Punch Up: “To Me My ❌-Men”

Chapter Twenty-Seven:

1984-1985

December, 1984, January & February, 1985 New Mutants 26-28 by Sienkiewicz, Glynis, Orzechowksi, Claremont + Nocenti

Mixtape tracks: Rockit by Herbie Hancock; When You Wish Upon a Star by Wynton Marsalis; & Pent-up House by Chet Baker & Paul Bley

Chapter 27 of “to me my ❌-Men,” is our fourth masterpiece…if romantic comedy and bigotry infused headaches are your thing.

Previously on “to me my ❌-Men,” we take a breath, by continuing the tradition practiced in Watchmen, and taking time to sit at a newsstand and devour a sea voyage tale. As we had just spent time getting to the point in the ❌-Men. ANNALEE’S kids have been shot and killed. As for the New Mutants, they went to hell and back, but it’s not as interesting as it sounds. Demon Bear, now that was fascinating.

Is this David?! Is this Legion?! This cover is haunting; a man screaming; a b&w photo stoic of them torn; tape?!

When you open the comic, you can be forgiven in thinking this is Jimmy. No, we are on the northern tip of Scotland and this is honky Tom. He only looks Cheyenne…well we still use a red and white die to identify race. Corsi is joined of course by Sharon Friedlander, who is not Dani. Tom is lifting like The Thing, or Jimmy Proudstar.

Doubled the world record, nearly 1000#.

Cop Tom: “D’ you know what that means?!”

Nurse Sharon: “You’re desperate for my services?”

In their defence, the flirts, they is a result of a top shelf comic masterpiece: Demon Bear. The jury is out on this one and I am hoping for vindication for Sienkiewicz & the A-Team.

Oh, Sharon is low key racist towards her new visage…or she simply loved herself before. I would take her new situation, given the choice, but I’m weird like that.

I had to look this up. It seems the Astral Plane has existed since Daring Mystery Comics No. 3, February, 1940. Which was my preference pull over Marvel Mystery Comics…though they flip flop as the year progressed and then Mystic Comics complicated the matter. Anyhoo, it seems like Dr. Stephen Strange was the first to Astral Project on page two of his debut in April, 1963’s Strange Tales No. 110.

Sharon: “It’s an Astral Form” …like Chuck…”one of the kids must be a TELEPATH…” Also racist Tom: “…looks like an Arab.”

The Projection screams and vanishes. We have our candidate for our cover boy.

KLANGALANG

Comics writing folks!

They know David. They hear it’s from David’s room. They are able to rush and break into the room with superhuman strength. Oh hate to break it to you Tom and Sharon, y’all living that superhero life.

Tom a silhouette in the doorway: “Holy - - !”

Oh you can say it! That’s a naked, hopefully 18-year-old teen, floating spread eagle, above his bed, with perhaps light shackles on his outstretched arms. Man these comics love the letter…

That’s definitely David. Legion has debuted!!!

Calling out for “HELP ME! unca dan, poppa, momma, somebody, anybody…please, please, please!?!” Well you got somebody and anybody, you got Tom and Sharon.

Coffee flying in an X comic. Take a drink.

Man…Sharon is acing her powers class; “must have TELEKINETIC POWERS”

To their credit, they are trying to help, while they are being pelted with stuff zigging and zagging all over, and thinking about lessons they have learned, have the awareness they are being pulled in, and diagnose David is a victim of circumstance, as he cannot control what’s happening.

We will call this a solid fun and well designed pages. Which is starting to just be a page in New Mutants.

We have reached the title page, not to be confused with the splash page. And now David has fire hands and is catcalling with a lil’ psycho girls voice. Tom is thinking Demon Bear, now this, life is so unfair. Okay, so not entirely empathetic towards this boy who is scaring him shitless.

STAN LEE presents

VVTOOOOM

A mountain side explodes.

This double plate spread is two stacked longshot panels. And it is magnificent. Limited line work. Subtle colors are informed by newsprint. A horse that is clearly either eating and working out too much, or just poorly rendered is a bit of a focal point. Bill’s like, HERE…right HERE is the flaw! Do you see?! Now tell me you don’t love this ART!

The ❌-Men Blackbird (X-plane) landing, a rural farm field, looks like Vermont, so it is Scotland. The next day (after explosion above?!) . The lettering is perfectly placed. The credits crafted in a way that is additive. They get technical with the bird, and personal with Moira and Chuck. As Moira waits, the heartbreaker. I think the dense posts make this work.

The following page is much like that page of the reunion between the priest and Dagger that had everyone witnessing, it was double spread, candid photo like, anyway this has that cartoonist quality. A silhouetted exiting of the professor and students, the frozen in time traversing of hilly landscape, Sean reuniting with Moira.

Rahne is so teenage in her head. The adults in love are reunited after a traumatic experience, and the kid is like, my guardian has forgotten I exist.

All the while Warlock is speaking in emojis and it’s fantastic! 🗯️🎵🐦‍⬛

Doug noticing Warlock is on one, and asking Dani, and Dani being like, beats me…that’s your endeavor.

Moira is good Moming it with Rahne.

Normally Chuck just jumping into conversation through telepathy seems horrific (now that I am adult and I have heard other adults talk about it like Jay), but right here with Moira, it’s two adults (we know they have equity if they don’t at this point, because we read ❌-Men in the 21st Century…I know this blows up my spot…chill!!) and they have a long history. Moira broke his heart, but this moment provides the sense that they are also oldest of friends and despite the heartache this is mutual and appropriate. It’s sweet…always here for humans being human/not labeled binaries.

Speaking of sweet…Warlock was thinking about how they had forgotten to express their deep appreciation to Blackbird for transporting them and that they wish them to not be lonely as they are apart.

We assume Blackbird in the gutter is like…

Dani explains to Doug what happened with Warlock and Blackbird, and Doug’s reaction is a lot of his amazing life since last summer and how he “can’t wait to see what happens next!”

Us too Doug! Most of the people in his present life are living through hell and this guy is full tilt…life is great!

Glass half full this life!

Dani: “That makes one of us pal.”

I think she is being literal. Like nobody else is feeling this in this comic…oh wait…Warlock!

At the bottom of the page is, I believe is our first introduction to…

Jaime: “Hi, I’m James Madrox.”

I think this because I am confident we skipped the issues dealing with Moira and her kid, and I know that those issues have these on model perfect panels of Moira and a perfect panel of Multiple Man, but that’s about all I miss from them. Until this decade, I thought Legion was Moira’s son. I got confused, and when I found out how pathetic a character her son was, it put me off.

Anyway, so Jaime is a regular here on Muir Island. And he is introducing himself stiffly, so you remember you are reading a comic book. And scaring the shit out of Doug. The dialogue suggests by multiplying, but I think it is because his double grabs Doug’s arse.

Dani: “Some adventure, h u h Doug? I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

Salty. She won’t be letting this go me thinks.

Okay so that mountain explosion was caused or existed because Legion. Tom and Sharon were in it, but because superhero lifing are unharmed physically, but now catatonic so they can take a nap in cool pods, with comfy pillows. They could be at work right now.

You see…I have not read these comics, because I didn’t get my hands on them till recently…I kinda understood and looked at pages, but like David’s mind, I was not putting things together as they are, or were. To me Sienkiewicz is Elektra Assassin, not Moon Knight and New Mutants most of my life…but I began to get the other takes at the turn of the century…and I should be fully informed by the end of this. I am having a blast…here enters another lesson.

Chuck: “GABRIELLE HALLER”

Chuck is flirting with her immediately, in front of Moria. They are both his ❌.

Oh…she calls him her son…

This Legion and Jaime longshot panel on the bottom of the page is

Chuck is not prying into Gabby’s head…but knows she hiding something…

These ladies are amongst the few on the planet who Chuck actually respects.

Across the pond at the Berkshires at the rival academy…

Emma proud descendent of prime colonizers is about to entertain the guest at the front desk, a student, perhaps her fav, Empath Manny. She telepathically torchers him, for manipulating Firestar, an important potential asset of the Hellfire Club. He blew up an operation that had taken years.

Entitlement + hubris is the equation. The answer is this kid is hella dumb.

Oh, she speaks the “troublemaker label.” As an educator I fight that shit every day. None of these educators are good at their jobs.

Wow…ok…so he strait up doesn’t flinch and turns her into his love slave. Which fits the ensemble.

Emma: “you arrogant fool!”

“Ullapool”

Dani’s hat is the star of this page.

Warlock trying to stay in human form is secondary.

A nice stroll down a dock (to tie in all our sea faring themes) turns into a traumatic encounter with the piece of shit that raised Rahne and his cult followers…sorry decent folk…good Christians, LIKE RAHNE herself.

Me when I am with my lifemate, and her with me, and Rahne with Dani here: “don’t argue, Dani, please - - let’s just go.”

Cute lil’ “meanwhile” panel reminiscent of Timely panels in 1940. Back at the northern tip.

Chuck is about to encounter an astral brick wall, as he is too busy to bother with the New Mutants…he is astral projecting…

David is The Wall. It’s hard not to assume that Bill is channeling The Wall. Half dozen years after Pink Floyd released it, it was on heavy rotation across both Rock and Alternative stations. We are a generation that grew up with its manta as instruction. David would have been 13. That 11-13 year old period is where we discover our cultural identity. It is our first voyage into choices. The boy David The Wall screams as he is that age of initial voyage…the ones adults forget to often and struggle with when they see these children. Chuck is simply no match. Back to the couch old man.

This page features one of Legions most iconic visages. HAHAHAHAHAAA Chuck and Both ❌ are expelled.

Or is that Dani and Moira.

Back at our actual pirating adventure, Lee awake to Magneto screaming. He is having some sort of night terror. This must happen all the time, as he is a survivor of Shoah. His bed flys out the window, Lee jumps after him (she is legit crazy). They survive this only because it’s a bed. And so they kiss. Scott Magneto Lee love triangle…well Maddy Jean Scott Magneto Lee love pentagon…oh right Logan…nevermind.

“Muir Isle…”

Gabby is an Ambassador for Israel to UK? With ambitions.

Chuck: “It was criminal of me to take advantage of you.” YESS because you are THE CRIMINAL. Sorry….no labels.

Oh right…yeah he was her therapist. As son of a therapist, I have known of rule one most of my life. Also rule two.

She is forgiving. We are supposed to be forgiving people.

In another room, Dani sleeps in the second best comforter in New Mutants comics. Her hat on the headboard.

Rahne sneaks out.

To see her Mom. Cute moment ruined by Astral David speaking in Arabic a warning….BWHOOM!

Iconic David in the Corner Box on an iconic Legion cover. Featuring Dani, Doug and Warlock. It’s good times at Bill’s.

You can excuse me if I don’t take to Chuck’s path down memory lane and his present fixation on sorrow over Moira in this moment.

Rahne too, though glad they are both alive.

David is so adorable there. Chuck’s Astral Projection is more appealing than flesh and blood…but you don’t fool me. Let the boy be. Don’t be jealous.

Ok…so he has a different personality for each ability.

So this predates Crazy Jane, who debut in Doom Patrol Vol. 2 No. 19, February, 1989. But it’s a nice point to point out, all comics, superhero comics as genre in general, and especially DC and Marvel, have long history being “inspired,” by the competition, and “hiring” for work the same folks. So if this sounds like Crazy Jane…you are sane.

Ok, so Dani sees a solution in Rahne being in werewolf form, and using her power and relationship with her to get into David’s head with Chuck’s support (who feels this is unsafe)…so he makes sure Gabby doesn’t have something else he needs to know. She say’s he knows everything…only I am here to tell you…that’s definitely a lie.

And Chuck knows it.

Oh good, he acknowledged he is not in full health. See ❌-Men.

Dani straight up says, Chuck you look like David. Chuck is like, I don’t see it.

Oh, Gabrielle is very much like someone in my life. They are both Israeli, and they both have this boundary excuse that definitely is messy. Like Warlock in the same panel is giving all the clues on what to do, and instead someone made a promise to themselves soooo Dani is at risk trying to save someone’s son. I know this situation to well.

Apparently everyone looks their best in Astral Projections. That’s been what I have experienced as a reader.

Oops that’s not Rahne…oops we are on fire…ooops the room IRL is on fire.

While I don’t love the clarity, I do find these pages and fun…AND you know it…Chuck now knows the obvious.

So Chuck had and is now loosing Gabrielle, Doug, and Dani as Astral Projections.

He has Dani (?!) and is seeing different David’s.

Warlock and Multiple Man are kinda helpless here. The landscape of David’s mind is epic.

They encounter a madness, that includes and Arab, a Jack Wayne, who blames the Arab for the mess. Chuck thinks he is the telepath. The Arab boy. Jack seems like a tool and is to eager to please to be trusted.

Dani is rubbing it in that Doug is scared. Doug feels helpless, and then as soon as he says this his ability to understand the Sarah boy may help.

Gabby is calling the boy a terrorist.

And now we have Cyndi…who looks like a proto Jubilee.

Also a bit like…

Moira: “Can you help us? Cyndi: “yeah, but why should I?”

They are the pyrotechnic.

The Arab attacked the Eiffel Tower with David in it. Moira believes the Arab absorbed the talent that destroyed him. Gabby finds that obscene…and I find it somehow even more confusing.

Chuck is like I’m a healer and teacher…I don’t kill. WOW! Just wow!

Jack convinces him this is different. They are after the boy.

The cover to No. 28 is haunting until our villain and a werewolf shows at the bottom of the painting.

Chris writes this enlightened entry into the issue, but poetry is lost in, “it is the brain.”

Jack Wayne (a personality in David’s brain, thus is moniker Legion), and he is a visual and partially a type Bill depicts more than once. I’m thinking Elektra Assassin. I’m thinking this is artistically building in process towards Elektra Assassin.

Comics science: Whatever happens physically in this part of David’s imagination to you, has the same physical results on your actual body. So what happens to astral psyche happens to your physical body…only you appear on newsprint to be your actual body…for clarity?!

Also, Jack can use David’s telekinesis to save you from falling while. You and David imagine you are climbing a mountain in his brain.

So Jack saves Chuck from falling off the face of a mountain they are climbing for who knows why? Well David or Chris & Bill know.

Oh, I love how Jack gets a thought balloon. Like is that David or Jack. Does David know Jack can think in his brain? I mean I guess Chuck gets too. Anyway, there is a limit to Chucks value to whomever is thinking.

Chuck: “Thank you. My friend.” He ain’t your pal Chuck.

I can’t with this bigotry, the psyche of the human being who is resided and controlling David’s “dome” or subconscious, at the top of this mountain they are climbing is named Jemail Karami, not “The Arab.” I assume this is who Tom and Sharon saw initially, because they said he looks like an “Arab.” Jemail looks like any kid from the area. We don’t actually know. And at this point we are simply building bigotry into the story based on our own bigotry. Developed in a culture filled with this garbage shorthand. This is really kinda dangerous propaganda.

Jamail has no actual powers, but was assigned David’s telepathy…I’ll get into this as we go. Point right now is, Jack and Jamail have power to manipulate aspects of this place and its inhabitants, but it’s all David, and nobody has full control, because David unconsciously delegated the control to multiple parties in conflict right now.

Jack: “Company - - !?!”

Dani, Rahne, Doug, Moira, Gabby (aka David’s Mom), and another of a David’s personalities, Cyndi, have joined the party.

Cyndi who is the pyrotechnic and absolutely a Jubilee prototype points out as I have, “he has a name y’know.” To be fair, Tom and Jack are that old macho white guy who is actually a scared little boy in a menacing/he thinks he is charming disguise. And so they would be dismissive and call Jamail “Arab.” So I guess it is kinda just how you would write this. I don’t love it, but I see it for what it attempts to be…I just also know things are lost in translation and we are where we are.

pat pat

Cyndi has pazaz! Spunk…desires Jack to bead by werewolf. “Fuzzy.”

Jack and Cyndi are full of themselves.

Dani 💭: “The Creep! He reminds me of the heroes in old - time westerns- - the ones that went around cheerfully massacring every Indian in sight.”

Wow! Just wow! Chuck is giving the we are a team speech to Jack. A guy who is about as in team player as you can get. In a situation that is a bunch of students, not a team. A class…on just about the worst field trip ever. And now we fully understand why Chuck is a telepath. He had to get telepathy to have half a chance at reading people and the room…or in this case his son’s brain from inside the brain itself.

Good news is, Jack looks fantastic in those boots and not to be outdone Cyndi is also in a pose this page. They are acting their arse off.

Ok, Cyndi is being rude (I mean, proto Jubilee should be), she gives a compliment of, “if you’re into flees” To Rahne…and Rahne is like, Mom, I have heightened sense and don’t trust these guys…and Rahne my dear…you could benefit from being full time in your werewolf form. Like wow.

A snow storm, winds, and ice shanks. Legions brain is not great.

Meanwhile Magneto: “Lee, is anything the matter, you seem upset.”

Honestly…this scene has me…

For sure this qualifies as a masterpiece. Magneto and Lee romance subplot alone!

“Meanwhile in David Haller’s Brain.” Fine Chris…that line is starting to work for you. I just don’t know this was that kinda comedy.

Cyndi is flirting with Doug. Shipping Cypher and Legion.

Chuck is like, poor kid, whelp hopefully this flirting allows for me to manipulate when need be.

Gosh even Dani can’t say, Jamail.

So I have been watching Dubs basketball, and am rooting for experience over raw talent…but we are bellow .500…so I don’t see Jamail loosing here.

Dani: You Hope Chuck: I always do. Oye!

Chris names him, gives Jemail Karami his moment.

“Determined to survive.”

Hella!

Dani is manipulated into this. And so Jamail: YIAEEARRGH!

I love the graphics of this panel! Love it!!!! Masterpiece!

Jack: “Doin’ my best, girl- -!” Dani : “The heck you are, creep!”

Doug quotes an episode of Star Trek, and so Chuck has guidance to make a play…

The graphic elements in this panel are also perfect.

Oh these graphic elements absolutely pay off next page. You can see this translating aesthetically to the show too!

Chuck’s eyebrows have been like…

Cyndi is inviting Doug to her brain. Wait…that’s a brain inside this brain. Legion is…

The graphics are crystal memories and Jamail is breaking them…my source is Jack.

Oh he is healing Legion and Chuck is extremely slow on the uptake.

I don’t know if I can make this less confusing… Gabby as a high government official, had her Paris home attacked…her son, David is there, and this event triggers his mutation emergence. In doing so Daniel Shomron and Jamail’s team come face to face. Shomron dies from gunfire, while saving David. David in instinctive response enters the shooters minds, merging with each, killing them and taking Jamail into his own mind, as Jamail dies. So here Gabby is attacking Jamail in David’s mind. Jack has protected himself from shards of broken memories and is coaching Gabby to kill again Jamail.

The shardes fly at Chuck while he is trying to stop Gabby (he doesn’t like to be seen as bad). But this cause Rahne to have to save him…kinda. Leaving Jack available to take on Jamail.

“- - Hellfire Club…”

Empathy is looking for his powers to be returned, going behind Emma’s back.

Back in the 🧠

Doug tries to save Jamail from Jack. But he is Doug.

Dani: “Showing your true colors Mr Wayne?”

I hope there is a panel in a Batman comic that says: “Showing your true colors Mr. Xavier?”

Dani causes Jack’s deepest fear to manifest and it is Chuck as a loving father to David. And so Jack is scared and runs…which…yup. Scary

Gabby tries to interfere with Dani actually trying to help the situation…but as is the case Doug stops her and Dani with the help of Doug’s powers to translate we now know Jamail was trying to heal David and now Gabby knows too.

He has been helping Tom and Sharon too! He is empathic to David.

Oh no…Dani wants balance. Wants Jamail and Jack to work together.

And now they are all back and Chuck gets to sleep with the cool quilt.

Dani mediated and Legion is David for now.

Chuck meets his son properly.

The kid presents all the personalties…as they are him for now.

Ack…a He Who Shale Not Be Named reference.

Still I’m calling this another masterpiece.

Next: X-Men & Power Pack