Battle Broods, Beasts, and Omni-Mutants in X-Chat #8!

Beast from X-Force #38

A few important events have happened since we last met! Welcome to X-Chat #8!

In X-Men #18, the Brood invade and have captured Corsair, but King Broo is nowhere to be found, from Gerry Duggan, Stefano Caselli, Federico Blee and Clayton Cowles!

The Beast Protocol begins in Wolverine #30 from Benjamin Percy, Juan Jose Ryp, Frank Martin, and Corey Petit!

And in X-Force #38, Xeno’s engame arrives in the form of the Omni-Mutant by Benjamin Percy, Robert Gill, , Guru-eFX, and Joe Caramagna!

It’s A Trap! (X-Men #18)

X-Chat #8 - X-Men #18 cover

Tony Thorley: So one of my favorite set-ups from the Hickman volume of X-Men was, without a doubt, Broo becoming the King of the Brood. I’m so glad to finally get a follow-up, and I’m really glad that follow-up is “It’s not as simple as that.”

Matt Lazorwitz: I think we all knew it wasn’t going to be as simple as that, and boy is it ever not. We have two very distinct plotlines here. One with most of our X-Men trying to save Corsair, while Forge and Penance (a welcome new addition to the book) go through a portal to Knowhere. Did I miss something, or is that last bit something completely new? 

Tony: Yeah, I don’t think that latter plotline hasn’t even been hinted at in this book. Bare minimum it made for some truly gorgeous pages from Stefano Caselli and Federico Blee (hi, new art team!). There’s not much to that plotline until the last page though.

X-Men #18 does do a lot as far as giving the series an overarching theme. While I’m liking this cast significantly more than the Year One cast, the more episodic arcs have made for a much more disjointed story. At least this arc is a follow-up from something earlier in the Krakoa era.

Matt: Overall, I enjoyed this issue. I think I said it when we were talking about Dark Web: X-Men, but I am all about Summers family messiness, and so here we have everyone going to rescue a Brood infected Corsair, which gives us some great action scenes and Scott, as always, being right on the edge of losing his dad. It’s one of those times I wish one of the O5 would reference the fact that they have memories from when they were time displaced in the Bendis era, since Scott has more memories of his father, but I think everyone does their best not to reference that era. 

I’m also glad we’re getting some follow up on Synch’s aging when using his powers for long range synchs. That was something that was mentioned and then just sort of dropped. Although, you know what? I’d like a little more on how that all worked. He synched with Jean when she was there, but then she went out of range, so does that require more effort? Because if it does, wouldn’t it have been a lot easier to just long range synch with, say, Elixir, and just heal Corsair, rather than having to use the telekinesis for all that time? Or am I overthinking something that is there for narrative reasons?

Tony: That’s a fantastic question. I don’t think you’re overthinking it, but I wonder if it’s just a matter of Duggan having not thought of that yet? I like seeing the evolution of Synch’s powers coming with a consequence, and I’m glad it’s finally getting followed up on. I’m starting to wonder if he’s getting too much plot though. I mean, there’s the growth of his powers, his relationship with Laura, the aging dilemma… There’s so much happening to Ev that it’s almost too much, especially for a team book.

Matt: It definitely makes me sure that he is going to stay on the team after the next Gala. At this point, he is as central to this book as Scott and Jean.

Tony: Last thing I have to say is how good is Caselli and Blee as a team. Really the only downside of them joining this book is that they may not return to X-Men Red after “Sins of Sinister” is all over. They did fabulous things all throughout this issue, whether it’s the journey through the event horizon or the Corsair surgery or Iceman and Firestar just blasting Brood, they brought their A-game.

Matt: The Corsair surgery, or rather, the distended stomach with the Brood preparing to tear its way through it, will be in my nightmares for years to come. Thanks a whole lot, talented art team. I’ll be forwarding my therapist bills on to Marvel.

That Blue @$$#*(% (Wolverine #30)

X-Chat #8 - Wolverine #30

Tony: Look, I know this storyline isn’t over, but that has to be one of the most satisfying issues of Ben Percy’s Wolverine to date. This issue is the culmination of three years of X-Force and two and a half years of Wolverine, and I really enjoyed it, especially counter to our frustrations with X-Force #37.

Matt: Yeah, Hank McCoy finally got what was coming to him. But only after he sunk to new lows. Up to a certain point, nearly everything Hank has done, as crappy as it has been, could be justified. But his prison experimentation was a bridge too far, and this issue, where he attempts to kill an innocent child to hide his secret, he burned that bridge behind him.

And while it was viscerally satisfying, I have a bad feeling like this was playing right into Hank’s hands. For someone who likes to keep his own hands clean of field ops, him assassinating Jeff Bannister himself seems too easy. Especially based around that stinger scene.

Tony: Yeah, that thought crossed my mind too. The thought “something’s off here” occurred in those last few pages several times. I really hope Percy isn’t going for an outside influence thing, because that thought crossed my mind too. I want this entirely to be the result of Hank continuously having shitty ethics (even dating back to experimenting on himself in Amazing Adventures), and not something like “Lady Mastermind has been manipulating his mind.” (Outlandish suspect only chosen for illustrative purposes.)

Plot-wise, this is straightforward. Logan is pissed. This leads him and Sage to try to find out as much as possible about what Hank’s doing, while dealing with just about every damn obstacle they can. Finally Logan catches up to him and guts him. Overall, it’s a solid espionage action thriller.

Matt: Oh, I’m pretty sure this is just Hank’s shitty ethics and his tremendous hubris. I think he built that backup Hank (which I feel like must be some kind of violation of the laws of Krakoa), and did this whole thing so Logan could kill him and he can now operate under the radar.

Just how straightforward it all is makes me more sure this is part of Beast’s plan. This is a guy who has been all about wheels within wheels within tires within some other round thing since the dawn of this era. No way is he just going to shoot a guy with a sniper rifle.

Tony: Or maybe it’s not so he can operate under the radar. Maybe it’s so he can avoid being backed up to a previous version or remove him from the resurrection queue, or even immediately arrest him upon resurrection. So immediately upon death, he’s back, and they can’t force him to the bottom of the queue, or make alterations or anything like that.

Matt: Oh, yeah, that definitely crossed my mind. The idea of Hank being backed up to a time before he went pure bastard is one that is often bandied about in fandom to redeem him, so I can’t imagine the idea hasn’t crossed Hank’s own mind. 

This leaves me with the question what other black book genetic work has Beast been up to. I think that is going to be a big part of the rest of this arc.

Tony: And the next few X-Force issues. Speaking of…

An Ignominious End (X-Force #38)

X-Chat #8 - X-Force #38 cover

Tony: I don’t get to use big words like that often, but I can’t think of one better here. After last issue’s stumble, this issue of X-Force is all about plot resolution, just like Wolverine #30. I think the only downside to this issue providing at least partial resolution to the Xeno plot is that we’re not going to get the Genosha story that we were hopeful about.

Domino, Deadpool and Omega Red invade Peacock Tattoo’s base in Genosha. They fight the Omnimutant and the day is saved because Peacock Tattoo tries to dissect the young mutant that he tried to kidnap and turn against Krakoa. Naturally, that turns young Max against his new father.

Matt: It definitely wraps up the Peacock Tattoo arc, that’s for sure. Hate to be that guy. This is definitely a better issue than last, but that’s partially because this doesn’t play into the expectations game. Looking back on that previous issue with a cooler head, the reveal isn’t a bad one, it’s just one that hadn’t earned 37 issues of build up. Here, though, we get the end of a villain that is worth the wait. His death, like that of the original genetic engineer, Dr. Moreau of HG Wells fame, is at the hands of his own creations. And good for them!

Tony: Yeah, that was a very cathartic page, just like the Beast one. Also, some good catharsis for Domino, whose trauma at the hands of Xeno has been confronted. Is it resolved? Doesn’t seem like it by a long shot, but she definitely seems to be in a better place. With Colossus joining the team next issue, it seems to me we’re going to see a segue into that plot, then probably a resolution of the Mikhail Rasputin plot.

Wheels within wheels, like you said. It’s a pretty straightforward issue. Omega Red gets used as a data uploader to Krakoa, Wade isn’t unbearable and Sage gets a huge list of Xeno operatives. Of course, Beast is plotting how to use it for ill, so I’m guessing this issue is set before the current Wolverine arc?

Matt: Seems that way to me too.

I have one possible complaint, but I really need to see how the next couple issues pan out before I get too much on my high horse about it. The end of the issue, with Domino holding young Max, gives the vibe that part of her catharsis is taking in this other victim of the Xeno. Dan (Grote, our fellow CXG staffer and my podcasting partner over at WMQ&A) and I were talking about this issue, and that note just seemed a little too much of a trope for either of us. I don’t like the idea that Domino is going to settle down and be a mom to a kid and that will help “fix her.” As Jay & Miles say on their show, Domino is mutantdom’s best wine mom, but that doesn’t make her a mom-mom. 

Tony: That’s a good point. I’m pretty sure Max still has parents back on Krakoa but even if he doesn’t, Dom is a poor fit. It’s like what you said before about Synch — too much plot for one character, especially here, where the cast is getting shaken up next issue. 

But like you said, we’ll see. 

X-Traneous Thoughts

  • For everyone who’s hated Beast over the course of the Krakoa era, how satisfying was the page of Logan gutting him? I mean, seriously.
  • I’m hoping the title of this issue of Wolverine was an intentional reference to the truly insane 1974 werewolf movie, The Beast Must Die. Check it out if you haven’t seen it. 
  • Seriously, Weapon Omega or Weapon X-Force would have been such a better name than “Omni-mutant”.

Matt Lazorwitz read his first comic at the age of five. It was Who's Who in the DC Universe #2, featuring characters whose names begin with B, which explains so much about his Batman obsession. He writes about comics he loves, and co-hosts the creator interview podcast WMQ&A with Dan Grote.

Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.