While Kitty rushes to save Colossus, Mystique mounts a rescue of her own... with deadly intentions!
Originally Published February 1984
To begin with, uhm, how do I put this...
Yeah, "certain death" sums it up. Ambushed by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Colossus has been superheated and flash-frozen with liquid nitrogen, putting him in a state that gives new meaning to the term "statuesque." Kitty is of course panicked, but refuses to give up hope. She telepathically calls Professor Xavier back at the mansion, who is spending a quiet night in, reading correspondence from Cyclops.
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| Pretty weird pic to send your teacher/father figure. Also, I hope they used a tripod for this. |
He alerts Wolverine and Storm, but not Rogue - who is nearby listening to the latest Pat Benetar tape - because of the potential conflict of interest surrounding her former membership in said Evil Brotherhood.
Wolverine and Storm are training in the Danger Room by having Storm fly as fast as she can and letting Wolverine slice her old cape with his claws (she doesn't really need it anymore). They discuss Storm's new attitude, which she openly admits to copping from Yukio.
At the Prof's summons, Storm scoops Wolverine up and carries him, like a blushing bride, to the fight.
Wolverine is obviously not thrilled to be travelling this way, but I'm impressed. The man's skeleton is made of metal. Storm must have some serious biceps.
As Xavier tries to mentally scan Colossus for signs of life, he is struck by a mysterious psychic force - a "scanning wave" he determines, not an attack, which could have destroyed him at that level of power. Whomever is responsible must be Beyond Xavier's level.
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| I hear Advil is actually better for this. |
At the scene of the fight, Kitty considers her options. She reckons her phasing power won't be much good in a direct fight against the likes of Blob and Pyro, but she can't bear to stand by and do nothing.
Conveniently, she remembers reading a recent article in Scientific American penned by Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four about a device designed to thaw organic matter without doing any harm. What this device is actually supposed to be used for, and why Reed Richards, a supergenius mostly concerned with interstellar and inter-dimensional physics and stuff of that nature, would spend his time creating and promoting it, I guess you'll have to read the article. Maybe it's something he just whipped up on a Saturday afternoon for kicks.
It also occurs to her that if Colossus reverts to human form, the cracks and dents he has incurred may translate into horrifying wounds that will kill him in moments but um, one problem at a time I suppose.
Elsewhere in the city, the core Morlocks (or Corelocks) Callisto, Sunder and Masque, have come topside for a special project, finding a dead teenage runaway in an alley that they can use as a body double for Kitty.
Back at the Ballet, Kurt and Amanda are enaging in the longest public makeout since Manos: Hands of Fate while waiting for Colossus and Kitty to return, only to be interrupted by those buzzkills in the Brotherhood.
Amanda, being something of a sorceress herself, can actually contribute to the fight, fending off Pyro's fire-breathing fire-dragon of fire, but is physically no match for the Blob.
Before Blob can snap both of their necks like dandelions, Storm and Wolverine show up and the fight becomes a Fight. Blob and Pyro take a moment to chide Destiny for not warning them that Storm and Wolverine were on their way. Destiny defends herself by saying hey, it's just wind.
To my mind, Destiny has once again proven herself less than useless, an actual hindrance to her team. Look at her contribution to the battle, for instance:
I know Mystique loves Irene very much, but not everybody needs to be included.
Back at the Fantastic Four's fabulous HQ at New York City's Baxter Building, Kitty has determined to get in there, one way or the other, and snag the doohickey, despite the team being out of town on business. Being that her powers are to walk through walls and disrupt technology, I like her odds, as long as she remembers what the thingamabob looks like and doesn't mistake it for some other whatchamacallit.
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| And you thought Jamie McKelvie invented the cutaway shtick? |
After securing the device, Kitty escapes to the roof, hoping her ability to "walk on air" will carry her to safety. Unfortunately, someone seems to have caught up with her...
The X-Men get the upper hand against the Brotherhood, who know when to fold 'em and decide to say "uncle." When the heroes ask what the big idea is, Blob is kind enough to clarify that this whole attack was just a diversion.
Back at the mansion, the Professor is struggling. A powerful force is blocking his telepathic abilities, not unlike the one he encountered when Mystique attacked him in Washington some months ago.
Wait a minute... if 2 and 2 makes four, that must mean--
Oh no! Has Rogue shown her true colours at last??!?
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| This looks familiar |
That's right, this whole scheme was for Mystique to sneak into Xavier's mansion and rescue Rogue from his clutches. Only problem is... Rogue doesn't want to be rescued.
As we know, Rogue has joined the X-Men freely of her own volition because her power (to absorb the powers and personas of others with the slightest physical touch) is uncontrollable, and worse the psyche of Carol Danvers still lives inside of her, haunting her, and there is nothing Mystique or anybody can do to help. Xavier is her only hope. She has to be with the X-Men... for now.
Mystique appears to the X-Men in a hologram, demanding the release of the Brotherhood in exchange for Xavier's life. The Brotherhood gets to walk free, gloating that they managed to kill Colossus. As the villains depart, Destiny offers a bit of a tip to the X-Men, that "something" has happened to Kitty at the Baxter Building.
Which is just vague enough to be accurate, but in reality misleading and not really helpful. As always, thanks for showing up, Irene.
That said, with Colossus still near death, we are left off with a cliffhanger on our cliffhanger:
Further Thoughts:
Because of the shenanigans we saw the Morlocks getting up to, we know that isn't actually Kitty splattered on the asphalt. Why the creators felt the need to show her "falling" - and how exactly the Morlocks got to the roof of the heavily secured Baxter Building, I don't know. (If you're wondering how they knew she was there, remember Caliban senses where mutants are so he probably helped since this is all for him.)
I do appreciate the audacity of building to another shocking apparent death when we've already got Colossus's life hanging by a thread. You may call it a hat pn a hat, but I call it a HatStack, the hot look of the season.
This issue solidifies Rogue's place with the X-Men, as if that hadn't already been established. To appeal to Mystique, She uses the logic, which we know, that she needs Xavier's help. What she doesn't say is that she's really bought in and made herself a valued member of the team, risking her life constantly to help other members. With the benefit of 35 years of hindsight, we are used to seeing Rogue as a good guy, but even now, a few months in, she doesn't act or appear like a "bad guy on the good guys' team," a role that would frequently come up for the X-Men. Despite her early appearances characterized with usual cackling villainy, she is a vulnerable, earnest person here who wants to grow.
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