Writer Eve L. Ewing

Artist Tiago Palma

Color Artist Brian Reber

Letterer VC’s Joe Sabino

Variant Artist Tiago Palma Graymatter Lane Kitty cover

Variant Artist Andrei Bressan & Ceci de la Cruz Magik cover

The Past (or a Reasonable Simulacrum).  The Home of Maurice Canfield, Super Soldier Test Subject.

Issue opens with, who now know is, Vernon Weaver, but we don’t learn that until page 14.  Weaver fighting Captain America.  In a splash page that I can only imagine is a homage to Captain America Annual 8, with Logan vs Cap. 

In another time, we get Weaver vs Melee.  We get a better image that Weaver has the ability to create, instead of classic Wolverine claws, he has forearm length boards? 

In yet another time, Weaver vs The Wolverine, she’s the best at what she does.

Then we get Weaver vs Jitter.  Who doesn’t appear to be as scared as she was in the previous issue, so maybe Ewing got the note that Calico is more of the scared one of Calitter?

Back at Graymatter Lane.

I like that Kitty calls him, Beast.  This isn’t her friend, this is 70s Beast that she barely knows.  Beast isn’t doing a very good job of fixing the time displacement issue.  Magneto is also unimpressed, and Emma is very annoyed. 

We get Weaver vs everybody in the same time period, so that’s nice. 

Beast has an idea of how to fix this, and needs to boost Axo’s abilities.  I like Kitty having to stop Emma from killing Beast, as that should fix things.  Kitty finds Axo funny. 

Weaver is getting the edge on Cap, but Laura sneaks up on Weaver. 

Jitter uses hypnotherapy, and I do like how she has to announce her abilities.  She used negotiation earlier, so that’s cool that she has used her powers more than once in a short span of time, she’s getting stronger all of the time. 

We finally get the Weaver name drop as we go to a flashback of his origins.  Ewing uses this time to explain how racist Georgia was back in the day.  .  A white man at a store did not care for Weaver’s father wearing his old uniform.  Weaver went to get his marble from a friend, and came back to find his father dead, and their house on fire. 

The church gave him some clothes, and a ticket, and he ended up in Philadelphia, being taken in by the Canfields.  He got along extremely well with Maurice, who was his age abouts.  Maurice was becoming very popular in their community, becoming a leader.  Then the war happened, and was recruited to Camp Cathcart.  Weaver also enlisted to make sure Maurice wasn’t alone. 

Them and their squad were experimented on, trying to create super soldiers.  Weaver learned that not only is a he a super soldier, he is a mutant, so that’s pretty cool to get a new black super solider mutant into this franchise.  Weaver had to kill his way out of the camp, and poor Maurice didn’t make it 

Weaver feels like he is past his expiration date, which there are days when I feel that way.

Cap feels horrible about this, and there is no amending what happened to Weaver and everyone else who was abused. 

Some time later.  We see that Weaver created the Maurice Canfield Freedom School, which is being very well financed.  I like that he’s surrounded by a lot of young people, and they have so much money to spend on scholarships.  This is a very nice direction this went in.

I like that we see the school is getting deliveries from E-Wing Deliveries.  That’s fun.  Tiago is doing some fun background work. 

Epilogue

Steve Rogers took Kitty Pryde and Emma Frost out for lunch, which is the least he could do..  Axo didn’t come along as he has an aversion to militarized authority.  Cap, I believe, jokes that he won’t take that seriously, but I’m not sure.  After that adventure, he should get that. 

Cap orders a club sandwich, which I rarely ever get, as I’m not a big fan of turkey.  But maybe next time I will?  Probably worth trying. 

Kitty wasn’t ready to order as she got a text from Nina.  So that is nice that Nina is still around.   What isn’t nice is that Cap asks if Kitty is having romantic problems, and Kitty says, “uh . . . yeah.”  Poor Nina, might be time to move along. 

Emma orders the lobster bisque, which I have never had, but sounds delicious.  I like paying  extra at Red Lobster to get the lobster mash potatoes when we’re in Billings.  The only city in Montana that can get daily fish deliveries.  Shame it is four hours away, so it is a real commitment to get there. 

Emma is getting calls from Lourdes Chantel, so that’s nice that she’s no longer dead like she was at the end of Hellfire Gala 2023. 

I got my 12^th letter published! 

You know me, I had to ask about Lockheed, and Tom Brevoort, responded that he isn’t entirely sure where Lockheed is at the moment, but he’ll turn up at some point.  So, we should be looking out for that, true believer! 

A pretty solid issue.

Though, once again, Marigold introduced in the first issue, and two issues later, still haven’t been seen.  So she is clearly living up to Lockheed’s legacy.  Unfortunately.