Front Lines - More Secret Wars (June 3, 2015)

X-Tinction Agenda #1 by Marc Guggenheim & Carmine Di Giandomenico

Summary: After the live burial of Cameron Hodge’s disembodied head, Havok and Wolfsbane agree to stay in Genosha to try to get it back up and running.  They’re joined by Karma, Rictor, Mystique, Magistrate Anderson, Wicked (a Ghost Summoner), and Bulletproof (Bulletproof, strangely enough).  Some time later, we learn that Genosha is in the midst of rioting due to famine, which in turn is due to a disease called the X-Tinction Plague.  Havok and Wolfsbane appeal to Dr. Doom and then Baron Rachel Grey hoping for assistance and are turned down.  They hatch a plan to invade X-Topia in order to kidnap Triage and Rogue and force them to end the plague.  Meanwhile, the Genegineer has dug up Cameron Hodge’s disembodied head and is experimenting on it.

Mike Weaver: The first thing that strikes me about this issue is the coloring.  It alternates from everything being the same color to backgrounds being really bright colors like bright pink.  It makes the issue kind of hard to read.  The story was decent, with Mystique and Havok getting particularly good showings characterwise.  It was nice to see an X-sporting event at the end when they start to invade X-Topia, even if Wolverine states that he’s happy that the Genoshans showed up since he hates baseball.  All in all, I found this issue pretty average, and wished it had confirmed that the X-Tinction Plague is the Legacy Virus, since I’m coming away somewhat uncertain.  Score: 2.5/5

Years Of Future Past #1  by Marguerite Bennett & Mike Norton

Summary: New York City is abandoned and used as an internment camp for mutants, a dying breed.  Kitty Pryde’s daughter Christina is ranging around to find abandoned medical supplies in the Bronx Zoo, and Wolverine shows up to beat up a tiger and save her.  The supplies Christina got are not intended for medical use but instead they are a component needed to remove the inhibitor collars all mutants wear.  Meanwhile, President Kelly decides to stage some mutant on mutant violence to stop a political movement hoping for the repeal of the Mutant Control Act.  Rachel, Colossus, Kitty, and Magneto join Christina in a jailbreak attempt, and are joined by Wolverine and his son.  Christina Pryde and Wolverine’s son Cameron are the last mutants born before mutants were sterilized, and so they hope to send them to save President Kelly from a rogue Sentinel.  However, Kelly has plans of his own and unleashes Mystique and Blob from forced comas and sends them to fight the X-Men.  His intent is to film this and bill it as mutant on mutant violence and why the control act must stay.

Weaver: All in all, this was a really good issue.  The apocalyptic New York City prison camp was beautifully rendered with a lot of attention to detail.  Political posters and bus advertisements reminded us of the Days of Future Past reality and what’s happening here.  Christina Pryde easily fits into the same Wolverine protege role that her mother filled while still being different enough personality-wise.  I only have two small gripes with the story.  First, Days of Future Past started when Senator Kelly was assassinated, yet he’s clearly fine here.  With everything else being pretty spot on, it seems like a pretty big oversight.  Also, when Kelly orders the mutant on mutant violence, he has no idea that the X-Men got out of their inhibitor collars, which would make it basically mutants versus normal people as far as anyone knew.  I’m willing to forgive these issues, though, because overall this was very strong. 

Mike Maillaro: To be fair, a lot of the Secret Wars Tie-Ins have used titles with...only vague...connections to the original series.  I keep joking that they are basically Tangent books.  Not that it should excuse them, mind you, but Kelly being alive didn’t surprise me at this point.  

Weaver: Yeah, but it was disappointing because this one was pretty close to being exactly the original setting, which makes a gaffe like that really noticeable.  Still, they get bonus points for being close. Score: 4/5

Master Of Kung Fu #2 (Of 4) by Haden Blackman & Dalibor Talajic

Summary: A drunken Shang-Chi spars with the Morlocks while telling them that he has no desire to train them.  Kitty Pryde tries to convince him that they really need help, and he agrees that they do, but isn’t going to give it.  Meanwhile, the Emperor continues his search for Shang Chi, a search that finally hits paydirt when Callisto rats him out in exchange for joining one of the ten rings martial arts schools.  The Emperor sends Iron Fist and company down to follow the lead.  The Morlocks try to fight them, but are overmatched.  Kitty tries to convince Shang Chi to save them, but he prefers to remain hidden, knowing that Iron Fist will not kill the Morlocks.  However, when Cypher tries to get a jump on the Laughing Skull, the Laughing Skull does not hesitate to kill him.  Shang Chi covers the escape of the rest of the Morlocks, admitting that he was too afraid to defend them.  Now, he is determined to fight Zheng Zu in the Thirteen Chambers, but to do so, he needs a school, so he agrees to teach the Morlocks.

Mike Weaver: This series is a great homage to the old martial arts comics while also bringing in more familiar elements of the Marvel Universe, such as the Morlocks.  The art was great, especially an early two page spread done in Chinese tapestry style.  I think that Shang Chi’s decision to start taking action to take his life back came a little suddenly given how much he believed in his earlier “I don’t care” speech, but it’s necessary to the story to progress.  This was another good issue.  Score: 4.5/5