{"id":9444,"date":"2023-09-21T21:46:55","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T20:46:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.housetoastonish.com\/?p=9444"},"modified":"2023-09-21T21:46:55","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T20:46:55","slug":"dark-x-men-2-annotations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.housetoastonish.com\/?p=9444","title":{"rendered":"Dark X-Men #2 annotations"},"content":{"rendered":"

As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>DARK X-MEN vol 2 #2<\/strong>
\n“Wings Off Flies”<\/strong>
\nWriter: Steve Foxe<\/strong>
\nArtist: Jonas Scharf<\/strong>
\nColour artist: Frank Martin<\/strong>
\nLetterer: Clayton Cowles<\/strong>
\nDesign: Tom Muller & Jay Bowen<\/strong>
\nEditor: Jordan D White<\/strong><\/p>\n

COVER \/ PAGE 1.<\/strong> Well, that’s Madelyne fighting Maggott while Gambit and Gimmick watch, which in the story itself is no more than a mild argument. Featuring a rare 2023 outing for the brokeback pose, albeit innovatively viewed from overhead, it’s the worst cover I can remember seeing on an X-book in quite some time.<\/p>\n

PAGE 2.\u00a0<\/strong>Flashbacks: The alternate Goblin Queen’s life.<\/em><\/p>\n

We saw this Goblin Queen at the end of last issue, when the captured Archangel was delivered to an Orchis black site.<\/p>\n

“There are few worlds throughout the Multiverse in which Madelyne Pryor lives a good, simple life.”<\/strong> Presumably because she was created by Mr Sinister as a clone of Jean Grey for his own schemes. Therefore, in any world where she exists, she’s almost certain to get sucked into Sinister’s plans in some way, unless he gets defeated before that can happen.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“One such Madelyne devoted herself fully to corrupt magicks, becoming so feared that she was drawn into a conflict that spanned all universes.”<\/strong> This is the Madelyne from the Secret Wars<\/em> event set on Battleworld, a patchwork planet with elements from various alternate realities (most of them based on major Marvel stories of the past). Madelyne ruled the section based on “Inferno”, as shown in the\u00a0Inferno<\/em> miniseries.<\/p>\n

“In exile on an Earth that was not her own, she fought the X-Men … and lost once again.”<\/strong>\u00a0New X-Men<\/em> #12-16 and\u00a0X-Men<\/em> Blue<\/em> #11-12 (2016-17).<\/p>\n

“She was cast down deeper this time, into the depths of Limbo.”<\/strong> In\u00a0X-Men Blue<\/em> #12, although her destination wasn’t specifically identified as Hell.<\/p>\n

“When an Orchis research unit discovered her in [Limbo]…”<\/strong> This is original. Basically, we’re told that this Madelyne became completely demonic from her time in Limbo.<\/p>\n

PAGE 3.\u00a0<\/strong>The Orchis Goblin Queen and Archangel.<\/em><\/p>\n

It’s not clear here what the Goblin Queen is doing in order to “put [Archangel] into the field.”<\/p>\n

The two odd-looking Orchis agents were also seen last issue. They’re identified in a data page later, so we’ll come back to them.<\/p>\n

PAGE 4.\u00a0<\/strong>Madelyne and Havok.<\/em><\/p>\n

Havok was stabbed through the throat by Albert (under Orchis control) last issue, in the same fight where \u00a0Archangel was captured. Madelyne does seem to be making a sincere effort to heal him, although the end result looks decidedly undead around the edges.<\/p>\n

“Those little golden eggs.”<\/strong> Krakoan resurrection.<\/p>\n

Faltine.<\/strong> The language of the Dark Dimension, from\u00a0Dr Strange<\/em>.<\/p>\n

PAGES 5-6.\u00a0<\/strong>The other “X-Men” argue.<\/em><\/p>\n

Maggott<\/strong> gives us the conventionally heroic argument of no man left behind, and wants to rescue Archangel at all costs. Gambit\u00a0<\/strong>accepts the argument (which Azazel doesn’t actually make in terms) that this would be a suicidal exercise.\u00a0Azazel<\/strong> seems to enjoy winding Maggott up and makes sure to remind us that he sees Emplate as his servant; Emplate<\/strong> doesn’t say anything, but does stand around loyally.\u00a0Gimmick<\/strong> finds all of this understandably disconcerting, and sticks close to Gambit, the nearest thing around to a proper A-list superhero.\u00a0Zero\u00a0<\/strong>is just happily playing with the captured Albert robot parts.<\/p>\n

“I’ve got a fondness for cruel, driven redheads…”<\/strong> Azazel is presumably referring to Mystique.<\/p>\n

PAGE 7.\u00a0<\/strong>Recap and credits.<\/p>\n

PAGE 8.\u00a0<\/strong>Havok meets Gimmick.<\/em><\/p>\n

Havok is really not looking well, but his personality seems basically unchanged. He’s still trying to be friendly. However, he doesn’t seem to realise how he’s changed.<\/p>\n

Carmen takes the new codename\u00a0Feint<\/strong>, which makes sense now that she’s principally a mutant shape-changer rather than an outfitter of equipment for the Children of the Atom.<\/p>\n

Infestation\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Snot<\/strong> were seen in Limbo last issue; Havok probably doesn’t know that they were fighting Gimmick\/Feint immediately before taking asylum in Limbo, in\u00a0Marvel’s Voices: Pride<\/em> (2023).<\/p>\n

PAGE 9. <\/strong>Data page: bios of Krol and Vallens. Despite the details they get here, these aren’t established character names. However, their bios do refer to a number of actual stories.<\/p>\n

Krol, we’re told, was a former SHIELD roboticist who was fired for torturing AIs, and got re-hired by Norman Osborn’s HAMMER (during the “Dark Reign” storyline). Victoria Hand was a prominent character during “Dark Reign”. The Iron Patriot armour was a stars-and-stripes themed set of Iron Man armour worn by Norman Osborn as one of the Dark Avengers. Arno Starks’ AI uprising was depicted in the 2020 miniseries\u00a0Iron Man 2020.\u00a0<\/em>(Albert was also in that storyline, so it might be significant.)<\/p>\n

Vallens is said to work for the French agency Le Bureau Discret<\/em>, whose only previous appearance was in\u00a0X-Force<\/em> #4 (2014). She didn’t appear in that issue. The “most recent death of Stephen Strange” is the\u00a0Death of Dr Strange<\/em> mini from a couple of years ago.<\/p>\n

There’s a clear suggestion here that these two have infiltrated Orchis rather than being conventional Orchis agents.<\/p>\n

PAGES 10-12. <\/strong>Krol, Vallens and Goblin Queen.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Bamf Dragon<\/strong> – a transformed Nightcrawler loyal to the Goblin Queen – seems surprisingly keen to get at Krol, bearing in mind that the Goblin Queen herself seems reasonably co-operative.<\/p>\n

Elsie-Dee<\/strong> is the traditional partner robot of Albert, who was captured by the Dark X-Men last issue after fighting for the Orchis forces. The original scheme, from\u00a0Wolverine<\/em> #37 (1991), involved Albert attracting Wolverine’s attention, then Elsie-Dee pretending to be a little girl in danger, so that she could lure in Wolverine and blow herself up in order to kill him. She broke her programming and hung around as a supporting character for much of Larry Hama’s\u00a0Wolverine<\/em> run.<\/p>\n

Evidently, Krol always planned for Albert to get captured, so that he could be used as a spy device.<\/p>\n

PAGE 13.\u00a0<\/strong>Maggott walks out.<\/em><\/p>\n

Havok and Gambit both seem to be making the (basically reasonable) point that they don’t have the power to rescue Archangel, and Maggott seems to be taking this issue as a proxy for the unsettling character of his allies. Zero, who appears to have merged his body with Albert, seems positively\u00a0happy<\/em> here, which is unusual for him.<\/p>\n

PAGE 14.\u00a0<\/strong>Havok and Feint.<\/em><\/p>\n

Havok seems to be rationalising Maddy’s more demented choices for her team on the grounds that there aren’t many people left to choose from. The previous issue was explicit that Havok is here in part because he’s in need of a mission to hand onto.<\/p>\n

The photo seems to show Madelyne and Alex as they were in the X-Men’s Australian era, when they had a romance subplot, and Madelyne had not yet become the Goblin Queen. (Havok says that “Lorna and I were in a weird place” – at that point, Havok was believed dead, and Lorna was possessed by Malice.)<\/p>\n

“To me, my X-Men.”<\/strong> Madelyne continues to appropriate the trappings of the X-Men for this wonky team – partly to do the right thing, and partly because this is her chance to claim the role that she feels she was excluded from after Jean Grey came back.<\/p>\n

PAGE 15.\u00a0<\/strong>Data page: an excerpt from “Fall of the House of X”. An excerpt from this book previously appeared in a data page in\u00a0X-Men: Before the Fall – Sons of X<\/em> (the Legion of X<\/em> special).<\/p>\n

“The first time that Madelyne Pryor unleashed the forces of Limbo on Earth…”<\/strong> The original “Inferno” arc.<\/p>\n

“The second time she did it…”<\/strong> The recent “Dark Web” crossover.<\/p>\n

This page suggests that the X-Men may have telepathically manipulated the US government into tolerating the Limbo Embassy, but also acknowledges that they may just have been scared of it.<\/p>\n

The Mercy Crown<\/strong>, Madelyne’s magical Cerebro alternative, appeared last issue. We’re specifically warned that it has the potential both to “save mutantkind” (presumably by helping to locate them) and to destroy it altogether – this seems to be referring to something more than just its ability to locate the remaining mutants on Earth.<\/p>\n

PAGES 16-17. <\/strong>Madelyne shows the Mercy Crown to her team.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Fairly straightforward. The various images in page 17 panel 1 show mutants still on Earth from assorted “Fall of X” titles. Specifically:<\/p>\n