X-MEN #58: Testament

The boys throw down

Originally Published November 1996

We begin in the tunnels, where Storm is memorializing the years-ago massacre of the Morlocks on the anniversary (which has already come up again after the last anniversary.) Storm feels somewhat responsible for the massacre, given she was technically leading the Morlocks at the time but was largely in absentia and mostly in her feelings about having lost her powers.

She is somewhat surprised to see someone else holding a vigil for the fallen Morlocks, and she is even more surprised when she sees it is... Gambit!

When she questions him about his connection to that event -- which happened before he ever crossed paths with Storm or the X-Men -- he just plays it off as one of those things; he's being, you know, sensitive or whatever. No personal connection to that tragedy here, no ma'am.

Meanwhile, Graydon Creed is making a TV appearance on Trish Tilby's show, laughing off allegations in the Daily Bugle that he is a "hate-monger."

And sure, I've mongered a little bit in my time, but who hasn't?

Graydon is heckled from an unlikely source -- Bobby Drake's racist dad, who has seemingly renounced his own hateful ways and wants to know where it all ends. Mr. D can't know this, but his own son is watching on from the wings, witnessing this very public change of heart, working undercover as Drake Roberts.

Back at the mansion, Joseph has been up late thinking about Rogue -- as one does -- and crashes through her window to wake her from a dead sleep and invite her to the sub-basement in the most non-creepy way he can manage.

Down below, Bishop and Wolverine are having a midnight campfire randomly on the lawn. They are having a chat about how Bishop feels his life lacks purpose now that the whole X-Traitor thing has been resolved. Wolvie has words of encouragement, there's still plenty for him to do (like, I dunno, finding that Fitzroy guy?)

What's going on here? What time is it even?

They see Gambit approach. Remy is concerned with Joseph being stationed outside of Rogue's bedroom window. He diverts Joseph's attention the only way he knows how.

And honestly, who can blame him?

Joseph tries to explain that he's just trying to help Rogue handle her powers. Gambit retorts that if he can't help Rogue with her powers, nobody can, and that just leads to disappointment. Joseph points out that the only disappointment here is Gambit, and well, them's fightin' words.

They scrap a bit, Gambit expresses his concerns that Joseph used to be a villain called Magneto, and Joseph counters that he doesn't remember any of that so Gambit should forget it too.

Bishop is poised to get involved, but Logan tells him to let it play out and see where it goes. Eventually it escalates into using powers...

Until they are interrupted by Rogue, who took twenty minutes to select a t-shirt that expressed her fandom of either motor oil or Scott Weiland's band, I'm not sure.

Also she has apparently absorbed the powers and memories of an inflatable sex doll

Rogue tells them both off, opting to choose herself.

Meanwhile J. Jonah is ramping up his negative coverage of the Creed Campaign, which for some reason has attracted the attention of Alex "Havok" Summers. 

Could he be under mind-control? Wouldn't be the first... or even third time!

Further Thoughts:

This issue is dedicated to the recently deceased Marvel Editor and staff fave Mark Gruenwald. 

In my previous post, I mentioned that it's good for the comics at this time there are so many cards to play in terms of sources of action and drama, specifically calling out the Rogue-Gambit-Joseph triangle. So it can't help but be a letdown that the first manifestation of that turns out to be little more than a slapfight, hardly the epic battle the cover promises. Given this issue is co-credited to Ralph Macchio, it lends credence to my theory that overseeing both X-Men titles -- as much material as he has to work with -- is too much on the shoulders of one man.

Speaking of cards to play, we also see Gambit at the site of the Morlock Massacre, working further to connect the dots between Gambit, the Morlocks, and Sinister, continuing to tease a reveal that has been many years in the making and if you haven't figured it out by now you probably haven't been reading. His guilt and inadequacy over his dark past partly informs his animosity toward Joseph, who is experiencing a level of absolution hell never know. (Let's not give too .uch credit though, it still really feels like a slapfight over a girl.)

Bernard Chang's guest pencils, meanwhile, give this issue an air of off-brandedness. His work -- whatever you think about it or the heavy ink lines laid down by Jon Holdredge -- doesn't look like the flavour you would normally see in the flagship X-Books, although I actually kind of like the way he draws Storm.