Hellions #13 annotations
As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition.
HELLIONS #13
“Don’t Look Back, part 1: Weary Travellers”
by Zeb Wells, Rogé Antônio & Rain Beredo
COVER / PAGE 1: The returned Sinister clone stands triumphant over the “original.”
PAGE 2. An epigraph from Nightcrawler. These show up repeatedly in Hellions, even though the character himself rarely appears, but we haven’t seen one since issue #10. Obviously, they anticipate his spiritual leader role in Way of X. In this story, of course, it’s Sinister whose past is catching up with him.
PAGES 3-5. The Right despatch their Zeta team.
This is going back to the Hellions’ battle with the Right in issues #7-8. Since there are two entire storylines that have passed since then, either the rest of the Right have only just got around to investigating what was going on here, or this is technically a flashback. We’re told later on that over a month has passed since this story.
The specific Right members seen here appear ot be new, including Zeta Team. Zeta Team are wearing facepaint with the traditional Right smiley faces, but don’t have any of the other familiar high-tech armour. For whatever reason, their facepaint is in green and yellow, normally the colours of HYDRA rather than the Right.
Children of the Atom #5 annotations
As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition.
CHILDREN OF THE ATOM #5
“Reinforcements”
by Vita Ayala, Paco Medina & David Curiel
COVER / PAGE 1. The Children of the Atom backed up, but also overshadowed, by the actual X-Men. And Maggott.
PAGES 2-3. Daycrawler escapes while the other Children of the Atom are captured by the U-Men.
Each issue so far has spotlighted a different member of the team. By elimination, we’re left with Daycrawler – but since the plot builds to a climax in this issue, there’s not as much space to focus on his character as there has been with some of his colleagues. Much of Jay Jay’s perspective in this issue is filled in by narration rather than flashbacks or scenes devoted to him.
This scene is a retelling of page 20 from the previous issue, from Daycrawler’s perspective rather than Marvel Guy’s – those the shift of perspective doesn’t make much difference. We already know from the remainder of issue #4 that the bad guys are a new version of the U-Men, the group that harvests mutant organs to try and upgrade humans; and that Daycrawler will return to rescue his teammates with the actual X-Men in tow.
House to Astonish Episode 192
It’s been a long old time, but we’re finally back, with discussion of X-Force: Killshot, Phoenix Song: Echo, the creative changeover on Amazing Spider-Man, Human Remains at Vault, Party and Prey at Aftershock, and Jeff Lemire’s upcoming pair of miniseries Mazebook and Primordial. We’ve also got reviews of Catwoman Annual and Black Cat Annual, and the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Loves You. All this plus a mouthful of bugs, sad knitwear of tragic lives and a Reebok-clad Scottish indie band from 2001.
The podcast is here, or here on Mixcloud, or available via the embedded player below. Let us know what you think, in the comments, on Twitter, via email or on our Facebook fan page, and remember that there’s still plenty of summer days to come, so a swell House to Astonish t-shirt might be just the thing you need.
The Incomplete Wolverine – 1990
Part 1: Origin to Origin II | Part 2: 1907 to 1914
Part 3: 1914 to 1939 | Part 4: World War II
Part 5: The postwar era | Part 6: Team X
Part 7: Post Team X | Part 8: Weapon X
Part 9: Department H | Part 10: The Silver Age
1974-1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979
1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985
1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989
Welcome to the nineties. But we haven’t reached Jim Lee quite yet – as we start off, the X-Men are still in Australia, and Wolverine has just taken a leave of absence to try and rescue Roughouse from captivity in Tierra Verde.
WOLVERINE vol 2 #19-23
“Heroes & Villains” / “Miracles” / “Battleground” / “Outburst!” / “Endings”
by Archie Goodwin, John Byrne, Klaus Janson, Michael Rockwitz & Glynis Oliver
December 1989 to April 1990
In Tierra Verde, Wolverine meets the local freedom-fighter and superhero La Bandera, and helps her fend off an assassination attempt by Tiger Shark (Todd Arliss). La Bandera’s mutant power is to inspire followers; she’s completely well intentioned, but Wolverine suspects that she’s too naive to get anywhere with her revolution. Meanwhile, further experiments have left the captive Roughouse covered in sores, and he is being cared for by Sister Salvation, a nun and healer who is also President Caridad’s ex-wife. Wolverine and La Bandera escape with Roughouse and Salvation, but Wolverine gets drugged with Tierra Verde’s weird tainted cocaine in the process. The cocaine turns out to be a vehicle for Spore, an ancient creation of the Deviants who was trapped in the ground after being destroyed by the Celestials, until someone started growing cocaine there. Since normal humans don’t survive very long, Spore wants a superhuman host, but Wolverine and Roughouse both manage to fight it off.
Charts – 4 July 2021
Ah, he’s back.
1. Ed Sheeran – “Bad Habits”
The lead single from Ed Sheeran’s fifth album, and… well, it’s one of his electropop efforts, and it’s fine, but nothing outstanding. It feels like it’s jumped straight to a slightly uninspired European remix from three years ago. Still, it’s his tenth number one, which is elite company – there are only six acts who have had more than ten number ones. Admittedly, one of them is Westlife.
Cable #11 annotations
As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition.
CABLE vol 4 #11
“Depression”
by Gerry Duggan & Phil Noto
COVER / PAGE 1. A close-up of young Cable’s face, with the Light of Galador superimposed on top. This is a companion piece for the cover of issue #12, which shows the other half of the older Cable’s face. The sword is placed over Cable’s eye, mirroring the familiar glow of Cable Classic’s left eye.
PAGE 2. Epigraph. Cable says the line later in this issue, but it’s at least a double meaning here, referring both to Cable’s knowledge of the future, and to the fact that the readers probably know where all this is going.
PAGE 3. The Five debate whether to resurrect Cable Classic.
Last issue, Kid Cable was pressing for the original Cable to be resurrected in order to help deal with the threat of Stryfe. As hinted at last issue, his plan seems to be to get the Five on side, and then use Cerebro himself to download the relevant mind. Hope is naturally keen to assist, since she views Cable as a father figure – and she makes the reasonable point that the Five are so essential to Krakoan society that they can never really be punished.
X-Factor #10 annotations
As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition.
X-FACTOR vol 4 #10
“Finale”
by Leah Williams, David Baldeon, David Messina, Lucas Werneck & Israel Silva
COVER / PAGE 1. X-Factor dance at the Hellfire Gala.
This is the final issue of the series, and it’s a Hellfire Gala tie-in. So there’s an awful lot of racing to tie up loose ends here.
PAGES 2-4. X-Factor prepare for the Gala.
Jean-Paul and Kyle are discussing the Five’s practice of removing traumatic memories when resurrecting mutants – at least in those cases where they understand that it was requested. The most obvious case of that happening was with Domino in X-Force, though in that case Colossus lied about Domino’s wishes.
Rachel and Daken are talking about Daken’s relationship with Aurora, which has evidently just become common knowledge (at least within the team). Off to the side is the new Rockslide, resurrected in “X of Swords”, whose plot never really got a chance to go anywhere.
X-Men Legends #3-4
X-MEN LEGENDS #3-4
“Transformations” / “Tools!”
by Louise Simonson, Walter Simonson & Laura Martin
It’s been a long while since Marvel were especially preoccupied with the details of X-books history, and really, where Krakoa is concerned, they still aren’t. What has re-emerged in a big way, though, is an interest in inter-title continuity, and the sense of a bigger picture which helped to drive the X-books through the 80s and 90s. Perhaps in that light it makes a little more sense to commission a book like X-Men Legends, which brings back old X-books creatives teams from decades ago to provide one more story.
I must be close to the ideal target market for Legends – which is to say, I actually remember reading this stuff the first time around. But I’m not crazy enough to think that there’s money to be made in releasing books laser-targetted at the likes of me. There must be a temptation to throw in plot points that tie in to the Krakoan back story. But they’ve resisted that so far, in favour of straight encores. Still, thanks to Marvel Unlimited, the back catalogue is more available than it has been in years (legitimately, at any rate). Maybe there’s a certain kind of sense there.
Charts – 25 June 2021
It’s still Olivia Rodrigo’s chart.
1. Olivia Rodrigo – “Good 4 U”
9. Olivia Rodrigo – “Traitor”
17. Olivia Rodrigo – “Favorite Crime”
That’s 5 weeks at number 1 for “Good 4 U”. The chart compilers are claiming that as the longest run at the top for a – and I quote – “rock-influenced” track since “Spaceman” by Babylon Zoo in 1996. Which… okay? There does seem to be something of a resurgence in guitars right now. We’ll see if that lasts.
Way of X #3 annotations
As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition.
WAY OF X #3
“Joy of X”
by Si Spurrier, Bob Quinn & Java Tartaglia
COVER / PAGE 1: Nightcrawler nurses his hangover while a mutant baby hovers nearby. Pixie and Dr Nemesis are still blind drunk.
PAGE 2. Data page, with pictures of the Hellfire Gala invitation, and a brief note from Professor X to the mutants present. Whether because he really means it or because he’s trying to make an argument that will appeal to the whole of Krakoa, Professor X is asking for everyone to at least behave civilly towards the humans, which he claims will be more intimidating.
He reminds everyone of the three laws of Krakoan nationhood, which is handy, because this issue wants the little-mentioned first law – “Make More Mutants” – to be at the forefront of our mind later on. Quite how the Professor is hoping people to act on it during the Gala is not so obvious, but maybe he’s anticipating a very enthusiastic afterparty.
