UNCANNY X-MEN #280 - September 1991

One Step Back -- Two Steps Forward

Credits:  Fabian Nicieza (writer), Andy Kubert w/Steven Butler (pencilers), Inks-R-us (inks), Joe Rosas (colors), Tom Orzechowski (letters), Lois Buhalis (lettering assist, not credited)

Summary:  Xavier arrives on the remains of Muir Island to discover Marvel Girl has telekinetically protected her teammates from Legion’s explosion.  The possessed Legion attempts to kill Xavier, but is chased away by Storm.  The heroes split in two -- one group will sever Shadow King’s link to the physical realm and the other will protect Xavier as he fights Shadow King in the Astral Plane.  During Xavier’s battle in the Astral Plane, Shadow King shatters Xavier’s back, crippling him.  Meanwhile, Forge forces Psylocke to use her psychic knife on Polaris, which breaks Shadow King’s connection to the physical realm.  Shadow King disappears, but Legion is left in a coma.

Continuity Notes:  

• According to Xavier, there “isn't much left of Muir Island."  Not that any giant explosion has ever had a real impact on Muir Island.
• Colossus has suddenly arrived on Muir Island in-between issues.  Rogue is also wearing a different outfit once again, as she’s back to her tattered clothing from UXM #274 (!).
• Xavier arrives with two SHIELD psi-operatives, DeMarco and Heacock.  They’re killed by the possessed Legion.
• Rogue comments that Polaris has shrunk after she’s rescued from the Shadow King’s “psychic magnifier” device.  This ends her period as a super-strong female bodybuilder, which has never received an in-continuity explanation as far as I know (even though we do have some idea of Claremont’s original plan.)

Review:  Considering the behind-the-scenes chaos that was going on at the time, this is a better conclusion than I would’ve expected.  The story does get dragged down by more repetitive scenes of the heroes fighting brainwashed heroes (including another uninspired Wolverine vs. Gambit rematch), but that isn’t as large a part of the issue as I remembered.  In reality, Nicieza does a credible job bringing everything to a close, keeping track of most of the massive cast while also leaving enough room for Xavier to be the star of the issue.  His first-person narration isn’t quite a match for what Claremont was able to accomplish in the previous issue, but the sentiment feels genuine and the scripting is true to Xavier’s character.  Nicieza’s strongest moment is when he introduces Xavier’s fear that Legion legitimately enjoys being under the Shadow King’s thrall, and that it might just be Shadow King who’s cured Legion of his schizophrenia.  That’s the kind of character work that’s usually forgotten in these densely packed crossovers, and it’s a relief to see such a Claremont-esque idea show up so soon after his departure.

What doesn’t work about the issue isn’t too hard to guess.  There are too many characters, many aren’t properly introduced, and the conclusion to this giant battle that’s been teased for literally years occurs over the course of a few panels.  Apparently, all that was needed for the Shadow King to fall was Psylocke to stab Polaris with her psychic knife -- which means Psylocke was so weak as a telepath that she couldn’t fight off the Shadow King’s influence, but did possess enough power to ultimately defeat him.  Okay, then.  The most irritating aspect of the issue would be the crippling yet again of Professor Xavier, which is such an obvious play to nostalgia that it’s hard not to roll your eyes.  This is an early sign of the Bob Harras “Back to Basics” approach, which sees nostalgia trump even rudimentary plot development.  There’s no great story following Xavier’s injury -- he just goes back to living in a chair (albeit in a space-age one designed by Jim Lee.)  There’s no compelling reason for the X-Men and X-Factor to rebuild the school and live together again -- it’s not as if they show even the slightest interest in treating it as a school for the next few years.  There was never much of a reason for the fully-grown Peter Parker to suddenly act like a teenager again in the late ‘90s either; but hey, those old stories are classics, which means they must be milked for all eternity.  There is a time for “Back to Basics,” as evidenced by the late ‘90s revamps of books like The Avengers and Captain America, but there has to be more to the concept than simple nostalgia.

UNCANNY X-MEN #279 - August 1991

Bad to the Bone

Credits:  Chris Claremont & Fabian Nicieza (writers), Andy Kubert (penciler), Scott Williams (inker), Glynis Oliver (colors), Tom Orzechowski and Lois Buhalis as “Team Append-X” (letters)

Summary:  Xavier and Stevie try to escape Colossus in the mansion’s underground complex.  Inside the Danger Room, Xavier sets a trap.  As Colossus continues to resist, Xavier realizes that the only way to break the Shadow King’s hold is to reach into Colossus’ mind and revive his memories of the X-Men.  On Muir Island, Forge attempts to place a neural inhibitor on the X-Men in order to block the Shadow King’s influence.  When Rogue attacks, he’s forced to fight back.  In New York, Xavier stops a Shadow King-possessed mob from killing a child.  He then proclaims that he must call on X-Factor for help.

Continuity Notes:  

• Colossus, at this point in continuity, was living as artist Peter Nichols after having his memory erased by the Siege Perilous.
• In-between chapters of the story, the X-Men on Muir Island have regained consciousness and begun fighting each other.  Rogue is also wearing a new costume that’s appeared with no explanation.
• Wolverine warns Gambit not to throw any more of his "psyche-charged knives" at him, as Gambit’s knives make perhaps their final appearance.  (Although the art is so unclear, you could just as easily say that Gambit threw playing cards at Wolverine.)  This is also the only time Gambit’s powers are referred to as "psyche-charged,” which I can only assume was a mistake made by Nicieza, who had never written the character before.

Creative Differences:  This issue marks Chris Claremont’s final issue of the series, although there are no editorial remarks regarding his departure.  As Claremont explained in previous interviews, "The editor (Bob Harras) at that point made the decision that I should no longer plot the book," Claremont told Seriejournalen.dk. "And when he made that decision I made my decision, which was that I wasn't going to stay on it if I wasn't plotting it and left. The transition occurred on page 12 of Uncanny X-Men #279 (in 1991). That's the last page I wrote."  Source: 
http://www.uncannyxmen.net/showarticle.asp?fldAuto=2989

Review:  I don’t think anyone imagined Chris Claremont’s UXM exit happening like this; no double-sized farewell, no poignant look back on the past, no career retrospective.  He just leaves in-between pages eleven and twelve, replaced by a writer that was still largely unknown at the time.  And, let's be honest, that second half of the issue is kind of terrible.  I have no idea if Claremont left any concrete plans for the rest of the issue, or if he even plotted all of the issue and Nicieza was left only to script it, but it reads as flagrant time-killer.  The X-Men, magically recuperated since last issue’s cliffhanger, waste most of the final twelve pages getting into pointless fights, on a Muir Island that suddenly resembles a South American jungle for some reason.  Jubilee runs off in a huff to join the female half of the team, while Gambit and Wolverine have a half-hearted rematch of their fight in UXM #273.  And of course the speech patterns are all wrong.  The dialogue brings us classics like “Pitstain Potpourri!  Wol-VER-ine!  Do we have to be stinkin’ an’ sweatin’ out here?!” along with some melodramatic posturing from Wolverine about “hunters” and “prey.”  

Let’s not dwell on the negative, though.  The first half is a dramatic chase sequence, with Claremont doing a fine job scripting Xavier’s first-person narration, reminding me of the work done to save his final issue of X-Factor.  Having Xavier revive Colossus’ memories of the X-Men is a bit of a copout, an editorial necessity that has to be executed before he rejoins the team, but Claremont’s script actually makes you feel for both Xavier and Colossus during the moment.  (As Xavier points out, he’s effectively ending the only peace Colossus has known in his adult life.)  And Andy Kubert, making his debut as a fill-in artist, does a decent job of following the Jim Lee style without turning into a copycat.  You can see some early examples of his aversion to drawing feet, but overall, Kubert is able to emphasize just how scary Colossus could actually be and add some excitement that was missing from the previous issue.  With the help of Scott Williams’ inks, he also keeps the cast “on-model,” even giving Stevie Hunter that unique look that didn’t exist until Jim Lee got his hands on her. 

Remember When Cookie Crisp Gave Away Actual Comics?

I discovered this when going through Jason Liebig’s Flickr page -- an X-Men promotional poster penciled by Andy Kubert for Cookie Crisp cereal in 1994. Apparently, Gambit was pasted over Nightcrawler in the final version, which is understandable given that Gambit was a more prominent character at the time. Now, why exactly is this set at the circus…?

X-MEN #59 – December 1996

Touched
Credits: Scott Lobdell (plotter), Ralph Macchio (scripter), Andy Kubert (penciler), Art Thibert (inker), Comicraft (lettering), Joe Rosas & Graphic Colorworks (colors)

Summary: Phoenix and Cyclops have a conversation inside a movie theatre. Cyclops refuses to talk about Havok, but he opens up about his lonely childhood and his insecurities over taking Xavier’s place. Hercules arrives at the mansion to recruit Quicksilver, hoping to reunite the remaining Avengers. Before leaving, Quicksilver visits Joseph, who is studying Rogue’s genetic makeup. Quicksilver snaps at him, refusing to forgive Joseph for the damage he caused as Magneto. Meanwhile, Iceman and Cannonball continue to work undercover at Graydon Creed’s presidential campaign. Cannonball is curious about a mystery figure Creed is speaking to behind closed doors.

Continuity Notes: A Creed campaign staffer named Carly quotes the Askani saying, “What is…is.” The story draws attention to it, so it’s not just a coincidence. I’m relatively certain that this is another subplot that was quickly dropped. The person Creed is talking to is presumably Bastion, or his assistant Harper.

I Love the ‘90s: Actual screenshots from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington are digitally inserted into the movie theatre scenes, which is something that didn’t seem possible just a few years earlier.

Review: And it’s another issue where the X-Men don’t really do anything. I think this is when the “quiet” issues really began to work on my nerves. If the characters were given legitimately interesting conversations that revealed some aspect of their personalities, I wouldn’t mind these issues so much. Padding an entire issue with splash pages and multiple large panels of Cyclops sitting in a movie theatre, Bishop getting punched by a jovial Hercules, and Joseph using his powers is just wasting everyone’s time. There are a few nice character moments, but certainly not enough to justify an entire issue’s worth of material. This is the final issue of Andy Kubert’s lengthy run, so it’s a shame that he isn’t given more to do. While reading another issue a few days ago, I noticed that the Bullpen Bulletins summary for issue #57 of this title still credited Mark Waid as writer. The description claimed that Bastion is attacking the mansion, forcing the X-Men on the run. It took Lobdell and company almost a year to get to the same point. I don’t know if Lobdell was personally responsible for the excessive padding that often showed up in this era, or if editorial wanted to space out the larger storylines in order to make them summer crossovers, but it’s just annoying at this point.

X-MEN #57 – October 1996

Man
Credits: Scott Lobdell (writer), Andy Kubert (penciler), Art Thibert (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Joe Rosas & Malibu (colors)

Summary: Professor Xavier confirms with Cerebro that his powers are gone, and erases his records from the database. As Beast and Trish Tilby reconcile in Greenwich Village, Val Cooper arrives at the mansion. Cyclops, Bishop, and Wolverine assume that she’s there to arrest the Professor, and declare that it won’t happen. Storm, Phoenix, and Quicksilver argue that placing Xavier into custody is necessary to make sure that Onslaught never surfaces again. Professor Xaver emerges, and voluntarily agrees to go with Val. He tells the X-Men that he must be held accountable for his actions and says goodbye. Meanwhile, Bastion tries to intimidate J. Jonah Jameson into leaving Graydon Creed alone, but Jameson refuses to back down. Inside Archangel’s apartment, Psylocke discovers a feather on the floor.

Production Note: The last three pages of this issue are clearly not drawn by Kubert, but no other credit is listed. It looks like Val Semeiks, or maybe Anthony Wynn's work (both were doing Wolverine issues around this time).

Continuity Notes: The Psylocke scene is a precursor to next month’s Uncanny, which restores Archangel’s original wings.

One brief scene amused me, as Cyclops asks Val if there’s information on his missing brother, Havok. A few years from now, when X-Factor is cancelled and Havok is believed dead, Cyclops never even notices it. It’s interesting that there’s at least some acknowledgment of the characters’ relationships with one another at this point, because the organic connections between characters will soon be neglected.

Review: It’s another quiet, post-Onslaught issue. This issue tries to present a reasonable aftermath to the storyline, as Xavier is taken away by the government as a response to Onslaught’s attack. He’s not explicitly placed under arrest or handcuffed, which is another way Marvel tried to maintain the character’s dignity even during the Onslaught affair. Lobdell doesn’t go for any cheap fight scenes, as the characters get to act like grownups and just present their case to one another. In the end, Xavier makes a reasonable decision and agrees to leave. Looking back, Xavier’s departure is a little too understated, as this is the first time he’s been written out of the books since rejoining the team in 1991. Knowing now that he stays gone for over two years, with only a few sporadic appearances, it seems like this should’ve been a bigger deal (I suspect that Lobdell didn’t intend for him to be gone for so long). Over the years, writers have struggled with Xavier’s place in the titles, and it seems like a new justification is given every few years to write him out. The more recent efforts have pitted him against the team itself, which always struck me as forced and unnatural. This story isn’t particularly exciting, but it’s internally logical and leaves the character free to be used in future stories with little baggage. This isn’t a great issue, but the characters remain true to themselves and the story essentially accomplishes what it was supposed to do.

X-MEN #56 – September 1996

Twilight of the Gods
Credits: Scott Lobdell (plot), Mark Waid (script), Andy Kubert (penciler), Art Thibert (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Joe Rosas & Malibu (colors)

Summary: Joseph tells Captain America the story of Dr. Doom’s arrival in New York. He asks why Doom is helping out, and Captain America responds that he’s making sure the Earth exists so that he can rule it one day. Meanwhile, Onslaught tries to absorb X-Man’s powers, but he manages to resist. Onslaught reads his mind, and is angered when he learns that the mutants who ruled X-Man’s world also destroyed it. He then absorbs X-Man into his body, forcing him inside with Franklin Richards. Xavier secretly leaves the rest of the heroes to personally confront Onslaught. Onslaught destroys his wheelchair, and tells him that neither humans nor mutants are fit to rule, so everyone must be destroyed.

Continuity Note: Onslaught claims that his minions, such as Holocaust, Post, and Havok, served their purpose and brought him X-Man. No, they didn’t. Onslaught captured him personally in X-Man #19.

Creative Differences: This is Mark Waid's final issue, scripting over a Scott Lobdell plot. When Waid's departure was announced, Scott Lobdell told Wizard, "I think I write the plot around the characters, whereas his tendency is to try and shoehorn characters into the plot". Waid and Lobdell continued to take public shots at one another for a few years, but Lobdell did eventually issue an open apology (which I can't find online, unfortunately). When asked in 2002 about why he left the book, Waid responded, "Creative differences. As in, I wanted to be creative". To throw more snark in, this is Mark Waid's response to Bob Harras' firing in 2000 (via Rich Johnston):

The only bad thing about this is that it happened after convention season was over. Otherwise, the entire freelance community would be drinking on me all summer long.

And that, my friend, has nothing to do with my own personal head-buttings with a man who's a weasel and a liar. It has everything to do with the fact that his legacy in this business will be as the man who always went the extra mile for ten years to keep the industry's highest-profile books COMPLETELY IMPENETRABLE TO A NON-FANATIC AUDIENCE--an ESPECIALLY grievous crime this summer of ALL summers--*AND* taught his lackeys to do the SAME. (The "X-Men Sampler" piece of shit in TV GUIDE is something I will use forevermore in my classes and teachings as an example of HOW NOT TO DO COMICS THAT CAN BE UNDERSTOOD BY NON-FANS.)

Review: It seems that quite a few of these tie-in issues mainly consist of the heroes talking to each other while they’re waiting for their next strike on Onslaught. Waid handles Joseph’s conversations with Captain America and Xavier well, but eventually you just want the heroes to stop standing around and do something. There is a fun scene that has Dr. Doom (incredibly rendered by Kubert) destroying a Sentinel with one blast, which serves as a reminder that the story at least had some potential, even if it’s just seeing the various Marvel characters united against a common foe.

The story of Onslaught himself is advanced here, and not for the better. X-Man’s ability to resist Onslaught is played up for the first few pages, but suddenly in-between pages, Onslaught is able to casually absorb him with no explanation. The knowledge he gains from X-Man shifts him from a “mutants must rule” motivation (which wasn’t even clear in his previous appearances), to a nihilistic “kill everything” goal. This is just boring judged on its own merits, but knowing that Lobdell had actually given him a far more coherent motivation (reprinted in the Road to Onslaught special) makes it seem even worse. The original idea, which exaggerated Xavier’s goals and had Onslaught forcing everyone into a peaceful Collective Intelligence, at least is a logical progression of Xavier’s way of thinking. Abandoning that idea, which never even made into any of the actual stories, and just turning the villain’s plot into “everything must die” is horribly misguided.

I have no idea what was happening behind the scenes during this era, but after Onslaught reveals himself, the stories aren’t given anywhere to go. Onslaught sends Sentinels to attack New York and the heroes respond, but this is just followed by issues of Onslaught in his citadel threatening Franklin Richards. He doesn’t do anything once he emerges, and none of the stories ever gets around to explaining why exactly he’s attacking New York. I know that the Onslaught storyline was hijacked in order to provide an in-continuity reason for the Fantastic Four and Avengers to disappear (as the characters had been outsourced to Rob Liefeld and Jim Lee), but I don’t see how that precluded anyone from writing a few lines of dialogue to clarify the villain’s motives. Now that the storyline is drawing to an end, it seems as if the creators have given up on any legitimate motivation for Onslaught, so now he just wants to kill everybody.

X-MEN #55 – August 1996

Invasion
Credits: Mark Waid (writer), Andy Kubert (penciler), Dan Panosian (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Joe Rosas & Malibu (colors)

Summary: Onslaught’s Sentinels begin to invade New York, as the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men unite to formulate a plan. The Avengers arrive with Joseph and Rogue, as Mr. Fantastic explains that Onslaught has kidnapped his son and is planning to use his reality-bending powers. The teams split up to cover New York, while Mr. Fantastic takes Giant Man, Iron Man, and Bishop to his lab to create weapons to fight Onslaught. Meanwhile, Onslaught uses his young Charlie persona to try and deceive Franklin Richards into voluntarily joining him. As the heroes fight the Sentinels in New York, Gambit accuses Joseph of having a role in Onslaught’s creation. Their argument is interrupted by the appearance of a new citadel nearby. Onslaught emerges from the tower and sends an electromagnetic pulse, destroying buildings and killing electricity throughout the city. Mr. Fantastic’s work is destroyed, and the team of X-Men returning from Muir Island watch as the Xavier Protocols short out, and their jet loses power. Elsewhere, Ozymandias is horrified when he creates a statue of an even more gruesome Onslaught standing on the Earth’s ashes.

Review: We’re now at the “every hero teams up to fight” stage of the crossover. You’d think Andy Kubert drawing all of the Marvel heroes fighting Sentinels in Manhattan would’ve created a memorable issue, but unfortunately this one turns out to be pretty unremarkable. More time is spent on recapping other chapters of the crossover, and giving the heroes assignments that turn out to be futile, than on the action. Kubert does create some impressive drawings, especially the double-page spread of the heroes united on top of the FF’s headquarters, but he’s given surprisingly little to work with here. I might be too biased since I also dislike most of the Avengers’ outfits from this era and prefer Kubert’s previous inkers over Panosian, but I was expecting more from the artwork. Waid tries to inject some personality into the dialogue and give the narrative captions an epic feel, but most of the issue remains fairly dull. Giving Onslaught Magneto’s powers has always bugged me, too. Even if a part of Magneto lived in Xavier’s brain, that wouldn’t biologically give Xavier Magneto’s powers. It’s already a stretch to say that Onslaught can do things Xavier couldn’t because he’s “psionic energy” unleashed, but this is a harder sell.

X-MEN #54 – July 1996

Inquiring Minds
Credits: Mark Waid (writer), Andy Kubert (penciler), Dan Panosian (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Joe Rosas & Malibu (colors)

Summary: The X-Men search the grounds for Juggernaut, while he secretly meets with Phoenix in a psi-shielded chamber underneath the mansion. When Phoenix closes the door, Cyclops’ mental connection to her is gone. He visits the Professor and asks him to search for her. He also informs him that Phoenix didn’t tell him about her encounter with Onslaught because of his recent erratic behavior. Cyclops leaves, as Xavier broods. When he watches television footage of one of Dennis Hogan’s killers bragging that there are a million more like him, he erupts in anger. Meanwhile, Phoenix unlocks the secret of Onslaught’s identity inside Juggernaut’s mind. She tells Juggernaut to run away, and once he senses Onslaught inside his mind, he runs to Xavier’s office. Inside, he finds Onslaught, who rips the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak out of his chest. Xavier, whose mental image is entwined with Onslaught, calls the X-Men to his side. Elsewhere, the Beast escapes from his prison, but is confronted by three mysterious figures.

Continuity Notes: This story continues directly from Uncanny X-Men #334, but the continuity doesn’t exactly work. Cyclops’ meeting with Xavier’s mental projection is totally ignored, so he now has two contradictory meetings with Xavier that foreshadow the Onslaught revelation. In the last chapter, Cannonball was disturbed by Xavier’s outburst against him because he knew it was a sign that something was wrong with him. Here, Cannonball is taking the insult personally and seeking advice from Cyclops (in the last chapter, he told Storm directly that something was wrong with Xavier). Phoenix is also wearing the same outfit she wore in the previous issue, even though she changed clothes twice in Uncanny X-Men #334. The editor’s footnote acknowledges this and makes a joke about it.

Dennis Hogan was the young mutant killed by a mob in X-Men Prime while searching for the X-Men.

The psi-shielded chamber Phoenix takes Juggernaut to is the one Xavier used to hide in while preparing a defense against the Z’nox way back in Uncanny X-Men #65. Phoenix claims that she’s still the only X-Man who knows about it. Juggernaut implies that Xavier might've had ulterior motives in only telling her that he was faking his death, which bothers her.

Looking at old Usenet discussions, I notice some fans pointing out that Juggernaut actually threw the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak into space in the final issue of Marvel Team-Up. The idea that the gem somehow lives inside of him seems to be Waid's invention in this issue.

I Love the ‘90s: The narration jokingly says that Cannonball will have the nerve to confront Professor Xavier on Thanksgiving 2005.

Review: Well, it’s another issue set at the mansion that’s building up to the Onslaught revelation. Xavier is finally revealed to be Onslaught, even if the official revelation was a little vague for me at the time (I wondered if perhaps Onslaught was some outside entity that had possessed Xavier). Since this month’s issue of UXM already covers most of the same ground, it’s hard not to view this one as pretty redundant. The continuity screw-ups are also annoying, since both UXM and this title have the same editor and are supposed to be sister titles. Scott Lobdell briefly addressed some of these complaints on Usenet at the time; essentially chalking them up to the increased workload of Marvel’s remaining staff after the layoffs, and Marvel’s desire to keep the X-titles on schedule. This script could’ve definitely benefiting from a rewrite or two, even if you’re willing to forgive the continuity mistakes. Why exactly Phoenix tells Juggernaut to physically run away while they’re protected inside a psi-shielded vault makes no sense. The fact that she doesn’t even tell him who Onslaught is, which just leads to the Juggernaut running straight to him anyway, is outright silly (I realize that Onslaught’s identity was being withheld for the end for dramatic reasons, but logically there’s no reason for Phoenix to keep the info from Juggernaut). And why on earth didn’t the Juggernaut put his helmet (which protects him from telepathic attacks) back on while he was running away?

It’s also amusing to me that during a montage of all of the traumas that Xavier has undergone in recent months, the death of his son is ignored. Actually, I can’t think of single reference to Legion’s death after X-Men Omega, which is strange. If all of Xavier’s pain and frustrations were supposed to lead to Onslaught’s creation, certainly Legion’s death would’ve been a legitimate area to explore. I wonder if the nonsensical nature of Legion’s death scene lead to Marvel’s decision to just ignore it. There are still a few nice moments, such as Phoenix’s interaction with Juggernaut, and Kubert’s dramatic interpretation of Onslaught emasculating Juggernaut. It really is a happy accident that Juggernaut was chosen to be Onslaught’s first victim before anyone at Marvel had decided that he would turn out to be his stepbrother. The idea that Xavier subconsciously waited his entire life to become stronger than Juggernaut and get payback for his childhood bullying is a clever angle for Waid to take.

After several strong issues in a row, the art is a little disappointing. I’m assuming that this can be chalked up to Dan Panosian’s inks, which lack the earlier energy of Matt Ryan’s and the polished look of Cam Smith’s. Many of the lines now look sketchy and half-finished, which doesn’t suit Kubert’s style. It’s still a nice-looking comic, overall, it just lacks the visual impact of the preceding issues. The cheaper paper stock doesn’t do the title’s look any favors, either, as we’re back to the days when black shadows aren’t very dark, and none of the colors are particularly vibrant, even with computer enhancement.

X-MEN #53 – June 1996

False Fronts
Credits: Mark Waid (writer), Andy Kubert (penciler), Cam Smith w/John Dell (inks), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Joe Rosas & Malibu (colors)

Summary: Jean Grey goes shopping in Salem Center. When she enters the store’s changing room, she’s physically taken to the Astral Plane and greeted by Onslaught. He takes her on a journey to expose human hypocrisy. They travel to Graydon Creed’s campaign headquarters, which amuses Jean since she feels that these humans are very open about their beliefs. Onslaught exposes the thoughts of Creed’s campaign manager, who is only interested in gaining political power and doesn’t care about Creed’s anti-mutant crusade. Jean responds that she knows about hypocrisy and surrounds herself with people she can trust. Onslaught takes her to the X-Men’s mansion, where he plans on exposing Professor Xavier. Jean, confident in her relationship with Xavier, leads Onslaught into his mind to prove his innocence. Onslaught unlocks a hidden memory of Xavier’s, which has him declaring his love for a teenage Jean Grey. Onslaught reveals to a shocked Jean that this is one of many emotions Xavier has locked away over the years. They return to the Astral Plane, where Onslaught offers Jean the power she once felt with the Phoenix Force. Jean rejects him, and demands to know who he is and why he’s playing games with her. He tells Jean that she already knows, and then sends her back to reality. She reemerges inside the changing room. When she passes by the nearby mirror, she sees the name “Onslaught” telepathically burned into her forehead. Meanwhile, Joseph makes his way to South Carolina, Beast discovers draining water flowing into a trap door in his cell, and Juggernaut emerges from the shadows at Archangel and Psylocke’s cabin. A mental block prevents him from revealing a secret in his mind, so he heads to the X-Men’s mansion for help.

Continuity Notes: This is the first actual appearance of Onslaught. The continuity is already a little fuzzy, as Jean doesn’t recognize him at all, even though she recognized his mental projection in Uncanny X-Men #333 as the same one she saw in X-Men #50.

The flashback scene that has Xavier declaring his love for Jean comes from Uncanny X-Men #3. Andy Kubert even faithfully recreates the odd clothing Jack Kirby thought teenagers wore in the ‘60s.

Juggernaut’s emergence from the shadows is vaguely tied in to Psylocke’s new powers (which haven’t been revealed yet). Psylocke claims that “something drew him here” and that there’s a connection between the two. I don’t think this was ever resolved. Really, Psylocke’s “shadow teleportation” power is just being used to justify Juggernaut’s return from the Malibu Universe.

Review: This is one of those issues that gave me false hope that Onslaught might turn out as a decent crossover. It certainly shows that Mark Waid was bringing a different approach to the series, as he tries to realistically convey what life would be like for a telepath. The drama in most of the titles at this point involves mysterious threats growing in the background, potential traitors on the team, deadly viruses, or some soap opera-style relationship entanglements. Focusing on what a telepath feels just walking down the street wasn’t exactly the type of story the X-office was putting out during this time. Waid opens the issue by showing what Jean Grey senses if she lets her guard down around people. Predictably, a polite man is having dirty thoughts about her, an overweight woman is jealous, and a teenager is curious about the weirdos at the Xavier school. It’s only a one-page scene, but it’s very memorable and it helps to set up the point Onslaught is trying to convey to Jean. Onslaught himself receives a vague portrayal, as he’s given no motivation outside of exposing hypocrisy because there’s “no room” for it in his new world order. There is an implication that Onslaught is more than just a physical opponent, but one who can tempt the X-Men with their darkest desires, which sounds a lot more interesting than what he turned out to be.

Aside from revealing Onslaught for the first time, the most significant aspect of this issue is the acknowledgment that Xavier was once in love with Jean. Claremont briefly referenced this early on in his run, but it remained forgotten until this issue. It’s important to note how carefully Waid treats the subject. Onslaught is quick to say that “it’s not a torch he’s been carrying…he locked it away long ago...forgot about it”. Even though Marvel is a month or so away from(sort of) making Xavier the villain in the summer’s big crossover, there’s still an effort being made to protect his character. In fact, Onslaught says that Xavier has spent his entire life “repressing every fear, every rage…every black thought he’s ever experienced”. In contrast to his recent portrayal, Xavier is still presented here as an upright moralist, who won’t even allow himself to entertain dark thoughts. Now, we’re supposed to believe that he’s been enslaving a sentient being and covering up the deaths of his students for years. To put it mildly, it’s hard to reconcile the two characterizations. I’m not trying to defend the Onslaught storyline, which was certainly gimmicky and poorly conceived, but at least there was enough foresight to know that Xavier should still maintain a level of integrity throughout the story.

I have mixed feelings about bringing up the “Xavier secretly loved Jean” issue. I can see why Waid used it, since it’s an established part of continuity that shows that Xavier has human desires like everyone else. However, that scene was written very early on in the series’ history, before it was firmly established that Xavier was a middle-aged man who had known Jean since her childhood. As some readers have pointed out, the implication in the early issues of the series was that Xavier wasn’t much older than his students. He claimed that his parents worked on the first A-bomb project in UXM #1, which could’ve made Xavier as young as twenty-something in 1963. I believe it was Kurt Busiek who also defended the scene by saying that a girl in her late teens marrying a thirty-something wasn’t uncommon in the early ‘60s, either. So, something that originally seemed innocuous is now made tawdry thanks to the passing of time (and added continuity). Even ignoring the age issue, I suppose you could argue that as a teacher Xavier had no business looking at Jean in that way, but I still think it’s safe to assume that Stan Lee wasn’t trying to make Xavier a pervert in the original issue. He also dropped the subplot after that brief panel, which means that it was never something used to define Xavier’s character anyway. Reading the dialogue, which has Xavier declaring that he can’t help but to worry about Jean but can never tell her his feelings, I’m reminded that these are the exact thoughts Cyclops often had about Jean in the early issues. I wonder if it’s even possible that Stan mixed up which character was supposed to be secretly in love with Jean for a panel.

Looking at the overall context of the scene, I wonder if it’s something worth ever mentioning again, even if it does work with the story Waid’s telling. Just for shock value’s sake, though, I know the scene works because my friends and I were floored when we read this. One of my friends even dug up a reprint Marvel did a few years earlier of UXM #3 to confirm that the scene was real. This is one of the few comics from this era that had any real impact on me, not just for the “shocking” revelation, but for Waid’s clever interpretation of Jean and the potential Onslaught displayed. It’s too bad things start to go downhill so quickly.

X-MEN #52 – May 1996

Collector’s Item
Credits: Mark Waid (writer), Andy Kubert (penciler), Cam Smith (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Marie Javins & Malibu (colors)

Summary: Gambit orders Bishop to grab the front of the runaway train. As Gambit loads the train with energy, Bishop absorbs it until he can’t contain any more. The energy Bishop finally unleashes cancels the train’s momentum with a kinetic backlash. Gambit congratulates the weakened Bishop, and the two are soon ambushed by Mr. Sinister. Gambit, Bishop, and Beast (who is still Dark Beast in disguise) wake up restrained inside one of Sinister’s labs. He explains that he created the mutating virus to infect humans because he was running out of mutant subjects. He thinks that he’s now able to make the mutating effects permanent, but he’s more interested in Bishop, the only X-Man he knows nothing about. He performs a psi-probe and learns that Bishop is actually from the future. Dark Beast grows worried, as he knows Bishop has memories of the Age of Apocalypse, which he’s trying to hide from Sinister. Gambit cries out in pain, leading Sinister to believe that he might’ve been infected with the mutating virus. When Sinister unlocks his restraints, Gambit reveals that he was faking and escapes. He charges a playing card and destroys Sinister’s sample of the virus. A revived Bishop attacks Sinister with the electricity he’s absorbed from the lab, forcing Sinister to teleport away. Meanwhile, Rogue rents a room in South Carolina, and the mysterious Bastion confiscates video of the train’s damage at Penn Station.

Continuity Notes: Bastion makes his first cameo appearance, wearing a trenchcoat with his face covered in total darkness. He’ll go on to be the major villain in next year’s big crossover, which means the 1997 crossover is being set up before the 1996 crossover has even begun.

Sinister is extremely curious about who Bishop is in this issue, even though they met before in the “X-Cutioner’s Song” crossover and he didn’t seem that interested in him. Uncanny X-Men #325 established that Threnody was monitoring the X-Men inside their mansion for Sinister, so if he had that kind of access, you’d think he would’ve known about Bishop’s past by now (it’s virtually all Bishop talks about anyway). Now that I mention it, the idea that Sinister was spying on the X-Men inside their home should’ve been treated as a bigger deal than it was.

While reading Bishop’s mind, Sinister claims that he came to this era to stop the X-Men’s traitor. That’s actually not true; he came to this time to abduct Fitzroy and his band of escaped convicts. He had no intentions of meeting the X-Men, and even thought they were imposters when he first encountered them. I think this mistake has been made a couple of times over the years, almost making it a quiet retcon of Bishop’s backstory.

After overhearing Sinister tell Gambit that he wouldn’t expect an attack from him, and Gambit’s revelation that he knows that Sinister’s lab is in St. Louis, Dark Beast suspects a connection between the two. He claims that he’ll use this to his advantage, but I’m sure nothing comes of this.

Production Note: You guessed it…nineteen pages.

We Get Letters: A letter writer points out how absurd the revelation that Dark Beast had never heard of this world’s Beast was. The editorial response is that Dark Beast is so arrogant, “it never for a moment dawned on him that there could be another person out there like him”. They also claim that his work underground with the Morlocks prevented him from monitoring our newscasts. Good lord.

Review: Andy Kubert returns with this issue, which at least brings some kinetic artwork to a fairly thin story. Not an awful lot happens in this issue, as the previous installment’s cliffhanger is resolved (with some questionable pseudo-science), the team is captured, and then escapes relatively easily. I guess Sinister catching a fleeting glimpse of the Age of Apocalypse, and Dark Beast learning of a connection between Gambit and Sinister could’ve provided fodder for future stories, but since I'm fairly certain neither of those ideas went anywhere, it makes this issue seem even more inconsequential.

The idea that Sinister could’ve been fooled by Gambit playing sick, which is such an old trick it even felt like a cheat when it was used on the old G. I. Joe cartoon, is hard to swallow. There’s also some confusion over what exactly Gambit’s done to his research. When I first read this issue, I assumed that Gambit had destroyed all of Sinister’s mutant DNA database, and suspected that it might lead to another arc involving Sinister recollecting his research. I thought this because Sinister showed off his collection of DNA records earlier in the story, calling it his life’s work. After Gambit causes an explosion, Sinister accuses of him depriving him of his…life’s work. Then, at the end of the story, Sinister brags, “You may have destroyed my virus…but I have many other plans in motion”. So I guess it was just the virus? Looking back, the DNA files are colored oddly, with any outline lines knocked out. I think this is supposed to indicate that he was actually showing off a hologram and not the real database. Plus, it was inferred after Threnody trashed one of his labs that he had backups of his research, so Gambit’s actions wouldn’t have ruined his life’s work anyway (although this wouldn’t explain why he doesn’t have a backup of his virus info). This is really too much confusion for such a simple plot. The issue still looks nice and has some decent character interaction, but it doesn’t feel like much of a resolution to the storyline.

X-MEN #50 – March 1996

Full Court Press
Credits: Scott Lobdell (writer), Andy Kubert (penciler), Cam Smith (inker), Joe Rosas & Electric Crayon (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering)

Summary

Cyclops, Storm, Iceman, and Wolverine wake up in a desolate landscape. Cyclops’ ruby quartz visor is gone, and Iceman has a hole inside his chest. Meanwhile, Gateway appears in front of Professor Xavier’s bed, apparently attempting to teleport him away. Bishop and Phoenix enter and easily knock him unconscious. The X-Men try to deduce where their kidnapped teammates have gone, as a being of psionic energy suddenly appears. Inside the mystery location, Wolverine’s senses are able to locate their opponent, Post. He claims to be a “faithful extension” of Onslaught, who is transmitting the results of the test to him. The four X-Men try a variety of different techniques against Post, who’s already familiar with the team. During their fight, Storm senses that the environment is disrupted. The ground begins to shake, leading Storm to develop a plan to destroy the environment, thinking that Post reacts to it as it reacts to Post. Iceman freezes the ground beneath Post, as Wolverine rips open a part of Post’s protective covering. Cyclops blasts the exposed area, and soon the four X-Men are returned home. The psionic entity leaves, telling the X-Men that the Onslaught is coming.

Gimmicks

This issue has a foil wraparound cover. I have the newsstand copy, which doesn’t have a gimmick cover and costs $2.95.

Continuity Notes

This is the first appearance of Post, who is described as “the lowest of Onslaught’s emissaries”. For some reason he has blue skin, and is covered in a series of “computerized plates” which can transfer data and shoot off energy blasts. He’s shown up a few times over the years, usually as a generic goon used to fill up the ranks of some villain group.

Banshee, via video screen, tells the X-Men that Gateway teleported Chamber away, but he dumped him back in their front yard as quickly as he left. The previous issue seemed to imply that Gateway had no control over what was going on, either. Later, Beast theorizes that Onslaught sent Chamber back because he didn’t want any telepaths learning his secrets. This doesn’t explain why Gateway is trying to abduct Xavier at the start of the issue.

Beast wonders why Onslaught is teleporting X-Men away, since he’s allegedly powerful enough to storm the mansion and physically take them. Bishop theorizes that Onslaught “took them to a place that has something to do with the source of his power”, and Beast agrees. I’m pretty sure that when Onslaught is revealed, most of this will make no sense.

Bishop speculates that Gateway wanted to be stopped, explaining how easily he was knocked out. Later, Onslaught (who’s supposed to be the psionic being that appeared at the mansion...maybe?) chastises Gateway, saying, “You assured me these creatures were ready. That they could hold the last line of defense against the coming”. Again, pretty sure most of this is nonsense.

“Huh?” Moment

One of the sound effects used when the environment around Post freaks out is “SPROUTS”. What?

Review

I can remember liking this issue when it was released, even though reading it today is more frustrating than anything. When the Onslaught storyline was still just a series of vague hints, I was able to read this issue and simply enjoy it as an action-heavy story that was planting seeds for the next crossover. I had been burned by enough crossovers to be skeptical about the upcoming event, but the foundation at this point seemed to have promise, and introducing new villains as heralds of larger, more dangerous foes is an old comic tradition. Reading this today, all you really see is a collection of nonsensical clues scattered around a lengthy fight scene. The action is competently handled by Kubert, who fills the comic with large, dynamic figures and a lot of energy. Some of the poses and anatomy don’t exactly work, but for the most part the visuals in this issue are great. The opening page, which has a battered Cyclops covered in shadow as his body is hung up in twisted tree branches, is a strong way to start the issue. It’s one of the few times Lobdell started a story in the middle of the action, which is one reason why this comic stuck out to me at fifteen. The drawn out fight scene starts to get a little old after a while, but Post still comes across as a capable opponent for most of the battle.

Everything past the fight scene is total mess, though. Aside from the clues that weren’t satisfactorily resolved after the Onslaught reveal, there are elements within the issue itself that don’t make sense. If Onslaught were afraid of telepathic powers, why would Gateway send back Chamber, and then go after the more powerful Xavier? If Onslaught can manifest himself as “pure psionic energy”, why would he even be worried about a novice telepathic like Chamber learning his secrets? How exactly is Onslaught drawing power from the mysterious landscape? What exactly is going on between Post and the environment? Why is the landscape drawn differently in different parts of the comic? In the first few pages, the ground is hilly and rocky and the trees look like something out of a Tim Burton cartoon. A few pages later, the trees are lush and green, and the ground is covered with grass and plant life. The sky also goes from gloomy and dark to blue and pretty. What happened?

The future revelation that Onslaught was actually Xavier (spoiler alert!) just makes the entire issue even more nonsensical. Why would Onslaught send Gateway to kidnap himself? I guess you could argue that he was trying to throw the X-Men off, but it’s not as if they were suspecting him in the first place. And if Onslaught has Xavier’s memories and intellect, he wouldn’t have to “test” any of the X-Men of course. He already knows more about them than anyone else. Why is he relying on Gateway for information? There’s also an implication that Onslaught is testing the team to ensure that they can defend against “the coming”. What was that supposed to mean? Or is the psionic entity not supposed to be Onslaught? If not, who was he supposed to be? I don’t seem to recall Onslaught needing to be powered by a special environment either, so all of the mystery surrounding the landscape in this issue probably amounts to nothing, too. Judged as a mindless fight issue, this isn’t so bad, but as a chapter in an extended storyline, it’s dreadful.

X-MEN #47 – December 1995

Big Trouble in Little Italy!

Credits: Scott Lobdell (writer), Andy Kubert (penciler), Cam Smith & Jesse Delperdang (inkers), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Kevin Somers & Malibu Hues (colors)

Summary

The X-Babies flee from Gog and Magog after they destroy the underground casino. Bishop and Gambit escape from the wreckage and protect the X-Babies. Phoenix and Iceman arrive with the X-Babies versions of Iceman and Storm. Iceman freezes Gog and Magog, but they easily break free. Dazzler suddenly appears and stops them from eating the X-Babies. She explains that Gog and Magog overstepped their boundaries when they were assigned to “collect” the X-Babies. She tells the X-Babies that many citizens of the former Mojoverse view them as symbols of the old regime and want them dead. She asks them to live with her and Longshot so that they can keep them safe. Excited, the X-Babies teleport away with Dazzler.

Continuity Notes

According to Phoenix, the X-Babies have psionic imprints. She claims, “They may have started out as artificial lifeforms…but now, they’re very, very real!”

Some information on what happened to Dazzler and Longshot is given. Phoenix says that Dazzler is no longer pregnant because she doesn’t sense another life within her. Dazzler refers to Longshot as her “husband”, but in quotation marks (I guess because it’s hard to have a legal ceremony in the Mojoverse, plus he’s not a citizen of any nation). Dazzler says that there is now an “entertainment-free new world order” on Mojoverse. She also says that Longshot hasn’t been “officially” elected as the new world leader yet. According to the X-Babies, Longshot and Dazzler live in the “Palace Royale”, so they must have some recognized authority. It seems like Lobdell was setting up another Mojoverse story, but I don’t think anything came of it.

Review

Not surprisingly, this is another light-hearted issue with a pretty skimpy plot. None of it is really laugh-out-loud funny, but some of the dialogue is clever. Lobdell tries to use the lengthy fight scene as a way to build a connection between Gambit and Bishop, basically by having them grudgingly admit that they work well together, which is really the only contribution to any ongoing character arcs. After probably the darkest year in the history of the X-books, it is nice to see a different type of story, even if it’s not as amusing as the creators seem to think that it is. I remember being excited that Dazzler was brought back, since she had been out of the books for almost three years at this point. I was disappointed that Longshot didn’t show up, though, and it seems like he remained in limbo for years after this. Andy Kubert’s art helps a lot to carry the thin story. He’s lost some of his sketchiness at this point and is drawing more fully formed figures, which really impressed me when I first saw this issue.

X-MEN #46 – November 1995

They’re Baaack…

Credits: Scott Lobdell (writer), Andy Kubert (penciler), Cam Smith (inker), Kevin Somers & Malibu’s Hues (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering)

Summary

Gambit takes Bishop to an underground casino, while Iceman accompanies Phoenix to a bookstore. Iceman asks Phoenix to scan his mind to find out if Emma Frost is still in there. Phoenix doubts that she is, telling him that his insecurities about his powers are probably the cause of his visions. Suddenly, childlike versions of Storm and Iceman come out of hiding. Meanwhile, Gambit asks Bishop if he still thinks he’ll betray the X-Men, and Bishop replies yes. He adds that many of the things he thought were true have been proven false since he came to this time, so he’s allowed Gambit to live so far. The gamblers notice something underneath the tables. They kick them over and discover the X-Babies versions of Cyclops, Rogue, Gambit, Bishop, and Archangel. The gamblers pull guns on the kids, which leads to Gambit and Bishop rescuing them. The X-Babies explain that the new regime of Mojoverse has canceled them, as Gog and Magog appear from behind.

Continuity Notes

Bishop has cut his luxurious mullet and appears with short hair for the first time in this issue (the Bishop who lived through the AoA was bald, which might’ve inspired the change).

There are two brief subplot scenes, one involving Magneto and the other providing more cryptic Onslaught hints. The Magneto scene simply has him waking up in a shack in an undisclosed location. It’s really just a tease for the next issue of Uncanny. The other subplot has Senator Kelly and a group of government agents investigating a secret Sentinel research facility in the Midwest. They claim that fifteen scientists have suddenly disappeared. Senator Kelly is especially upset that one named Evan Donner is missing. The electricity suddenly returns inside the fake farmhouse, as the word “Onslaught” appears repeatedly on the computer monitors.

Review

This begins the brief era that has Lobdell writing both of the main X-books. This lasts for a few months until Mark Waid’s brief run, then Lobdell returns again to write both titles. I seem to recall thinking that his first attempt at doing both books was tolerable, but his post-Waid stint was atrocious. This is a mostly light-hearted issue that combines a little bit of action with Lobdell’s typical conversation scenes. A lot of the conversations, especially Iceman and Phoenix’s, mainly just reiterate ongoing storylines, but Gambit and Bishop make for a decent odd couple pairing. It’s odd that the writers rarely put Gambit and Bishop together after it was revealed that Bishop was convinced that Gambit would betray the team. You would think that’s something that would’ve come up more often. Instead of highlighting the tension between the characters, they just ended up ignoring one another for a couple of years until this issue. Thankfully, Lobdell at least acknowledges the subplot and gets something out of it. Bishop coldly telling Gambit that he still thinks he’s guilty and is willing to kill him if he has to is a very effective scene. The X-Babies barely do anything in this issue, but they have enough of a presence to let you know that Lobdell isn’t taking these issues too seriously and is just trying to have some fun. I don’t find anything involving the X-Babies to be that amusing so far, but I like the overall tone of this issue. The story’s very obviously padded, though, as it’s filled with gratuitous splash pages and oversized panels. It makes the story feel even more thin, even if Andy Kubert’s art excels with the giant images.

X-MEN #45 – October 1995

The Enemy of My Enemy…

Credits: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Andy Kubert (penciler), Cam Smith (inkers), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Kevin Somers & Malibu’s Hues (colors)

Summary

Rogue grows more agitated as she tries to unlock the secrets she absorbed from Gambit. Iceman accompanies her to Seattle, the city she now feels a strong connection to. After arriving in town, she stops at a bar near a university. Emotionally unstable, she tries to touch the face of one of the young bar patrons. Iceman stops her, which causes her to angrily fly away. Realizing that they’re mutants, the bar patrons try to attack Iceman, but Gambit suddenly arrives and stops them. Rogue heads to an abandoned theatre as Iceman and Gambit follow. Gambit goes in to talk to her. Rogue senses that Gambit is afraid that his past secret will be exposed, but she isn’t able to discern what it is. Gambit refuses to tell her his secret because he claims that the past doesn’t matter. After finally realizing that he’s losing Rogue, he offers to let her touch him again so that she can learn all of his secrets. She refuses, and tells him that she needs some time alone. Rogue leaves, and Gambit tells Iceman to take the Blackbird home. Depressed, Gambit sends a few more days in Seattle. Mr. Sinister briefly appears in front of him, telling Gambit that people can’t change who they are.

Creative Differences

A May 1995 Usenet post by Fabian Nicieza, detailing his future plans on X-Men.

A June 1995 Usenet post by Fabian Nicieza, posted the day after he quit X-Men.

I Love the ‘90s

In a two page subplot scene, one of Creed’s aides suggests that he run for President next year. He tosses him a “Creed ’96” button. Later on in the issue, Gambit claims that Rogue gave him a “lallapalooza (sic) of a kiss”.

Gimmicks

Like this month’s UXM, this issue has double-gatefold, prismatic foil cover. The newsstand edition didn’t have any enhancements, but I’m not sure if a “plain” version was sold in comic shops.

Review

It’s hard to go back and view this issue in the proper context, since Gambit’s past with Sinister has already been revealed and mined for several stories in the ensuing years. Since the fan press was already running theories that Gambit had a past with Sinister, and a few hints had shown up in the actual stories, the final few pages weren’t that much of a shock back then, either. Gambit’s exact connection to Sinister isn’t actually revealed at all in this issue (and it won’t be for another five years or so), so I don’t remember this being a very satisfactory ending at the time. This is really supposed to be the big Gambit/Rogue issue, and it’s unfortunate that it’s Nicieza’s last issue of the series since handling their relationship didn’t tend to be one of his strengths. Gambit receives a ton of dark, ominous first person narration in this issue, but it’s rendered almost comic by his insanely exaggerated accent. This is an example of a typical line, “Got here quick’s’d’ Blackbird would bring me, Roguey…both t’make sure you’re okay – stop ya before y’get hurt –an t’make sure you don’ find out d’truth.” Once you get past the ridiculous accent, you can actually see that Nicieza does have a decent handle on the character. He’s genuinely repentant about his past, and wishes that he could be the snake everyone thinks he is and “shed a new skin”. It seems overly maudlin and whiny at times, especially since we don’t even know what he’s upset about, but Nicieza has the right idea.

I’m not quite sure what Nicieza is trying to convey about Rogue here, outside of “she’s crazy now”. I don’t like the way she’s portrayed in this issue, but Nicieza does at least use past continuity in his favor in one scene. The fact that Rogue used to kiss people all of the time to steal their powers is referenced, with Rogue offering the retconned explanation that this charade of human contact only made her sense of alienation even worse. Actually, it’s not spelled out that clearly, but that’s how I interpret her dialogue, which says that each touch only made her “more afraid”. This is really the only explanation for why exactly Rogue’s personality so greatly changed in the post-Claremont years, and it’s only in a few lines of dialogue. For the rest of the issue, Rogue mainly just makes the same complains she’s always made about her inability to touch people, with some added angst about Gambit’s mysterious past thrown in. Nicieza tries to spice up their lengthy conversation scene by having Rogue continually tear apart the theatre, and then get shot down by Gambit after she tries to fly away. The action does give Kubert something to draw outside of two people talking to each other, but it doesn’t do a lot to break up the monotony of the conversation. I remember being blown away by Kubert’s art in this issue, and it still looks pretty good. His art takes on a darker, grittier look here that suits the story. His acting abilities have also greatly improved since he started his run, so the characters now have less generic faces and he’s able to convey the emotions in the script more clearly. I think the art saves a lot of the story, since the Rogue/Gambit conversation goes on for too long, and Gambit’s secret is left as a mystery at the end of the issue.