Hello Darlings!!

It’s time to keep talking about some of the issues I’ve read recently. I’m excited! Are you?

But, before we begin, I want to talk about the blog itself. I was looking back through my posts the other day, and I realized that I’ve been spending a lot of time discussing the details of the individual issues, but less and less time talking about my impressions, the characterizations, powers, politics, etc. that I originally wanted to talk about. This is going to change. I want to get back to discussing these things. So, posts may change a bit going forward. For a little while longer, I’m only reading two titles, so I can continue giving summaries of the stories as well as my impressions and such. But once I add even one more monthly title, it’s going to be too much. So I’m going to have to streamline the format a bit. (Or quit my job to blog full time, which isn’t an option! Sorry my loves!)

And on that note, lets jump into X-Men #32 & 33. If I were reading X-Men in the pretty, pretty Omnibuses I wanted to read them in, this is where I would be finished with The X-Men Omnibus Vol. 1 and starting The X-Men Omnibus Vol. 2. Isn’t it pretty? One day it will be mine!! But, for now, my Marvel Unlimited subscription is certainly paying for itself! Now I just need to remember to keep my damn Kindle charged so I always have my digital comics on me! I tend to carry my trades around in my bag at all times, but a lot of the time I can only read one issue, and then it’s time to switch to digital for X-Men and I don’t have a way to read them. I’ve tried reading them on my iPhone, but it’s WAY too small. I just can’t do it!

Anyway, enough about my inability to keep my electronics organized and charged! Lets move on to the real reason we’re all here: Mutants!! Or, in this case, SOME mutants and some black-magic enhanced wrecking balls of fury. That’s right my dears, JUGGERNAUT IS BACK!!!!

So, apparently the last time they fought Jugs, he fell into a comatose state. When the doctors couldn’t revive him, the police agreed to place him in Charles custody! (I know, right?! I think there was just a bit of mental persuasion on Chucks’ part if you know what I mean!) The Professor has been keeping his comatose step-brother locked up in the school’s basement for months and the X-Men knew nothing about it! How messed up is that?!? Guys, this is the shit I’m talking about when I say that Charles Xavier is totally a dick and a manipulator, and all the other things I’ll say about him as we go.

The Prof. has built a machine to try and remove the Juggernaut powers from Cain Marko and save him. But, of course, it backfires and Juggie wakes up even more powerful than before, AND with Chuck’s telepathy powers too! He lies in wait at the mansion while the kiddos are out and then defeats them when they return. He is just about to kill them all when he’s contacted telepathically by the mysterious Factor Three who convince him to leave the X-Men and join them in Europe to help them take over the world. The X-Men wake up, move the still unconscious Xavier to bed, and then Jean uses the “amplifier” to delve into his mind to find out what happened.

It’s here we learn the back story of the Ruby of Cyttork that turned Cain into Juggernaut. It had a guardian that was defeated and sent to the universe within the Ruby by the Ancient One. It’s also here that we get to see the kids work as the refined, disciplined super-hero team that they are for the first time. Without the Prof there, Cyclops fills in the leadership role seamlessly, and the kids work wonderfully together. This is really the first time we get to see that, perhaps, it’s their reliance on the Professor, and his refusal to ever tell them EVERYTHING that has been holding them all back. I love seeing them like this. And I love seeing Scott fall so naturally into being a leader and a decision-maker. He’s a master strategist on the battle-field (a fact that will be highlighted more in the future) and it’s nice to see this mastery start to take shape. I’m beginning to see bits of the character I fell in love with in the ’90’s.

Sorry, got a little side-tracked there by my fictional, mutant boyfriend. LOL. Basically, the X-Men recalibrate Cerebro to find the Ancient One. Dr. Strange (!!!!) shows up and tells them that two of them must go into the Ruby’s universe and bring back the “unearthly” version of the Ruby. Cyke chooses Jean to go with him, and the three boys head off to try to delay Juggie. Ok, I know I already went off about Scott once, but guys, I can’t even. The thoughts going on in both his and Jean’s head when he chooses her to come with him are ADORABLE. And also, Jean has never been written as more capable and sure of her powers as she is here. She takes initiative getting them to the cave, getting them past the soldiers patrolling near it, etc. She defeats the Outcast, and they get the ruby together, as an equal team. It’s wonderful and sweet, and I can’t handle the cavities it’s giving me!!

But, back to the action. They manage to get the Ruby, and then meet up with the rest of the team. The other guys are holding Juggie off at the airport, and it’s not looking good. Marvel Girl and Cyke show up and trick Jugs into holding the unearthly prototype of the ruby. It sucks him into the ruby universe and saves the day. But, when the kids return to the school, Xavier is gone!! He’s been kidnapped! It seems Factor Three was merely using Jugs as a decoy to draw the X-Men from the mansion, so they could kidnap the unconscious professor.

So, I know I went into a lot of detail about this arc, and already talked a lot about Jean and Scott, but there were a few other things I wanted to talk about. First, Bobby’s 18 now! They started the arc at the coffee shop Bobby and Hank frequent in the Village celebrating. Bobby and Hank’s girlfriends where there, and Scott and Jean. Warren shows up with Candy! It’s awesome to see him with someone else, and Scott and Jean able to bumble their way along towards their eventual relationship. They dance, and I nearly die of happiness!! And, after the party, our lovebirds walk home together, and have a talk about Scott’s commitment issues and fear of his eyes. It’s the first time we get to see these two (or ANY of the X-Men for that matter) open up to one another about their fears and dreams. They all keep everything so locked up most of the time, so it was really refreshing to see Scott open up. It’s how real teenagers/twenty-somethings act with their friends and teammates.

All in all, this was my favorite arc thus far. This is what I love about the X-Men. Scott and Jean together (even if they’re still not sure about it all)and equals, the team working together and Cyke leading well, the Professor being his normal shady self and it biting him in the ass, a huge, over-zealous bad guy with a grudge. It’s nearly perfection! So, on that happy note, I’m going to end this here, and we’ll pick up with Avengers in the next post!

For now, my loves, keep searching…