Issue(s): New Warriors #45
Cover Date: Mar 94
Title: "Sleeping with the enemy"
Credits:
Fabian Nicieza - Writer
Darick Robertson & Brandon McKinney - Penciler
Larry Mahlstedt, Mark McKenna, & Mark Stegbauer - Inker
Paula Foye - Assistant Editor
Rob Tokar - Editor

Review/plot:
This issue begins with a bit of exposition catching readers up on the first part of the Child's Play crossover. We're told that the Gamesmaster arranges his games as a way to manage his sanity, since he's a "mutant omnipath" who has to contend with perpetual mental static. At this point, Cannonball, Boomer, and Magma are prisoners of the Gamesmaster.

Before we get started on the New Warrior's side, though, we first see some changes on the team. Namorita, now blue, has rejoined the group. And Silhouette is sporting a new costume.

Speedball complains that now everyone on the team has a new look except him, and that seems to cause him to subconsciously redesign his own costume.

Then the New Warriors are attacked by a group of armored goons called the Tribunal.

Graydon Creed wore armor and called himself Tribune in the Sabretooth miniseries, so these seem to be his troops (and this will be confirmed in the next chapter). It's kind of a shame that all of Justice's undercover work has seemingly amounted to nothing, since the New Warriors don't exactly get a proactive head start on things. But the troops are handled with ease thanks to the return of Justice.

Justice then puts a strain on his reunion with Firestar by suggesting that they go along with the idea of letting Justice capture Firestar and bring her back to Shinobi Shaw.

Shinobi tells Justice that his plan is to eliminate all of the other Upstarts and the Gamesmaster himself. He's installed energy screens that he thinks will stop the Gamesmaster from learning about this, but we see the Gamesmaster listening in.

Meanwhile, Moonstar has been on the run with Empath. She got Empath away from Fenris, and they have gone to Madripoor to find Karma. They are then attacked by Siena Blaze.

Despite Karma holding Blaze in the above panel, the next time we this group Blaze has seemingly captured her three targets and delivered them to Gamesmaster. Having also been responsible for the capture of Cannonball and Boomer, this puts her in the lead (Fenris, who captured Magma, are the only other Upstarts to score a point). But the incongruity between scenes is deliberate, as we'll see in the next chapter.

This is not a good crossover but Fabian Nicieza at least takes more time to focus on character work, making this more enjoyable than the previous chapter.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This is part two of Child's Play. It continues in X-Force #33. Firestar complains that Night Thrasher kept the fact that Justice's defection to Shinobi was a ruse for the "last week". This is presumably the same week that was referred to last issue, so last issue takes place not long before this one.

References:

• Continues from X-Force #32.

Crossover: Child's Play

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

This issue came out three weeks late.