani and Illyana (with Lockheed on her head!) tell them that Xavier will be the true decider if they have accomplished his goals and expectations for them.

I’m sure how often Lockheed is seen with Illyana is the reason why I started collecting all of her appearances.  Owning so many issues of Kitty’s, made me realize I had naturally been collecting Lockheed appearances so that made sense.  Owning every other issue of New Mutants, left me missing half the story so I started collecting Illyana as I really like her as a character.

New Mutants V1 18 Lockheed 1

The two ladies start talking about their teammates.  Dani doesn’t believe Amara likes Sam in that way.  Also that Amara must be having a hard time adjusting to her new life as she came from a hidden country that still acted like the Roman Emperor was still the proper way to conduct themselves.  Now she is living in this new modern world.  Illyana quietly mentions how she can relate.  As she spent seven years in Limbo and that is a long time as well.  Then to come back to the world that only changed by ten minutes.  That has to mess up one’s mind.

The previous storyline had the New Mutants training with the Hellions, and Dani plus Illyana missed out as Illyana teleported too far into the future (by a week) and missed out on the adventure.  This is also why Xavier is training the New Mutants harder, to see what ramifications there were.

Dani is worried about how recurring her nightmares involving the Demon Bear.  The Demon Bear haunted her as a child, her parents went to investigate and were killed by the Demon Bear.  So she has guilt from that and now the Demon Bear wants what it always wanted, Dani’s death.

New Mutants V1 18 Lockheed 2

The door bell rings.  Illyana comes down the stairs, she shoos Lockheed away as the general public can’t see him as he is way to awesome and will pose too many questions.  Questions that people in the Marvel Universe probably wouldn’t ask as they have gotten use to a guy who slept in ice for twenty years or a Norse deity who fights among mortals and lives in a billionaire inventor’s house.

Rachel and Illyana meet for the first time!  But not really as Illyana doesn’t get her name.  Once Rachel sees a fourteen year old Illyana, she freaks out and runs away.  When Illyana died in Rachel’s timeline, she was fourteen and never experienced Limbo – so Rachel is shocked and afraid.  Poor Illyana, she must have closed the door and was super confused.

How many visitors can they even get on a daily or weekly basis?  I imagine Dani had to ask her what that was about, especially as Rachel asked for Xavier by name so he will surely ask once Illyana brought it up to him in a week.

Cut to Outer Space!  space space.  We see Warlock has he crashes into an unknown planet, he is trying to catch his breath.  What he isn’t doing is speaking or thinking in that Warlock dialect slash speech pattern that we have come to expect from the character.  We will have to track that to see when he does eventually start that.

His father is right behind him and Magus destroys the planet.  Warlock is already flying away at that point.  Magus comments aloud – thus he is a villain – that he will kill Warlock as that is what fathers and sons do where they are from.  I wonder what the percentage is of fathers winning these fights?

Back on Earth.  Dani is in the snow, she has been for a while as she is getting cold and tired.  She must keep marching on.  Then a bear comes at her and she shoots an arrow through its mouth and into its skull.  Dani, she was better than Katniss Everdeen even before Suzanne Collins had the thought to create her.

A second bear shows up and due to how tired Dani is, that boost of speed and desperation gives her the edge to kill the second bear.

The snow disappears and we see that she was in the Danger Room the entire time!  Illyana was supervising this session and comes into the room to speak to Dani.  Illyana is worried that Dani is pushing herself too hard and for no apparent reason.

Dani tells Illyana that she is tired of not being useful in fights where she can’t use her mutant power to pull nightmare or pleasant thoughts out of their opponents, so she is practicing with actual arrows.  Illyana isn’t convinced, though that is good of Dani to have that reasoning in her back pocket.  Illyana asks why bears, and Dani tells her that she has to start somewhere.

I really like these two characters together.  I think of the friendships Kitty has with the X-Men and her two friends on the New Mutants, Magik and Doug.  Magik doesn’t really have that, she has Kitty and her brother Colossus, even Lockheed but Dani is the closet person I would say she could call a friend.  And Dani isn’t even willing to reveal to Illyana what is up.

Dan is in her room and feels bad for not confiding in Illyana. She knows she has the aid of her teammates but she has to settle a blood debt with the Demon Bear.  Dani thinks to herself how she is a Cheyenne Indian and she needs to seek out the Demon Bear and set right with once went wrong.  I’m glad she mentions which tribe she is from as it is a detail I should really do better to remember.

Dani is deep into the woods that surround the Xavier Estate when she encounters the Demon Bear.  It is a giant of a bear, like half of a skyscraper, big.  She pulls its worst nightmare out and is surprised to see that it is herself and in her New Mutants uniform!  Probably because Sienkiewicz hadn’t gotten to draw her in her uniform for his entire first issue.

Demon Bear hates Dani, so takes a swipe at the image of Dani.  Dani takes advantage of the distraction and fires an arrow into its neck.  Unfornately, this does nothing to slow it down.  First, it knocks her bow out of her hand, next, it swats her to the side and then it picks her up.  She looks like a little doll in its meaty paw.

It moves to maybe eat her and she shoves an arrow into its mouth.  The Demon Bear drops her, giving her a chance to go for her bow.  She fires another arrow into its mouth and it appears to be killed.  She makes the classic horror movie mistake of wanting to make sure it is dead, not by firing more arrows into it but by letting down her guard and stepping closer.  The final panel on the page is the Demon Bear opening its eye.

Making the Hunger Games reference earlier, FOX is really making a mistake by not instantly making a Dani Moonstar movie.  Especially as the Hunger Games films are making a load of money.  Reminds me of how puzzled I was that there wasn’t a Doctor Strange film when the Harry Potter films were being released.  Or how there wasn’t a Spider-Man versus Morbius film when the Twilight films were coming out.  That’s the beauty of comics, they can take advantage of any trend that Hollywood is going down.

Back at the Mansion.  Wolfsbane wakes up, screaming.  Typically, her connection with Dani is only active when she is in her wolf state but maybe because she was sleeping, she has a connection there too.  Though, who knows how intricate that bond is while Rahne is sleeping.

Rahne starts running out of the mansion.  The New Mutants follow, minus Magma.

They head deep into the woods, and then they see.  The final page is a splash page of poor Dani, bleeding out onto the perfect white snow.

I’m sure I’ll do the other chapters of the Demon Bear Saga one of these days but for now, this is it for us here at S&FwM.

Book Report : World of Reading – X-Men Days of Future Past

Posted by John Klein III on May 28, 2014
Posted in: Books. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

World of Reading

Written by Thomas Macri

Illustrated by Patrick Olliffe and Pete Pantazis

Don’t worry, I bought the book for my son, Walker Dennis.  Are there other children’s books with Kitty in them?

This is a Level 3 book.  Which means it is meant for Super Readers, Grade 1 – Grade 3.  It has paragraphs, suspenseful story lines and character development.

This book is 48 pages, so we were able to read it over several nights to our five month old.

There are seven chapters.

I like this book and wish there were more of them.

This book adapts Uncanny X-Men 141 and 142, the Days of Future Past Storyline.  There are some slight changes, which should be expected.

In the future, Wolverine is also collared so he can’t use his powers.

World of Reading Days of Future Past 1

World of Reading Days of Future Past 2

I like on page 7, the homage to 141’s cover.  Also how Wolverine has Reed Richards temples.

Chapter Two, is essentially an adaptation of Uncanny X-Men 129 – Kitty’s first appearance.  Just without the Emma Frost and the Hellfire Club.  Also, instead of Colossus coming to Kitty’s house – it is Jean and Cyclops.

World of Reading Days of Future Past 3

In the future, I like how Rachel Summers is wearing her current costume, turkey jacket and everything!

Chapter Five, Kate wakes up in Kitty’s body.  Jean is wearing a costume unique to this story.  Jean confirms Kate’s story and Cyclops tells the team that they are heading to Washington DC.  I like how he doesn’t ask any follow up questions, that is the life of an X-Man.

Mind you, Xavier is present in those pages, Jean is there just to show Jean.  Or maybe that is why Cyclops didn’t question the tale, as Jean confirmed it.

In this book, they are merely only trying to prevent Senator Kelly’s kidnapping.  Which makes sense of a change.

I do like how the book has the correct Brotherhood, all are present.  Avalanche is in a costume that is also unique to this book.

Another thing to note, is there a rule of how many chapters these books can be?  The first six chapters are barely five pages each.  Chapter Seven is nearly the combined number of pages.  Actually, it is just a double length chapter once I did a page count.

Story ends the way it does from Uncanny X-Men 142, except it is Mystique with the crossbow.  Kate takes her out, regardless.  As soon as she does, she faints as her mission is a success.  I like how the image shown appears like Cyclops is holding Colossus back from going to Kitty.  There can only be the one X-couple when Jean and Scott are around.

Book ends with SHIELD taking Mystique away.

Here is hoping that this book sells and they make more children’s books based off of Kitty’s adventures with the X-Men.  Kitty’s Fairy Tale, would work, for one.

All New X-Factor 6

Posted by John Klein III on May 27, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

All New X-Factor 6

Writer Peter David

Artist Carmine Di Giandomenico

Colorist Lee Loughridge

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

I own this issue due to the opening page.

All New X-Factor 6 Magik

Doug is having a nightmare where he is all powerful (from that last major storyline of the third volume of New Mutants).  He has killed the New Mutants.  Including Magik, who was run through with her own soulsword.  Not cool, Doug!  Not cool!

Doug wakes up with a fright.  He can’t keep living like this, and contemplates ending his life.

He opens the door after deciding how he will do it, to find the All New X-Factor waiting for him.  In previous issues, they have been investigating Magus, Warlock’s father as he has been causing problems for Serval – the company that sponsors the team.

Danger scans Doug and sees that a piece of Warlock was left behind.  Doug tells her that isn’t possible.  She goes ahead and plunges two fingers into his chest and pulls out the piece of Warlock she was talking about.  Warlock has been monitoring his dear friend.

Doug is able to see the wavelengths, so now he knows where Warlock is – Houston, Texas.  So the team, with Doug, goes there.

In a great show of Quicksilver’s powers, Polaris is in the middle of a sentence – this sequence is broken over three panels – and the middle panel is her mid sentence and the final one is him coming back as she finishes her comment.  That’s how fast he is.

The building he investigated doesn’t have anything, then the ground moves and out comes the giant factory.  Magus welcomes them inside.

The team as of right now is Gambit, Danger, Polaris and her brother, Quicksilver.

Meanwhile, over at Serval – Mrs. Snow, who is married to the president of the company – wants to have have lunch with her husband.  He needs a minute to wrap up some business.  Mrs. Snow speaks to his assistant, Linda, and Mrs. Snow accuses Linda of sleeping with her husband.  Linda denies it.  Mrs. Snow tells her that she already knows and things will be easier if Linda just confesses now as it will not end well for her down the road.  Linda stands firm.  The Snows leave and I am left with the impression that Linda is having sex with Mr. Snow.  Which is so lame and predictable.  Just don’t cheat on your wife.  Come on, already!

Back with Magus, as he is giving a tour of his factory.  The humans that work for him are not being mind controlled.  They are paid a fair wage, things are good.  X-Factor is there as Magus is cutting into Serval’s profits.

Magus updates the team (and me) that the planet he is from, where all of the Phalanx are from, has been destroyed.  The few that remain on Earth, are the last of the species.

Magus also tells them that he is no longer trying to kill his son, Warlock – as their tradition states (one of them has to be killed by the other) – and that Warlock is helping him at the factory.

Warlock comes out, sees his self-friend Doug and they are united after a while of not seeing each other.  Doug confronts him about the tracking unit.  Warlock was worried for his friend, as he suspects Doug is having suicidal thoughts.  Doug denies having any sort of thoughts of that regard.

Danger is tired of all of this jibber jabber.  She didn’t bring Doug there so that he can have a nice chat with Warlock.

There is a fun scene where Warlock hits on Danger.  She isn’t interested.

Warlock wants to join Doug in his new adventure with X-Factor.  Warlock asks his father if that would be okay.  Magus loses his mind and after yelling for a minute, agrees to let him go.  Which I completely get that, that’s all I want to do sometimes, is to vent and then still do what I’ve been told to do.

Polaris is surprised that they are going to just let Magus continue his goals.  Quicksilver points out that the only reason Magus attacked them in the past is due to them attacking him first.

So X-Factor has gone from three members to five.

I’m going to keep track of this series and see if Magik shows up again in more dream sequences or an actual appearance.

Heroic Age : Heroes 1

Posted by John Klein III on May 26, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Head Writer / Coordinator Michael Hoskin

Writers Chad Anderson / Anthony Flamini / Rob London / Sean McQuaid / Kevin Garcia / Markus Raymond / Gabriel Schechter / David Wiltfong / Peter Sanderson / Stuart Vandal / Madison Carter

Cover by Tom Raney with John Rauch

Cover Dated November 2010

In Honor of Memorial Day, we spotlight another comic with Captain America on the cover.  This time, it is Bucky Cap again.

I’m not sure if this is common knowledge but I looked up what the difference is between Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day (a while ago) and Memorial Day is to remember the fallen soldiers and Veterans’ Day is to appreciate the living soldiers.  Which I like how we have both days for that.

I really like the concept of this handbook.  Steve Rogers, returning from the dead, is now the Director of SHIELD and has written a dossier on all of his fellow heroes.  I could really use more Handbooks written from the perspective of one particular character.

The Heroic Age was Marvel’s attempt, after all of the darkness from House of M to Civil War to Dark Reign to Siege, and how the heroes were meant to be back to being heroes.  It was a nice attempt.

The two that I want to spotlight are the entries for the New Mutants and Kitty Pryde.

New Mutants

Affiliations : X-Men, Cyclops, Professor X, Magneto, Cable

Status : Free agents; identities protected

I had limited involvement with the original New Mutants group, formed by Professor Xavier as the next generation of mutant heroes when his X-Men were believed dead.  These youths have now grown into capable adults, accomplished in the use of their powers, and they have rejoined for special missions now that the X-Men have relocated onto Utopia.  Talented and powerful operatives like Cannonball, Sunspot, Magma, Karma and Moonstar (despite the absence of her powers) alongside returns Magik (who sets off all kinds of mystical warnings), Cypher (who was believed deceased for years) and Warlock (back from space, apparently).  The New Mutants have had recent battles with the Savage Land Mutates and the Right.  As much as I would love to utilize this talented group, they report directly to Cyclops and focus primarily on mutant rights.  I can’t help but wonder why Cyclops sanctions these individual team activities when the entire mutant population seems melded into one military unit of late.

Pros : A diverse power set and a capable group of young mutants; highly trained.

Cons : The group is isolated among the rest of the mutants on Utopia.

Kitty Pryde

Affiliations : X-Men, Excalibur, SHIELD

Status : Free agent; no duel identity

I thought Bucky Barnes was young when he became my teammate at 15.  But Kitty Pryde discovered her mutant abilities and joined the X-Men when she was only 13-and-a-half!  She was seemingly an ordinary living in a Chicago suburb when she learned she could become intangible and “phased” through walls.  She soon found herself embroiled in a struggle between the X-Men and Hellfire Club, but showed herself brave and capable in this trial by fire and started studying at Xavier’s school soon afterward.  Kitty is still quite young, but has proved to be mature beyond her years.  She not only holds her own among her older fellow X-Men, but has even briefly served as SHIELD’s youngest agent.  She turned out to be brilliant in computer science, speaks many languages, and can pilot aircraft.  Wolverine has even trained her in samurai martial arts.  But her spirit hasn’t been hardened by all the battles she’s gone through.  Whenever she and I occasionally cross paths, she remains a fresh-faced, enthusiastic young girl.

Pros : Team player; virtually invulnerable when intangible; possible genuis in computer science, moderate skills in Japanese martial arts.

Cons : Mutant “phasing” power is primarily used for defense, not offense.

Wolverine Volume Five Issue 3

Posted by John Klein III on May 25, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Wolverine V5 I3

Writer Paul Cornell

Pencils Ryan Stegman

Inks Morales, Stegman, Livesay

Colors David Curiel

Letters VC’s Cory Petit

Rogue Logan Part Three of Four

Kitty only gets mention in this issue, just like she got mentioned in the first issue of this series.  Which I’m trying to find a copy of so I can verify it for myself but at this point, if the Marvel Database website states she is mentioned, I believe it.  I made a point of checking some series and discovered that I missed a couple issues, including X-Men 10, so I’m trying to locate a copy of that too!

Then.  So last issue, the Superior Spider-Man shoved Wolverine off a ledge.  It was awesome.  Before Wolverine can land on his head, SpOck webs his foot.  Then just leaves him there.  If it wasn’t for the recap page and the red and black glove, there would be no official appearance.

Wolverine gets to his feet.  Jubilee is waiting there in a car.   Wolverine asks how she is outside in the daylight.

I like how every appearance of Jubilee outside of X-MEN requires the writer of the title to explain how she is outside.

Now.  Wolverine wakes up next to Pinch.  That’s her name, that’s the name he calls her in bed.  He had a nightmare.  Once again, I don’t believe they have sheets on her bed, just a big blanket.  Or at least, they don’t tuck the sheet under the bed like normal people do.

Then.  Jubilee’s team are fighting some robots – Storm, Rachel, Psychole and M.

Jubilee explains that Beast made some modifications to her car.  She is wearing one billion sun screen.  The car itself has review mirror colors in a radar image of her plus other protections.  Beast likes the challenge of vampirism.

The fight with the robots is not important, so unimportant that the description of the man is just billionaire with a mad on mutants.

Jubilee wants to know what the official status with Wolverine and Storm is, as he has pulled away from the X-Men.  Wolverine tells her that he and Storm never really put a label on it.  Clearly, they never saw that episode of How I Met Your Mother, Definitions.

Wolverine asks how she found him.  Beast put a tracker inside of his belt.  Wolverine is so tired of his teammates worrying about him and his lack of a healing factor.  They are being insensitive to his disability and not treating him like a person.

Wolverine gets a call from Maria Hill, to meet her around the corner but not to tell Jubilee where he is going or why.  So he just gets up and leaves.

Maria Hill offers him a job, which he is excited about as she wants to use his lack of a healing factor as an asset.  He likes this.  She tells him that the task is to go after Sabretooth.

Wolverine V5 3 Kitty mentioned

Wolverine tells Hill that – Pryde said a lot of tough words to me about that, an’ she was down-the-line right.”  Hence, I own this issue.

I like Kitty having to get real with Wolverine.  He can’t just keep going after Sabretooth and taking huge loses just to go up against him in a fight and win that fight.  Winning a fight isn’t the same as what it cost him in order to go after Victor.

Hill tells him that he isn’t going to fight him one on one.  This isn’t a sanctioned grudge match.

Now.  Wolverine makes a point to hanging out with fellow gang member, Lost BOy.  They bond, sort of, over a video game.  Lost Boy makes a joke about how Wolverine was around when they were play testing chess.  Which is actually pretty funny.  Wolverine thinks his code name comes from Peter Pan when it actually comes from vampire movie from the 80s, The Lost Boys.

Then.  Wolverine comes charging at the robots.  He pops his claws, like a fool.  Honestly, he should know by now that he can’t be popping his claws.

The robots merge into a giant robot.  Storm wants the team to work together.  Wolverine freezes in place, as the giant robot is about to stomp on him.

When did Rachel lose her trench coat?  She isn’t wearing it here and it is the first time I’m seeing it for myself.  Her uniform looks a little superhero-y without the jacket.

Everyone is shouting at Wolverine to move but he just can’t.  Jubilee dives and shoves him out of the way.  The X-Men fight the giant robot as Wolverine runs off to cry and probably put on a diaper.

Later at the Jean Grey School.  Wolverine comes home.  Quentin Quire tries to give him a hard time but Wolverine walks right pass him.  He’s having a day.  He opens his door and sees web to the wall, his new armor uniform with a note.  The note reads – From a ‘friend’ as if the webbing to the wall didn’t explain that.  So that’s what Spider-Man was measuring.

Now.  n Undisclosed Location.  So Mystique is having a board meeting.  Around the table is – Silver Samurai, A Kabuki mask person (from the last volume – he’s an elite guard of the hand) and three other Hand ninjas.

Mystique is asking everyone what they think of Sabretooth now.  Silver Samurai believes Creed is changed, now that he doesn’t have his conflict with Wolverine, he has nothing to stop him from just going through the motions.

Mystique states that the new object Sabretooth is after is just a distraction.

Then the door opens, everyone does that thing where you quit talking as the person enters the room.  It is a fun panel.

Issue ends with a splash page of Sabretooth, still in a nice business suit, telling the room that the object he is after will make him a god!

I’m hoping to get a copy of issue four from Hastings as I know Kitty is already going to make an appearance.  I’m okay if Cornell wants to have Kitty appear every even issue and be mentioned in every odd issue.  That works for me and it will for sure get me to keep buying the comic.

Excalibur 94

Posted by John Klein III on May 24, 2014
Posted in: Homage, Review. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

10970_20060802002925_large

Writer Warren Ellis

Penciler Casey Jones

Inker Tom Simmons

Colors Ariane Lenschock

Separations Malibu

Letters Richard Starkings & Comicraft

Cover Dated February 1996

Days of Future Tense

Inspired by Days of Future Past by Chris Claremont and John Byrne and Days of Futures Yet to Come by Alan Davis.

This is our final issue of Excalibur during Days of Future Past Month.

I forgot how cartoony Jones’ style is, but it works.

Issue opens with the familiar gravestones – Ben Grimm, Charles Xavier, Scott Summers, Bobby Drake and Kurt Wagner.

The concept of this issue is, what was happening in England while Days of Future Past was happening in America.

The nice thing about the opening is that Ellis tries to tie where Excalibur is now to where Kitty and Colossus need to be to still make Days of Future Past work.

The Sentinels have made a pact with Black Air, the British Security Service (and the upcoming issues big foe that leads to the big issue one hundred!).  Black Air has started making Europe and Great Britain a living nightmare for mutants.

We are treated to a page with two images.  The top image is a group photo Excalibur as it should be circa 1996.  The bottom image is the burn version of the above image, which is a very nice way of showing dreams being burn to the ground.  Excalibur is clearly a team that would take annual pictures.

Excalibur, at this time, has the most members it would ever have – Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Colossus, Daytripper (Amanda Sefton), Captain Britain, Meggan, Wolfsbane, Douglock, Pete Wisdom, Moira MacTaggert and Rory Campbell.

We are told the tragic history of what happened to these characters.  Kurt went back to America, and died holding his mother’s, Mystique, hand.  Which also was not shown in Excalibur 35 but that’s okay too.  Also, not shown in Rachel’s flashback in issue 52.  Once again, I like the idea of whenever a new glimpse of Days of Future Past occurs, that the timeline from the last time to the present time are all consider so Days of Future Past is constantly being changed.  So in Rachel’s mind, she remembers the big life changing moments but the small details change.  Or, at least, that is how I make it work in my mind.

Kitty and Colossus also go back to America, so that they can get married.

Amanda gets killed by her mother, Margali, which makes sense.

Douglock vanished one day.

This issue then continues with what is left of Excalibur.

Under Braddock Manor, is a cave system, and here is where Excalibur makes their home.  Wolfsbane is on monitor duty, she always is.  The visions she has seen, don’t even make her blink anymore.

We learn that the RCE is still a resistance force.  I do like how Ellis takes care to try to set up Davis’ Days of Futures Yet to Come as that story takes place largely in 2015.  Black Air is slaughtering people and leaving their bodies in designated locations.

Psylocke is a member of this Excalibur.  She is regretting not going with Angel back to America.  Wolfsbane tells her if she did, both of them would have been killed, instead of just Warren.

There is an ad for UltraForce toys.

The next member of Excalibur shows up, and the true connection to Davis’ story, Tangerine, in a different costume than she will later adopt.  The war must be still fresh as they haven’t decided to start dressing like heroes yet, just survivors.  I get the impression Psylocke and Tangerine are not friends as Tangerine asks if Psylocke still has dreams of burning feathers.  Which is cruel to bring up.

Tangerine tells these two ladies that the boss is ready to see them.  They all walk into another room and we get two more members of Excalibur.

Captain Britain and Meggan!  I like how dark his costume is, it is on the cover, it is nice touch to the design to show how dark the world has gotten and how much darker a symbol has to get.  Meggan has a buzzcut.

Through Meggan’s dialogue, we learn that their leader doesn’t like having the entire team in one place at any given time, it has been months since the last time they were all assembled.  We also learn that Brian and Meggan are married in this future timeline.

They enter the final room and we get the last two members of the team.  Karma, is the right hand woman to their leader – Pete Wisdom!  Who, of course, is bald and in a wheelchair.

In the captions, we learn about Pete Wisdom and how he loved a woman but never told her so, which is naturally Kitty Pryde.  He has also lost friends in Kurt, Amanda and Moira.  To make matters worst, Black Air cost him his use of his legs.  We are left to imagine what it could have been.

We learn about Karma’s current status.  No one knows if she has lost anyone due to either the Sentinels or Black Air.

Karma tells the team that Pete has a mission for them.  He snaps at her as he can tell them himself.  There is clearly something being hinted at there but who knows what it is!

Wisdom has located Douglock, or what is left of him.  Wisdom wants to end Excalibur to the location so that they can get any information that Douglock has been able to obtain over his years of captivity.

Karma wants to know who is going to be her ride.  She has perfected her powers to the point where she doesn’t have to fully possess someone, she can just tag along and see what they see and relate that back to Wisdom.  She chooses Captain Britain and it causes him a bunch of pain.

There is an ad for DC vs. Marvel, it is okay.

Future Excalibur is still using their plane, the Midnight Runner.  Captain Britain and Meggan jump out of the plane and break through the ceiling of Blackwall.  Then rest of the team follows.

Rahne notices the smell to the place.  It smells like how Douglock use to.

Then the walls start attacking them!  The walls are made of the same material Douglock is, and they have taken on the shape of the Brood.  Meggan is grabbed and Captain Britain helps her out.

Tangerine gets to a lock door that is powered by a brain in a tube (?).  Telepathically, it is calling her rude names.  Psylocke makes a comment about a girl doing a woman’s job and she throws a psychic knife into the brain and the door opens.

The door opens and all we see is Douglock’s head in the middle of the room as the rest of his body has been stretched into miles of thread.  Douglock has become the operating system of Blackwall.

While the team is in shock of the horrors, we get the captions of Black Air came in afterwards and taken the team.  I can only imagine the team dies here.  Maybe Tangerine escapes.

In the Present, Brian wakes up from a nightmare.  There was a storyline where he got trapped in the timestream and kept bouncing from the beginning of time to the end of time and back and forth for months.

One of the ways his mind copes with what happened to him is that it spills out memories like these from time to time.

This issue is mostly a way to set up how big of a threat Black Air is as that is where the title and the team are heading towards.

Next issue begins Carlos Pacheco’s run as Penciler on the title.

On the back cover, is an ad for Bio-Dome.

. . .

Got my second DCBS shipment.  This time it went three day priority, which is great!

I got :

Original Sin 2

All New Doop 2

Uncanny X-Men 21