dub@pur-phy.UUCP (Dwight) (01/21/85)
In the past month it has been noted that the Xmen of late
have not been too good (to say the least) and yet you don't let
a friend down just because they're a little sick. I just hope that
the illness ain't contagious!
Well, here we have the "gala 100th aniversary issue" of the
New X-men (#193). Something to look forward to, right? All that I can say
is that my friend isn't well yet. Ah, let me count the ways...
1) The previous issue leaves us with Prof. X critically mugged.
This could have lead to some very interesting situations.
Unfortunately, the whole episode is brushed aside with the help
of that stupid Morlock healer. That guy just takes all of the
reality out of dangerous situations. Who cares if you've
gotten half a dozen ribs, your skull or your back broken in some
battle. Just call in the healer and then get on with some other
plot line. The healer is one mutie that I wouldn't mind seeing
permanently removed from the Marvel Universe.
2) This issue is very confusing. The story reads as if some rather
important continuity scenes were taken out of it. It was a real
chore to read this comic and I'm basically a lazy person. It
weren't fun! examples:
a) Just where the hell did Starfire come from? Yes, I know
that the character is on Spidey's Friends. Big deal!
There is absolutely NO explanation of what she is capable
of doing. Are we supposed to be telepaths as we read
about her?
b) Just why are Roulette and Empath the only Hellions around
during Thunderbird's little revenge trip?
c) After Rogue captures Starfire we don't see her again until
the very end at the mansion.
d) How do Nightcrawler and Rachel save Kitty and Logan?
e) Does Lockheed fly all the way from Cheyenne mountain to
New York?
f) I presume they just left Empath and Roulette at the
mountain.
I.e. - there is just too much going on in this comic and I got
very confused reading it.
3) Now when Storm got her new hair cut I thought that was strange,
but seeing as it was just a reflection of her new outlook on
life I accepted it as character development. In this issue
Rogue gets a new hair style. It kind of looks like a mop.
Yuck! There is no explanation for it. In the past atleast
one team-mate would have asked "Hey Rogue, why the new hair style?"
It would seem that even that courtesy to the readers is absent.
4) Since I'm on the topic of styles... Kitty's mask looked horrible.
5) I got a real kick out of the way those Secbots (the term "giant
robots" was actually used!!) love to bust through the walls of their
own headquarters. Now I know where all my tax dollars go.
6) The epilogue was ridiculous. I've heard of someone's past catching
up with them, but their future?
7) After seeing the drawing of Storm (page 12) we now know that Storm
now has about a fifty inch bust! Timber!
8) Oh yes. Rachel's freakout out was like a carbon copy of what
Storm used to do when she first joined (X-men #102 comes to mind.)
Oh hell, this is like shooting Imperial Stormtroopers with
a blaster or flaming the Secret Wars (take your pick.) I think I'll
send a "get well soon" card to Mr. Claremont right away.
On a slightly similar subject, I really enjoyed the latest
issue of the New Mutants. Finally we have a story that is tailored
to Sienkiewicz's style of drawing. I am referring to the scenes within
David's mind, that is. As usual, the deplictions of "reality" weren't
all that hot.
Dwight Bartholomew
UUCP:{ decvax, icalqa, ihnp4, inuxc, sequent, uiucdcs }!pur-ee!pur-phy!dub
{ decwrl, hplabs, icase, psuvax1, siemens, ucbvax }|purdue!pur-phy!dub