Psylocke Faces Her Greatest Fear In Hellions #11

Time to journey back into the nightmare in Hellions #11, from Zeb Wells, Stephen Segovia, David Curiel, and Ariana Maher.

Liz Large: It’s been a long month, and I’ve never been so excited to see how things are going for Mastermind. I’ve missed even him!

Austin Gorton: I understand skip months are apparently a necessary evil of the modern publishing world, but why, Liz, why were we made to wait so long for the next installment of our fabulous hot messes’ latest adventures? It’s just not fair! 

LL: And we didn’t even get to spend that time in a personalized nightmare! 

Keep Pushing Until Something Breaks

AG: Speaking of personalized nightmares, that’s where Hellions #11 opens. We have an elderly, wizened Psylocke tending to a desolate farm of… Psylocke bodies. In one page, the art team establishes how bleak and harrowing things are for the Hellions’ erstwhile field leader. That’s all before hope comes in the form of (a not nearly as aged) Greycrow. Obviously, we’re dealing with the realm of illusion here, but it’s one hell of a cold open for the issue. 

LL: I loved this opening. I’m such a sucker for a dark future type story. While we don’t spend much time here, it’s able to set the scene so quickly. I have to say that watching Greycrow and Psylocke reunite after such a long time really worked for me. We’ve seen them grow closer through this series, and it’s been great to read. Seeing the two of them reconnect and fall back into working as a team to understand the situation is perfect. 

AG: Never in a million years would I have expected Psylocke and Greycrow to become the emotional center of Hellions. Yet, here we are. Their connection and reunion in this illusory hellscape bring them the confidence to find the rest of their teammates and break free. This carries things out into the real world. We see Mastermind hooked up to a mental boosting chair thingy in Arcade’s Murderworld, fighting to maintain control over Psylocke. Arcade supervises the creation of his promised clone army by Mister Sinister. It’s a sequence that borders on the comically absurd. For as dark as this series can be, it can also be one of the funniest X-books. Did the juxtaposition from the bleakness of Mastermind’s illusions to the dentally-challenged Sinister barking orders like a cartoon duck work for you?

LL: I thought it was delightful! Look, I’m never going to feel bad for Sinister. It won’t happen. This is why he’s the perfect character for this. Post unprofessional dental work, forced to work with coworkers who seem less than competent and just having an all-around bad day. Add to that the fact that his difficulties are also inconveniencing known jerk Arcade? It truly sparked joy in my heart. It turns out that clone farms are complicated. What did you think of the internal memo data page?

AG: For the record, I too found the smash cut from “bleak & nihilistic” to “farcical super-villain office comedy” delightful. If anything, cutting from one tone to the other so abruptly highlighted the best attributes of both. The Murderworld Memo? Where a poor Murderworld employee is forced to report to Arcade on the shoddy state of the pre-Sinister cloning apparatus? That was fantastic! I would read an entire collection of inter-office documents regaling the inner workings of Arcade’s organization. Loyalty Protocols, robotic teddy bears, miniature clowns: more, please.

Run, Dumbass

LL: Unfortunately, we have to return to Murderworld, as Psylocke and Greycrow search for their teammates. I really like the portrayal here. They’re obviously in a terrible place this whole time. The environment becomes tougher as they climb up a mountain and the weather gets colder. Psylocke explains how the climb is discouraging them from continuing. I thought it was a good way to show how mental pressure in a scenario like this would work. It’s more subtle than a monster or something. If Psylocke and Greycrow weren’t so determined, they’d probably give up. It’s a good reminder that Mastermind is experienced at this sort of manipulation.

AG: Indeed, and it’s also a clever and refreshing remix of Murderworld. It’s easy to see why Arcade likes this arrangement. Mastermind provides the “sets” and his future clone army, the supporting actors. This is in lieu of his usual “giant pinballs and robots” routine. Inside Murderworld, Psylocke and Greycrow, have set themselves on their path, quickly. First, they reunite with Havok, who tries to convince everyone he totally doesn’t care that “Madelyne” ditched him. Soon, they meet up with the rest of the team. That’s when Nanny, Orphan Maker, Wild Child, and Empath come barreling over a hill, chased by their various antagonistic illusions. As the walls between illusion and reality break down, the horror of Murderworld is punctuated by the humor in the outside world. There are some great comedy bits in Hellions #11. These include Greycrow rolling his eyes at Havok and Nanny screaming at Orphan Maker that they’re all going to die. 

LL: It’s great to see that no matter what horrible things the team has gone through, they’re all the same idiots they were before this. When Havok suggests they fight, only to be ordered to run by Greycrow, that was perfect! So was the team all bolting away from the fight in unison. Empath riding on Orphan Maker’s shoulders was a particularly great touch. We get some villain monologuing from Mastermind to Psylocke, but that conversation can wait. When asking for orders, Greycrow calls her “K”. Okay. I am deeply invested in this. Psylocke keeps it professional, and almost immediately figures out how to leave the nightmare and return to the real world. Was it just me, or was Psylocke on a higher level of badass in this issue of Hellions than the rest of the team by a mile?

AG: Greycrow calling Psylocke “K” is the moment I apparently became a Psylocke/Greycrow shipper (Psycrow? Greylocke?). But yes, this issue of Hellions is really a showcase for Psylocke. From the focus of the opening pages to Psylocke being the one to rally the team, to her managing to slip out of the illusion and back into the real world to confront Mastermind as, in Arcade’s words, “the swordy one”, she more or less saves the day and make it look easy while doing so. Ultimately, it’s her restraint that pulls back the final curtain. She pauses for a moment in response to Mastermind’s pleading. This allows him to immediately bewitch Arcade and begin to lay out what’s really going on. All in all, it’s just several pages of pure badassery from Psylocke.

“It’sh Childishly Shimple.”

LL: I have to say, I did not see that twist coming, and it’s a good one. Psylocke’s reactions to this double-cross really sell this scene. We know Sinister’s got plans within plans as his default, but this one is really impressive. He cut a deal with Mastermind that allows them to save Mastermind’s daughter, build a clone facility that the Council won’t know about, and provide a good success story for the Hellions’ mission. It’s something that’s so crazy that it had to work. There’s only one possible loose end: Psylocke. She’s furious they assume she’s going to go along with whatever they say, I really felt for her here. 

AG: Hellions #11 establishes Psylocke/Greycrow as the emotional center of the book. It also makes it clear one of the most important arcs of the series has been Psylocke’s off-the-books alliance with and deference to Sinister. There’s a question of how far she’s willing to go to back him up to protect her child. Again and again, Sinister does something shitty and looks to Psylocke to bail him out. Psylocke pushes the line she won’t cross out a little bit further. She’s madder here, seemingly than ever before. Ultimately, she once again goes along with it. Mastermind convinces her teammates they won a triumphant victory and sends them through the gate back to Krakoa. Everyone wins, except for Psylocke. Did those closing panels leave you with the impression that Psylocke has reached her breaking point? Or do you think there’s still more to come? 

LL: I think we’re close. Psylocke’s reaction when Mastermind reveals he’s read Greycrow’s mind for gossip purposes hammers it home. It was one thing for her to go along with this when it was a random collection of idiots she was keeping an eye on. But now, she’s got some sort of feelings for Greycrow, and the others are growing on her as well. Yes, they can’t die, but a lot of horrible things are happening to them. Often in ways that are Sinister’s fault. Obviously, she wants to keep her daughter safe. I think she’s probably working overtime to find another solution right now. What do you think?

AG: The prediction business is a lousy business. The issue presents itself as a turning point for Psylocke. As you say, she is developing emotional stakes on both sides of the equation now. This means her current setup is becoming increasingly untenable. There’s also the issue of this latest request from Sinister coming with the team out in the field still. That closing panel seems to be saying that a reckoning is coming once everyone is back home safely. We’re coming up on the end of the series’ first year (in terms of issues published, not actual calendar time). It feels like a ready-made point to bring this all to ahead. Especially as the next issue is the “Hellfire Gala” tie-in issue. It’s possible Psylocke’s reaction to the events of this story is punted a bit further. It wouldn’t surprise me if the next arc blows it all wide open. I for one, can’t wait.

X-Traneous Thoughts 

• Turns out that Miss Locke is indeed a robot. Glad to know that Arcade isn’t resurrecting humans, at least?
• That one-panel image of Psylocke slicing into Robo-Locke is a gorgeous bit of artwork. 
• It’s obviously bad the team was manipulated by Mastermind to think they nailed the mission. It is nice to see them all happy and acting like a team!
• RIP Arcade’s poor “employee” who was only working for him to confirm the reality of his experiences because Arcade pulled his usual “kidnap & threaten a loved one” trick on him, and who was ultimately convinced by Mastermind to do the right thing, only to be killed for it. 

Liz Large

Liz Large is a copywriter with a lot of opinions on mutants.

Austin Gorton

Austin Gorton also reviews older issues of X-Men at the Real Gentlemen of Leisure website, co-hosts the A Very Special episode podcast, and likes Star Wars. He lives outside Minneapolis, where sometimes, it is not cold. Follow him on Twitter @AustinGorton