Articles for December, 2017
Psych Ward: Quicksilver
by Marvel Comic Book News | December 27, 2017 at 11:26 am
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The client, Pietro Maximoff (birth name possibly Mateo Maximoff), may be best known as the superhuman called Quicksilver. Maximoff has long identified as both a mutant and the son of the mutant extremist Magneto, however, recently he’s been presented with evidence that not only is he not the offspring of Magneto, but he may not be a mutant at all. According to the criminal geneticist known as The High Evolutionary, the client—and his twin sister Wanda (A.K.A. The Scarlet Witch)—are actually results of one of his highly illegal experiments on human subjects. The client remains conflicted about accepting this reality. We have discussed this revelation with some depth and the client has admitted to three significant reasons he has not yet decided to trust this information. The first—and, arguably, the most logical—is that The High Evolutionary has a long history of manipulating the victims of his experiments, often purely for the sake of seeing what might happen. The second reason for Pietro’s uncertainties has a more emotional origin: to accept that Magneto is not his father would be to accept that most of his early criminal behavior was done on behalf of a power-mad terrorist instead of a family member. It may seem a minor distinction, but for Maximoff, the change would be significant; he can rationalize activities he did for his father as motivated by a kind of love and thirst for respect. Without that personal aspect, his activities were coldly calculated acts of terror. The final reason for the patient’s skepticism relies on his connection to mutantkind. Although he has long been known as a member of various Avengers’ teams, he’s also been an outspoken crusader for mutant rights. Having worked tirelessly on behalf of equal protections for all mutants, he now feels like an outsider looking in at the one community he thought of as his own. The High Evolutionary’s discovery also comes at the end of several years of significant personal and professional upheaval for Maximoff, which serves to complicate all matters. In no particular order, the client has seen his sister decimate the mutant population by taking away the vast majority of their powers (including his own); sought to return powers to his fellow mutant comrades by stealing Terrigen Mists from his Inhuman former in-laws; regained powers that aged him at a rapid pace; reconciled with his daughter; joined and rejoined the Avengers twice; and fought against a Captain America seeking to plunge America into Hydra rule. In short, even his good days were marked by significant changes in the status quo of his life. Unfortunately, as this writer was warned by Doctor Sampson, Pietro’s tolerance for therapy has proved incredibly low. He expects solutions as quick as he moves and generally rejects the concept of process. Questions requesting clarification or observations that do not fit his perspective are often mocked and discarded with little thought. Worse, he views his own natural vulnerability as a weakness; one can almost literally feel him shifting his own attitude the moment he starts to open himself up to any therapeutic methods. Given that he has been visiting in the immediate wake of a making a tremendous mistake when battling a villain called The Juggernaut, his defensive stance seems more resolute than ever before. The closer we get to “touching” that incident, the shorter and more agitated he becomes. This single event brought him to the office, but he refuses to discuss it, making our sessions more like power struggles on multiple occasions. This serves no one well, so this writer has decided to refer the client out to a previous therapy team that the client once experienced a level of therapeutic rapport with, who therefore may be better able to break down the client’s defensiveness more quickly and efficiently. A team of doctors, including Mark Waid, Al Ewing, Jim Zub, and Pepe Larraz, will meet with him for evaluation on January 24 with notes on their session available in folder AVENGERS #677. After that session, a decision will be made if he will transition to their observation permanently. Psy D. Candidate Tim Stevens is a Staff Therapist who must go faster, must go faster!
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Star Wars Spotlight: Jedi Council – Acts of War
by Marvel Comic Book News | December 27, 2017 at 2:53 am
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Each week Star Wars Spotlight combs through the digital archives of Marvel Unlimited to showcase one classic story from that distant galaxy filled with Jedi, Sith, princesses, scoundrels, and droids. In 1999’s “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace,” fans got their first look at the Jedi Council—a select group of Jedi Masters that strategized and gave directives to the Jedi Order at large. In the film, this committee featured the familiar Master Yoda as well as a group of new faces, including Masters Mace Windu, Plo Koon, and Ki-Adi-Mundi. These characters, from their earliest appearances, captured fans’ imaginations—including those of writer Randy Stradley and artist Davidé Fabbri, who created the four issue limited series STAR WARS: JEDI COUNCIL – ACTS OF WAR. This story, set before the events of “The Phantom Menace,” opened with a distress call about a ravaging alien race called the Yinchorri. Mace Windu explained that the Yinchorri lived by the credo that might makes right, meaning they thought they should be able to keep anything they could wrest control of—and that included a mining base that a two Jedi had been assigned to guard. The attack left both dead and Windu bearing the guilt. In response, the Jedi Master gathered a group of Jedi to go put things right. As Windu crafted a battle plan against the Yinchorri, the action shifted to Darth Sidious’ chambers, where he discussed his own schemes with Darth Maul. The Sith not only helped the Yinchorri with their raids, but also sought to establish a plan to attack the Jedi Temple alongside a warlord named Vilmarh Grahrk. At first, Mace Windu’s team struggled to locate the alien race across the galaxy, though Jedi Council member Yaddle soon realized something important about the system they searched: it contained a planet that appeared uninhabitable, but actually featured an underground city. The Jedi met up with the Senate Navy to run an attack on this planet, putting an end to the Yinchorri problem, though the more sinister schemes against the Jedi remained obscure. From the Jedi Temple Archives The Yinchorri proved such a problem for the Jedi because they were equipped with Cortosis shields. As Windu explained in issue #1, this rare ore disrupted a lightsaber’s power—the sword would shut down and need to restart, leaving its wielder in great danger.
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Black Panther: Allied Forces
by Marvel Comic Book News | December 27, 2017 at 1:55 am
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The Black Panther has always been known for stalking his prey solo, but when he finds his back against a wall, T’Challa knows he can rely on his most trusted allies to help him prevail. Recently, however, King T’Challa’s group of friends has fractured—just as the Black Panther’s greatest foe, Ulysses Klaw, makes his move against Wakanda. On January 24, T’Challa must reunite those he relies on most to avert total disaster as writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and artist Leonard Kirk hand the King long odds in BLACK PANTHER #169! As The Black Panther weighs his options, we asked series Associate Editor Sarah Brunstad to give us a peek into the mind of the Wakandan king. Marvel.com: What qualities does T’Challa look for in a friend? Sarah Brunstad: This is a tough question to answer because T’Challa is so powerful. But, ultimately, I would say the most valuable asset for him is honesty. Both his sister Shuri and his mother Ramonda act as his advisers, not only because they’re powerful in their own right (in a very literal way for Shuri), but because they tell him truly when he’s gone astray. He can trust their wisdom. Marvel.com: How does Shuri, in particular, aid her brother? Sarah Brunstad: Through her connection with the Djalia—the plane of Wakandan memory—Shuri can provide the historical context that T’Challa doesn’t have. Marvel.com: But not all of his allies hail from his homeland, right? Sarah Brunstad: Right. When T’Challa seeks allies outside of Wakanda—like Thunderball of the Wrecking Crew—he’s still looking for integrity. For the seed of it, in Thunderball’s case. A lot of writers avoid honesty in dialogue because they think it’s harder to keep tension, but Ta-Nehisi Coates doesn’t shy away from it, and I think that creates some of the comic’s most compelling moments. Marvel.com: Who, among the current crew of allies in BLACK PANTHER, do you believe T’Challa values the most? Sarah Brunstad: I think it’s Shuri. She’s the only living person who has not only ruled Wakanda, but has also worn the Panther mantle. She understands the pressures around him, and why certain actions are off-limits. And frankly, she’s a bad-ass. Her transformations are pure mythic, she fights as well as T’Challa himself, and she’s a natural leader. Yet she’s also wrathful and righteous. While T’Challa nearly always stays calm and collected, Shuri shows her sleeves a little more. Marvel.com: How do they work so well together? Sarah Brunstad: Together, they balance the throne, even though they no longer share it. I think T’Challa is one hundred percent aware of his dependence on her. A big part of the first arc of Ta-Nehisi’s run was reuniting them and reminding us of this sibling love, which is inseparable, I think, from their mutual love of Wakanda. Read BLACK PANTHER #169, by writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and artist Leonard Kirk, on January 24!
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X-Men: Blue Face the Old School Magneto
by Marvel Comic Book News | December 27, 2017 at 1:47 am
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Most of the time it’s pretty safe to assume that when you travel in time, you should expect some drama. What new challenges will the Original Five X-Men face in X-MEN BLUE #20 on January 24, as they encounter an old-school version of Magneto, their former nemesis turned current day ally? We caught up with writer Cullen Bunn to find out. Marvel.com: Will encountering Magneto as they travel to the past cause the X-Men to doubt their decision to team up with him in the present? Will it remind them of all the reasons he was originally their enemy? Cullen Bunn: Oh, absolutely! The X-Men will be seeing a very different side of Magneto. This is the Magneto who wants to conquer the world, to see mutants rule over humanity. I’m not sure this will make them doubt their decisions, but it will reaffirm why they joined Magneto in the first place. They signed up with Magneto so they could be there if and when he finally snaps and goes to the dark side. They might see some hints of the “kinder, gentler” Magneto, too. Those personality traits are always there. But this also shows that the darkness, the rage, is always there, too. Marvel.com: On the other hand, will knowing that their relationship with Magneto changes in the present impact the ability or willingness of the X-Men to fight him as they travel through time? Will they feel more reluctant knowing that he allies with them in the future/present? Cullen Bunn: I think they might be reluctant to fight Magneto, knowing that they will someday be allies. But…who says they’ll be fighting AGAINST Magneto in the past? At least this time around, they may be siding with Magneto. Now, if you’re talking about will traveling to the future and living with the modern X-Men make them reluctant to battle Magneto if and when they return home…well…we’re addressing that a bit in this arc. A key point of this arc is that if the Original Five do anything different in the past, it will upset the present. With that in mind, they MUST fight Magneto, just as they did in the past. And here’s a real twist of the knife: Maybe the Original Five in the past fought Magneto in their earliest encounters BECAUSE they know how he’ll end up in the future and they need to guide him to that moment.  X-Men: Blue #20 Marvel.com: Magneto has always seemed like a character who, at least some of the time, has relatable motivations for what he does. He’s not just a one-dimensional bad guy. So seeing him at these different points in his personal history could kind of bring to light that internal tension that we’ve seen over the years. Cullen Bunn: True. One of the things that makes Magneto interesting to me is that he IS a villain. He’s done some terrible things. But because of all the horrible experiences he’s had, we can almost understand why he does what he does. What’s scary about Magneto is that right now he is acting somewhat “heroically” but if he really dwells on all the awfulness that has surrounded him, he might just swing back into his rage and darkness. It’s not a matter of it, really, but of when. Marvel.com: What do you think Magneto of the past would think of Magneto of the present and vice versa? Cullen Bunn: The Magneto of the past would likely not understand the motivations of the Magneto of the present. He might be wondering what the angle is, because he would assume that there is one. The Magneto of the present might look back at his past and feel a bit of remorse… but he might also know that everything he’s done has been for the good of mutantkind, and he might feel some comfort in that, some resolve. That life… those decisions… make him who he is today and may inform his choices for what comes next. Marvel.com: Would you like to mention or tease anything else? Cullen Bunn: Coming out of this story, we’re going to be seeing a lot of the plot lines I’ve been seeding over the course of the series will start to bear fruit. One of those threads will address the Original Five’s concerns that Magneto might one day “go bad” once more.
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