Dark X-Men #5

Spoiler alert for Dark X-Men #5. You may want to read the issue before reading this column.

This week saw the end of the Dark X-Men series, and I must admit this has been one of my favourite Dark Reign spin-offs. I was overjoyed to see the return of the X-Man, and I hope this isn’t the last we see of him, but his short term prospects do not appear great. In the future, I would love to see him teamed with Noh-Varr, they now have a lot in common, both screwed over by Osbourne, and both tasked with the defence of humanity on a global scale.

Still, even Nathan Summers was not the highlight of the series for me. Each of this characters (barring maybe Weapon Omega, although he shows promise) have been favourite characters of mine, and each of them have received an abject lesson in this story.

Mystique learns how she has quite clearly backed the wrong horse. Again. You would think she would have learnt by now, but her time as one of Xavier’s operatives and her many encounters with the X-Men seem to have taught her nothing. She leaves the series as owned by Osbourne as when she began.

The Mimic was given glimpses of the potential he could reach. If you happened to read Exiles, then we know what Calvin could be here in the real world, erm, I mean mainstream world (I must remember they are different. They are!). He needs to be put in a team where he can finally, well, grow a pair. Maybe Marvel should have him fall in love and either have a child or lose his partner in an Uncle Ben situation. After all, he could be up there with Nate Grey and Noh-Varr. But not while he remains the poster boy for depression.

Then again, more attention could be paid to his depression, he has been clinically diagnosed if I remember correctly, and that is story worthy in and of itself, but only in a team book. I don’t want Calvin to miraculously recover, it has to be believable else it denigrates the topic, but he needs to walk the path of the hero sometime. After all, we’ve only been waiting since the Sixties.

So Weapon Omega, Michael Pointer, is potentially the most important mutant on the face of the planet according to Nate? Now there’s a tidbit! However, what’s the chances that throwaway comment will disappear into the mists of obscurity?

I’ve not got a great deal to say about the Dark Beast, except how can you not love this character. He is the perfect corruption of everything Henry McCoy is, and long may he reign. He is a perfect sleeping threat, much like Mr Sinister under the shadow of Apocalypse was for so many years.

However, the very best insight has to be how, within the confines of Norman’s fractured mind, both Norman and the Goblin have made peace, and both support each other. We have seen this implied with his many conversations with his reflection over the years, but here we see something new. The Goblin acts in Norman’s interest, rather than simply his own. Has Norman finally found approval from his daddy issues?

Whatever the fate of Osbourne, this team needs to continue. After all they have the explosive chips inside of them in a true Suicide Squad tradition, so who would be the best person to take the reins? Valerie Cooper? Henry Peter Gyrich? Doom? Or maybe some new mover and shaker, taking up the mantle of the late Senator Kelly?

I sincerely hope this is not the last we have seen of this team.  They need a few more members, but they must not fade away, they have too much potential.  Are you listening Marvel?

Dark X-Men TheBeginning 2 cover

When Cloak and Dagger were revealed as members of the (Dark) X-Men, my initial reaction was ‘Huh?’

They are favourite characters of mine, and have been ever since their first appearance all those years ago in the Spider Man titles. In fact, they soon became my main reason for reading the Spider-Man titles, I never had much time for Peter at that age, not that I have a great deal now. (A story has to be highly recommended for me to dig it out of the back issue bins.)

However, despite one encounter with four of the New Mutants back in an old Marvel team-Up annual, and maybe the big face off with the Beyonder at the culmination of the second Secret Wars where both they and the X-Men were present, our duo have never had a great deal to do with the Marvel mutant community.

And working for Osbourne? I had assumed that the talents of Emma Frost would be required to reel them into his clutches in the first place. It didn’t gel with me, despite being visually striking. Like his recruiting of Psionex and the Force Of Nature into the Initiative program, it just seemed like a random decision, played out mainly to give the story some background colour.

Boy was I wrong.

Dark X-Men – The Beginning #2 started off with the story of exactly how Tandy and Tyrone ended up in Norman’s latest team. It is believable, very realistic (well, as realistic as one can get in a world of mutants, thunder gods and aliens), and true to their character. The pair, led as ever by Dagger walk reluctantly into an offer that is too good for them to refuse, mainly government support in their own war against drugs. Cloak as ever is appalled and rebellious, but even he cannot deny what Osbourne dangles before them.

Of course now they are in Emma Frost’s tender care, but I wonder at just how much she would be able to dominate Cloak, as even his mind seems to exist within the Dark Dimension. But it would be great to see them enter into the X-Universe full time, the pair have been skirting comic book limbo for far too long.

There are a few questions that still need answering however. Unless I have missed a major storyline somewhere, how is it that the pair are back together again. The last I remember was that they had had a fall out and parted ways. Still, I suppose Cloak will always be drawn back to Dagger, as she remains the only one that can assuage the hunger of the darkness within his cloak. A true symbol of addiction, as caused by the drugs they make war upon.

Now if you are unfamiliar with the pair, then I have a recommendation for you from your local back issue bins. The second series of Strange Tales (1987-88) was 18 issues split between Doctor Strange and our duo, both very good stories in my eyes and well worth digging out.

So, here’s hoping we get to see a lot more of Cloak and Dagger in the future.

(One word of apology, this looks to have been uploaded late as it floated in the system and should have come out last week.  I must have had a brain lapse.  Oops.)

So Captain America is alive again. Or will be. Or was somewhen and is coming back.

Who does he think he is? Jean Grey?

Actually I love the idea of the bullet locking his body in time and space at the point of his apparent death, causing him to come unstuck from the normal flow of time. Though how that causes his awareness to bounce around his personal timeline, well, I’m not sold on that yet, but I suppose it will enable him to leave messages for his teammates in the future. I’ll have a double helping of Deus Ex Machina please, hold the Exiles. We don’t want Cap working with the dirty mutants, just because he may be ‘unstuck in time’.

Despite the fact that I honestly think Cap could have stayed dead for a lot longer than this IMHO. Still it serves to balance what I have seen as a symbolic deficit with Marvel.

Now I’ve stated that the Secret Invasion issues were weak, concentrating on action at the expense characterisation in the main series. However, the story itself was a good one, as indeed is Dark Reign.

But come on. The ‘Embrace Change’ flyers going out during the Democratic Primaries and during the US election itself? Followed by the Dark Reign? Hell no, can’t read any symbolism there.

That’s either very clever (and nasty) marketing, or someone has a very evil sense of humour. So, Obama’s not the Anti-Christ after all, he’s a Skrull! (The fact that Stan Lee was a contributor to Hilary Clintons campaign has nothing to do with it all.)

Politics not withstanding, the Dark Reign storyline is proceeding along nicely, giving us looks into various dark corners of the Marvel universe. It’s good to see Dormannu taking a hand in earthly politics though the Hood. But what is really rocking my boat is Emma Frosts involvement in the Cabal.

We are led to believe that Emma has finally shown her true colours. However, as with anything to do with the White Queen, I truly doubt it is as simple as that. The Dark Avengers/X-Men Utopia-X crossover, coupled with the new ‘Dark’ X-Men series finally promises to do what only the Decimation did, and finally change the face of mutant politics.

I’m holding out for the hope that Emma is still on the side of the angels. After all her agenda has never been that far from Xaviers, protect mutanity at all costs.

Still, we’ll just have to wait and see.