X-Men X-Cess: Hazardous Placeholder

October 12, 2013 The Nerds of Color

Originally posted at Adam WarRock’s tumblr page.

I bought a bundle of X-Men Vol. 2 issues, 1-79, and I am going to read them all and blog about them here. And now:

X-Men #9 – The Not So Big Easy

HAZARDOUS PLACEHOLDER

So here we are, Fabian Nicieza writing, Art Thirbert on the pencils. And two issues out from the X-cutioner’s Song saga, this is the ultimate of placeholder issues. Charles’s childhood friend, Alexander Ryking aka Hazard, escapes out of the Ryking hospital (which is hinted at that it’s a place where they, contain? Rehabilitate? Do something to mutants), and goes on a killing spree because he’s mad angry. This sort of intertwines with some hints about Wolverine’s past, but it never really leads anywhere. So whatever. This is clearly just a placeholder of a story arc to bide time until the epic X-Cutioner’s Song. So, let’s talk about some panels.

Jesus, Jubilee. Paper had been invented by the 1960s. I blame the public education system. And malls.

Ugh, Beast. Terrible pun. You’re smarter than that.

This is how obsessed we were with Gambit back in the 90s. Letters pages just full of questions. Can he charge a mountain? Answer me, Marvel! This is also proof that Gambit led to a generation of kids thinking that throwing cards was cool.

Next: X-Cutioner’s Song, which is one of my fave X-Men crossovers.