GENERATION X #62 - April 2000

 

Prey

Credits:  Jay Faerber (writer), Matt Smith, Nelson DeCastro, Yancey Labat, & Darren Auck (pencilers), John Czop, Jason Martin, & Rodney Ramos (inkers), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary:  Using her telepathy, M is able to fend off DeLaCorte’s psychic influence.  M tries to expose DeLaCorte to the local police, but he’s immune to sunlight.  That night, she’s attacked by Tabby, a girl DeLaCorte “turned” earlier.  She impales Tabby on a stake, then seeks out DeLaCorte in his office.  His secretary, Mrs. Hilmersson, exposes herself as a vampire and covers DeLaCorte’s escape.  Eventually, M catches up with DeLaCorte and impales him on a building’s spire.  Following his death, the school closes down and M returns to the Massachusetts Academy.

Continuity Notes:  According to M’s research, being bitten doesn’t make you a vampire (unless you’re actually killed), but does enable the vampire to mentally control you.  As for DeLaCorte’s ability to withstand sunlight, he credits a process credited by Captain America villain Baron Blood.

Review:  Jay Faerber concludes his run, and as I suspected, there’s no room to resolve any of the ongoing subplots he left growing in the background.  I suppose he could’ve resolved this vampire plot in just a few pages and spent the rest of the issue rushing through Adrienne Frost’s story arc, or providing some resolution to the romantic entanglements amongst the team, but that would’ve surely shortchanged all of the storylines.  Instead, he devotes the entire issue to M, who narrates the story in what I’m assuming is an homage to Buffy.  Her unwillingness to call in Generation X for help is treated as an intentional plot point, driving home the idea that M is determined to move away from the team.  Unfortunately, the story doesn’t give her much of an arc to go through, so her decision to return to the school at the end feels largely arbitrary.  The extremely inconsistent art, which makes M sometimes unrecognizable, doesn’t help things either.  Not a great issue to go out on, but Jay Faerber’s stint as writer is still a clear highlight of the book’s run.

GENERATION X #61 - March 2000

Christmas Cheer Fear - Part Two
Credits:  Jay Faerber (writer), Kevin Sharpe (penciler), Russell/Ramos/Czop (inkers), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary:  Black Tom subdues the team and reveals the true origin of Mondo.  He explains to the team that he rescued Mondo from the Hellfire Club, following Cordelia’s betrayal.  Later, a Mondo clone was sent to infiltrate Generation X.  Now, Black Tom is helping Mondo get revenge on Cordelia.  Suddenly, Penance enters from the woods and cuts Juggernaut’s helmet off.  Emma uses her telepathic powers to incapacitate him, leading Black Tom to order Mondo to escape.  Meanwhile, M meets her new headmaster De La Corte and discovers he’s a vampire.  She’s bitten in the neck during their struggle.

Continuity Notes:  Black Tom flashes back to the team’s first encounter with Mondo in Generation X Annual ’95.  He reveals that he was Barrington, the mystery figure in charge of a platoon of armed soldiers.  I’m not sure if Jay Faerber knew this, but Barrington actually became an established supporting cast member in the Maverick solo series (after appearing as a shadowy figure for years in X-stories featuring Maverick.)  This still works in continuity however, since it’s entirely plausible that Black Tom could’ve impersonated Barrington on that one occasion.  This also explains why exactly Maverick’s boss was so interested in Mondo, anyway.

Review:  I think Scott Lobdell briefly toyed with the idea of making Black Tom the team’s main villain, and it would seem Jay Faerber was thinking along those lines when writing these issues.  I can see it working; Tom obviously has a connection to Banshee, and given his past with Siryn, there’s a precedent for his interest in young mutants.  He’s a much better choice than Emplate, at least.  

Black Tom’s latest protégé is Mondo, the “real” one, who’s given more lines this issue than ever before.  Faerber’s decided to ditch Mondo’s previous characterization as a lazy beach bum and just write him as an angry villain out for revenge.  I can’t imagine this went over well with the people who clung to those early cameo appearances, but I suppose it’s justified within the context of the story.  Connecting Black Tom to the events of Generation X Annual ’95 is a strange move, but I think it’s actually a clever way to work within continuity and insert Black Tom into Mondo’s past without too many headaches.  (Although the specifics of how Black Tom pulled off the Barrington impersonation, especially while he was morphing into a living tree, should probably be elaborated on.)

Faerber’s run isn’t exactly known for the action scenes, but the team’s first fight with Juggernaut is actually pretty exciting.  Chamber gets to have a classic “I’ve exhausted my powers, but he just won’t stop!” moment, as he uses his powers for the first time in what feels like ages.  Penance also gets her moment, and for perhaps the first time her diamond-hard claws play a real role in the story when she rips Juggernaut’s helmet off.  Juggernaut also looks great when drawn by Kevin Sharpe, who’s the rare fill-in artist that’s actually compatible with Terry Dodson’s style.  As for that vampire subplot, I have a feeling it’s going to be a needless distraction in an issue that should really be devoted to Faerber’s various subplots, but I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

GENERATION X #60 - February 2000

Christmas Cheer Fear
Credits:  Jay Faerber (writer), Terry Dodson (penciler), Rachel Dodson (inker), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary:  Cordelia Frost is stalked in the woods outside the school.  Eventually, she crashes through a window, leading Gen X to investigate outside.  They’re soon ambushed by Mondo.  Banshee’s sonic scream knocks him unconscious, but he’s shocked by the sudden arrival of Black Tom and Juggernaut.  Meanwhile in the Alps, one of M’s classmates is attacked by a vampire.

Continuity Notes: 

• Numerous brief subplot scenes in this issue:  Penance runs off, apparently in anger, after watching the team wrap Christmas presents.  A mystery figure leaves a folder on Emma’s desk, detailing the members of the New Hellions.  Banshee confides to Tom Corsi that he doesn’t understand Siryn’s behavior following her injury.
• Mondo (or more accurately, his clone) was apparently killed by Bastion in Generation X #25.
• Chamber implies that his rich, out-of-touch parents probably don’t even know it’s Christmas.  I believe this is the first reference ever made to Chamber’s parents.   Skin reminds the reader that his mother believes he’s dead, and reveals that his father vanished years earlier.
• Penance makes an ice sculpture of what appears to be Gateway, although Jubilee doesn’t recognize who it’s supposed to be.  

Review:  Jay Faerber begins his final arc on the book, and has apparently decided to use this time to placate the fans that kept asking for Mondo’s return.  Mondo has a strange place in Generation X history.  He debuted in the Generation X preview special along with the rest of the team, the implication being that he would join in the early issues of the book.  The fans kept waiting, but would only receive sporadic subplot pages that had Mondo lounging on the beach with a brunette beauty.  In the ensuing months, “Age of Apocalypse” consumed the X-line, bringing us an alternate reality that prominently featured Mondo as a member of the team.  But no Mondo when everything returned to normal.  He even showed up as a member in that FOX made-for-TV movie, but couldn’t be found in the comics.  

Eventually, Mondo made his way into the books, in a storyline that revealed his brunette girlfriend was actually Emma Frost’s sister, making Mondo (or, wait, his clone) her accomplice in crime.  And, somehow, the mysterious “Barrington” from Maverick’s early appearances got dragged in.  Then, “Operation: Zero Tolerance” happened, things got confusing, and “Mondo” was killed.  You would think this bizarre character arc would’ve been reason enough for fandom to forget Mondo, but instead, a segment of fans demanded his return.  (Perhaps these are the same fans that couldn’t let Blink go?)

I suppose there’s nothing inherently wrong with using Mondo again.  He was never truly fleshed out in the mainstream Marvel continuity, and his powers are more interesting than most of the energy blasters and telepaths that are usually pitted against the X-teams.  Tying Mondo to Black Tom, who was present for his big moment in issue #25, uses past continuity well.  (Faerber is definitely using continuity to his advantage on this book.  Picking up on the New Hellions from X-Force and giving Emma time to respond to them is another smart move.)  Unfortunately, Mondo’s visuals are unique to Chris Bachalo’s style, so the readers who wanted more of the Mondo they got in AoA’s Generation Next are likely to be disappointed.  Also, the identity of Cordelia’s attacker is kept secret until the end of the issue, but of course it’s been horribly spoiled by the cover.  As a setup for the next issue’s resolution, this is fine, although I think the pace is a little leisurely given that Faerber only has a few issues left to finish his run.

GENERATION X ‘99 - November 1999

Family Business
Credits:  Jay Faerber (writer), Pete Woods, Kevin Sharpe, & Yancey Labat (pencilers), Wong/Czop/Ramos/Koblish (inks), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

Summary:  Jubilee notices her parents standing next to Gen X villain Hunter Brawn in an old photograph.  She investigates, and discovers a connection between Brawn and the bank where her father served as president.  She confronts the bank’s vice president Elliott Lu, who confesses that her parents were killed in a staged car accident after her father discovered Brawn’s money laundering scheme.  Jubilee travels to Brawn’s home, unaware that Synch has broken his promise and told Banshee about her plan.  Banshee sends the team to aid Jubilee against Legault, but allows her to face Brawn.  She refuses to kill him, and allows Brawn to be taken into custody following Lu’s confession.  Later, M says goodbye to the team and leaves with her father.

Continuity Notes: 

• Generation X faced Hunter Brawn and his flunky Legault back in Generation X #51.  Husk’s potential boyfriend Tristan is Brawn’s grandson.
• According to Jubilee, the specific date of her parents’ death is October 15th.  I’m sure this will come up often in future stories, so let's all make a note of it.
• The major continuity concern with this issue is the portrayal of the Lees’ deaths.  As established in Wolverine #72, Jubilee’s parents were killed in a staged car crash by hitmen Reno & Molokai.  Their death was a mistake, as Reno & Molokai were paid to kill a different pair of Lees who lived next door.

I Love the '90s:  Jubilee uses a pay phone to call Synch, even though it’s established just a few pages earlier that she has a cell phone with her (she plugs it into her laptop to go online).

Review:  I’m assuming Jay Faerber came across Jubilee’s first entry in the Handbook (the 1989 update miniseries), read the portion about her parents dying in a car accident on Mulholland Drive, and assumed no one had ever done a story addressing this.  He’s wrong, of course, but that’s what editors are for.  Apparently, they never read those stories, either.  But even if they missed the story arc in Wolverine #72-74, you would think Marvel’s editor-in-chief, Bob Harras, would’ve caught this.  He was the editor of Wolverine at the time, and the editor of Uncanny X-Men during Jubilee’s first appearances.  This is the kind of stuff that was beginning to slip through during the final days of Bob Harras’ stint as editor-in-chief, and it’s a shame that Marvel’s continuity hasn’t recovered to this day.

Now, technically, it’s possible to make both stories work.  You just have to believe that both Lee families on this street in Beverly Hills had hits placed on them on the same day.  If Reno & Molokai made a mistake and grabbed the wrong Lees, it didn’t really matter since they were on someone else’s hit list anyway.  This also requires you to believe the first massive coincidence that a pair of goons Wolverine faced earlier in his solo series turned out to be the Lees’ killers, and the second coincidence that the person who ordered the hit would later become an enemy of Jubilee’s team, Generation X.  

Looking back, Wolverine #72-74 was far from a highlight of Hama’s run, but I still prefer his interpretation of the Lees’ murder.  Hama had a habit of inserting tragic consequences based on simple misunderstandings in his work; perhaps most famously in G. I. Joe when several established characters are killed after Tomax and Xamot misunderstand Cobra Commander’s orders to “get rid of them.”  Revealing that Jubilee’s parents died because they happened to share the same last name with the wrong family just feels more poignant than a simple story about money laundering.  What’s worse is that both stories have the same ending – Jubilee confronting the person (or persons) responsible for her parents’ deaths and finding the strength not to kill them.  And, both times, Wolverine plays a role in her decision, even if he isn’t physically in this issue.

Ignoring all of the continuity complaints, I do have some admiration for Faerber for at least trying to tell a real story in an annual.  Annuals were an absolute dead zone by 1999.  No one even bothered to arrange quickie crossovers in them anymore.  Faerber’s created a story that not only adds to one character’s established past (admittedly, in a clumsy way), but also impacts the lineup of the team.  

Throughout the issue, M is dealing with her father’s decision to withdraw her from the school, a choice she isn’t necessarily opposed to.  Banshee tries to convince her father to give M the space she needs to grow up and make her own decisions, which Faerber later parallels with Jubilee’s solo mission against Hunter Brawn.  Banshee gives Jubilee the freedom to confront Brawn on her own, confident she’ll make the right choice.  (Somewhat confident, since he sends Synch and Husk to keep an eye on her.)  Later, M says goodbye to the team, acknowledging that no one really liked her, and maybe it’s best this way.  Faerber also advances the Tristan Brawn/Husk subplot, as Tristan definitively turns away from his grandfather and becomes a more legitimate love interest for Husk.  So, yes, things happen and the story is much more than filler.  Unfortunately, it’s built on shaky continuity, and most of the emotional beats of the story were already covered years earlier.

GENERATION X #59 - January 2000

Artie and Leech’s Day Off!

Credits: Jay Faerber (writer), Terry Dodson (penciler), Rachel Dodson (inker), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Artie and Leech sneak out while Gen X visits a museum in New York. The team searches for the duo, as Artie and Leech aid Spider-Man against Sandman. Emma pairs with Tom Corsi, who explains his reluctance to join the school considering his past with Emma. Chamber futilely tries to talk to Husk about her new attitude, while Skin and Synch run into She-Hulk and ask for an autograph. Finally, Artie and Leech are caught by the Avengers after impersonating Thor and Captain America. When the team arrives to pick them up, Emma makes peace with Firestar.

Continuity Notes:

· Banshee and Jubilee aren’t with the team, because they’ve traveled to the X-mansion following the “death” of Wolverine. The footnote points to Uncanny X-Men #375.

· Tom Corsi reminds Emma of the time she had Empath force him and Sharon Friedlander to, well, mate like animals in New Mutants #39. Later, Emma has to apologize again for manipulating Firestar in the past, and sending the Hellions to retrieve her in an early New Warriors story.

I Love the '90s: Artie and Leech impersonate two of the Backstreet Boys (the blonde one and the “bad boy”…I’m not going to look up their names), and cause a riot.

Approved By The Comics Code Authority: Chamber uses “wanker” again, this time to describe Artie and Leech.

Review: I think the only two X-titles not directly involved with some aspect of the big Apocalypse crossover are Generation X and X-Force. And while X-Force is embroiled in John Francis Moore’s extensive Deviants storyline, Generation X isn’t caught up in anything so dramatic. Even the major storylines at the time, Emma’s sister becoming the new White Queen and the acceptance of humans into the school, aren’t so important that they must be addressed in every issue. So, they kill an issue in New York, and it makes for a decent story, although it clearly looks diminutive when compared to the rest of the line.

Mixed in with the comedic scenes and character moments, Faerber’s used the opportunity to address some continuity issues surrounding Emma’s role as a hero. It’s clear the character was not created with the goal of one day being reformed, so her blatantly evil actions from the past must be addressed. And Faerber handles the past continuity well, allowing Emma to say the only thing she can say -- “sorry.” This could come across as lazy or insincere, but the scenes do feel genuine and Faerber is able to make Emma as sympathetic as she’s been since this book was launched.

While it’s easy to dismiss this issue as filler, maybe there is a lasting significance to the story. Is this the first time Terry Dodson was asked to draw Marvel heroes outside of the X-universe? Faerber’s given him quite a list of heroes to handle throughout the story, and to be honest, the results are mixed. The cover is a good example…some of these characters look amazing, others just look wrong. In fairness to Dodson, he was still new to any of the “mainstream” Marvel figures, and it’s obvious he got a lot better as the years went on.

GENERATION X #58 - December 1999

Something Wicked

Credits: Jay Faerber (writer), Darick Robertson (penciler), Rod Ramos & John Czop (inkers), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Comicraft’s Jason Levine (letters)

Summary: The team searches the woods for Penance, who they believe has harmed a human student, while M stays behind with her visiting father. Gen X soon discovers that an escaped sasquatch was behind the attack. With Penance’s help, the sasquatch is subdued. Emma uses her telepathic powers to force the military to forget about the sasquatch, and Banshee calls Alpha Flight in to take care of the beast. Penance carves a note into a tree indicating her desire to stay with the team. Meanwhile, after visiting his son Emplate, M’s father announces he’s withdrawing her from the school.

Continuity Notes: Emplate tells the story of the day his powers surfaced, revealing that he killed his mother by feeding upon her. (She held on to Emplate to comfort him as his powers surged; whether or not he killed her on purpose remains unclear.)

Review: Oh, yeah…M, Penance, Emplate, and the St. Croix twins do have a father, don’t they? In retrospect, not using him during the M/Penance origin storyline was an oversight, even if it’s a fairly minor gaffe in comparison to the rest of that arc. Faerber doesn’t get a lot of material out of Mr. St. Croix in this issue, I suspect he’s mainly here to set up a story about M being forced to leave the school, but it’s nice to see some kind of response from M’s family to all of this insanity.

The main story exists to tease the reader into thinking this new Penance, whatever she is, is a villain, which apparently isn’t so. For an extended red herring, it isn’t so bad, and I don’t think anyone saw a sasquatch coming. Bringing in Alpha Flight as guest stars, based solely on the idea that “the” Sasquatch would know how to properly treat a “normal” sasquatch, is kind of clever. I question if Darick Robertson is an appropriate fill-in artist for the book, though. He’s apparently obsessed with detail lines at this stage (to the point that every character’s teeth are meticulously rendered), which doesn’t work for characters who are normally drawn as caricatures. I think the last thing Chris Bachalo was thinking of when designing this cast was “realism.”

GENERATION X #57 - November 1999

A Night to Remember

Credits: Jay Faerber (writer), Terry Dodson & Chris Renaud (pencilers), Rachel Dodson, Scott Elmer, & John Czop (inkers), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Comicraft’s Saida Temofonte (letters)

Summary: A weakened Emplate stalks the team as they prepare for the school dance. Emplate makes his presence known during the dance, distracting Gen X from his real goal of abducting Penance, who’s targeted by Emplate’s followers in the dorms. Half of the team stops Emplate’s flunkies, only to discover that Emplate has converted the other half in their absence. Synch pushes Jubilee into breaking Emplate’s influence, which leads to her destroying the social hall. In the wreckage, the St. Croix twins are discovered yet again next to Penance’s body. As the twins recuperate, Penance regains consciousness and escapes the school.

Continuity Notes: Because this is very important, the following people pair up for the dance:

Husk pays off her debt to Tristan and takes him as her date, Jubilee and Synch go “as friends,” M goes with Skin, and Chamber is paired with a goth human student. When the team suggests Banshee take Emma, she recruits Iceman as her date during his training session with Gen X to avoid being asked.

I Love the '90s: Skin on his physical appearance before developing mutant powers: “I wasn’t no Ricky Martin, but I did okay.”

Approved By The Comics Code Authority: Chamber refers to Emplate’s follower Vincent as a “wanker.” Apparently, Jay Faerber knew “wanker” as a British insult, but didn’t realize that it’s not generally used in “all ages” material.

Review: A double-sized five-year anniversary issue? That’s unusual, especially just a few issues after a double-sized fiftieth issue. That fiftieth issue was partially squandered on an X-Man crossover, so I wonder if perhaps this was originally Faerber’s plan for the double-sized fiftieth issue. “The big dance” isn’t really a strong enough concept to justify a double-sized story, but adding the return of Emplate into the mix creates a packed issue that balances the character scenes and action quite well.

Unfortunately, the return of Emplate also means the return of the M/Penance/Emplate sibling fiasco, and yet another wrinkle is added to the mystery this issue. The first time the St. Croix twins spontaneously appeared after a giant explosion wasn’t exactly a highlight for the series, and I’m not enthused to see the idea resurrected. We’ve already had a conclusion to the M/Penance/St. Croix twins storyline; it was mostly nonsense, but the story did create a clear status quo for the characters moving forward. M has her own body back and the twins are magically combined into the form of Penance. Now, the twins are back in their own bodies, yet somehow Penance endures. Add this to Emplate’s unexplained illness, and we’re left with -- hooray -- more St. Croix family mysteries.

The character moments, as always, are the real highlight of the story. The drama leading up to the dance, as each character deals with the internal high school politics of who-asks-who to go, is executed masterfully. Husk uses this as an opportunity to finally go on that blackmail date with Tristan, only to discover that she likes the guy. Synch asks Jubilee to go as a friend, not realizing that she honestly has feelings for him. M is too pretty and intimidating for anyone to ask out, so she’s stuck going with Skin. He never considered asking her; she only asked him after Artie and Leech asked on his behalf (following his revelation to them that having a beautiful date would help his self-esteem). When Skin finds out he was her pity date, he’s annoyed, while she refuses to admit that she might be capable of feelings like “pity” in the first place. And Chamber is stuck with an anonymous goth girl. So, there’s still a lot of humor and genuine character work, even if the main story is potentially moving into a dodgy area.

MUTANT X ‘99 Annual - May 1999

A World Gone Mad!

Credits: Jay Faerber (writer), Paschalis Ferry (penciler), Andrew Pepoy & Paschalis Ferry (inkers), Joe Andreani & Jason Wright (colors), Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

Summary: Havok is rescued from Goblin Queen’s attack by the last remaining Avengers, Yellowjacket and Stingray. They’re soon joined by Leonard Sampson, who helps the team invade Goblin Queen’s headquarters. From Brute, Havok learns of her plot to control the Nexus of All Realities. They travel to Florida, where the Goblin Queen’s forces are already attacking the Nexus’ guardian, Dr. Strange. Havok decides the only way to stop Goblin Queen from ruling the Nexus is to destroy it with his powers. Meanwhile, vigilantes Vendetta and Firestar fight the Sentinels in New York. Vendetta convinces Firestar to take him to the White House, where he enters President Kelly’s mind to remove Goblin Queen’s influence. Later, President Kelly names Reed Richards as the new President.

“That’s Crazy Because They’re Different”: In this reality, Yellowjacket is female, Stingray has cybernetic wings that resemble Archangel’s, Dr. Leonard Sampson has green skin like the Hulk, and Dr. Strange is actually Man-Thing.

Continuity Notes:

· This story is set in-between Mutant X #8 and #9, resolving the cliffhanger from issue #8.

· According to Yellowjacket, Bruce Banner is no longer the Hulk in this world.

· Following their battle, Dr. Strange, Yellowjacket, Stingray, and Leonard Sampson form a new team called the Defenders.

· Robert Kelly is not the established President in this world, President Starr is. Kelly’s the Vice President. The art depicting Robert Kelly is also extremely off-model, more closely resembling President Starr.

Better Than X-Factor?: I suppose. It’s hard to rationalize this with the monthly Mutant X series, though. I am glad to see that Mutant X #8’s cliffhanger was actually resolved somewhere, even if this issue’s claim that Goblin Queen blasted Havok all the way into the Hudson River is a stretch, and the story ends with Havok stranded in Florida, which doesn’t fit Mutant X #9 at all. It’s obvious that Mackie and Faerber really had no idea what the other was doing while writing these comics, right down to Faerber getting the President’s name wrong. And I have absolutely no idea what the point of the Vendetta/Firestar/Kelly subplot was supposed to be, anyway. If Vendetta freed Kelly of Goblin Queen’s influence, why is another one of Goblin Queen’s flunkies named as his replacement? How exactly could get Kelly away with ignoring the Constitution and just naming whomever he felt like as his replacement? Plus, as of issue #12 of the regular series, there’s been no mention of Reed Richards as President. Why is any of this material in the book?

Regardless of these complaints, I have to say that this issue is far more enjoyable than any of the “Goblin Queen Takes New York” issues of the regular series. Faerber is able to pull from numerous corners of the Marvel Universe and use a batty cast of characters to his advantage. Yeah, there’s no compelling reason to make Man-Thing this world’s Dr. Strange, but it’s inevitable that Dr. Strange would be changed in some manner in this reality. This was an unexpected way to go, and Ferry’s art sells the concept. It’s unfortunate that the best creative team to work on this series is relegated to the annual, but considering the lax standards Marvel seemed to apply to this book, it’s not a big surprise.

GENERATION X #56 - October 1999

Sins of the Past Part Two: Heal Thyself

Credits: Jay Faerber (writer), Terry Dodson & Karl Kerschel (pencilers), Rachel Dodson, John Czop, and Rod Ramos (inks), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: M uses her telepathic powers to reenter the fantasy world that’s ensnared Generation X. When Donald Pierce teleports in, he’s followed by an army of Sentinels. Gen X successfully counters the Sentinels in combat. Using M’s telepathy, Synch senses the mental presence of Emma. Combining his powers with M, they release Emma, as the X-Men turn on the team. Emma uses her powers to erase the fantasy and wake the team up. Adrienne Frost appears, boasts about creating the fantasy, and teleports away.

Continuity Notes: Synch remarks that he’s somehow able to use M’s powers better than she can, just as he’s able to expand upon Chamber’s powers.

Review: And now the previous issue’s high concept is explained, which is almost always a letdown. Still, there are some decent character bits this issue, and watching the team relive the Hellions’ final battle remains entertaining. It could be argued that they’re able to defeat the Sentinels far too easily when compared to the Hellions’ quick deaths, but I think this is an intentional point on Faerber’s part to show that Emma really has done a better job preparing this team for battle.

The real purpose of this storyline, aside from playing to nostalgia and setting up an amazingly impossible premise, is to introduce Adrienne Frost as a true villain for the series. She proclaims that she’s going to be the next White Queen, and for some reason, she’s chosen this stunt as her villainous debut. I have no idea what she’s hoping to achieve, but it would be nice if Faerber’s able to resolve this before his run is over.

The only real flaw in this arc is abrupt shift in art style this issue. Karl Kerschel’s pencils are an amalgam of early Salvador Larroca and Pop Mhan...not exactly art styles you associate with Terry Dodson. There are quite a few artists in comics in the Adam Hughes/Gary Frank/Terry Dodson vein (Erik Larsen even found one to replace Adam Hughes on a Savage Dragon miniseries after he grew tired of waiting on Hughes), so I have a hard time believing that this is the best replacement editorial could’ve found. If this arc just had to have an artist with an incompatible style fill in, it might’ve been interesting to have Whilce Portacio himself step in.

GENERATION X #55 - September 1999

Sins of the Past Part One - In Another Man’s Shoes

Credits: Jay Faerber (writer), Terry Dodson (penciler), Rachel Dodson (inker), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Generation X wake up to discover that they’re in the past; their mirror images reflecting them as members of the Hellions. Jubilee realizes that they’re reliving the day the Hellions were killed by Fitzroy and his Sentinels. The team goes to the planned Hellfire party, where they meet the only Hellion not reflected by the team, Jetstream. Despite their efforts, fate is not changed and Jetstream is killed by Fitzroy. During the battle, M is struck by one of Archangel’s ricocheting blades. She awakens in the Danger Room and realizes that her arm is bleeding.

Continuity Notes: This story swaps Gen X for the Hellions during their final battle in Uncanny X-Men #281. Much of the dialogue spoken by the characters is from the original script written by John Byrne.

Review: What a great high concept for a story. Of course, it’s not hard to guess that the resolution is going to involve the Danger Room and/or some telepathic manipulation, but that doesn’t undermine what an incredible hook this is. Trapped in the past in bodies destined to die, the team debates their next course of action, which for Skin and Chamber is clearly to avoid this fateful party at all costs. Jubilee conjures up an inspirational speech from her days with Professor X and convinces the team that since they know what’s coming, they’ll be better prepared to face Fitzroy. Arriving at the party, they’re soon confronted by 1991’s Emma Frost, who’s still a sadistic aristocrat in trashy lingerie. Faerber handles the team’s response to the villainous Emma quite well, and it’s hard to deny that the Dodsons make the X-Men of this era look fantastic (they certainly has a better handle on these costumes than Whilce Portacio did). This is a remarkable opening chapter and I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment.

GENERATION X #54 - August 1999

Land of the Rising Sons Part Two

Credits: Jay Faerber (writer), Terry Dodson & Derec Aucoin (pencils), Rachel Dodson & Scott Elmer (inks), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

Summary: After evading the Rising Sons, the team joins Jubilee and Paladin on Noy’s train. Jubilee discovers that Adrienne’s sword is worthless; Noy simply enjoys keeping it because it annoys Adrienne. She takes the sword, and with Skin’s help, rescues Paladin from Dragonwing on top of the train. Upon returning home, Gen X learns from Emma that the sword killed Adrienne’s husband. She thinks Adrienne wants to use her psychometric powers to stay connected with her husband’s final hours. In reality, Adrienne ordered her husband’s murder and wants the sword as a keepsake.

Continuity Notes: Viper is shown video footage of Generation X in Madripoor by one of her subordinates. She comments that she should pay them a visit, but doesn’t appear in the rest of the issue.

Review: It’s another issue of Gen X fighting the Rising Sons, with barely a subplot in sight. Faerber avoids making the issue a simple-minded slugfest by throwing in a few twists to the story, such as the revelation that the sword is actually an old piece of junk. Noy is simply keeping it out of spite, Emma mistakenly believes Adrienne has an emotional connection to her husband through the sword, and finally Adrienne’s inner monologue reveals that she’s even more of a sadist than anyone suspected. The final page reveals more about Adrienne than any of the previous issues, so in terms of the ongoing continuity, there is still some significance to the storyline, even if the vast majority of the arc was spent setting up and executing fight scenes. Not that there’s anything wrong with the occasional action arc in Generation X, anyway. I’m still puzzled by the Viper subplot scene, though…

GENERATION X #53 - July 1999

Land of the Rising Sons

Credits: Jay Faerber (writer), Terry Dodson (penciler), Rachel Dodson (inker), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Comicraft’s Liz Agraphiotis (letters)

Summary: Paladin reveals that he was injured by the Rising Sons in Madripoor, while on a mission for Adrienne. Later, Gen X travels to Madripoor with Paladin to retrieve Adrienne’s missing sword from the mysterious Noy (M stays behind to bond with her sisters, Penance). As Jubilee and Paladin spy on Noy in a restaurant, Gen X tries to search his apartment, only to be ambushed by Nightwind of the Rising Sons. Nightwind retreats, but rejoins her teammates as Jubilee and Paladin are tricked into following Noy inside a bullet train.

Continuity Notes: The Rising Sons consist of Dragonwing (a human/dragon metamorph), Spoilsport (a girl with gravity-defying skates), The Sign (a magician with power-specific tattoos), Jet-Black (a human/motorcycle hybrid), Nightwind (girl with magic sword), and Tough Love (the resident strongman who’d rather read than fight).

Review: Paladin gets his own guest-starring arc, apparently just because Jay Faerber likes the guy. Nothing wrong with that, of course; creators should be working with characters that excite them, and it’s not too hard to fit Paladin into most action-oriented stories. The characterization hook for the issue is that Jubilee has a massive crush on Paladin, which she uses to justify the team’s jaunt to Madripoor. Adrienne apparently has no qualms about sending the team into danger, especially if it’s to help her retrieve a vague plot device that she wants back, so it’s off they go.

To counter the team, Faerber and Dodson have created the Rising Sons. I don’t think anyone else has ever done anything with these characters, and while on the surface they appear to have a similar genesis as Alpha Flight (“create a team that can fight the X-Men”), they’re perfectly suited as villains for a short arc. Each of the X-teams needs at least one opposing team to regularly fight, and Gen X really doesn’t have any. You might argue that some of the Rising Sons too closely resemble fighters from Street Fighter II or Mortal Kombat, but Dodson makes them look credible as villains. Setting the story in Madripoor also allows Terry Dodson to show more of his design skills, and create the sense that the team really is sneaking out and getting into too much trouble this time (Banshee’s in San Francisco and Emma’s too busy to notice when Adrienne allows them to leave). It’s nice to see the characters out doing something, especially if it doesn’t involve another X-Man crossover.

GENERATION X #52 - June 1999

Secret Identities

Credits: Jay Faerber (writer), Terry Dodson (penciler), Rachel Dodson (inker), Kevin Tinsley (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Gen X’s classmate Tristan Brawn threatens to expose their secret after he catches them training in the woods. His condition for keeping quiet is for Husk to go on a date with him. To everyone’s surprise, she agrees. Meanwhile, Emma gives Artie and Leech image inducers, which they soon misuse as toys. Later, Tom Corsi is introduced as a new teacher at the school, Banshee receives word of Siryn’s injury, and Jubilee discovers a disoriented Paladin outside of the school grounds.

Continuity Notes:

· Synch tries to show Chamber how to fly by using his powers. Chamber is unable to grasp the ability, and is annoyed that Synch can use his powers better than he can.

· Colossus makes a cameo as a guest art instructor.

· Spider-Ham and Ducktor Doom (I’m guessing that was his name) are not in this comic. That would be Artie and Leech playing with their image inducers.

I Love the '90s: Jubilee comments that they don’t know Tristan Brawn from the Backstreet Boys. Artie and Leech’s hidden room is filled with Furbie dolls, and an original Playstation.

Review: Jay Faerber never hid the fact that he was more interested in character drama than superhero fights, so it’s not a surprise that this issue only hints at possible violence in the future. This is largely a collection of subplots, and while none of them are particularly bad, none of them are really stand outs, either. A human student is blackmailing the team, which is a decent idea but similar to one Larry Hama explored early in his run; some old continuity is dredged up, as Chamber’s non-existent ability to fly is finally addressed in an actual story, and Tom Corsi returns from the Realm of the Almost-Dead; cross-title continuity is acknowledged for the first time in a while, as Banshee is notified of Siryn’s injuries in X-Force; and a few character subplots continue as Jubilee prepares to make her claim on Synch while Husk tries to make Chamber jealous. Faerber’s still getting some mileage out of the integrated school concept, with an amusing scene that has M quickly ruining Chamber’s reputation as sexiest male on campus, and it’s hard to complain about a Spider-Ham cameo, even if the cover is slightly deceptive. So, nothing too exciting, but Faerber writes the characters well and the Dodsons are doing a great job even in the “quiet” issues.

GENERATION X #51 - May 1999

The Rescuers

Credits: Jay Faerber (writer), Gregg Schigiel (penciler), Bob Wiacek/Al Milgrom/Nelson DeCastro (inks), Felix Serrano & Kevin Tinsley (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: Using Artie’s telepathic link with Banshee, Generation X abandon Emma and attempt to rescue Banshee on their own. They discover that he’s being held by Hunter Brawn, an older man with the ability to create an exo-armor. The child kidnapped from the school was actually his grandson, Tristan. When Hunter realizes that Banshee is the school’s headmaster and not a government agent, he agrees to free him. Banshee talks Hunter into allowing Tristan to return to the school, unaware of Hunter’s true motives.

Continuity Notes:

· Hunter uses a Genoshan inhibitor collar to block Banshee’s powers while holding him captive. These collars first appeared in the X-Men cartoon, and made it into the comics continuity during Warren Ellis’ Excalibur run.

· Despite Adrienne’s claim in a previous issue, the school is still using the old “Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters” name instead of “The Massachusetts Academy.”

· Artie’s ability to mentally connect with Banshee from far away and project Banshee’s memories of his kidnapping is revealed as a new iteration of his powers.

· Gaia abruptly leaves the team before they depart on their rescue mission, citing her desire to see this world instead of reading about it.

· The new uniforms debut this issue. The masks are there to protect the team’s identity from the new human students at the school.

· The costumed villain on the cover is Hunter’s super-strong aide, Legault. He’s the one who knocked Banshee out last issue.

Review: This is largely an action issue, but Faerber works a surprising amount of plot into it. Artie has a new power, Gaia is leaving the team (inspired by a conversation with X-Man of all people), a new villain and his grandson and assorted flunkies are introduced, new costumes debut, plus the team leaves on a mission without Emma’s consent, leading to a cliffhanger that has Husk convinced they’re getting expelled. This last element is the one I have a problem with, since Faerber doesn’t give the team any real motivation for striking out on their own. The stated reason is that they don’t trust her following the disclosure of her past with Dark Beast, but that’s a stretch. The previous story didn’t reveal anything truly scandalous about Emma’s association, and it’s certainly no worse than her past with the Hellfire Club. Plus, nothing in their behavior indicates they’re upset by the revelation. They’re still joking around and goofing off, not exactly the behavior of a group of teens that feels betrayed by their mentor.

The highlight of the issue would be the introduction of the new costumes, which are an attractive combination of the traditional X-uniforms and the original Gen X outfits. I never liked the original costumes, even when Chris Bachalo drew them, so I’m relieved to see someone take the red and gold color scheme and do something else with it. I also like the addition of the masks. They make sense given the new status quo of the title, and add a classic heroic touch that’s often missing from X-team designs.

GENERATION X #50 - April 1999

War of the Mutants Part One: Divided We Fall

Credits: Jay Faerber (writer), Terry Dodson (penciler), Rachel Dodson (inker), John Kalisz (colors), Comicraft (letters)

Summary: As the school is opened to human students, Dark Beast and his minions spy on Gen X. When Emma Frost sees footage of X-Man on television, she telepathically reaches out to him. He senses her presence and discerns that Emma has a past with the Dark Beast. Meanwhile, Banshee sees surveillance footage of a helicopter abducting a student and races after him. In town, Gen X is attacked by the Dark Beast’s men. Gaia reaches Emma for help, but they’re suddenly interrupted by X-Man. Finally, Banshee tracks the helicopter to Vermont, where he's attacked by a large man.

Continuity Notes: The Dark Beast comments that he’s hidden in the sewers for decades to avoid being mistaken for this reality’s Hank McCoy. That’s irreconcilable with his earlier appearances, which audaciously claimed that he never even considered this reality had a Hank McCoy.

Emma’s sister Adrienne remarks that it’s good the school has changed its name back to “The Massachusetts Academy” given the public’s mistrust of Professor Xavier following the Onslaught event. That implies that the general public is aware that Xavier was Onslaught, which doesn’t work with continuity. At this point, even his identity as a mutant was still a secret.

Banshee is on the phone with a mystery man (?) who he’s recruiting as the school’s new gym teacher.

Dark Beast’s flunkies consist of new characters Membrain and Fever Pitch, along with a few leftover Gene Nation members, Hemingway and Vessel (whose names don’t seem to appear in this issue, which is annoying given how obscure these villains are).

Review: Generation X #1 and X-Man #1 didn’t debut in the same month, but due to the “Age of Apocalypse” storyline suspending Generation X for four months and X-Man continuing after the AoA stunt ended, they’ve run concurrent issue numbers since #5. No one thought to unite them for their twenty-fifth issues, but aren’t we lucky that someone’s decided to do a crossover during their fiftieth issues. (Of course, just two years later, they’ll reach cancellation together with their seventy-fifth issues. And the world is saved from gratuitous X-spinoffs forever…)

There is one obvious connection between X-Man and Generation X that hasn’t been explored yet, and that’s the teen angle. If Generation X is supposed to be training the next generation of mutants, and X-Man is a teenage mutant, the most powerful in the world, it makes sense to exploit that for one story. Another link would be Emma Frost’s past with X-Man’s arch-nemesis (whenever he bothers to remember X-Man), the Dark Beast. The exact nature of their relationship hasn’t been revealed at this point, even though Scott Lobdell hinted at their shared past early in Generation X’s run, and James Robinson detailed their first meeting in Generation X #-1.

I’m not sure if Jay Faerber was eager to participate in a crossover so early in his run, but he still works in a few decent ideas. Integrating the school with a new human student body opens the door to numerous story possibilities, making me wonder a) why no one’s done it before and b) why the concept was dismissed so quickly after Faerber’s exit. I’ll never understand the attitude that the X-teams shouldn’t be interacting with normal people. Isn’t this the entire point -- to train mutants to use their powers responsibly and be able to enter mainstream society? These titles have to be grounded in reality in order to work, so making the school a literal school and giving the team dozens of potential supporting cast members to interact with makes perfect sense.

Unfortunately, there’s no room to flesh out any of the new students this issue, but Faerber does find the space to split the team up into small groups and work in some characterization scenes. Husk is still angry at Chamber for brushing her off. Chamber doesn’t want to share the school with humans. Skin isn’t willing to believe all humans are bigots. M wants a tattoo to symbolize her ownership of her body. Synch is apparently the object of affection for M, Gaia, and Jubilee. Thankfully, the crossover material is simply used to justify the fight scenes, making this read like a standard Generation X issue that just happens to be concluded in X-Man.

GENERATION X #49 - March 1999

Trophies

Credits: Jay Faerber (writer), Terry Dodson (penciler), Rachel Dodson (inker), Felix Serrano (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

Summary: While sledding with their newest member, Maggott, Generation X is ambushed by the prize hunter Slaughter. Slaughter restrains the team and leaves with his trophies -- Maggott’s slugs. Synch mimics Maggott’s power and creates his own slugs, which free the team from their bonds. They rescue Maggott’s slugs, but Slaughter escapes in a flash of light. Maggott turns down membership in the team in order to track down Slaughter. Meanwhile, Emma visits her older sister Adrienne. When Adrienne’s psychometric powers reveal the true nature of Emma’s school, she agrees to pay its debts. Later, Emma returns to the school with its new headmaster, Adrienne.

Continuity Notes: Synch is able to fly after copying Chamber’s powers, much to Chamber’s surprise. This is presumably a reference to the original Generation X preview special, which claimed that Chamber will one day don a specially-made harness and use his powers to fly.

Review: Maggott was written out of X-Men with a one-page scene that had the Beast suggesting he join Generation X. For approximately six months, fans wondered when exactly this was going to happen. With this issue, the dangling plot thread manages to be resolved, only for Maggott to be shipped off into obscurity twenty-two pages later. New writer Jay Faerber was apparently sympathetic enough to the fans to give them an answer, but as he admitted online, he absolutely hates this character. I guess Faerber is willing to be nice to the readers, but he isn’t going to be a doormat.

I wouldn’t say the issue makes it obvious that Faerber hates Maggott, but he does seem to view him as something of a cartoon. He exceeds Joe Kelly’s quotient for annoying South African slang in virtually every word balloon, for example, which may or not be an intentional joke. When he isn’t speaking in impenetrable catch phrases, Maggott does have a few funny lines (he wants to meet this headmistress that’s always walking around in her underwear), and he’s given a heroic motivation for leaving the team so soon. Then again, you’ve got to wonder why Banshee’s letting him go out on his own to find the villain instead of volunteering Gen X’s help, so maybe it is a little obvious that Faerber can’t wait to be rid of him. Meanwhile, the “Emma’s broke” subplot continues. Adrienne is apparently supposed to be Emma if she never reformed, so her addition to the cast has potential.