aceatkins
07-29-2005, 12:49 PM
NEW X-MEN #16
Title: A House Divided (Part 1 of 4)
Writers: Nunzio DeFillippis and Christina Weir
Penciller: Aaron Lopresti
Grade: B
The last story arc of the DeFillippis/Weir team is part of the House of M crossover. Things start off fast as we're introduced to the two competing factions in this arc--The New Mutant Institute for Leadership, where more pacifist mutants learn to become tomorrow's diplomats and such, and SHIELD's Hellions squad of up-and-coming operatives. The NMIL is headed by X'ian Coy Manh (Karma) and its students include Prodigy, Wallflower, Quentin Quire (grrrr...), Tag, Mercury, Dust (here a bubble-gum-chewing, midriff-bearing airhead), Jubilee, the Stepford Cuckoos and assorted other folk. The Hellions squad is led by Danielle Moonstar and includes Julian (Hellion in the regular 616 universe, Scion here), Surge, Quill, Wind Dancer, Synch (ugh) and probably some others I'm forgetting. (Interestingly, Wolfsbane is shown on the cover but does not appear.) On prizegiving day, the NMIL is attacked by human terrorists who have strapped bombs onto themselves. They say they're here to avenge Japan and try to blow the school and its students up, but are foiled mostly by the timely arrival of The Hellions and a few of the New Mutants who get in the fight. The humans are stopped, X'ian and Dani have a little spitting match about their respective modes of operation, and we find out that while Prodigy and Surge are on different "teams," they are an item.
The victorious Hellions return to SHIELD headquarters (remember, in House of M-verse SHIELD is a mutant policing organization under Magneto's control, run by Sebastian Shaw). Dani is given her next mission by Mystique, and it's to go to Japan to take down the head of a human resistance movement that's pissing off Emperor Sunfire. Unfortunately, the human leader is Surge's dad. And so she's benched for the mission and replaced by Illyana Rasputin, Magik. Surge obviously is stressed about this, but more about the fact that this likely means her father will get offed. She has a really interesting scene opposite Prodigy where they discuss the relationship between mutants and their sapien parents in the HOM-verse (essentially, there IS no relationship--most mutant kids just kick them to the curb), and Prodigy admits that even though he has nothing to do with his human family, he still wouldn't want them killed. So the two of them plan to go Japan to stop the Hellions and run into Wallflower (Laurie) on the way out. They swear her to secrecy, at which point she turns right around and walks into the office of her father, the NMIL's new counselor. As she leaves, Quentin Quire confronts her in the hall and plucks from her mind that she ratted out her "friends". He then discovers that she's actually a SHIELD spy, as is her father. And then Laurie--who is much more aggressive in this universe--uses her pheromone powers to depress Quentin so much that he commits suicide by commanding his brain to stop functioning. Damn, girl!
All in all an OK beginning to this arc. The introduction of the characters was both overly simplistic (it really read like something out of the 80s) and yet not simple enough--new readers will have no idea how big a deal it is that Magik's back, or that Synch is alive, etc. The choice of characters in general is fairly quizzical. It seems like the writers picked from every roster in the X-universe's "junior" books--original New Mutants, Gen X, this book, Hellions--and yet with all those characters to pick from, Quentin Quire and Quill get screentime. Gotta say, don't get that one.
The most interesting parts of the issue were, of course, the differences between 616 proper and HOM-verse. The almost sinister Laurie, the discussion of human parents, the relationships between Sophia and Julian and David and Noriko were interesting to see. Not a single mention of Elixir, which is really fascinating. And it was nice to see Illyana back in action, if only briefly.
There are rumors that HOM will allow for the return of several dead characters, including Magik and Synch. I have to say I hope that's not the case. I want Illyana back, and given the nature of her powers I think that can be done without a massive continuity rewrite like this. But for Synch--let him stay dead. His character had run its course during Generation X, and bringing him back now would only give us one more uninteresting X-character to float in limbo.
It's also clear that DeFillippis and Weir are using this arc, as different as it is from the normal set up, to wrap up a few plot threads prior to their leaving. The bit with Laurie's dad is a clear example, as is the Noriko/David romance. I must say, while I have some serious criticisms with their writing I do like the feel they gave to this book and I'll miss them. I'll certainly miss the X-23-free days...
Aaron Lopresti takes over as, like, the fourth artist this book has had in just over a year. Kind of ridiculous, really. He does a fine job, much stronger than his Excalibur work. I think he's a good artist and I hope he lands on a decent book when all is said and done.
Title: A House Divided (Part 1 of 4)
Writers: Nunzio DeFillippis and Christina Weir
Penciller: Aaron Lopresti
Grade: B
The last story arc of the DeFillippis/Weir team is part of the House of M crossover. Things start off fast as we're introduced to the two competing factions in this arc--The New Mutant Institute for Leadership, where more pacifist mutants learn to become tomorrow's diplomats and such, and SHIELD's Hellions squad of up-and-coming operatives. The NMIL is headed by X'ian Coy Manh (Karma) and its students include Prodigy, Wallflower, Quentin Quire (grrrr...), Tag, Mercury, Dust (here a bubble-gum-chewing, midriff-bearing airhead), Jubilee, the Stepford Cuckoos and assorted other folk. The Hellions squad is led by Danielle Moonstar and includes Julian (Hellion in the regular 616 universe, Scion here), Surge, Quill, Wind Dancer, Synch (ugh) and probably some others I'm forgetting. (Interestingly, Wolfsbane is shown on the cover but does not appear.) On prizegiving day, the NMIL is attacked by human terrorists who have strapped bombs onto themselves. They say they're here to avenge Japan and try to blow the school and its students up, but are foiled mostly by the timely arrival of The Hellions and a few of the New Mutants who get in the fight. The humans are stopped, X'ian and Dani have a little spitting match about their respective modes of operation, and we find out that while Prodigy and Surge are on different "teams," they are an item.
The victorious Hellions return to SHIELD headquarters (remember, in House of M-verse SHIELD is a mutant policing organization under Magneto's control, run by Sebastian Shaw). Dani is given her next mission by Mystique, and it's to go to Japan to take down the head of a human resistance movement that's pissing off Emperor Sunfire. Unfortunately, the human leader is Surge's dad. And so she's benched for the mission and replaced by Illyana Rasputin, Magik. Surge obviously is stressed about this, but more about the fact that this likely means her father will get offed. She has a really interesting scene opposite Prodigy where they discuss the relationship between mutants and their sapien parents in the HOM-verse (essentially, there IS no relationship--most mutant kids just kick them to the curb), and Prodigy admits that even though he has nothing to do with his human family, he still wouldn't want them killed. So the two of them plan to go Japan to stop the Hellions and run into Wallflower (Laurie) on the way out. They swear her to secrecy, at which point she turns right around and walks into the office of her father, the NMIL's new counselor. As she leaves, Quentin Quire confronts her in the hall and plucks from her mind that she ratted out her "friends". He then discovers that she's actually a SHIELD spy, as is her father. And then Laurie--who is much more aggressive in this universe--uses her pheromone powers to depress Quentin so much that he commits suicide by commanding his brain to stop functioning. Damn, girl!
All in all an OK beginning to this arc. The introduction of the characters was both overly simplistic (it really read like something out of the 80s) and yet not simple enough--new readers will have no idea how big a deal it is that Magik's back, or that Synch is alive, etc. The choice of characters in general is fairly quizzical. It seems like the writers picked from every roster in the X-universe's "junior" books--original New Mutants, Gen X, this book, Hellions--and yet with all those characters to pick from, Quentin Quire and Quill get screentime. Gotta say, don't get that one.
The most interesting parts of the issue were, of course, the differences between 616 proper and HOM-verse. The almost sinister Laurie, the discussion of human parents, the relationships between Sophia and Julian and David and Noriko were interesting to see. Not a single mention of Elixir, which is really fascinating. And it was nice to see Illyana back in action, if only briefly.
There are rumors that HOM will allow for the return of several dead characters, including Magik and Synch. I have to say I hope that's not the case. I want Illyana back, and given the nature of her powers I think that can be done without a massive continuity rewrite like this. But for Synch--let him stay dead. His character had run its course during Generation X, and bringing him back now would only give us one more uninteresting X-character to float in limbo.
It's also clear that DeFillippis and Weir are using this arc, as different as it is from the normal set up, to wrap up a few plot threads prior to their leaving. The bit with Laurie's dad is a clear example, as is the Noriko/David romance. I must say, while I have some serious criticisms with their writing I do like the feel they gave to this book and I'll miss them. I'll certainly miss the X-23-free days...
Aaron Lopresti takes over as, like, the fourth artist this book has had in just over a year. Kind of ridiculous, really. He does a fine job, much stronger than his Excalibur work. I think he's a good artist and I hope he lands on a decent book when all is said and done.