Issue(s): New Warriors #47
Cover Date: May 94
Title: "Like flies in amber"
Credits:
Fabian Nicieza - Writer
Darick Robertson, Vince Evans, Kevin Kobasic, & John Czop - Penciler
Larry Mahlstedt, Mark Stegbauer, & Tim Dzon - Inker
Paula Foye - Assistant Editor
Rob Tokar - Editor

Review/plot:
Directly on the heels of the Child's Play crossover, New Warriors launches into an 8-part crossover with its satellite books Night Thrasher and Nova. This seems like a lot to ask of New Warriors readers. The X-Books and Spider-Man have of course had franchise-wide crossovers, but New Warriors' readership was much smaller. I understand that Marvel wanted to push New Warriors readers to pick up Night Thrasher and Nova, but you have to weigh that against the risk of people dropping the core book due to all the crossovers. I know it just wasn't the era for it, but it seems to me like having characters make mention of things going on in their solo books (with footnotes, ofc) would have been a much more organic way of developing a readership, especially since this crossover doesn't exactly give readers a sample of what the Night Thrasher and Nova books were like.

I actually thought i was done with 8+ part crossovers for the time being. Marvel did so many of them in 1993 (overlapping into early 1994) that it was clear even from the published letters that people were dead sick of them, and the Midnight Sons group, at least, was backing away from them. But the New Warriors office obviously didn't get the memo. (And of course we also have the Phalanx Covenant coming up, and the Spidey books were still doing smaller scale crossovers among themselves, so it wasn't going to be that much of a reprieve anyway.)

As for me, i wasn't collecting New Warriors in realtime. But i later tracked these issues down when i learned that Alex Power, from Power Pack, joined the team. I was really disappointed with what i found, and not just because of how Alex is used here. And not just because i didn't know about the crossover so i only bought the New Warriors issues at the time (and the way the story is structured, you can really skip the solo books without missing anything). The story is another one with the Sphinx, so it's all time travel and alternate reality stuff. So, blech.

The Sphinx is a logical choice of archvillain for the New Warriors due to his origins in the first Nova series and the fact that he's really too powerful to be a Nova solo villain. But i wish there was something that could be done with him that didn't involve time travel. But of course it's necessary to utilize time travel when dealing with the Sphinx, in part because of how his original story ended and in part because it's only with the benefit of future knowledge that the Sphinx would give a crap about a character like Night Thrasher. (I didn't cover it, but at the end of Night Thrasher #10 we see that the Sphinx is very specifically concerned about Night Thrasher maturing to adulthood.)

The Sphinx wants his Ka back from Sphinx II. He's unaware of Sphinx II's origins and the fact that she was in love with him, and he won't listen to his annoying hanger-on, Sayge.

If he had, this crossover would have been a lot shorter.

Meanwhile, some of the New Warriors are out at a restaurant with Michiko Musashi, one of the two Turbos. Speedball has convinced her to go with him to a movie that they were both assigned (for different classes). Michiko wants everyone to know that it's not a date (among other things, she's three years older than him). During the dinner, Justice mentions that he's got nowhere to live since getting out of prison (he's been staying at Firestar's dad's house), and Namorita invites him to take a room at her place.

Meanwhile, we see Silhouette making time with Night Thrasher's brother, Bandit.

And Rage saves a kid from getting hit by a car, and gets a kiss from her mother.

Don't forget that Rage is only fourteen or so.

And Night Thrasher - with some unwanted help from Hindsight Lad - is reviewing potential recruits for a second team of New Warriors.

Two solo book spin-offs and suddenly everyone is getting Delusions of Franchise.

The downtime moments with the New Warriors at the restaurant were pretty fun, but eventually we have to get back to the Sphinx stuff. Sphinx lures Sphinx II into a trap and steals his powers back. Then the core New Warriors start disappearing, kicking off the "crossover".

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This is part one of Time and Time Again. Part two is in Night Thrasher #11.

References:

• Sphinx II used Sphinx's powers to recreate reality in New Warriors #11-13.
  
• Sphinx has mostly lost all of the power that he stole in his last gambit from New Warriors annual #2.

Crossover: Time and Time Again

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Who's that above Cloak and Dagger on the screens?

I think that was Night Thrasher throttling Carlton's face. That was not a screen, but a panel cut short.

How did I miss all those obvious signs?