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AXM #19 (aka the start of the "Unstoppable" arc)
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likeadeuce dubbed that one "the one with the exposition", which it is, but then, that's true for the start of every new arc. Other possible names are "the one where Scott looks great on the cover" or "the one where selenak decides she also needs an Agent Brand icon". Agent Abigail Brand is one of Joss's OCs, and I so hope she stays once he's done with X-Men, because she's clearly the Bester of Astonishing X-Men. Bester, Alfred: not the sci-fi classics writer but the Babylon 5 character named after him. To wit: someone who has an agenda which most, but not all of the time puts him on the opposite side of Our Heroes, yet who is not a one dimensional villain but concinved he's working for the greater good of the group he feels solidarity for. Which is true of Bester and Brand alike. Other things they have in common would be a gift for dry one liners, a complete disregard for civil rights and the fact they're not bluffing about their willingness to put their own life on the line for what they see as the greater good, either.
Brand has been having her own subplot through the last two arcs, a very minor one, but always there, and in this arc, it looks like she's moved center-stage. Proving that she's not just a thug but a strategist, her reaction to the "Colossus is the prophecied destroyer of worlds" isn't the simple thing (hand over Colossus to Ord) but the clever thing (use Colossus to draft X-Men into solving the problem with the bigger and ongoing thread from the Breakworld). No doubt she won't hesitate to throw Our Heroes to the wolves if she thinks it necessary, but meanwhile, this should be a fascinating team-up to see.
This issue also offers our first real glimpse at the destruction-threatened Breakworld, other than via Ord's self-glorifying flashback early on, and it establishes quite a lot of interesting things. Primarily that the Breakworld, as one of the characters there says, doesn't need a single mutant to destroy it, as it is currently busy going to hell on its own. Something is causing ever higher mortality of children and non-warriors; we don't know what yet. We do get to meet the civilians first, which I think is significant because it shows us that the regime which produced the later introduced Evil Overlord (tm) and our old aquaintance Ord is one that's far from supported by everyone, and on the contrary resented. I wonder whether the fact that the civilians we meet are women and Ord and Lord What's his-name are men? Anyway, the opening sequence starts to make the Breakworld less anonymous to us, and I suspect this will be important - we need to want to see it survive, just as much as Earth.
When last left at the end of the Torn arc, Our Heroes had just come out of emotional hell, so of course the big question was where they would go from there, to quote another Whedonian venture. Kitty, as was guessable from #18, is deeply scarred, and in Buffy-season-six/Wesley-season-3-and-4 territory. Those three years are still real to her, and though Peter doesn't know she put an axe to his brain, Kitty remembers. When she put the gun into Agent Brand's head, I, like
resolute, for the first time wasn't sure whether or not she'd commit a murder. She's that far pushed. Though at least she talks to Peter about what happened to her.Meanwhile, Scott and Emma do a fascinating thing: they don't talk to each other and have yet to meet each other's eyes, but they support each other - Scott literary (and by standing behind Emma pointedly whenever he has the opportunity), Emma by getting up as soon as she can and be that Hank says she is: an X-Men, focused on solving the crisis at hand, no matter how much personal pain she has (and has caused). Incidentally, that "Emma Frost is an X-Men" from Hank reminded me yet again how much I like the mutually respectful relationship between Dr. McCoy and Miss Frost.
Ongoing issues from the last arc: the psychic who diagnoses the pain in Emma's mind also tells us Cassandra's not there anymore, and as I expected, Joss still teases us as to where she is - in Hisako or in whichever hell Emma pushed her to if she did that - but I think it's important that it gets established from now on Emma's actions are her own. Also, Hank and Logan seem to have accepted Scott's explanation re: Cassandra and Emma, Kitty still doesn't seem to differ, and whether or not Peter does is an open question. And of course the "focus on the current crisis" approach will only get you so far; Scott and Emma still need to literary face each other sooner or later.
Crazy guess of the week as to how the cliffhanger will be resolved: currently virus-affected Danger is on board, and has at least to have the self interest of not wanting to get blown up along with the rest of them before she has a new body, so might try to access the Breakworld fleet's computer systems?
ETA: With a little help from my friends... *points to new icon*
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The connection between Brand and Bester is a very good one, and
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Brand and Bester: I first thought of this ina discussion, too, with
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Kitty is no longer repressing; Nova broke her free. Now, she is having emotinal chats with Piotr immediately during a mission, she is trying to regain control by asking for more time, and as you and
I'm liking how Piotr is being referred to as a murderer in both the Breakworld plotline and in Kitty's false memories. Resurrected to become a killer? Colossus is a vampire?
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Yes, those were the Wesley parallels I was thinking of. Also between the way he treats the prostitute in s4, knifing her hands, and Kitty's actions here.
Resurrected to become a killer? Colossus is a vampire?
Well, the panel where he clutches at Kitty and says "can I finally die?" back in Gifted is a direct parallel to the shot with Buffy and Angel in "Beauty and the Beasts". Mind you, the turning upside down of prophecies is also a Jossian tradition...
Very late comment
It's not so much a reverse season five as it is analogous to the hideous visions of married life with Anya that Xander gets given in Hell's Bells. Interesting that both of them end up doing serious violence to their partner or threatening to do so, although Kittie's vision is more about people turning on her and Xander's is more about his fears concerning his own potential.
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All yes's about Brand; I just love the "morons on my team!" look on her face after Peter makes his ill-timed joke. It makes me think of Spike in "Something Blue" -- "This is the crack team that foils my every move? I am deeply shamed."
About the Breakworld -- I've been conditioned by, well, every plotline involving the Shi'ar, to skim the alien-politics bits in Xmen, so I ought to slow down and go back and pay attention to this. Because this issue does complicate the whole Breakworld issue a good deal, including causing us to question what the prophecy is worth in the first place. I'm reminded a bit of the Minbari warrior/religious divide here. Will see what comes of it.
I'm working on the icon thing -- I'm not sure the one you sent me will size correctly but I have other pages and should be able to get you something.
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And Jean only manages to get rather weakly miffed at Emma, because, well, no one is getting hurt</i.< now, not really . . .
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Yes, it was her, and re: below, that was a different occasion from the multiple orgasm thing, that came later in "Imperial". Re: Morrison run, as you know I also appreciated Hank was the only one who was actually sorry about Emma being (temporary) dead and doing something about it. Putting all those diamond pieces together must have taken eons....
I just love the "morons on my team!" look on her face after Peter makes his ill-timed joke.
Me too. First she has to work with Ord, then this...
I'm reminded a bit of the Minbari warrior/religious divide here.
That's another B5 parallel, true. I loved that JMS takes care to make the Centauri and the Minbari divided into parties and factions just as humans are, because all too often in sci fi all Alien species seem to have one uniform policy, and that's just so unlikely... oh, and as gets pointed out below by Ponygirl, the opening scene is a homage/contrast to the Superman myth, with the child placed in the pod turning out to be dead, and the pod not carrying it to safety but exploding...
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These set-up issues get me so antsy though! Another month to wait.
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