![]() | |||||||||
Excalibur: Mojo MayhemIssue(s): Excalibur: Mojo Mayhem Review/plot: This issue picks up with the kids still on the run with Ricochet Rita. The kids are hindered in part by their own foibles, especially the jealousy between Rogue and Dazzler over Longshot. ![]() They eventually are forced to take refuge in a foreboding building made up of past comic book crossovers. ![]() Funny, i don't see any of the mutant crossovers included there. Inside the building, their costumes are updated to match the current X-Men. ![]() They then find the entire structure is supported by a smaller building, the House of Jack and Stan. ![]() As Mojo's forces get closer, Rita and the X-Babies hide in that building, and then the whole structure explodes. Mojo reacts as if the X-Babies have died, screwing up his ratings just like the supposed deaths of the X-Men. ![]() But Major Domo brings in a character called "The Agent" to bring the X-Babies back. ![]() Unlike most of the denizens of the Mojoverse, the Agent has a spine. So she (see below) is able to negotiate a good contract for herself. ![]() But she still says that Mojo gets all his money back if she fails to deliver the X-Babies. Meanwhile, Kitty Pryde is frustrated trying to repair Widget with no luck, and she decides to take a break and go see some concerts by her favorite band. This is over Captain Britain's objections, but Nightcrawler (in a Flaming Carrot t-shirt) stands up for her. ![]() The band turns out to be the Cat's Laughing, who Kitty says she's been a fan of since before ever joining the X-Men. ![]() There's no reference to their inclusion in Arcade's trap from Excalibur #5. The band was playing in Scotland, a long trip from Excalibur's island. It's while taking a sleeping train home that she meets the X-Babies. ![]() The initial surprise causes Kitty to inadvertently phase out of the train and into a lake, and, after seeing baby Colossus stick up for her to Wolverine... ![]() ![]() ...the X-Babies all lend her bits of their costumes to replace her wet cloths. ![]() Kitty sees helping the X-Babies escape from Mojo's Agent as a second chance to help the X-Men, after the real ones died (or so Kitty still thinks). So she tries to help the kids get to Excalibur. They are also looking for Ricochet Rita, who didn't appear with the rest of them. The plot then moves from place to place with the kids getting tricked one by one into signing contracts by the Agent. ![]() ![]() Along the way, they borrow a car from Chris Claremont and some other comics notables, including John Bolton and Mike Lake of the UK comics store Forbidden Planet. ![]() Later, one of the disguises the Agent uses is that of Amanda Wall, a reference to Amanda Waller, liaison to the Suicide Squad. ![]() Kitty finally gets the attention of the rest of Excalibur by crashing the wedding of Judith Rassendyll, Queen of Ruritania, and the character that Nightcrawler once helped. ![]() ![]() ![]() After a quick battle, it's revealed that the Agent is really Ricochet Rita. ![]() The revelation that the Agent is Rita seemingly comes out of nowhere and doesn't really fit with the set-up for the villain, but i guess it is a kind of precursor for Rita eventually becoming Spiral. Even though Kitty destroyed the X-Babies' contracts, Mojo still holds Rita's. So the X-Babies agree to go back to the Mojoverse. But that doesn't work out that well for Mojo in the end. ![]() Cute and fun. Definitely very in-jokey, with two sets of Chris Claremont's friends (the band and the comics crew), the crossover stuff that turns out to not really have any deeper satirical purpose, and even the Amanda Waller appearance. But that's probably to be expected with a Mojo plot, and it's a fun adventure with cute moments from the babies as well as a bit of more serious character development for Kitty, who sees helping the X-Babies as an opportunity to make up for not being there when the X-Men died. Quality Rating: B- Chronological Placement Considerations: This takes place during Excalibur #11, before the team goes to see the Nazi Excalibur team sent home. References:
Crossover: N/A Continuity Insert? N My Reprint: N/A Inbound References (1): showCharacters Appearing: Alistaire Stuart, Alysande Stuart, Captain Britain, Judith Rassendyll, Lockheed, Major Domo, Meggan, Minor Domo, Mojo, Nightcrawler, Rachel Summers, Ricochet Rita (Spiral), Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde), Widget, X-Baby Colossusus, X-Baby Dazzler, X-Baby Havok, X-Baby Psychilde, X-Baby Shower, X-Baby Sugah, X-Baby Wolvie CommentsFNORD - when you said "building made up of past comic book crossovers.", were you talking tongue-in-cheek? Because Atlantis attacks is plastered right up on top of the building with lights around it. That hasn't happened yet, or has it? Posted by: clyde | October 12, 2014 4:12 PM I think it had been published at this point. According to DC indexes this came out at the end of 1989 while Atlantis Attacks started in June. Posted by: fnord12 | October 12, 2014 4:21 PM Kitty is able to phase the X-Babies' signatures off the documents they signed. That's an absolutely brilliant use of her power:) Posted by: Nathan Adler | April 28, 2015 7:48 AM Is that supposed to be Pope John Paul II at Westminster Cathedral? Awk-ward! Posted by: ChrisW | June 21, 2016 7:46 PM Comments are now closed. |
|||||||||
![]() |
|||||||||
SuperMegaMonkey home | Comics Chronology home |