Obsessively putting our comics in chronological order since 1985.
| 1990-12-01 01:07:10 |
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Excalibur #26
Issue(s): Excalibur #26
Cover Date: Aug 90
Title: "The times they are a-changin'"
Credits:
Michael Higgins - Writer
Ron Lim - Penciler
Josef Rubinstein - Inker
Terry Kavanagh - Editor
Review/plot:
This issue seems like a major scheduling screw-up, and not just because it's a fill-in that can't take place at publication date. It's also a story about adult Franklin Richards showing up in the present from his Days of Future Past story, and the plot hinges on someone remembering that Franklin actually died in that reality. And of course that's the same thing that happened in the Days of Future Present event that was published in this year's annuals barely a month before this issue came out. You'd think someone would at least recognize the similarities and put a comment in one story or the other acknowledging that fact.
In this story, Franklin is really a manifestation of Mastermind. He makes Rachel Summers think that Franklin survived in Days of Future Past.
And then she bumps into "Franklin"/Mastermind...
...who tries to take control of her Phoenix powers.
But Kitty Pryde, via the link that she had with her older self, knows that Franklin is supposed to dead. But it's Nightcrawler who guesses that Mastermind is behind it...
...as we see that Mastermind is no longer in his cell on Muir Island.
Kitty's plan for dealing with Mastermind involves elaborate disguises, with Kitty dressing up as her older Days of Future Past "Kate" self and Meggan disguising herself as Black Queen era Jean Grey (with Lockheed supplying the Phoenix effect).
That's enough to shake Rachel out of Mastermind's control, and she does the rest.
She winds up letting him believe that he's succeeded and become one with the universe.
If there was anything worth saying about Rachel Summers as a character by bringing Days of Future Past up again, it would have been done in Days of Future Present. In truth, neither story does much with the idea, but at least Claremont wrote some good Rachel/Franklin scenes in his annual. This story doesn't really seem to have anything to say. On the other hand, this story does have Ron Lim art and the cute scene with Lockheed making the fire effect for Meggan-as-Phoenix.
Quality Rating: C-
Historical Significance Rating: 1
Chronological Placement Considerations: A note on the first page of this issue describes it as "Yet another tale from before the Cross-Time Caper!". The MCP actually push it in the opposite direction instead, after Excalibur #34, probably due to the fact that Widget is fully functional in this story. It can't take place directly at publication date because Kitty Pryde is with Excalibur in this story, and she was missing after the Cross-Time Caper.
References:
- The original Days of Future Past story was in Uncanny X-Men #141-142.
- Mastermind previously tried to gain control of the Phoenix power through Jean Grey, circa Uncanny X-Men #134.
Crossover: N/A
Continuity Insert? N
My Reprint: N/A
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Comments
One major reason why the MCP pushed it ahead instead of before the Cross-Time Caper is because the Moira that appears in this story is clearly supposed to be 616 Moira and not Nazi Moira. Moira got switched with her Nazi self long before Kitty met Widget and didn't come back until Excalibur was sent on the Cross Time Caper.
Note that Mastermind is said to have been impersonating Captain Britain in this story. (It's Brian that Moira finds in Mastermind's cell.) I wonder if the idea was that Mastermind was Captain Britain in Excalibur 20 as well as this issue. Of course that's impossible if issue 20 is placed before the Cross-Time Caper and issue 26 after.
Oh, boy, this is when Excalibur became plagued by what felt like a near-endless procession of fill-in issues. As I recall, the creative team on the book did not fully stabilize again until issue #42, when Alan Davis & Mark Farmer started their lengthy run. And that was over a year away. That's a long time for a title to be without a creative team. Yes, Scott Lobdell did write several consecutive issues, but he was paired up with at least three different artists.
Mastermind was in a cell in Muir Island?
Besides my drawing a blank on how and why that happened, I don't like the implications. Moira is not supposed to have such rights.
I will grant that it is cute to make a homage for the very similar scene where she checks Proteus' cell back in X-Men 125 (not pictured in Fnord's review).
http://www.supermegamonkey.net/chronocomic/entries/uncanny_x-men_125-128.shtml
It actually makes sense that they would hand over some of their fallen enemies to Moira. The really weird thing is how few fallen enemies the X-Men had to hand over.
Seriously, scanning through the list of foes the X-Men faced in Claremont's run, virtually none of them ever get captured. Krakoa, Count Nefaria, the N'Garai, Erik the Red with Alex and Lorna, the Sentinels, Black Tom and the Juggernaut, Magneto, Firelord, D'ken and the Imperial Guard, Vindicator, Mesmero, Sauron, Garokk, Farouk, Moses Magnum, Alpha Flight, Arcade, Arkon, Proteus, the Hellfire Club, Dark Phoenix, Margali Szardos, D'Spayre, Dr. Doom, Caliban, the Badoon, the Sidri, Deathbird, Rogue, Dracula, Belasco, the Brood, the Morlocks, the Impossible Man, the Battleworld dragon, Selene, the Dire Wraiths, Kulan Gath, Magus, Nimrod, Freedom Force, Loki, the Beyonder, Lady Deathstrike, Rachel, Mojo, the Marauders, Sabretooth, Malice, Horde, the Eyekillers, the Adversary, the Reavers, Baba Yaga, mutant Brood, Terminus, Genosha, N'astirh, Maddie, Mr. Sinister, the Invasion forces, Master Mold, Nanny and the Orphan-Maker, Zaladane, Donald Pierce and company, the Mandarin, the Hand, Hardcase and the Harriers, Masque, Ahab... None of these people [aliens, vampires] ever reached a position where the X-Men were the ones who would decide their fate, especially not in a traditional hero-villain manner.
The Ani-Men, Warhawk, Moses Magnum, the Wendigo, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, William Stryker, Viper and the Silver Samurai, Mastermind, rogue SHIELD agents, Thunderbird and the Hellions, Xavier's muggers, Fenris, Crimson Commando/Super Sabre/Stonewall, the Juggernaut and M-Squad are the only villains we’ve seen who can actually be turned over to the police (or even Moira.) Sure, individual members of the Hand or common muggers can be stopped, but the X-Men have almost nothing in terms of villains who get beaten and go to jail.
Had Mastermind turned up since he was beaten in that Phoenix illusion attack circa X-Men 175? ISTR he was unconscious/non-functional at the end of that.
That's correct, BU. It may therefore be more the case that he was being treated at Muir Island, as opposed to being held prisoner.
Exactly. Mindless from psychic feedback, I think.
Moira's a bit of a mutant hospital, among other things.
There was a period where "evil sexy possessed by shadow king" moira was replaced by "evil nazi alternate" moira? I wasn't reading Excalibur at the time and I don't remember it coming up in X-Men. Comics are confusing.
Other way around. :-) Moira was replaced with a Nazi version in Excalibur. The real version returned during a swap that kicked off the Cross Time Caper (and then she became possessed by the Shadow King). That's why Michael is saying this can't take place before the Cross Time Caper, despite what the footnote says.
"Moira is not supposed to have such rights."
If you look back on old X-Men issues, she had her son - "Proteus", and Magneto - the baby version in her cells.
