Punch Up: “To Me My ❌-Men”

Chapter Twenty-Five:

1984

November, 1984, New Mutants Annual No. 1 by McLeod, Sienkiewicz, Palmer, Sharen, Claremont + Nocenti

August-November, 1984 New Mutants 22-25 by Sienkiewicz, Glynis, Orzechowski, L. Buhalis, Claremont + Nocenti & Sanderson

Mixtape track: Empty Eyes by Teenage Jesus & The Jerks; Jesus Was a Communist by Reagan Youth; Mr. Freeze by Dr. Know; Waste of Breath by Subhumans; & I Will Dare by The Replacements

Chapter 25 in “to me my ❌-Men,” Rock, intergalactic travel, that’s right…Dazzler’s pal, Lila Chaney, has arrived and Sam will never be the same. As Chuck is way to involved, but to balance it out we have Cloak and Dagger…and the New Mutants are top shelf entering into 1985.

Previously on “to me my ❌-Men,” we picked up a random issue of Thor from the 25¢ bin, because it is not November of 1985 yet, so we do not do rhythm or reason yet. In it we fall for SifBill. We should also note last time we saw the New Mutants they were snooping on an ❌-Men meeting, and before that they had a Slumber Party that assembled their class roster.

We are first treated to another Sienkiewicz cover, with our first appearance of Lila Cheney standing strong with a sick and holding onto her a punkish Sam. 🌏behind them. This is an inverse of a fantasy trope.

Al Williamson (Flash Gordon) and Frank Frazetta

Of the Man standing tall and the damsel in a sub position. Though, Frazetta is actually known for depicting strong ass women. And we credit Al Williamson with a lot beyond Marvel, but also being a massively underrated long time contributor to Marvel (see credits so far in my ongoing browsing of Marvel comics).

What Sienkiewicz is doing here is purposeful and we freaking love it. Punk rock!!!

We are FEMINISTS in my house!

Title: “Steal This Planet! a rock fable”

Metal!

Opening the comic, we have Sam struggling in the Danger Room. This is our first proper Bob McLeod New Mutants comic in this “to me my -Men.” I am liking McLeod alright these days, but he was a bit old head for my taste back in the 80’s…heck in 2000. That said, this is not like checking out Milgrom (respect for the working stiff), during the same era. This is some excellent pros pro cartooning here. It just isn’t rocking any boats, innovating, showing personal style like we just saw with Bill and Walt. We have our usual writing support team of Claremont and Nocenti, but we really don’t have the A-Team on art. That said, Palmer & Sharon are absolutely vets at this. Also, McLeod does lettering. RESPECT!

Sam has on his always on point student uniform.

The workout goes comically and horrifically sideways, as Dani, Illyana and Chuck observe. Chuck first breaks him down and then kinda pulls him back up emotionally…because he is a jerk. Sam walks away feeling failure. Love it when my students feel like they suck. I loved it when my teachers made me feel like I sucked. I really gained a lot character and learned so much about myself. That I sucked at whatever it was. And I make sure my students embrace failure and know, everyone sucks, just like them.

The penciling, inking, and coloring of this last panel on page four is fire…Fire the writer/letterer for ruining it with their nonsense. Damn it McLeod!

In NYC, Lila Cheney posters around a construction site…darn it…another poorly designed alien arch is all over this page. ‘Ben, YOU LOVE STAR WARS, how come you are so harsh on these space opera parts of the Marvel and especially ❌-Men comics…don’t you love the Starjammers and Rom!?’ Yesss…I love them Rom comics and I do love the Starjammers…and yes, we start out with a monster that looks like an alien arch that continues to be relevant through all this story…but honestly…Lucas and team through Jedi (mostly) had some solid design concepts for their aliens…and Marvel consistently blows it with lazy design. I really think character design matters. I would take a guy with weird eyes or a horn and business suit over this any day. This is not scary or aesthetically appealing…it’s a corny oldie.

“And so…” the scene outside the Lila Chaney show is excellent. Punks and squares are all in. The most square being Rahne, who can’t help herself but to make some obvious comment about my people looking like it’s Halloween. What a tool that kid is.

Sam makes the possible worse joke that they could have their school uniforms on and be able to blend in. Which makes the point…superhero costumes are functional stupid and we love paradoxes, so we love them.

Dani is like, Chuck wants us to not make trouble. Gosh Chuck is lame.

Roberto is always of privilege, so they get in ahead of everyone, and they have early and backstage access.

So people notice and think they are famous and/or cheats.

Rahne is judging Amara for being uncool, bringing up Chariot Races as a comp to Rock concerts.

Sam is like, “where’re we supposed to sit…?”

The New Mutants are familiar with the band on a, ‘I read Teen Beat,’ and I have the cassette tape, level.

Doug points out, “THERE SHE IS LILA CHENEY!

Lila is somewhere between Pat Benatar and Jone Jett, maybe Chrissie Hynde. I am sure they thought they were providing us with Patti Smith or maybe even Siouxsie Sioux and were unaware of Poly Styrene, maybe even Exene Cervenka. But I was willing to think of Exene and Siouxsie in between panels.

No matter, on page 10, McLeod delivers punk/metal icon vibes.

Claremont is out of his depths here. He thinks it is 1968, with all this Rock ‘n Roll…well I guess McLeod could have not lettered the ‘n Roll and at least pretended they weren’t as square as the New Mutants.

The stacks fall, the New Mutants break character and Sam gets to save Lila from being crushed by a tower of speakers.

Hah! The manager gives me Bob Pendarvis vibes. Bob was a professor of mine. He is an icon and a hero in my book. A SCAD student who was so tenacious as the 80’s become the 90’s that he convinced our alma mater to have an Undergraduate and Graduate program in Sequential Art (Will Eisner…kinda), thus making the third dedicated (that I am aware of) collegiate comics program, and the first to offer both a BFA and MFA (of which I was the first in history who dumb/smart enough to graduate from…others had done one or the other, but both was insanity). I love Bob and this tool looks like Bob.

Lila is thanking Sam by making out with him. Uh oh…Sam falls in love with anything with two legs and a set of lips. 👄

They are all invited to her place for an after party.

Bobby is bitter Sam got the kiss. He said he loved her first and Sam said he also loves ever set of legs and 👄. Bobby and Warlock were the first to act, but Sam was the one who got to Lila first. Hah.

Warlock can deduce it is sabotage. Also he can look like any human.

Rahne is on the sent.

As the concert goes, The New Mutants track down the dumb alien.

Only Lila noticed the fight, as she performs.

The action bleeds into the set, but the audience takes it as part of the show.

The energy of the crowd affects Lila. She vanishes and then so does the band, and Sam. Dani and Doug are not in the fight. Warlock is all messed up. The team needs help. The crowd is going wild.

Dani, with assistance from Warlock, has them follow, teleporting…to the wrong location in space.

Lila, Sam and the band are on another planet.

So Lila’s mutant ability is intergalactic teleportation. She can only travel long distances.

This is her home.

Dyson Sphere

Conal (lead guitar) and Ben (bass…darn…I play drums) are in charge of getting same dressed.

So Lila is going to steal and sell her home planet, Earth.

Warlock has turned himself into a space ship, so the New Mutants don’t die in space.

Dani is the first wake.

They are nearly stranded, only there is a place a light year away they can jump to. Warlock suspects it’s Lila’s place.

Lila is in a dressed minimally (well not Rogue or Storm level, but New Mutants level). Sam looks ridiculous and know it. He is dressed like a Chorus Teacher in the Castro (inside joke). They make out on the bed.

While they are distracted, Phil, the drummer (hah…he looks more like Iggy Pop, but he has Phil Collins job and name), is ready to double cross Lila. He wants to get paid for Earth and take out Lila. Working behind her back with an alien broker…another terrible design.

Doug is take some alien notes…his mutant power by the way is linguistic fluency. Doug is great!

The New Mutants make it to Dyson Sphere and are attacked by terribly designed aliens. Captured and brought before the broker and Phil. The broker just vaporised Phil. His best look is as a vaporised skeleton.

Oh and Lila and Sam have also been captured. The plot is getting pretty meh.

Rahne and Dani don’t know if it’s Sam…the outfit is that off.

The attempt an escape and Lila admits the plot to steal Earth was her dumb idea…nah…it’s Chris Claremont’s.

Amara and Illyana are useful and start saving the day. Doug even takes down a poorly designed alien.

Illyana is making fun of Sam. He starts to help. The rest of the team jumps in.

Sorry, class…they are not ❌-Men.

“Fights over Mutants…and we won” -sam

Oops some sort of super science thing happened that doomed earth cause Amara blew up a star gate console. Lila is just pointing it out and they are calling her a thief and grave robber. Sam’s face is priceless though.

Doug is deciphering some alien code, but part is missing…

…I like the decisive coloring here….he pushes something at the last second and saves the day.

Lila admits she is a thief and was trying to prove she was the best. But she pays her debts and will do whatever they want of her.

Dani: “how about simply leaving our (her own) planet alone?”

Lila: “deal.”

Lila is hot and teleports them home. So I think she rocks.

She teleported them to London (where is from), not NYC.

Illyana teleporting disk has its risks…so they have to call Chuck. Giving Lila and Sam more time to make out. 👄

Bobby is pissed. So all is well.

…read 1984 by Orwell. It’s only 300 pages.

The A-Team of this era is back!

Nightcrawler is with Sam in the danger room. The awkward eldest New Mutant, is reasonably lacking in confidence as Kurt simply acrobatically travels the space and them BAMF is back at the start. When Cannonball tires, the trajectory simply doesn’t shift, as his velocity is unbothered by his shifting from within his protective power mid flight. Kurt BAMF saves him. Rahne is an unwanted audience (though I love the thrown kiss at Sam, as far as the cartooning is concerned). Rahne’s judgment of Kurt is grotesque and aligns with the kid herself. He attempts to teach her a lesson, with clowns (not my choice for my choice for a lesson on tolerance). She feels manipulated (rightfully), and runs off because (bigoted).

As Rahne runs past, distracting Roberto, a lesson from Colossus, reveals Sunspots ego and jealousy is a hinderance to his growth. He takes it to Colossus (who honestly is not much older, so this a bit weird), but something strange (even for the ❌-Men, happens to Colossus head and Sunspots hands. And then it is over).

Rahne has Moira (MacTaggert), her guardian. And she is with Chuck (Dani’s guardian). And they are with Warlock, studying him, because adults simply can’t understand the lessons of ET.

Moira is all in on Chuck reading Warlock’s mind. Which does, but can’t decipher. He realises Rahne is looking at them. Calls her out (he is the problem here), and she runs off.

It is cool that Warlock takes nutrients, converts them into circuitry like himself, extracts the energy, leaving some basic structure left.

So Rahne makes it to Dani for help.

Dani is on the phone with her folks and so runs off, because she doesn’t want to be invited to learn how to rider horses?!!

The Rahne and Roberto anti-demon+ is a little annoying. I am assuming this what Dani is wondering about.

Park Ave NYC…we are hanging with the Hellfire Club!

Herr Friedrich von Roehm is our fav bottom sub. The muttonchop has Selene dropping in after…well that can’t be right…Millenia. And Friedrich is in his knees.

OK, so he proposes the Hellfire Club as a solution to solve Salene’s housing issue. And then he spills the tea on Shaw and sunspots Dad.

Mr. DeCosta is about to go through the initiation process.

I love that page. It reminds me of From Hell. Which is a proper comic and about as intense and gross is the medium gets. It also is a fact finding mission worthy your consideration historians.

Roberto is flirty at the pool with Asmara. Which frankly is fine.

Ack…having two short hearted read headed characters is tripping me up. Assuming Rahne is writing her Disney Princess story. Forgot to mention some off this in the covers corner box. I love how on model Sienkiewiczis here. He and Miller began running their portfolios by Neil Adams. Frank took a minute, but Bill was right off a talent Adams could see. Bill could literally do whatever he wanted.

Rahne’s story is intense, and I would care more, if I didn’t know her thoughts. The comic ends a fright, but also peacefully.

Cover of No. 23 tells us, Cloak and Dagger inside.

First page has us inside the Hellfire club initiation, and this image is full S&M. DaCosta is in over his head, Selene may devour the room. She is not my type and even I am like…

A second From Hell like page.

Wait…they only need to drink the cool aid?!

Shaw has the sense to realize in Selene he has met his match. We need to start feeling something when we see these two.

Piotr is playing chess at a whole in the wall owned by Harry Morrel. They are talking old country and NYC. Yiddish…yadda yadda.

Ok…I was taught not to put feet on the panel boarder, unless you are flirting with the fourth wall…and Gil Cane taught us to break the panel boarder. What I absolutely love here are these figures of varied body types all having the spindly lower legs, hanging on the bottom of page at there quarters view, outside the panel boarder. Roberto the sad sack is blowing my vibes

Wow he sucks (great page). He hits Piotr, then turns to Sunspot, so Piotr becomes Colossus and then knocks into Molly and Harry…knocking them out.

Piotr sends out a telepathic request…this happens because Chuck leaves the line open. It sometimes is really great…but is it?

No ❌-Men around (in Japan…or out…oh…I think we will figure this out soon).

So another awkward Sam scene of him walking in on Dani as they discuss responding to the telepathic call. Only, we don’t need to see this.

Bobby is acting and looking odd that past couple issues. Like Warlock I guess. His fight with Piotr is a bit off. The whole in the wall is destroyed and Dani and Sam show up late.

Bobby is out!

Lee Forester is with Magneto, back at the spot where Lee and Scott ran into him back in Chapter 2. Wow, that paid off!

So the island base use to be Chucks and now the future Island M is home for the arch.

I love how Lee is not impressed with Magneto’s mutant ego and she is taking charge. She’s really great as a counter to these dumb mutant personalities.

Chuck and Moira are playing Doctor in the basement back at the school. Piotr and Roberto are in speedoes in a coma on high tec slabs. Chuck paid for damages at Harry’s and he and Molly the waitress are ok.

Meanwhile Dani and Adam are talking, and Dani is pissed at Roberto for going to the saloon in the first time. Dear Sam speaks with sensitivity, but because he is from Kentucky I guess, he keeps referring to his dear friend and classmate Dani, as Chief. Icky. Dani realises something, hurts herself trying to jolt out of a chair, because she is not recovered yet from Demon Bear. Sam scolds her and they take off, Sam unconfidently flying them with Dani his emotional support system and guide in hand.

Ok a bit about last issues end. Rahne was writing a story and fell asleep. The story was literally a Disney Princes story. She cast herself as Alystraea, and I am not totally clear on who the possessed Prince Duncan is. Sam? Piotr? Anyway he passes out at her doorstep, she turns into the city as a wolf. I really identify with her feelings of trepidation. I was afraid of “The City” when I was a kid. My mom had a gig there for a few years, and it scared me. Which is hilarious, because my neighborhood was no Burb. Anyway, the wolf gets into it with an animated taxi cab that is complaining like a normal New Yorker. And then she encounters and attacks a knight and sorcerers who are clearly Cloak and Dagger…and she does something scary to Dagger, and vengeful on behalf of Duncan.

So here we are in reality flying towards her NYC upscale digs. Dani uses her brainwashing illusion to help her and Sam gain entry…which is another looks like From Hell page, because of it. The use of her developing skills really tax her. She is now able to see into the clerks memory and see a women who looks like Rahne’s princesses self. I don’t know how all this works. I just work here. This leads them to her door…and there is a sobbing Rahne, relieved to see Dani.

Sam notes the inequity between this room and his parents, and then manages to fly the three of them back to school.

There was and now is this medallion. Dani is the first to say something about it. It’s been in Rahne’s possession.

The Chief comment could absolutely be something Dani is fine with in thier relationship. They have cute banter, she calls him Fella in retort here…it gets weird for 21st Century reading, when we are so conditioned to be sensitive around this stuff. The reality is in my own close personal relationships there is some one on one leeway on this kinda stuff. It’s usually a two way street and understood. And the two parties tend to be allies beyond this in all the ways. Humans are awesome creatures.

Ok SO, Dani takes the medallion, falls asleep. Next morning she and Sam are checking in and realising they need to share leadership roles better and communicate better. Dani revealed she had a dream where she looked like Rahne’s princesses self and ended up in the same hotel. They note Bobby has been going berserk…what is the link?

Sam advises asking Chuck. Dani tosses her coffee mug in frustration…OH I FORGOT…❌-Men drinking coffee ☕️ take a drink!!!

To the French Press!!!

The action of throwing is intense, Sam’s double take cartooning by Sienkiewicz is delightful. Bill, just picks what is needed for each drawing from his perspective. He has all the tools, so he simply goes for what choice he thinks will work. There is no concern for being on model, house style, or narrative aesthetic consistency. His ability to do it all, allows for him to make choices like doddle, a simple immediate gestural line drawing, a scribble. He balances it out with a realistic rendered face and Neal Adams or Walt Disney aesthetic to balance it out.

Ok, Cloak and Dagger (I am guessing) were malled by a wolf, and they were sent to the hospital. They are out of costume and in the paper. Sam is reading the paper while the coffee thrown (brewing mine…no worries)…and Danny recalls the medallion was found last summer (which means we probably have no idea…cause we are not going back to 1983).

Oh, it’s Tandy and Tyrone! And Dani and Sam return the necklace.

Tandy: My Necklace

Tyrone: How’d you g-g-get that?!

Dani: One of our teammates (classmates…❌-Babies are not a team) is a Werewolf (true story). She - - and another mutant (labeled and outed), Sunspot (named) - - were injected with the same drug (HIPAA violation…not really) …that originally created you (I clearly have no understanding of Cloak and Dagger). Nocenti is referencing an issue and I am so confused.

Ok it’s Ronny Era drug war, and so we have these two kids get drugs that turn them into superheroes, and then they try and fight in the drug wars…and…now a few New Mutants had a heck of summer and got drugs themselves, and have been acting weirder than usual, because they have the same drug induced superpowers as these two…how can they help…oh just go in the basement of our school and be tested by two mysterious folks playing doctor…but you will have to leave the comfort of your hospital bed.

Oh and I guess Tyrone has a stutter. I really just looked at the cool pictures and moved on with these two.

Tyrone is like, having super powers ruins your life. We just got rid of ours. And your friends are not our problem. Leave us alone.

“Meanwhile” Chuck admits to Moira this is beyond his ability to figure out. Moira, “I didn’t think that was possible Luv.”

Chuck: “Nor I.”

We can’t keep enabling him.

Chuck and Moira are now catching us up on Tom Corsi and Sharon Friedlander on Muir Island (which I of course love, having spent my adolescence on the other side of the hill from Muir Woods). They have recovered from their own injuries and now are “at my mutant research facility by their own choice…”

Moira wants them to go live their lives elsewhere. Chuck wants to “help more.” Moira takes his expression of guilt and helplessness, and corrects the context, “You just hate to lose.”

Chuck: “(but) hope.”

Apparently being helpless is what drives him Mad.

Oh right, they (Tom and Sharon) were turned into indigenous folks…and what…Moira fixed the writing?

“Unnoticed”

Sunspot envelops Piotr and then goes after Moira and Chuck (Bill reveals Chucks true face in this panel) Chuck fights with his mind, and gets blasted by light?! Moria is next…

The Sienkiewicz cover for No. 24, is kinda baseline for Bill. Symmetrical, with a misleading horror image in the background, only ‘cause of your are reading you think one thing and if you are not you think something else…maybe a couple something elses. The expressionless students in their school uniforms doesn’t include two new classmates, which adds to the misdirection and problem some asymmetry.

I love this pallet.

Berto is behaving like cross between Warlock and a Symbite. The takeover panel of Moira is highly effective. Rahne has been set up to hero here, as she enters.

Let’s see about that.

Kinda love that panel of Rahne initial hand out and Berto retreating. Moira does her minimal guardian duty of requesting she retreat. But Rahne is now Dagger and Roberto is Cloak, plus she wrote the story on this fantasy…so she becomes another red head princess type (Jean, Maddy, Madusa) and she heals darkness inflicted Berto with Dagger’s light.

She comforts him as he shrinks into his failings. She is like a mother, defending against Sam and Dani. Dani at least sees this as over.

Whelp, Sam blew it and they teleported away…cause Bobby is Cloak.

Chuck: “Open your minds. I want to know to learn everything you know about Rahne and Roberto’s affliction. Sam: “Couldn’t we just tell you.” Chuck: “That would take to long…”

This fucking guy.

We are complicit. We get our Cloak and Dagger back story. At this point we are going with synthetic experimental drug tried on teenage runaways to replace heroine. No adult runaways available. Human trial everyone dies, but these two. Rahne and Roberto were injected with a similar version of the drug, to create a more tractable version. Didn’t work. They became monsters. Cloak and Dagger used their powers on them to heal them…thought it worked. But it has returned.

Oh and of course Cloak and Dagger are the guardians of lost children.

A quick moment with Cloak and Dagger in street clothes is nice. Even if they seem to not be having a nice time out there in the world.

A quick moment (love these pages), Magneto and Lee, where Lee couches grace in the male gaze. Lee sees the glass as half full.

Berto and Rehne pop in at a church…some confusion given their appearance, but everyone seems to be familiar.

Great page too.

And now we are back with Ty and Tandy, and the scene looks cool, but it is to wooden for my taste. Cliché.

Rahne and Berto are struggling a bit, but Rahne feels she has a grip on truth. Fantasy being her vehicle.

She is able to reach Colossus in this, where he relives a disconnect with Kitty, a connection with a healer, who dies in his arms as Kitty Is rejected. So Rahne saves him as a princess. And Rogue, Magik, Sam, Dani, and Chuck pulls up just in time.

Cloak is rejecting Dagger because of race and class context. He is protecting himself. Or perhaps not

Sam is sporting the Lila shirt. It’s his best look.

They really are stuck on what to do. Chuck will blame the children, because he fails to reveal his plan. He is reluctant in letting Dani attempt to help w/ psych. Which sets off the dark and light. And then Illyana uses magic with her soul sword on Dani. Which gives her reason to do a hexagon in Limbo on Roberto and Rahne…who is deathly afraid, perhaps causing the spell to move the light and dark from them into Magik. Whose arm expands from it. And so, Chuck blames her, as Ty and Tandy appear to try and be the ones to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.

Ty and Tandy are stepping up for sacrifice. Reminder, these are kids. The militarisation of kids, has not kept pace with our understanding of cognitive development and maturity. It also falls short of basic human decency on the subject of agency. They will and do stand up. They also lack the brain development, experience, and perspective, to be placed in these situations. Chuck is uniquely gifted to understand this, be he is the arch in ❌-Men stories…so…

This double page spread with the exception of Chuck’s right arm is poignant and captures a moment. Not sure about Bill? Try looking at this for a bit.

Orzechowski’s use of the same speech bubble to show exuberance in two people reconnecting…that’s brilliant!

Tyrone loosing it, works as you read through it…at first is over the top, but given youth and the internal dialogue…this works well enough.

A shadow finds his internal feels.

Chuck is me in my most helpless moments talking with a 4-year-old. They simply can’t do what is being asked of them at the time that is convenient to me or the group. Illyana is a teen, and this is the exact same outcome one should expect. There is a scientific reason for this. One know to educators. Chuck plays super science & education…maybe some self reflection will improve his results in the moment, if he is unwilling to atone for the past contexts that lead here. Manipulation and kidnapping of children for war.

He is on Illyana and Sam less his heart tries to be reason in the room. Meanwhile, Illyana is not feeling the location, as someone raised in Limbo, the church has awkward vibes.

Finally Illyana is asked to explain what happened, and she was inspired by events with Rogue to think magic could have an effect, but it proved to much for her, so here we are.

All the sudden Chuck is, “Fascinating.” Which is like his way of pretending he cares.

He wants to study more and the kids are clear in saying, we do some now or we loose here. As bad off as Bobby is, in a brilliantly constructed panel Ty is isolated in the same space wrestling with fear and solution.

Chuck is invasive, but timely with checking in on Ty. He pretends trust and Ty is not a trustful person, but here we are. Illyana is pickup on what is happening and Chuck is basically way ahead of you. I really low key love the pages in this issue. Glynis is making some key choices in concert with Bill.

The pallet is perfectly setting the vibes.

Tyrone: “Then what the heck g - g - good you gonna be for me’n’Tandy or your own k-k-kids, huh?”

Preach!

Chuck tells him that his entry into his power was through the knowledge and emotion of abuse. Tells him how fear is an influence. And so Tyrone makes the leap to fear makes him do bat things with his powers, and Chuck doesn’t back him up, he leaves room for uncertainty. He just plainly says, you can handle your power and one of my kids can’t. I get how this reads as him being plain and honest and Tyrone just made a leap, that Chuck couldn’t confirm or deny based on lack of information. But Chucks story begins with fear and ends with so it has to be this way. I can think of a lot of labeled villains who give these kinds of speeches.

Tyrone’s body and face in this are so great…his appearance and Bill’s choices are so excellent in this issue.

Oh Chris…we kids weren’t “jivin’” nothing in 1985. Maybe they still were in NYC…but that is not how we were in Oakland.

The good news is now that Chuck has fully crossed boundaries for Tyrone, had Tandy along for the ride, so at least Tyrone’s actual friend can help. The pages look is very mid 80’s film quality. The good stuff. I love that.

Now Sam is in his business. But it’s Sam, so we all give the white kid from Kentucky a pass. He means well.

And so…Chuck takes credit for a solution and doesn’t clarify. Just provides a single option. The next step…everyone teleports back to Limbo…via Illyana.

Illyana: “Are you sure - - ?!? okay…”

So Chuck can’t read Rogue’s thoughts. We skipped a detail there…but here it is found, no worse for ware. BUT he can help her control her powers. Convenient. He of course is having her physical contact the youngest member, Rahne, in Limbo…this seems sure to fail. Mike holds her. Rogue and Chuck share daggers power extracted from Rahne.

Now it is Roberto’s turn to let it go, but like Rahne the first time this spell was cast, he resists. Illyana was afraid of this and is forcing him to comply. Only this time his power forces her to use the soul sword. She is okay, but Berto is still in it with the shadow. Chuck is focusing on the surprise of Illyana’s armor to him. Tyrone leaps to Bobby. Possessed Bobby is overwhelming Ty, but Rogue leaps in to use her light and contact Bobby. Sam pulls Bobby out. Rogue consumed by both as is Chuck, contact’s physically Ty and Tandy. Mike, Bobby and Rahne pray of course. And so Magic completes her spell. It really is intense and almost actually makes sense. Everyone is whipped out back in reality.

These wrap up chats and speeches are so lame. But basically alls as it was. And once the epilogue is over, the bow is tied.

Next: Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 No. 191-193 + Power Pack Vol. 1 No. 10 a back up