Punch Up: “To Me My ❌-Men”

Chapter Twenty-Nine:

1984-1985

August, 1984, Beauty and the Beast Vol. 1 No. 1 by Perlin, Sienkiewicz, DeMulder, Roussos, Rosen, Nocenti + Higgins

March, April, & May, 1985 New Mutants 29-31 by Sienkiewicz, Glynis, Orzechowksi, Rosen, Claremont + Nocenti + Sanderson

January, 1985 New Defenders 142 by Perlin, A. Adams, K. DeMulder, Magnolia, M. Wrightson, J. Chiang, Gillis + Potts & P. Blevins

May, 1985 Uncanny X-Men No. 196 by Romita Jr, Austin, Green, Glynis, Orzechowksi, Claremont + Nocenti

May, 1985 Thor No. 358 by W. Simonson, Scheele, Workman + Macchio

June, 1984 Alpha Flight No. 26 by Byrne, Wiacek, Yenchus, Parker + Denny & Daley

Mixtape tracks: The Perfect Stranger by Frank Zappa; Hell is For Children by Pat Benatar; Money for Nothing by Dire Straits; Watch the Children Play by Metal Church; People Are Strange by The Doors; Take on Me by A-Ha; 99 Luftballons by Nena; & Inglan Is A Bitch by Linton Kwesi Johnson

Chapter 29 of “to me my ❌-Men,” we go bind diving for comics, doomed love turns into an old classmate play unexpected part in Bill’s Mutants, while at the heart of it, Kitty and Dazzler banter ethics, which spills over into campus politics, feeding an isolated and messy ❌-Men comic, shifts to a love and war w/ BillSif, and we cross the boarder into Canada. We messy…here we go:

Previously on “to me my ❌-Men,” from 1980-1984 there has been numerous plots of child manipulation, abuse, endangerment and kidnappings, and death. The themes of kidnapping, boundaries and agency continue be central. In the previous chapter there seems to have been a poignant coming to head. Only is it the end, or just a beginning?!

PS: Magneto called the X-Men back to the school.

As we live in a comics market, where we get larger chunks, but seem to still miss details. A reality that may be with us till the end, but to a lesser degree as it has been in 1985, the story does become more fully contextualized in 1986…we are nearly there. This however is still 1985, and so we have a bin to shuffle through. In that spirit, here are four seemingly random issues, from the same story we are exploring here. They share connective tissues. You will be somewhat familiar with.

Nearly left in its entirety on the cutting room floor…

…like Firester and Iceman’s limited series, not to mention nearly decades of marvel comics since 1939, the first issue of the Four-Issue Limited Series: Beauty and the Beast, has been something I have held onto for decades, as well, and I perhaps in this moment find reason for it. For the work itself seems to be a stretch.

Sienkiewicz’ cover is technically fine. Its use of lighting eludes to Hank, Alison, and Doom, by using Alison’s mutant gift to illuminate the shrowded and dark appearances. It is not the most compelling of Bill’s work to my eyes, but the convergence of Nocenti, Bill’s cover, Hank, Doom, and our care for Alison at this point seem to be nearly enough.

What almost pulls in more, is a moment in podcast Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men, where they share a perspective of this limited series providing oddities that pulled at my nostalgia. “To me my ❌-Men,” began in some form in the 80’s, about half of the writing is being done on the podcast FFW discord. Both podcasts have captured the spirit of community that is missing when you reading comics in isolation. A very intimate experience.

While I had some essential friendships growing up, that had comics integrated into them; I can only think of more than a bakers dozen of such close friendships, certainly not a score. And these close friendships represented the limit of conversations with informed regularity on the subject. The rest of the conversations were awkward, sometimes painful. Going to college, perhaps beginning with Kelly Thompson, though my friends Jay, Tarin, and Kevin too, opened up a IRL social network to scores of aquantiences, that turned into thousands with a professional path and the invention of social media, a globally fluent conversation on the subject of comics.

Because I have studied the subject, am practiced in all the roles played to bring it to existence, teach others, and have an education and profession in Art and Education, with a focus on comics and our individual and social development, I see the previously described expansion of perspective, and think:

No wonder I defend the individuals right to love a thing on their terms, and in balance, speak to my own take. Never you mind, I spent every other weekend, in a Jewish home, debating as sport with therapists.

I have developed a perspective on cartoonists roles in making comics. This is on my mind as I turn the page, to read this comic with a cover by Sienkiewicz, and is written by Nocenti. Two on a short list of influences I have known were exactly that since I encountered their works along my own cartoonist path.

I don’t care for this comic. If you do, I’ll say what I said to someone else quite recently:

All that matters is that informed your path.

Every time you tell people, it temps them take a chance on it and have it impact them. And if it turns out not to be the their thing, that’s their business.

This here is me X-Plaining my business.

Don Perlin is Marvel Bullpen legend. Perlin’s work appears in the 1951-1958 era of Strange Tales. In my estimation one of the most under appreciated comics runs in American Comics history, from a cartoonist perspective. He has shining moments in the pages of Captain America, Spidy Super Stories, Man-Thing, Marvel Premiere, Daredevil, Thor, Deadly Hand of Kung Fu, and Transformers. However, his work on The Defenders is what really showcases who he is as a cartoonist. And the yeoman’s work seen amongst fellow Bullpen members, becomes exposed a bit. His professionalism may expose a theory I have been developing. We will get into this shortly.

However, for the moment, this first page works as a Perlin page.

Having providing additional connective tissue between Defenders, Rom, then the Hulk, Fantastic Four, and the previous year, Daredevil, Ann Nocenti has begun establishing herself as X-office influential voice. The editor, has turned writer, with Spider-Woman support to Claremont, and a handful of other Marvel titles. This is her thirteenth work writing for Marvel, and our first in “to me my ❌-Men.”

The creative partnerships within Marvel are really fascinating. I am using the pages to conjecture a lot, and it only becomes more baseless as I think about where she is and where he is within this creative crucible.

The result is something that deserved to be beloved, just not by me.

So crazy, it just might work for someone.

Doom is being Doom in Latveria. So this begins as very Marvel on brand. Which honestly, is disruptive to society, but still a course worthy of global influence.

Ann may be to influenced by Claremont, or they are like minded. I don’t need all these words. I have no idea what influence it has on Perlin’s pages. I suspect they are working together, against me…personally.

Like Doom, I suffer.

He is upset that the quality of Art and society are being disrupted by Hollywood, and an old accusations of a progeny, coming from that political and economic backwater place; SO CAL.

This is immediately contrasted with our blue furry friend, Hank, who is on Hollywood sign, and is overlooking LA with star struck kool-aid drinking enthusiasm. Almost, picked a Zappa song called Jonestown for this track. As a Jones, I think I can do this.

If I have to choose between absurdities, I am with Doom.

As a Nor. Cal. raised person, I simply can’t with Hank here.

Perlin does the job in rendering recognizable enough a Marilyn, Dr. Jones, Vincent Price.

And here we have, why we came all this way, a shredded poster of Dazzler. With Mutant tagged on it.

And so, Hank is in his head about his personal connections with Alison, and his own condition.

WOW…we get a Richard Pryor ad for Muppet Babies, Q-Bert, etc… and most importantly Dungeon and Dragon Saturday Morning Cartoon shows.

Alison is at a Hollywood party and has been approached with flattery by Alex Flynn, and pressured into a contract by Hugo Longride. Time passes, as she pulled more into their circle. Media coverage goes from bad to worse.

She is on set and Simon Williams and Hank are there. So is Max Rocker. I’ll get into my feelings on him a bit later. A conflict developing between Alison’s old friends, and members of her new scene. She disappears with Hugo, leaving Hank and Simon behind. As media coverage reveals this, Hank and Max get into it.

When you are a cartoonist, and it is just you…you have control over all the elements and how they work together. Your struggles are exposed. So, at least I do this…I will cut something that looks off to me, even if it undermines the clarity. If it was meant to mean what said, then it would have looked the part. Now it means something else. It’s fine. It gets more murky on process, but reading clarity improves perhaps, when collaboration is the working model in comics. Or maybe not.

Speculation is what I am using here. So this could be a baseless reading.

My theory is that the aspects of the comics industry which developed from cartoonists; into repackaging their work to sell advertisement product placement; into a consolidation of genre elements; into a genre called superheroes; and then diversified and kept following the dollar through speculation; and then made business decisions in similar fashion; also made a critical creative context in my estimation:

The controlling business goals went to the creative they had the most fluency with and they entrusted them with control of management of creation of the product. The writer.

As a crtoonist, this is not how I would have done this. As an educator, this is not how I would have done this. As a consumer/audience/reader. this is not how I would have done this. As a community/society member, citizen, this is not how I would have done this.

Similar to the argument for women, or even better, non-binary folks, being in charge, potential to result in more equitable management of struggles with problems that influence all of us in this life…I would have had the Artist be the creator placed in the position the writer seems to be placed in, in comics business.

The cartoonist is in a unique position, as we do both jobs. We understand the roles and their influence. You don’t need a writer to make a comic. You need an artist.

Nevermind the laughable way we place credit in comics here. I put the penciler and the rest of the art team in my credits ahead of the writer and editor, because that is the order. Even if the writer comes up with the idea and controls the process with a script. The influence on the comic is overwhelmed by the Art.

We make error in the influence of most roles. The inker has more control and influence on the reader then most understand. Those pencilers who are very exact in their pencils, hold more sway. A practiced they ape from their writing partners who use an explicit script. Both having fragile egos and/or narcism. However, the inker has editorial like influences. The colorist has been diminished until very recently in the scope of comics history, but as soon as you spend actual time coloring a comic, the illusion of their lack of importance to the comic erodes. The letter too. The editor has always had more power than we care to acknowledge. Sidelining them as outside the creative circle is laughable to me. One reason I bristle at the idea of bring one in is…they will bring change to “my” work. As valuable as that is. (it is)

The obvious concern here is, the writer/editor, is presented with managerial control over a lexicon that is unique once utlized. Comics are their own language. Fluid by context. Intimately connected to individuals, and easily utilized to build culture and community. They are an outsized disruptive influence on society. A direct and continual threat to power. A threat to the people when process and distribution is controlled by power. A great equalizer in conflict. A stabilizing force in peace. And in a society that has convinced itself that it communicated verbally, through performance, through a written lexicon, through 1’s and 0’s, through equations…and has framed communicating with our visual lexicons outside accessible to all, until AI’s 1’s & 0’s sparked the illusion of accesibility, as we face unprecedented disruptions on society globally…I can only sound like Doom and laugh like the Joker, as a cartoonist and educator.

You all are artists!

As I teach my students of all ages. Go try and make a comic. Nice comic. You are a cartoonist. Now make more and share it when you care to. Art is not magic. It is a fluency you all have experience utilizing. You use to recognize it, till someone told you are not fluent. Now you still utilize it, and don’t recognize it as such. Art is your visual lexicon in all its forms. You are the one who is fluent in it from the beginning. It is your use of it and sharing of it, that creates flouncy in your dialect. Only, you don’t control what others interpret it as. That is their agency in the exchange of communication. As such, it is not literal. It is more.

Putting writers who are fluent and recognize their literal writing translations, in charge of a medium, comics that is primarily a visual lexicon, has resulted in a a top down power struggle in the creative process where the top knows they are not in control, but must profess to the world they are in control. Meanwhile, the one in control, the Art, it is ment to struggle, build resentment and mistrust in what is a collaboration. The cartoonist avoids this. Knows, their own mind and context as an individual is messy enough. The collaborators are brave and when it works, they achieve something greater than themselves. But it requires the Kelly Thompson’s of the world to get there. The ones who are trained in Art, or at least fluent. I suspect, Ann Nocenti is one of those. Just not yet. I suspect the editor, Micheal Higgins, does not have the training the Kelly Thompson’s of the world have. Because if the editor and/or the writer of this comic, was an artist first, (Higgins did some coloring and lettering), we might not have seen Max Rocker as he is depicted, or at least we may have gotten different pages 15-21. Because Perlin is better than this. Someone should have had him redraw these pages.

In the end we get a perfectly fine double page spread ending that depicts a creepy house on the Pacific cliffs, new to us (one Spider-Woman connective tissue) characters, and a focus on Hank and Alison.

Alison: “Funny, Huh? She sings, she skates, she’ll dazzle your senses…it’s the DAZZLER, the greatest show in town!

Hank: “Shhh! You don’t know what you’re saying. Don’t speak. I’m here now. I don’t know what’s drawn me to you…but I’ll take care of you. I promise. Trust me.”

I think that’s enough of that. Despite our feelings, we can assume things get weirder and worse before they get better, and these two walk away. Hank’s proclamation not challenged by the Bullpen.

The limited series continues, but we just can’t. We get the vibe…and we will pick it up in why we are here. Mutants.

I just acquired, this Fall of 2025, these Spring of 1985 issue of New Mutants. Let’s see if it will give us the temperature on that question.

It’s nice to see Sunspot on a Sienkiewicz cover, but I am obviously not a fan of Minotaur’s aesthetically; Max Roach…a horse man, has that look.

These spring issues open with a blizzard at the Westchester county airport, and mention of good cheer. Is it December of 1984 or April of 1985? Honestly, it really could be either. That’s the North Eastern United States for you.

I do love these negative space utilised credits pages.

This one I love more than the double page spread of Sam carrying Illyana in their swim suits blasting through a window and the airport terminal. It’s a fine image, but of the other comparable so far, this is my least fav.

Ah…Roberto and Amara have been “kidnapped” and these kids are in “very hot pursuit.”

There is your temperature gage.

Blizzard with a likeliness of hot pursuit.

*I swear I did not read this first. It just worked out. Keeps happening!!!

I love how Sam does this very alarming thing at the hight of mutant hysteria and then asks a room strangers about a red truck, and one of them actually is like: “S-sure - - It’s out on the flight line.”

This is what it is to be a tall, blonde, skinny, white male in America. You can be all you want to be. Folks will not question you.

Well, maybe after you go running in the snow barefooted.

Sam: “YAIEOWW?!?” My kinda lettering.

The van turned around and Sam had to blast his body through it to avoid being hit. I guess they heard him.

Guy driving hasn’t a clue. They think they are on the plane that just took off.

The pilot is the kidnapper and is working for someone. He also is impressed with Sam (making one of us in this moment), and will be make a recommendation to “the boss.”

I love these four panel slowing of pace as Sam falls. Illyana’s teleportation disks are also a love of mine…they save Sam.

She is basically a total badass. She also grabbed the pilot and is already interrogating him in Limbo as Sam is falling through the Westchester air into Limbo himself.

The kidnapper is like, so!? I’m a kidnapper. I ain’t scared of kids. Powers or not.

Magik is like, sorry my bad…you thought I was your interrogator. Nah. How about a demon. ‘S’YM honey.’

Sam and Illyana are arguing about the usual…we can’t, we shouldn’t, but time and opportunity dictate, you don’t have control over your powers, watch me…they give zero fucks about leaving a kidnapper behind in hell with a demon who is all about making worst days come true.

And so, Illyana totally teleports over 3,000 miles to LA. Sam still hilariously provides a note on the landing.

Oh…hah…they landed a week off. So time, dimension, and space travel…oops.

Sam gets an…

moment.

So they need help, because they are kids. Lucky thing is, Sam is totally dating an older woman. Who lives in Malibu. And lucky for us we get one of the best debut panels for all times…GUIDO CAROSELLA answers the door.

When this is all done. And I have taken a break to read something else (currently thinking Love & Rockets) the next Marvel comic I am reading is my first X-fever dream of choice: X-Factor 71-81, the Larry Stroman run. It features a version of events that don’t work for me as an overall narrative, but one that I find to delicious to ignore. It features Guido (Strong Guy). It also has Alex and Lorna in a spot that I can’t abide.

So we won’t be getting a lot of Guido, but we definitely need this introduction here. He is Sam’s superstar, Lila’s doorman, bouncer, buttler, eye-candy.

Guido: “…Take a hike or I toss you out widda garbage.”

Illyana: “Try it, Blimp” (fat phobic rant is a coming…hold on)

Guido: “That smart mouth is gonna take you far, Baby-Doll - - like to the Moon!” (I think this entire exercise is investing abuse)

Sam drops his name and they are in.

Lila gives the warmest of welcomes and you need privacy…about another planet many solar systems away?

Only thing is, it also worked on someone coming up the stairs…someone looking for work with Lila.

No worries, it’s Alison Blaire (our Dazzler).

First I like the layout and rendering on the page. A basic level for a Sienkiewicz, but for anyone else this would be choice. Your eye slides in to slots. It has a fascinating pacing effect. The narrative secondly is pushed forward in a way that doesn’t normally for me when exposition is used to catch up a drive the plot.

It’s kismet. Sam and Illyana are looking for GLADIATORS, and Lila is to new to LA to know of them, dead end, but accidentally teleported across galaxies, Alison with them. Lila: “…know how it feels to be stolen, and sold…” Dazzler: “…your friends are in real danger. I know because I used to be ONE of them.” And now you know the plot of Beauty and the Beast.

Speaking of…Roberto and Axe (who is BA or Angelo…so cool to me) are in the scene. And it looks like Alexander Flynn is “the boss.” I mean his Dad is the boss.

Oh and Amara is here…which will probably get confusing, cause her armour is close the Illyana’s.

Back at Lila’s Alsion finishes her story, mentions heartbreaker hotel and Hank…now Kids are involved. Also she doesn’t like live performances, and the reactions of folks knowing she is a mutant, but also she wants to work and can’t get a gig. Which made the gladiators life have some appeal, despite it being an underground kidnapping and exploitation cult to the death. Oh blood sports.

Lila dispatch’s Guido to get tickets to the secret underground scene…that is accessible to folks in Lila’s stature.

Now at the Bermuda Triangle on Magneto’s Island, Lee is watching Magneto return a felled statue with his magnetism. Large enough a tiki god to make him fatigued.

He is in recovery.

Chuck astral projection just drops in on their intimate moment. Mentions he who shel not be named.

Magneto: “As always, my old friend, your sense of timing is ineffable.”

Armageddon

Word of every day, since this is the life we live in. Welcome to the 21st Century 1985.

Back in LA…Lila is having the best kinda conversation. Memory lane of band histories. Schooling Sam.

I am Lila.

The old arse punker bouncer tries to stop them, but Illyana just scares him and they head in.

I might have spoke to soon on the Doom front.

Ok this a bit complicated and we don’t have all the information yet. So we will se how this unfolds. I have an inkling. In the meantime…I am really enjoying the ink.

A shadow of mass with delicate fingers is the alpha in this underground arena.

They feel the wealthy audience is board and a new show is needed moments before curtain call.

Lila’s assessment of Alison, is she is like a moth to flame and this could be a problem.

Illyana wants and plan, and Sam wants an Indiana Jones level of spontaneity.

Illyana is second guessing her teleportation and is fine with Lila taking that gig.

Alison’s friend Ivich is fighting and loosing, so Alison keeps in.

Now Roberto and Amara are there, as is Axe and Max Roach (assuming he is named after the Jazz drummer).

Sam jumps in.

All of the sudden, magneto opens the arena like a can opener and calls for the mutants to obey him and gather to his aid…Sam has some quibbles. Mostly on the we, had this front…Magneto is auditioning for tough arse Prof!

Now keep in mind, we had that odd ending in Uncanny No. 195, an April book of Magneto summoning the X-Men. And here we are in March with him gathering the New Mutants (or mutants in general…gets confusing, because folks drop the New a lot).

Bill is using a dipped nib I am assuming. It is possible he is using an inkwell pen or like a pilot, but my best guess is he was very comfortable with traditional media. The type of scratchy lines and exacting lines make me think he is free handing a lot, but also using ruling tools and a compass. The filled in black could be a specific nib or a dipped brush. Most likely a brush. I don’t know if he is using a hunts 102 or a series 7 No. 3, any of the industry standards. When I met him, it was two decades later and he had a wide verity of tools for the job. He worked as we talked, but I did a poor job of observing.

So we don’t Secret Wars here. But sometimes there is collateral damage. We have quick download (reasonably handled by Chris Claremont; who’s distain for event comics might rival my own).

He who shall not be named, pulled to the forefront of Illyana part of her she had been trying to keep dormant. So here she is, fifteen, in her place of rule, Limbo, in a form and mindset not of her choosing. The Darkchilde, the bringer of Armageddon.

I thought it was John Sununu.

She brought with her, to her happy place, her BFF Kitty, her classmate Sam, a pop star Alison, and a young women out of time and dimension Rachel.

Sam assumes leadership in the moment…which is fascinating…considering. The goal is survival and then deescalation of Magik.

Magik projects her personal nightmare onto them.

Kitty (the actual leader) attempts to engage Illyana, and she notices the soulsword is black not silver. And being as newly skilled as she is, Kitty takes it. It turns her body into armored and the sword becomes silver.

Kitty, always the scientist, pushes that impulse aside…to remain focused on the task as hand.

“YRAIEIIII!!!”

Cutting head to crotch through her best friend.

And literal magic. It works.

Not in curing her, but of treating the present symptoms.

Kitty is worried the rot within her friend is now within her. She has beef with he shall not be named. As do I.

They took away the man she loved…who…Piotr!? Shelving that thought. You will not reside in my head Jim Shooter!

Ack! Sam is still concerned about this nonsense and is now arguing with an operator on a pay phone while trying to call a 1-800 number to reach X-Men in NYC. Oh yeah…they teleported back to LA after Illyana changed her clothes.

Illyana: “…that dumb alien.”

Sam is freaking out and it’s getting to me. Like it is one concern after another. You are in LA.

Kitty THE LEADER: “I understand. Just do your best.”

“Okay guys…”

So Kitty’s plan is follow the money (kinda) and use telepathy too! This will get them back into the Gladiators. Alison has this fresh off the boat perspective of how icky it is to infiltrate folks minds. Also, she trusts cops. You can tell she is still coming from that romance hijinks comic perspective. Also, she is still pushing the, I know this scene and can make that work to my advantage. Kitty is like look, you are new to this “I’m a mutant,” side of things. The cops will arrest us. I am trained for this and you are not. Also, revealing how normalised the telepathy aspect is within the X-Men. She along with Lila have both been concerned for Alison going back there. Alison is aware of this, but has a plan to prove her worth.

Roberto wins a bout, but is worried he might have to kill one of these time. Didn’t notice he was cut.

Also, just learned Flynn (Dooms son) is just the head Gladiator. So he is kinda in this like Amara and Berto.

Although he plays it like he is the top and they better figure this out. Basic middle management stress.

Allison understands what Lila and Kitty are inferring. She is also trying prove to herself she has control. Meanwhile, Rachel is being asked to psychically call her. Ali’s basically with respect fuck off. Sam is mad at Kitty for letting her go on her own like a civilian. He full doesn’t get he is a student at a school and Alison is an adult. Kitty respects her enough to let it be. All the sudden Rachel, Kitty, and Sam have a visitor on their observation ledge above. Rachel’s power’s aren’t working in another…

…panel.

At that moment, Alsion casually walks in and says hi to her pal Ivich, and greets Max Roach. Says she couldn’t make it on the outside. To easy.

Max is like down the kool-aid. Alison is like…

And so our mysterious shadow with nails, is satisfied with the plot’s progress and this warrants a call to San Francisco.

Connecting with Nguyen Ngoc Coy (Father of Karma AKA Xuân Cao Mạnh OG New Mutants leader who lasted six issues and one graphic album…all of which we skipped).

While waiting for connection, the shadow orders a servant to doe for them. Then greats Alison on a screen and claims she will do as she wills like cocktail glass in her hand. Which then goes:

KRASH!

Kitty (Cat) gets hired as a technician. She’s in.

Alison is center stage. Metal show. Men around her on the floor. Her light show leaves them all in a pile of bodies.

Victoria Scalisi

Alison meets Roberto.

It goes as expected.

Okay, so Kitty was able to make a radio work so she can hear what’s being said within. Feels bad for Alison, but wants her to walk on her own into this mutant life.

The gladiators are practicing like it was the Danger Room.

It’s a bit frustrating when elements of the story throw you off, but you love a page. A scene kicks off well on a bottom tier with Rachel, Sam, and Illyana outside in the vista. The next page is really awesome to me. I love Rachel’s style and pose here. It sets up the page really well. Sam utilizing the mines back home as perspective is great. Problem is they are talking he who shall not be named. At the bottom of this page a transition back to the arena. Kitty is phasing around. A gem of a panel is all lettering and coloring.

CLANGAL

ANGALAN

GALANGA

Kitty finds Bobby.

Flynn (Doom’s son allegedly; Doom’s adopted son is Kristoff…and I thought these two were the same…I know Kristoff, because I am a She-Hulk reader/fan too) has been threatening the death of kids…only there are none. Bobby and Amara have been playing along…the reason they have not left. The moment between Bobby and Kitty is genuine and proves the hot head has a soft spot.

Okay, so he who shall not be beamed has been snooping about a bit. He is center panel here…and frankly looks perfect. IF MARVEL HAD SIMPLY MADE THIS INTERCONNECTED STORIES BETWEEN ISSUES THAT LOOSELY LINKED AND THE CENTRAL HEEL LOOKED LIKE THIS…the comics would have been aging incredibly well and would be saying his name. The title Secret Wars would not put a bad taste in my mouth. I probably would be more excited for a film that is not even based off these version of events.

ALSO, if this was not he shall not be named, but a visage of the Shadow 🤐…that would have probably worked perfectly.

So instead we get exactly what I don’t like, especially in Marvel comics. Omnipotence unawares…and wasted Bill Sienkiewicz art.

Meanwhile Kitty goes to Dazzler…and finds her laying on a bed. Diary open. And because X-Men are trained to not respect boundaries…she reads it. But she likes what she sees.

She is talking with Ali…only…wait… In a perfect panel, The Shadow has her…has Kitty. They threaten Ali, who seems unaware. Kitty knows the voice and perhaps the face…

Ali is singing on stage and Berto and Amara are left hanging.

And their next appointment enters like…

No. 31’s cover is a fav of mine. It features a women who fills the page, with her purples, pinks, yellows, and black style. She is cross. She pulls puppet strings with dainty hands. Dazzler, Sunspot, Amara, Cannonball, and Magma marionettes. She is lovely and they are frail.

It is obvious through Sienkiewicz work that he utilises fat and fat phobia to depict horror. His work on Dune leans into this. His sketchbook tells us as much. But I don’t accuse him of being fat phobic. There have been moments (I think in Moon Knight), were he treats fat as a human reality. I personally have gone the other way and a lot of contemporary cartoonist do this. There are some before us we emulate (not going to go on and on, but for one, Love & Rockets, a contemporary of these comics is a better comic and a fat positive story in that it attempts to live within our reality and struggles around the subject while revealing how it has a beauty and attractive aspect to it). Bill is not doing that here, but because I am not fat phobic I see it in a different light than if I was.

Roberto and Amara are predisposed as Dazzler provides the vibes. Our Heel: “Kill them, my pet!”

Her every need and want being served to here by slaves. Her plans unfolding on courses all accounted for. She will be indulged by violence, arch failures, and blackmailing of the audience in attendance.

She is wonderful.

Bills use of ziptone patterns on her dress speaks volumes.

Bobby is up against it.

Magma is trying to end it.

Nothing would make our Heel more pleased: “What are you waiting for…”

Alison joins and leads the chant…

Only Shadowcat whose disguise has been top shelf…has been occupying the monstrous robot the entire time. And has now revealed herself.

Dazzler isn’t herself….which does present a problem. So Kitty launches a sharp object into the center viewing box.

As the “Calvary arrives.”

And the rich scatter like rats.

Ali lets her BFF go, despite thinking some jail is perhaps warranted…but also for herself so…

In pursuit of the Heel our x-student heroes are turned against each other…Kitty expected as much. Rachel being the only ace she has. Only this is turned on its head, but Kitty’s training gives her the time she needs to strike Rachel, and have orders followed in a sequence that brings Sam face to face with the Heel…and that is when he and we know who it is that is running the show (sort of…there is one more shoe to drop). It is their old classmate, Karma, who appears different, but not enough to unrecognisable.

She reveals little, only that Chuck knows (of course) the story behind this moment. Shan (Karma) makes her escape evident, as she controls her slaves into potential killing themselves should she stay. Kitty is perhaps out played here.

Shan’s dad is arrested, she escapes on a plane, Kitty tries to defend Chuck, but Bobby is like, he knew she wasn’t dead…Kitty settles on protecting you from the truth. A pathetic pattern of excuses continues.

X-Men think X-Men might be dead….take a drink.

Sam and classmates convince Kitty to let them peruse Shan…no other options.

Sunset panel reveals X-Men alive. Stop drinking

Kitty thinks she is their mentor till Chuck returns.

Bonus: we get our first Longshot ad!!!! PS: Because of the art, I never picked up the next two issues. These issues reveal that Karma is possessed, I assume. I assume it is by The Shadow King. I also believe, the Shadow king remains unmentioned through until the final issues of this endeavour…and then again I believe it that he hosts another body. If you really want the best version of the character, watch Legion. Having read this, I am convinced that if he who shall not be named had actually been the Shadow King in just these X comics that would have worked, but there are problems here, because Jim Shooter.

Naturally…

The Defenders…

Last we saw the Defenders they were in their pool.

This cover is by two all time greatest. Art Adams (who inspired Liefeld with his and Nocenti’s Longshot, and this in turn turned into Deadpool).

AND Mike Mignola who would go on to create Hellboy.

The cover has Isaac Christians AKA Gargoyle, Brunnhilda AKA Valkyrie, Hank McCoy AKA Beast, and Warren Washington III. And they are launching into battle.

The first page includes that old school classic floating head introduction. Which always gives me warm fuzzy feelings. You can add Heather Douglas AKA Moondragon, Carol Farber & Danny Milligan AKA Cloud, and Bobby Drake AKA Iceman. Just as a reminder, Angel, Beast, and Iceman, being three of the five original ❌-Men. And so we read this when available and enjoyable on some level.

Perlin and team are working in a style that is similar to Paul Ryan, a contemporary, whom I grew up on and will become a major influence in 1986. There is something melancholy while also classically superhero comics about this. It’s as if the oddity of comics and the tone of reality at the time are in harmony in this aesthetic.

We are introduced to Helen, and in this moment what she observes, we observe. Helen is one of us.

The Hank McCoy poster is the bridge between realities.

I know how those jackets feel and fit in reality. Not flattering, but I want that Monster jacket all the same. It is worn by Adrian, whom Helen is trying to help it would seem. Adrian is resolute to his pain and his piano keys.

They simple students and a student assembly has long lost its meaning and influence in their eyes. Helen presses on still. Adrian plays his music. The assembly is sparked by news coverage of Dazzler’s film and her outing as a mutant. The contradictions of contextualising Dazzler to Hitler on one side and Mutants to a marginalized group on the other is a crucible, this is fed or feeds Adrain’s piano playing.

This is very 1950’s-1980’s comics storytelling…and I love that it is here as so much change in comics storytelling is happening around it. It’s also a confirmation that the narrative has been there in some form for generations and continues as I type.

Senator Kelly v Hank McCoy debating at the school. Well this seems very relevant to ❌-Men and to our contemporary contexts.

Adrian’s music rises and then crashes. I love this panel of his desperation laying on the keys.

The arrival of Hank, Bobby, and Carol on campus is charming in that wooden scooby-doo dialogue kinda way. There is editorial reference to a stench that relates to the corresponding issue of Rom, which centers Forge and literary everyone else…Avengers, X-Men, including Bill…but I don’t have it, and frankly we have moved to the end of spring and this issue takes place in winter. That’s the life of a comics reader.

They are all nostalgic or novice being on campus, but the mood takes a turn as Adrian greets them and Hank notices he has five fingers and a thumb. A sign of demons, I guess.

Back in New Mexico, inside from the Pool, Isaac and Dolly are talking. I guess he merged with Moondragon and now feels like a glass is half full. I don’t know, but I like that they are just chatting over coffee. Now these aren’t X-Men exactly…so not sure if you drink or not.

Down below Warren and Candy are talking. They apparently have gotten some kid into something and the result is he is in a block of ice. And Warren makes this amazing statement: “You know being an X-Men was like being in a gang - - we just looked out for each other. But with Chris - - being a Defender means taking on responsibility.” Well I’ll be…

And bellow that still, Moondragon meditation is so hard she throws up.

So Beast has revealed everything about himself and he went to school here. Bobby is not in love with this publicity. The greeting or the returning star pupil continue and then a scream interrupts and so Hank and Bobby over react by superheroing to an ordinary medical event involving Adrian…and Helen is assisting him.

Ok…Bobby is drinking coffee now…take a drink.

So this is in the Jim Shooter era. Shooter explicitly rejected queer contexts while he was editor-in-chief. However, it was happening in a number of contexts. X-Men comics of this era have subtle context which can be read in different ways. And a lot of queer folks at the time and in the future find relevance in these contexts. This has lead to some characters having a more explicit depiction in the 21st Century.

To be clear, where and when I grew up meant we understood the cultural context outside our local community and within would be quite different and there absolutely was a spectrum.

To me this doesn’t go nearly far enough and it reads like Jim Shooter is looking over your shoulder with some concerns. But it also reads because of that, there is some pushing of the boundaries happening. And because of this it becomes problematic and messy for all perspectives. It reads weird and hatful…but I am still excited to see it. Which may relate to at least one other comic in this chapter. Kismet.

Bobby is talking with Cloud and they are having their first real conversation about their feelings for each other. Bobby is saying he is uncomfortable. Now, if we take the knowledge we have of the character in the 21st Century and apply it here, what we hear is not a homophonic person, but a closeted bisexual person. And Cloud is living with two genders identities. That’s the character. They are both, but they have the distinct of alternating between both, so they are fluid…as is their power. Cloud requires care for their full self, and the question is, can Bobby provide it, no matter how you read this. To me as someone now reading it in the 21st Century, I see it as a conflict in Bobby, to maintain his protection of identity or to be more intimate. A risk for a lot of reasons. He is already concerned about Hank outing himself as a mutant and what effect it may have on his privacy and protection from anti-mutants, but also there is this need to protect himself with regards to another identity he realise, denies, or is only there through association if he enters into a romance with Cloud. And if he were to open up to Cloud, could both personalities in Cloud accept him for who we know him to be in the 21st Century? After all, it is made clear Cloud also cares for Moondragon…though that sounds rocky…indicating there is not path for a man to love a man in this relationship. The fact that this a discussion at all here is progress. Even though at the time, from my IRL experience it plays as a conservative pretzel.

The next day, Hank was unaware that Sen Kelly was arriving on campus. He arrives to “FASCIST” “NAZI” chants.

Hank and Bobby chat that they know little of the bill…and they do not mention Val or Raven, who are involved.

Hank gives a jovially lecture about being a mutant and Adrian reacts with distain, as it makes light of what is a burden for him. He and Hank talk over by the piano.

It doesn’t go well.

Kelly is equating the fear of powers to nuclear fear. And frankly this analogy would hit hard in 1985. We grew up with nuclear holocaust as the existential threat. The conflation here is treating mutants as Jews and Blacks have been. And so he tries to form a distinction and the students don’t buy it.

Adrian goes after Kelly.

The Defenders intervene protecting Kelly. Adrian attacks them, with out powers (though he seems to have super strength and not know it), as he takes out Hank and Bobby.

Cloud’s intervention results in Adrian’s powers being revealed. Something Helen know about. And then he short circuits because he has a compounding medical condition. It’s a tragic scene.

That evening Hank gives a lecture and announcement that he has learned from Adrian. That he and Helen and Art, Adrian’s support system, are forming an organisation to combat the propaganda that Kelly provides as the resistance to camps remains, so does the resistance to fear.

Epilogue: Moondragon meditation reveals, she is dying.

And so we pick up seemingly random comic.

The infamously problematic Uncanny 196.

In June, 2013, in issue No. 13 of All New X-Men Vol. 1 Brian Michael Bendis wrote dialogue and direction for this page by S. Immonen, Grawbadger, Beredo, and Petit + Lowe.

I was really struck by how much I enjoyed this Kitty. When I eventually get there, this is a moment that makes me consider it as part of “to me my ❌-Men.” It’s amongst those who are under consideration. The problem though it this goal is really focused on an ending first. And epilogues and post credits are only happening because they serve the primary story. The vast majority of X-comics exist outside the narrative I am engaged with.

The idea of a Kitty ending up in this role and maturing into this person, makes a lot of sense. Especially when considering where she came from. Which we began this story with, in a boarding school, at 13, on a Christmakkah evening, with a monster in the house.

I didn’t know until about the time that this issue came out what was in the pages of 1985’s Uncanny X-Men No. 196. We didn’t have social media, digital access to everything in the palms of our hands. And it speaks volumes that it never came up to my ears or eyes in school studying this stuff at the turn of the century. So this ain’t an excuse, it’s actually an admission of contrition and inditement on society pre SM. Let it be a warning at this time of erasure. It is easy to be one who simply doesn’t know, and lack the inertia to know.

One would think the cover would have compelled me. But this is a newly acquired issue. I actually didn’t know it was “the issue.” I had a basic understanding, but not an exacting one. For the past dozen years, I have known this side of Kitty. But that’s not hinted at here. At all.

We see Logan foreshadowing and claws. We see presumably Rachel (which would have been a guess all these years, but is now an informed understanding), compelling me to buy this comic. We see Kitty out like a light. And Rogue…and for some reason Storm. All just bodies on a ground.

I suspect the words: “Secret Wars II continues in this book” was compelling enough by the time I came across it. So I went hard pass.

Chuck is giving a lecture and hears thoughts in the student audience of murderous plans. Only he is on power tampering drugs to limit him from going mad with hearing to clearly to many voices at once. Oh poor baby can’t invade folks minds with precision.

I do love this page layout on page two though.

The adjacent page is of Ororo in Kenya in the savanna. She and a lion are shot. The panels of her being shot and then laying in the grass as horrifying as this is, it aesthetically is beautiful to me.

Andrea shot her, as the twins hunting party has tracked and dealt with their pray. The central panel of Andrea is also sickeningly delicious.

The bottom longshot is nice. A cafeteria area at a food shopping area has seated at a table, Piotr, Kitty, Logan, Chuck, Rogue, Magneto, Lee, and Rachel. Chuck is holding court…but otherwise this is great to see.

Not everyone (Kitty) is happy to see Magneto at the table. I prefer him over Chuck.

The waiter sees the headline of Logan’s paper: “Nimrod Takes on Muties!” Which is the derogatory term for mutants. This is kinda relevant here.

Waiter: “Great guy, that NIMROD!”

Logan’s fixed on Chuck…and Rogue is aware, offers help.

Kitty as established last chapter, is all for mind probes. And Chuck is comfortable enough with Magneto to admit out lout he is compromised telepathically.

And yet, he has a psychic barrier up, powerful enough to keep Rachel out. Both of them know something is up with Chuck. That makes three, well four…and Magneto is not one of them perhaps.

Great scene of an appearing and disappearing man who comes to the counter gets food and disappears, while Rachel and the counter staff are the only ones who notice or talk with him. And Kitty only notices Rachel’s strange behaviour. Only problem is, it is likely he who shall not be named.

Kurt teleports into St. Anne’s (Lower Eastside) which we know from Bill Sienkiewicz pages in New Mutants w/ Cloak and Dagger. He and Father Bowen share a coffee.

Take a swig.

Kurt is having one of his crisis of faith episodes, because of he who shall not be named.

Kurt: “I am lost.”

As are we.

Some young folks are breaking into an office at Columbia. They are nearly stopped by security, but secure a gadget under we assume Chuck’s desk. It’s meant to kill a mutant.

Nearby mutants, Rogue and Rachel land and brake up a brawl.

Rogue and Rachel are talking about how Rogue use to have the bad guy label and Rachel knows of Magneto as a leader she followed after Chuck in the future. So the heel turn of Magneto is not as weird as perhaps they were initially feeling.

Of course the guy they save is afraid of them and says “Are you Muties?” Before he runs off. I point this out for a reason.

Oh and there is a pretty lame tag of Nimrod # 1 Muties Die!

Rachel is like wake up Rogue…this is how it starts. And frankly, yes!

She then blasts a wall with telekinetic force.

While yelling what my people’s say: “NEVER AGAIN!!

Presumably he who shall not be named observes and admires her power.

So they are trying to track down this potential murder plot. Kitty and Logan have had as little luck as Rachel and Rogue as they have used Rachel’s telepathy to check everyone on the list.

Kitty says Magneto and Chuck are heading to his office (where there is a killing device). Kitty taking Logan’s sigar and then coughing up a lung is not only priceless, but an important indicator of context that she is 16.

We are now calling Magneto, Maggie…Logan and Kitty are having a nice conversation on the steps about folks evolving and how they have and Maggie might be and Chuck is probably sick.

“Pun’kin” (Kitty, per Logan) is know on the case for the next suspect.

Okay that was pretty awesome. I want that scene in a movie…it continues with her phasing, so air walking up from the outside and through the exterior wall into a room. She thinks to herself it is empty. Only it is not.

Now I am taking it as Nimrod in his humanoid form. But it is likely he shale not be named. If it were me Nimrod and The Shadown King would be doing similar things independently and this would provide confusion for 2/3 of the film, until they come into conflict with each other, revealing themselves for the first time. Just an idea.

She passed through the figure and felt a chill, like a ghost.

Let’s ease up. Y’all reading (all three of you) will have your own take, but the reality is few if any reading along here will have much to say, beyond nodding along. Which is why I am going to set up my own context, but then let it be. If someone with the appropriate agency wants to get in here, I am here for us to listen.

Ignoring it or sweeping it under the rug may or may not be as helpful. So I am taking a risk, as I kinda painted myself into a corner.

From 1978-1983 there were two white families on my block. From 1980-1987 most evenings there were five kids in my Mom’s apartment. Two of them were white & Jewish.

Wait what?! Divorced homes. Black neighborhood and Black friends who’s Mom worked double shifts most days.

From 1984-1987 I was bussed through all of Berkeley and into the Elementary school in our old neighborhood where we were one of two white families.

Our school was fortunate to be in the shadow of the Black Panther Party. We all grew up with the stories of Dr. King and Malcom X as heroes. By age 9, I had a clear understanding and admiration for local hero Angela Davis.

Because of our bussing system, about half of my classmates were Black. The rest were an equitable representation of our community.

Throughout the day we heard the ‘made you look,’used by our classmates. We all understood who could use it. We also had this specific to our school years rule that was set up by those who had agency. It was a common discussion during this time on the intent, who could use it, when and where…we were witnessing our classmates take ownership of a term that was rightfully theirs. For whatever reason, they at that time created a rule on our basketball court. Anyone could, in exchange for all derogatory terms to be freely used. But only within that white outlined rectangle. Have I used it? Yes. Between 1984-1987. Between those white lines. With those friends. And I am sure all of us who are alive are thinking, “what were we thinking!!”

If I had read this issue in 1985, I’d have blurted out, “Kitty that is not a basketball court!”

Which is to say, what I finally understood after leaving the Black community I was raised in, and contributed to the gentrification of another, in “The South,” before arriving in rural predominately white state. One folks mistake for being progressive.

Take This Hammer (KQED, February 1964):

Hunters Point resident youth: “They want to talk about the South? The South is not half as bad as San Francisco … Let me tell you about San Francisco. The white man, he’s not taking advantage of you out in public like they’re doing down in Birmingham. But he’s killing you with that pencil and paper, brother. When you go to look for a job, can you get a job?”

James Baldwin: “This is a San Francisco America pretends does not exist. They think that I am making it up.”

We did there and then. We do here and now.

But let’s back up a few panels where left off and carful walk through this.

Again, I learned about this on Twitter in like 2013…which again is really illuminating how white people and most everyone else simply don’t talk this through when it comes up IRL. It took SM to get to the point where it was quickly utilised as a point of fact when Kitty was being presented as a heroic representative for diversity.

So here we are, page 13 in 1985.

She passes through something that makes her think it was like a ghost. And now she is entering a computer lab where some students are talking about results coming through. Are these the ones who broke into Chuck’s office? John is on edge, Phil is trying to get him to chill. There about a half dozen of them.

Kitty: “Won’t make what happen?”

They know who she is. They call her by last name. Assuming she taking classes with them. Now again she is a genius at 16. And they are adult students.

Roger is the one who calls her by name.

She is familiar enough to go grab a slice of pizza and ignore their irritation. Friendly jousting vibe. She even feels like it’s not them. She has a level of trust here. They are signalling get lost, but my tribe don’t always abide boundaries. We nudge them a bit. It’s a cultural thing.

Bobby is like, how did you get in…and Kitty is like…I’m a genius. Duh!

Phil, who seems to be the alpha of this operation realises in the moment, wait…Pryde attends both Columbia AND Xevier’s school.

Kitty is like, ‘so?!’

And Phil asks her: “You a MUTIE then, Pryde - - - - like HIM?!

(Chuck)

Now all along, especially since Uncanny X-Men No. 192, the term “Mutie” has been openly used as a derogatory term towards Mutants. But this is all fiction, and specifically it does not represents our reality. It is a space where readers across a full spectrum can identify with. At times the comic does contextually represent diversely a more direct depiction of bigotry and targets of bigotry. It does this as it does most things from IRL. It couches the fiction within a grounded reality. At the end of chapter 40 there an excellent example of this forth coming. And it is clear that the Marvel offices and its creators have a paradoxical relationship with this area. Helping propagandise a war effort to go fight Nazis, before the US enters the war, and then folks like Kirby went over there to fight IRL. But at the same time, they depicted a marginalized and encamped population in explicitly racist ways because their old country was Japan. And now we are reading through a pendulum swing of colonial fetishisation of Japanese culture at Marvel. As well as, seeing in Defenders for example and inability to communicate and present queer culture and identity in any real way, while the HIV was finally being openly acknowledged in my community and being framed on bigoted terms in another. I say all this to point out, Marvel was decades from making the appearance of maturity on the issues of marginalized representation. And that is not an excuse for this panel.

There is no excuse. The only context I could think of is if Kyle Baker and Billy Graham were the only two cartoonist working on this…but this team is not that team. And I don’t see a world where Billy and Kyle would put this out there…especially in 1985.

Sure the repetition of the question of the question “Are you a Mutie?!” has been established, but Claremont, Orzechowski, and Nocenti are going beyond the boundaries of provocative and topical here. 1985 is not an excuse. We have had & continue to have a failure to hear.

Romita Jr, Green, Glynis, Orzechowski, Claremont + Nocenti’s Marvel’s Disney’s Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 No. 196

The reality is this is on the creators, not the fictional character. The other side of that coin is, if you are reading this issue, and I am, this cannot be ignored. We will see what the character learns and does with this moment. In the moment it doesn’t seem to be contrition.

Phil: “WATCH YOUR MOUTH!”

Kitty: “WATCH YOURS!”

*and unfortunately for all of us she doesn’t stop there. If Phil was saying this to her, that might help (not nearly enough to get a horse back in a barn), but what Kitty says just adds gasoline to an inferno.

Phil has a gun and apparently Kitty and him have discussed this before…I am thinking this was between panels, not in a comic…but I would love to be proven wrong on that hunch. The fact that Phil also has a gun is really not a great move here. The A-Team looks great here, but in reality not so great!

Now Mark is get into it. Love how we are getting to know the whole gang.

Oh boy…Kitty just deaged herself. She is back to 15. She also is using logic after that line was crossed three panels ago.

Somehow they get the upper hand…like this Kitty should not have been maced and chloroformed…I don’t care how racist she is. *I do care.

Meanwhile, Piotr, Logan and Rogue are on the steps, reflecting on how dumb this plan is. Rogue especially is like, I should be back home with my Moms, ‘cause haters are gunna hate. What kinda speech she got for Kitty?!

Rachel, Chuck, and Maggie are in Chuck’s campus office.

They are discussing he who shall not be named, specially Rachel’s perception and encounters. She senses he is in the room. Chuck has he set up a telepathic link between the three of them to enhance and share, which is exactly the sort of mechanism trigger to set off the gadget under Chucks desk. It send off a “PSI-SCREAM.”

It amplified and returns the effects onto the source. Rachel is its target now.

She presses back, launching Chuck and Maggie exploding out of the building.

Rogue catches both of them…because she is that good of an outfielder…see X-Men baseball.

When I was teaching at the local high school I had a student, who I knew personally as well. Here in Vermont we are surrounded by well meaning and not so well meaning white folks. So many, that it is the one place I have lived where I can honestly say, my marginalized context is equatable in terms of raw numbers to other marginalized people. We all kinda live in a shared space, where none of us really out number any others, only the white folks do.

And so we watch out for each other where we can. Sometimes this leaves it up to us to step over a boundary we normally don’t outside this state.

This student is Black and was being raised in a mostly white family. And so here is this teenage kid thinking he has agency over ‘made you look again’ and so he was giving permission to his white friend’s to use it. I pulled him aside and asked him about this. I then let him know that if they had ended up in my neighborhood growing up and had said it there, my friends, and frankly me, would have beat his ass. And I wondered if that is what he wants for his friend when and if he leaves Vermont.

Point being, Mickey is kinda clueless here, and I don’t have a clue what to say about Kitty and Phil here. It’s not great all around. The power dynamics and the historical pain…someone else…I am all ears.

*literally a joke I heard about my ears in 1985.

Phil is all about covering tracks. So there is that take too. Rachel busts in epically, not considering the full context.

LEAVE HER ALONE!!!

Rachel: “- - and her thoughts are as wonderfully chaotic as ever!”

Tragically Phil is awake enough to react to Rachel, and hell bent enough to fire his gun at here. She is to locked in to have that work and the bullet simply turns towards his face. While this seems cool…it is anything but. She really would have murdered Phil and that is absolutely pointless.

Lucky for her Maggie is there to master of magnetism a solution that at least saves Phil’s life.

Maggie and Rachel are arguing the finer points of ethics. It is a university people. Villainous Soliloquy and Righteous Indignation are clubs on campus.

Man…she gets into it. And Maggie is like, fine kill him…if that’s how you feel. And she turns it on its head and blames him for the permission.

Rachel: “I may never forgive you for this.”

She transform from her sick hound outfit into her sick punk Jane Fonda outfit. And calmly states the police are here. We gotta go.

Kitty tries to thank her, Rachel is not in the mood, but says her polite response. Kitty wonders how Maggie knew what to say. And he is basically saying, he understands what it is to hate hate. The struggle of never forgetting or forgiving. He says this in front of a stunned Phil, but also a lurking he who shale not be named.

This comic for some will never be forgotten or forgiven.

And so, naturally, Thor No. 358 is next in our bin dive.

Because we can afford it and it has Bill on the cover.

Thor is stunned to see Melodi, and she is like, baby call me Lorelei!

We however care little for this, as we are shipping SifBill!! or was it BillSif?

NYC twin towers sighting.

And Bill flying towards Sif..are they holding hands!?

Dang it…she is talking about how you loose passion as an immortal, because time, and that she loved Thor. Bill doesn’t want to hear all that. He is calling you “Milady!”

Ack…and now we turn the page to men in battle armor. What is it with Walter and these bulky yellow armored characters? More love not war! Worset romance comic yet!!

I feel bad for this Peter dude.

Thor is now spilling the political intel to Lorelei! We love Thor here…two of his films are in our top 10, but they prove this to be true…Thor is the worst Thor.

More war games…well at least our fav hopeless romantic is there. Bill we love you!

A reprieve, we get, as Volstagg is amongst the common folk warring a I Love NY “T,” as was that guy who was tagging anti mutant statements and getting a beat down was. Volstagg is such a great sharer.

Bill is still caught up in some nonsense robot battle.

Sif: “Bill what’s happening?”

The bad dude controlling the robots to SifBill or BillSif: “Psst! Hey, you folks you seem to be fighting on the side of the angels. I’ve got something to tell you.”

Honestly, my attention span here is like zero.

Bill has the remote now.

None of this matters…because BillSif SifBill are legit holding hands and Sifin reflection with her time with mortals is like, I learned a lot so: “Let us not count the minutes till we must part, but spend them recklessly like mortals as though we had all the time in the world.”

But that’s in our heads in the gutter. Cause next we see mysterious super science in Red Hook.

BUT THEN

We see the most magnificent…

⁉️

⁉️

As Lorelei meats up with…

For some something something…

And so…

Is all for this:

Er…this:

As for Alpha Flight No. 26 it’s pretty simple. Guardian should be dead. And less confusingly the Go-Bots are here. I have a crush on Dimond Lil…thus picking up this issue…and her v Puck is hella kinky. And lastly, Heather is equally confused to find Guardian there, but in a gross but not shocking twist…he’s a robot.

Next: Life Death ii & !!!