X-Men X-Cess: All’s Well in the Mojoverse

October 8, 2013 The Nerds of Color

Originally posted at Adam WarRock’s tumblr page.

Gonna cram a bunch into this post, but if you’re around Fairfax, VA and/or George Mason University, I’ll be performing there on Wednesday, Oct 9 at 9pm at the Hub Ballroom. Come by and see the show!

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

Let me pose to you a scenario. “In this issue Ghost Rider will become infested by the Brood.” Yeah, sounds pretty cool, huh? But for some reason THAT part of the issue doesn’t click with me the same way as I remembered. Maybe I’m older, and maybe in a lot of ways, Ghost Rider just doesn’t seem that cool anymore? I mean he’s still COOL, but maybe those movies rubbed off on the mantle of the young Blaze.

But isn’t it nice to see that Beast is slowly trying to move on his affections for Jubilee from the infamous “hula hooping incident” from the picnic?

The more interesting stuff that happens in this issue isn’t the X-Men in an all-out brawl with Brood Rider, but the more intimate moments. Like the moment between Gambit and Bella Donna is kind of beautiful, in that way that the smooth talking man who calms down the mildly hysterical woman so much, that she falls for his affections and they kiss in the sewer? You know how that ALWAYS happens?

And of course, more Cyke/Betsy stuff, which back then was SO exciting. Can you imagine it? The idea that Cyclops would one day get to…DATE SOMEONE ELSE? I mean, until Morrison blew that up with the Emma storyline, which for my money, is the best X-story maybe ever. Also, I do like the idea that when Cyclops gets sexually excited, he sort of loses the ability to speak. B-Uh-b-bet-sy? C’mon dude.

And Bella Donna dies, which is honestly, totally a bummer. Did she ever come back in the X-Universe? I don’t remember. She was actually a really cool character that I wish I got to see more of. Gambit, life, she is a bitch, n’est-ce pas?

The issue ends, on a cliffhanger. I don’t have Ghost Rider #27, so let’s just keep going on.

X-Men #10-11 – Where the Happy Little Bluebirds Fly/The X-Men vs. The X-Men (Again)

Which brings us to the swan song of the Jim Lee X-Men era. And what better way to go out than with Longshot, Dazzler in Mojoverse?

What I love so much about this story (and man oh man do I love it) is that it basically explains how the X-Men got to Mojoverse in one page, with some ridiculous plot contrivances, and it just gets straight to the action of X-Men on X-Men. Which is so much more satisfying than X-Men vs. Brood Rider.

Seriously how incredible does Jim Lee draw Dazzler? I LOVE this panel. Like, so so much. The “Once more, with feeling!” as she gathers up that sound energy. This is my favorite Dazzler, the ass-kicking, “I’m going to save my man” intergalactic traveler. I hate to say it, cuz it’s kind of cliche’ to say that a 90s Jim Lee version of X-Men is your favorite, but it is. Most of these are. I don’t care if that makes me a typical child of the 90s.

I also love this panel of “Charlie,” it’s just so awesome. I don’t have much else to say about it.

Only Jim Lee could make a Wizard of Oz parody work in the context of a Mojo II overthrowing an imperialistic government against the backdrop of another X-Men vs. X-Men storyline, and make it work. Don’t think I don’t see the irony of the fact that Jim Lee ends his run with the EXACT SAME machination of X-Men vs. X-Men as Claremont did in issue #3, but I don’t care. X-Men are at their best when fighting each other. Or something.