Years of Future Past

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Years of Future Past 5

Posted by John Klein III on April 26, 2016
Posted in: Homage, Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Years of Future Past 5

Writer Marguerite Bennett

Artist Mike Norton

Colorist Fco Plascencia

Letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna

Cover Art Adams and Peter Steigerwald

One of the better Secret Wars 2015 series, comes to an end.

The Ruins of New York City.  The issue opens, very intensely, Cameron looms over his sister, Christina.  These two will be at each other’s throats, for the issue.  Cameron wants to kill President Kelly, so that mutants will be even more persecuted and ideally, wiped off the planet.  Christina, being a Pryde, doesn’t want that – at all.

Cameron retells the story, of the tigers and how they outnumbered the humans.  Once they got out of the zoos, they started breeding like cats!  Giant orange cats.  Cameron also reminds us of his kill list – Magneto, Blob and Pyro.  Which is impressive for any one person.

Cameron and Christina have a quick sparing match and he takes off to meet up (and ideally) kill President Kelly.

The Skies Above the National Plaza.  Storm is guiding in Air Force One.  On the ground, is Angel, Colossus, Rachel and Wolverine.  Colossus is completely confused by the misinformation that Rachel is feeding him.  While Angel is checking in on Kelley’s PR goons, Cameron shows up.  Colossus tries to talk to him but Cameron doesn’t respect the guy he was spawn from.

Years of Future Past 5 Lockheed 0

Cameron takes President Kelly out of his plane.  Before he can make any moves, he hears his sister’s voice.

Years of Future Past 5 Lockheed 1

Christina has brought reinforcements – Kate Pryde and mother loving Lockheed!  He lives and I am so thrilled!  Glad he didn’t die, in issue three.

Pull out ad has – All New Wolverine and All New X-Men, both I’m sort of interested in.  Next, we have the Guardians of the Galaxy umbrella of titles – Drax, Venom Spaceknights and Star Lord.  I’m tracking Drax and Venom, as I still suspect there will be another space crossover.  Star Lord, is a retelling of Quill’s origins – so I’m skipping that one, until it catches up to the present.  It has to, right?  Then there are some odd titles – Black Knight, Hercules and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.  Finally, there is The Ultimates – which is mainly just Mighty Avengers, retitled.  I still think it is an odd use of the Ultimates name.  Agents of SHIELD, using comic art, but promoting the television series.  Remember how great that episode, 4,722 Episode, was?  So good!

Years of Future Past 5 Lockheed 2

Kate Pryde straight punches Rachel, to her traitorous dumb face.  Rachel tries to explain, just like how Magneto tried, that Christina needs to die, for the cause.  That dumb sentence, gets her a second punch to her silly hound face.

Years of Future Past 5 Lockheed 3

Christina, not missing an opportunity, introduces herself to President Kelly.  Lockheed allows the president to climb on top of them and the two escape.  See how Lockheed is making Christina’s metal arms, red hot?  That is going to make sense, in just one page turn.  But how did he know to do that?  They didn’t exchange a look, or anything.

Years of Future Past 5 Lockheed 4

Cameron is not happy that the president is escaping.  He turns his attention to his sister and she burns his legs.  Now he won’t be able to phase.  I do like how these two power sets are the opposite gender parent’s powers.  So Kitty’s phasing powers went to her son, Cameron.  Colossus’ metal powers, went to his daughter, Christina.  I also like how the children got a tad power upgrade.

I like how cynical Christina already is.  She’s heard about the legendary battles of Xavier and Magneto.  She already knows that Cameron is too small time, for that.

Cameron will never stop trying to eliminate the mutant race.  Poor Christina has to make a decision, and since she knows nothing but losing, she straight up SHKs her brother, killing him.

Years of Future Past 5 Kate Pryde 1

I do feel bad, that Kate has to witness the murder of her son, at the pointing arm of her daughter.  I do wish we got to see more of the combine family unit but I believe that is the point.  Cameron was never a Pride.

I also feel horrible for Christina, there are only a few hundred mutants and she just put one down, permanently.  Before him, three other mutant deaths had occurred.

Colossus pulls his wife away, so she never gets to give her murderous son, one last embrace.  Wolverine pulls Christina.

Two soldiers want to snipe the fleeing X-Men but President Kelly gives the order, to stand down.

Years of Future Past 5 Kate Pryde 2

Colossus is doing a poor job of consoling his grieving wife.  Everyone is headed to Kurt’s church.  Rachel keeps trying to apologize.  I guess if Rachel had her way, Kate would be grieving her other child instead.

Years of Future Past 5 Kate Pryde 3

Poor Kurt, instantly recognizing that Cameron is not around.  He only knew the child for a few brief hours.  Christina is still trying to justify her actions.

Wolverine, like a dick, tries to say that he lost a son today as well.  Even though we were shown that he barely paid Cameron, any mind.  Remember when Cameron kept saying “father” until he finally said “Wolverine” and got Logan to turn his head?  Imagine 18 years of that.

Years of Future Past 5 Kate Pryde 4

The X-Men hear helicopters and assume that the government is coming to finish the job of wiping an entire race off the map.  Which, as we all know, is always a great sign of a successful country.

The mutants from the nearby concentration camp, have join the X-Men, willing to fight due to Christina’s heroic freeing of them.

Kate wants to have a moment.  Which I can only imagine, they get outside and some government official, is there to bring the X-Men out of the shadows and into their rightful place, being one with the rest of society.

Years of Future Past 5 Kate Pryde 5

A tad weird to have Kate be the one to run into a tiger, as it was Christina who was told the tale from Cameron.

Pretty flipping fantastic series!  Also, grim as heck!

Secret Wars Journal 4

Posted by John Klein III on April 24, 2016
Posted in: Homage, Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Secret Wars Journal 4

Another Last Stand

Writer Sina Grace

Artist Ken Lashley

Color Artist Rachelle Rosenberg

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

Secret Wars Journal 4 Uncanny X-Men 141 Homage Page

The Sentinel Territories.  I’m a big fan of Tolstoy, bigger fan of Anna Karenina than War and Peace.  I wish I had the chance to take a Russian Literature class, senior year of high school.  Instead, we had English Literature, which felt like Sophomore year, part deux.

I like the quote, attributed to Tolstoy – the two most powerful warriors are patience and time.

Great homage to Uncanny X-Men 141.  That would have been enough for me to buy this issue, but there are more reasons (two more!) but that’s a decent start.

Since this issue takes place in The Sentinel Territories, so this takes place within the same realm of the series, Years of Future Past.

Secret Wars Journal 4 Kate Pryde Mention

Kyle Jinadu, husband to Northstar, has found Psylocke – who is living a lie.  She is blonde and living in the suburbs.  Once he mentions, Kitty Pryde, he ruins Psylocke’s day.

Kyle wants to save Northstar, who is stuck in a concentration camp.  She tells Kyle that she won’t help.  Later that night, she erases her husband’s memories and takes off.  She has made a decision.

Psylocke has joined Kyle’s quest.  The two make short work of the soldiers, in the camp.  Psylocke has really missed, cutting loose.

We get a very touching panel, of the two husbands hugging.

Secret Wars Journal 4 Kate Pryde mention 2

A dumb Sentinel tries to ruin the moment, but Psylocke destroys it.

Kyle really does owe Kitty a giant gift basket!  It is the least they could do.

Eight more Sentinels are coming, and a dozen more guards.  Psylocke tells Northstar to fly him and Kyle out of their,  The poor guy only has enough strength to carry the two of them, and only a very short distance.

Issue ends with Psylocke fighting on, even though she (and we) know she doesn’t really stand a chance.  Since she doesn’t appear in Years of Future Past, I suspect she doesn’t survive.  Though, neither does Kyle and Northstar.

Not a bad ten pages.

There is another story, Primary Function, that stars Punisher and Iron Fist, it is the lead story.

Years of Future Past 3

Posted by John Klein III on March 9, 2016
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Years of Future Past 3

Writer Marguerite Bennett

Artist Mike Norton

Colorist Fco Plascencia

Letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna

Cover Art Adams and Paul Mounts

I had to add the Norton variant to my Wishlist.

Years of Future Past 3 Lockheed 1

 

In the caves beneath New York City.  Poor Kate, hasn’t seen Lockheed in 15 years!  I take it, through her dialogue, that she hasn’t showered Christina with tales of the little purple space alien that just happens to resemble a dragon.

Kate explains that she lent Lockheed to Angel.  Back then, President Kelly (who has been the President, for more than the legal amount of terms!) had the Sentinels use radiation-based weapons.  Which caused Lockheed to become mutated, he grew large and also half blind.  Though he can see better in the dark, but is that better?

Kate asks Lockheed to defend the mutant race, one last time.

Years of Future Past 3 Lockheed 2a Years of Future Past 3 Lockheed 2b

Lockheed busts free and starts taking out Doom Sentinels!  It is these panels that we see how gigantic Lockheed has become.  Those Doom Sentinels are the same size as the traditional Sentinel, and Lockheed dwarfs them.

Look at that jerk of a Doom Sentinel, jumping on Lockheed’s back!  For shame!

Years of Future Past 3 Lockheed 3

Storm arrives on the scene and starts aiding Lockheed.

Kate leads Christina and Cameron to safety as the rest of the X-Men try to save the other refugees.  Rachel is on the scene, as well.

I like that Storm does some battle chatter with Lockheed.  One of the Doom Sentinels’ fallen heads fires back.  The eye beams blast Lockheed, full force, to his belly.

Years of Future Past 3 Lockheed 4

Lockheed falls to the ground AND HARD!  Poor purple dragon!  I hope he is okay!

A wall starts to fall on Cameron and Kate jumps and phases them through the wall.  The important item here, is that she shouts that Cameron is her son!  The what!?!

I thought that she could have been his mother, from last issue – due to the power set – but I couldn’t see her and Wolverine siring a son.

Years of Future Past 3 Lockheed Mention

I guess Colossus heard what Kate yelled as he doesn’t even try to pretend that he didn’t.  Logan isn’t happy that this is how the truth came out.  Colossus confirms that he is the father of Cameron.  Though Norton does draw him more like Wolverine but I guess if Colossus had brown hair, instead of black, that is how he would look.

Colossus tells his wife to take the children to the last sanctuary for mutants.  The X-Men will look for Lockheed.

There is an ad for CollectorCorps.com as they also have a $25 mystery box.  One of these days, I would like to take advantage of these.  The Ant Man tie-in box looks like those peeps got some fun items.  A t-shirt, four action figures and maybe a comic or trade.

Coney Island.  Later.  The Doom Cathedral.  Christina really doesn’t want to listen to her mother, right now.  Since Doom is God, any place that has his visage, is sacred land.  We see who runs the church, which of course is – Priest Nightcrawler!

Kate asks Kurt to call her, Kate, but he knows her as Kitty and still calls her that.  Kate begins to introduce her children and the way I read Christina’s “both of us” is with such teenage angst, that it is thick.

Nightcrawler’s “Colossus–?” is interesting.  Is Kurt asking about his wearables or who is the father of these two teenagers.

Years of Future Past 3 Kate Pryde 1

Kate tries to talk to Christina but she walks away.  She turns to Cameron to explain his origin.  When he was still an infant, the Sentinels attacked and Wolverine took off with the boy.  Which explains why Wolverine doesn’t respond to Cameron’s “dad” or “father” but really, after 16 years, why would he not respond to that?  Maybe because he saw this day coming and didn’t want to be so attached.

Christina was born in secret, but in the camps – which sounds tricky.

Years of Future Past 3 Kate Pryde 2

I like how Cameron sums up this whole secretary nonsense.  Cameron forgives his mother, as she didn’t ask him too.  Christina couldn’t be told about her secret older brother, as she may have let the news slip in front of a guard.  Cameron has suspected that Logan wasn’t his father.

Years of Future Past 3 Kate Pryde 3

Logan never spoke of Shadowcat or Colossus, they were missing from all of their stories.  I imagine Logan did this, to not color Cameron’s view of his parents.  Another reason why I thought Kate was the mother was that Carmen and Cameron, are pretty much the same name.

Cameron’s summary is pretty sad and heartbreaking.  Christina got all of the heart and Cameron got the fear.  She the heir and he, the spare.  It is pretty saddening.

Cameron wants to be alone, and finds Christina.  He makes a Star Wars reference, but she doesn’t get that reference.  He jokes that, at least, they didn’t have any unresolved sexual tension.  Not unlike Sons of Anarchy 3×10 when Jax made out with his half-sister, Trinity Ashby, in the episode Firinne.  Which was an intense season, when Jax is trying to get his son, Abel, back in Ireland.  Kurt Sutter, show creator, writer and guest-star, kept writing it as if Jax and Trinity could have sex, at any moment, AND they let us, the audience, in on the family connection so early.  My wife and I watched their scenes together, with so much worry.

But I have to imagine, with hormones raging – they must have fantasized about the other.  Plus, they probably never told their parents or guardian, in Cameron’s case.  Making that whole ordeal, even worst – with this revelation.

Christina is having a hard time grasping this familiar secret plus her new goal in life, to save all of mutant kind.

Mutant Internment Camp No. 1432.  Which is just on the other side of the church.  In front, is a carnival, and in the back, is an interment camp.  oh boy.

Kurt has tried to free these detain mutants but there are power blocks in place.  They just need to get the mutants onto the church grounds.  Christina wants to just jump into action but Cameron tries to reason with her.  She just got her powers, Kurt and Kitty are not at their prime.  Cameron, also, will not take any part in the plan.  These mutants have been prisoners forever, they are weak and broken, they are not the army that the X-Men need.

Christina armors up and jumps off the roof of the Church and down into the camp.  Cameron gives chase.

Years of Future Past 3 Kate Pryde 4

Kurt and Kate also teleport down.  They don’t really put up a decent fight.  Kurt gets a power dampening collar on.  He shouts that it is a trap!

General Ackbar It's A Trap!

We see the other three members of Mystique’s Brotherhood of Mutants – Destiny, Avalanche and Pyro.  They do not need saving.

Which great issue, a lot of information is revealed and we even got Lockheed!  I can’t wait for the next issue.  So far, my favorite series coming out of Secret Wars 2015.

Years of Future Past 1

Posted by John Klein III on January 11, 2016
Posted in: Review, Websites. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Years of Future Past 1

Writer Marguerite Bennett

Artist Mike Norton

Colorist Fco Plascencia

Letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna

Cover by Art Adams and Paul Mounts

I had to add the Norton variant to my Wishlist.

Thus far, this is my favorite series under the Secret Wars 2015 umbrella.

Years of Future Past 1 Recap

Instead of being a series that takes place after the original storyline, this series takes place years prior to the original story.  All of this is based off of few captions from Uncanny X-Men 141 –

Uncanny X-Men 141 Kate Pryde 4-1

So any new characters that we are taken with, we know their eventful state.  So there is an element of heartbreak with this title.  This is one of the more bleak series, I would add Inferno to that list.

Years of Future Past 1 Christina Pryde 1

Thanks to Marguerite Bennett’s X-Position at Comic Book Resources –

http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/x-position-bennett-crafts-a-war-torn-coming-of-age-story-in-years-of-future-past

We know this character isn’t Kitty Pryde, but her daughter – Christina Pryde!  So much of these first few pages are reminiscent of Uncanny X-Men 141.

Years of Future Past 1 Christina Pryde 2a Years of Future Past 1 Christina Pryde 2b

New York City.  Christina is thinking back to how the world use to be, I imagine she doesn’t have any first hand memory of it.  Everything was fine until mutants showed up, then humans decided to blow up the world. Which is never a good idea.  Christina, like her mother, is an optimist.

Years of Future Past 1 Christina Pryde 3

Somehow, she is attacked by a tiger!  Good thing Wolverine is there to save her.  Good job of Bennett to not have it be three tigers to match the number of rogues.

Wolverine isn’t sure why no one has eaten the tigers, with food being so scarce.  He makes a reference to barbecue sauce but she doesn’t know what that is.  She is looking for medicine and the tiger is there as all three are in the Bronx Zoo.

Wolverine calls her, Chrissie, but she wants to be called, Christina – so that’s what I’m going with.  Wolverine remembers changing her diapers so he gets to call her anything that he wants.  With her being (maybe) 18 – I bet she is 14 to match her mother’s first appearance – that makes sense.

Christina asks about Cameron, the son of Wolverine – but he got tangled up.  Logan has a nose for trouble but Cameron only has a taste for it.

Years of Future Past 1 Christina Pryde A

Christina shows Logan that she is the nice blend of her parents, through her words.  Logan teases her and she calls him, a jerk, classic Pryde!

Christina asks Logan for his honest opinion, if he truly believes the flatscans will reverse the Mutant Control Act.  He hints at how many mutants were killed in the first wave and now the rest are in internment camps.  Logan tells Christina that she was the last mutant born.  Mutants are sterilized now.

Christina leaves Logan’s side and tries to get back to her parents.  She sees a few rogues, militia and more tigers.

Years of Future Past 1 Christina Pryde 4

A sentinel finds her but its mode of community seems pretty casual.

There is a SuperHeroStuff.com ad for a hero box that offers $70 worth of product for only $49, which sounds awesome.  We tried, for Walker Dennis, a similar program called – Citrus Lane, which is a more affordable $30 but the items are not as awesome as superhero related merchandise.

The Sentinel is about to open palm blast when Kate Pryde jumps in front of Christina.  The Sentinel calls Kate Pryde, Mutant 187 and she was instrumental to capturing mutants 234 & 339, ten years ago.  I imagine the identities of these mutants will be important, later.

Years of Future Past 1 Kate Pryde A

Christina wants to know if there is any news on Storm, but there are no new graves.  Sentinels give everyone numbers but once the mutant dies, they get to have their mutant names placed on their tombstone.

What the Prydes were looking for are chemicals to dissolve the suppression collars.

Colossus reveals that it has been 15 years since they have been in this camp.  Magneto promised Christina that he would make her a metal pony that gallops.

Meanwhile, aboard Air Force Once.  President Robert Kelly wants to scare his fellow flatsfcans into not revolting the act.  Kelly orders two folks, Martinez & Foster, to get some footage to remind idiots why they want to hate mutants.

South Bronx Mutant Internment Center.  Kate and Rachel are having a chat.  Kate references Xavier giving her a chemical set when she was fourteen.  Rachel says, Doom rest his soul, which I do like how the books all respect that Doom is the god of Battleworld.  They repeat that Christina was the last mutant birth before music was banned, the famine and the sterilizations.

Rachel goes around melting the collars.

Years of Future Past 1 Kate Pryde 1

The X-Men get out and Sentinels are quick to try to shut them down.  Did they keep their uniforms?

The X-Men make short work of a Sentinel.  In its final moment, it eye beams Christina.

Years of Future Past 1 Christina Pryde B

This event is enough to trigger Christina’s mutant gene.  She takes after he father though she reminds me more of Plantium of DC’s Metal Men.

Her parents thought that the collars would have made it impossible for Christina’s mutation to kick in but life always finds a way.

Later.  New Kent Military Base.  We see Iron Man on a pole, run through the middle.  The two government aides wake Mystique and Blob, the two mutants Kate Pryde turned in.  These two villains have been asleep for the past 15 years.

The X-Men are not leading to other mutants, to free them – they are heading towards a virus that can affect Sentinels.

We learn this region’s in-universe title is – United Doomstates Government.

Years of Future Past 1 Christina Pryde C

Christina is the best choice to make this new plan work.  Kate is not happy that her daughter is being burden with the task.  Just like in the original story, a young Pryde is being tasked with the bulk of the mission.  They want a photo op of Christina saving President Kelly.  Christina is up for the task.

Rachel senses that Storm is alive, she tells Christina to head towards the Baxter Building, where Kelly will be.  They have to find Wolverine.

Years of Future Past 1 Kate Pryde B

A building is about to collapse and the X-Men start saving the humans who are now in danger.  Mystique and Blob show up and accuse Kate of betraying her own kind.  She doesn’t know what they are talking about, so maybe those two are not the ones that she turned in.

The government aides are filming the mutant on mutant battle.

Just then, Logan and Cameron arrive.

Years of Future Past 1 Kate Pryde C

Wolverine starts fighting Mystique.  Blob knocks out Christina and Cameron phases through Blob and rips him apart, so who is his mother?  Once he comes out of Blob, he is covered in green, making me think he also resembled a Metal Man.

Christina can’t believe that Cameron just straight up killed Blob.  I have no guesses on who Cameron’s mother is.

Years of Future Past 1 Kate Pryde D

Issue ends with the new Green (Doom inspired?) Sentinels on their way.

Such a great first issue!  Can’t wait for the rest of the series!

Secret Wars 2015 : Years of Future Past

Posted by John Klein III on March 14, 2015
Posted in: News, Websites. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/exclusive-secret-wars-resurrects-a-mutant-nightmare-in-years-of-future-past

Though I saw it on Newsrama first (as I rarely check CBR’s main page)

http://www.newsarama.com/23770-secret-wars-delves-into-years-of-future-past.html

I’m so excited about this series, even though June 2015 seems to be a pretty expensive month!  Lots of X-Titles coming out, the June 2015 Solicts are going to be packed and massive!

I wish I had known Marguerite Bennett’s name when I did my votes for Female Comic Writers, as I’m already a fan of hers, with this series!

Mike Norton’s art is stunning!

Years of Future Past 1

Years of Future Past 2

Years of Future Past 3