Well, due to recent events, my Summaries cut off just after February 14ths Astonishing #20. Whats remarkable is that even though i've taken quite some time off, Astonishing #21 has yet to show itself XD
So, to recap in recent events I will give a few careful points:
Uncanny X-men #484
-Darwin has been captured by D'Ken and its up to the 'reformed' Vulcan to convert him to the new Emperor's side. While Deathbird is still stringing along the ol' Summers brother by the....well...you get the idea
-Open war has broken out in the Shiar Empire, with the majority of the forces under D'ken and a guerilla force composed of Lilandra, the X-men, and the Starjammers.
-Lilandra rescues a former traitorous admiral, Ka'ardum, and wishes to restore his position if he uses his influence to sway the Empires forces to her side.
-Rachel Summers continues her utterly fucked up relationship with that Shi'ar guy.
-Polaris is now boning up on Havok again....seriously...that scene was like...mad hot...I mean, I dont know if they did it...but if they did, I think Havok needs a hi-five for that one....*ahem* And, they managed to pull it off without disturbing tongue action.
-Vulcan is growing out his hair and its got like a....half-grey Romulan look about it, it aint pretty, and I hope he cuts it...or grows it.
-Oh, and theres something about Xavier being excecuted during the reception of Vulcan and Deathbird's wedding....y'know...just FYI.
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X-men 196
-We get to see a seriously stripped down Rogue here...and it would be totally hot if anyone other than Ramos were drawing it...man...I really hate Ramos, and this is by far his worst work yet...I mean, if you can make Rogue look NOT hot....in her underwear no less....wow....
-So, Iceman is missing in this issue, dont know why, considering his fate was in the balance last issue.
-Rogue is the guinea pig for Pandemics final and greatest strain: #88. It will allow him to not only absorb the powers of his enemies, but also their experiences and knowledge.
-So Sabertooth is on the loose rampaging around Calcutta , but is then attacked by the Plague dogs that captured Rogue in #194. Theyre creatures with a unique molecular structure that makes them impossible to be cut or broken or really harmed at all. So the solution is obvious. (It is implied that Sabertooth ate them...and no, they didnt settle well in his stomach).
-Mystique comes in and using that little trick of her saves a, once again EXTREMELY busty, Lady Mastermind from 'dissection'.
-Cable and Cannonball escape certain death and begin ripping up shit in Pan's lair.
-Mystique, Mastermind, and Karima bust in, and Karima pulls out her REALLY big gun and almost defeats Pan, but hes too powerful. Cable and Cannonball also fail. But then Sabertooth does what everyone least expects: He defeats Pan with a single touch. Since Pandemic gains other peoples powers by infecting himself with engineered viruses, assimilating Sabertooths healing factor creates a paradox in his bloodstream, it removes his powers and makes him perfectly healthy, although Sabertooth is intent on remedying the latter part brutally.
-However Rogue is in bad shape, and in a fit of rage tries to touch Pan and kill him. But Cable stops her and Mastermind places him in a giant unending maze, leaving the now feeble scientist in a state of catatonia. Sabertooth cryptically comments that he smells something strange about Lady M. Rogue collapses, and according to Cable, this virus is destroying her immune system and they have to get her to his island, providence, before its too late.
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And now I begin a new Summary!
X-men #197
The Helecarrier arrives at Providence and Cable, Iceman, Mystique, and Mastermind get Rogue to the hospital there. Ahh, its good to have Bachalo drawing again, I can now write this summary without feeling sick due to the artwork!
Cable orders the others to be non-threatening, as the people of Providence and the X-men are on shaky terms. Mastermind rolls her eyes and acts all snarky about it, but Cable, the badass mofo he is, puts her in her place, then goes off to handle business. Iceman, now sporting a spiffy jacket with his trademark speedo, explains the origins of the island to Lady M. Mystique however, is totally concerned about Rogue and begins walking off, with Iceman at her heels. Mastermind, however, prances off making herself look like a psychiatrist, and asks one of the men in suits where they keep the 'Nut Jobs'.
Back on the Carrier, Karima and Cannonball have Sabertooth in a bit of a test tube. They are planning on putting him in suspended animation. Sabertooth tells them that he knows something important about Mastermind, but would rather have them figure it out on their own while he waits for his body to find a way to purge his body of the nanites, however he is abruptly cut off. Karima, in an odd act of malicion, says that they need to find a way to permanently rid themselves of Sabertooth.
Iceman and Mystique watch as Rogue is treated, and Iceman wonders about her concern, considering she has tried at times to murder Rogue without a thought. Now we begin the fist major 'Bobique' moment (Thats going to be my abbreviation for the Iceman/Mystique pairing until I can come up with one that sounds...hmm...how shall I put this? Not retarded.)
She says she cant justify her actions, but she wonders why hes trying to keep her at arms length. Bobby says that shes dangerous, and that no sane man would turn his back on her. She begins to slowly explain that after she lost Destiny she was not herself, that it changed her deeply inside. Bobby begins to understand, but she cuts him off, saying that it dosent make any difference, that hes right and she is dangerous.
She says however, that even after all shes done she still deeply loves Rogue, and that he follows the same paradox, she places her hand on his chest and tells him that even though his body is cold to the touch, it makes no difference with the fire that burns inside him.
It was at this point that I began madly giggling and repeatedly saying 'DAYM!' Seriously though, they have really freakin interesting chemisty...
And, it is on that note, that we go to Mastermind, whos asking Providences local psychiatrist for a hypnotherapy session. He states that she needs a few weeks worth of sessions for that, she conjurs up a firing squad, and he agrees. As he sets up the machine, she explains that shes almost impossible to put under hypnosis, however, if she turns her power on herself, she can get close, he has to just tip the scales. Of coruse, the downside for this poor sap is that hes going to be seeing what she sees. He puts her under, and the two find themselves in a pink crystal covered landscape.
Lady M. is back in her old outfit here, and begins searching for 'someone' inside her subconcious. She comes to a brick wall and complains how obvious the metaphor is. She punches a hole in the wall, and finds- Lo and behold! another Lady M. inside her mind. This one looking feeble, frightened, and finally turning into a demonic creature and knocking her out. Whatever 'it' is, it siezes control of her mind and she rampages through Providence, messing with peoples heads.
And above, pink lighting moves towards earth. For those who dont remember, in Carey's first issue these pink clouds appeared before and destroyed a Shiar ship, but it was far too subtle and even I barely remembered it.
Cable and one of his associates, Irene, begin discussing his presence in the X-men. He thought his gun-ho attitude was something he put behind himself, however hes gaining a new satisfaction at facing enemies and actually defeating them again, immediate threats. However, their chat is interrupted as an alarm goes off.
So Lady M. is messing with people, speaking in tongues, and being generally wierd, but luckily, our lovebirds show up to stop her. Bobby tries to ice her, but is knocked over as a bizzare entity flies out of Mastermind and into Mystique. Just as Bobby is getting his bearings, Mystique has conjured up a spiked ball and has smashed his head in. Love hurts. So Mystique speaks up in the strange voice, and says that this body better suits her. Luckily, Cable comes in and stuns her. The entity inside of Mystique speaks up and claims that it is the 'Mummudrai' (a creature from Shiar lore, the entity one must face in the womb in order to be born, like Cassandra nova was Xaviers). Cable blasts her and Iceman panics, however it was merely a stunning burst, and as Cable beings making an EMP grenade from his gun, it flies apart in his hand, and the creature, unphased, tells Cable it dosent want to fight.
It shows him how it came to earth, and how it possesed the dead man who collapsed at the X-mansion, then movied to Lady M. It came to earth because it sensed its own kind. 'Strong Thinkers' A.K.A. Telepaths. It followed the Psychic trail to the X-mansion, because it needs protection. A creature called the Hectacomb is coming, and it means to destroy earth....
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Alright, this issue was good enough to push me back to summary typing. Although the relative absence of Rogue since Supernovas has been a bit unnerving, the supporting cast is doing amazing, Cable is dark and intriguing, the best i've ever seen him, while cannonball didnt get mutch, Lady M's cutesy ignorance added incredible levity to the issue. And as Bobby and Mystique grow close it becomes more and more intriguing.
I must say, I was skeptical, but it feels like the two characters have a very cautious understanding of one another.They are just hesitant due to their opposing backgrounds, still, I really want to see this relationship grow. The addition of the Mummadrai is a great springboard for this arc, and I believe it will make the painful passage to issue 200 move a bit more smoothly.
It is a breath of fresh air to have Bachalo back, while the guy has difficulty with fight sequences, and his style is controversial, I myself feel it suits Carey's writing very well, and hes VERY preferable to Ramos.
all in all, another incredible offering from Carey and Bachalo, and I cant wait till next issue.
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I always thought that Rogue and Gambit should adopt that Leech kid from X3.
"Alright son, you can sleep on dis here futon next to our bed! put on deese earmuffs, an' dis blindfold, and if you hear screamin' ignore it!" |
