Issue(s): Power Pack #20
Cover Date: Mar 86
Title: "Turning point"
Credits:
Louise Simonson - Writer
Bob McLeod - Penciler
Bob McLeod - Inker
Carl Potts - Editor

Review/plot:
Early in this issue, the Power Pack kids learn that their mom is likely to die, due to the admittedly unscientific reason that she doesn't seem to be fighting hard enough for life. Meanwhile, demons from Limbo are roaming the city stealing babies, with the intent of transporting Manhattan to Limbo.

Power Pack stops the first wave of demons...

...and discover Kitty Pryde's library card. They call to make sure Kitty is ok. She's not home, but when the New Mutants hear about the demons they say they're going to go help, since "they got loose through one of us".

While Alex is on the phone with the New Mutants, the demons swipe Katie, with the logic that she's young enough for their ritual and, as Energizer, also has the power necessary to open the portal to Limbo.

This is the first meeting of Power Pack and New Mutants, and it's funny to see Power Pack say "You're just kids!". But they apologize for being cranky and say it's because their mom is dying. Dani Moonstar, with her Valkyrie abilities, confirms that their mom is surrounded by "the deathglow". The other New Mutants convince her to stay behind and fight Death while the rest of them deal with the demons. Which... Dani knows is wrong, but reluctantly agrees, while the other characters don't seem fazed at all by the gravity of what they're asking her to do.

Some cool moments as Power Pack react to Wolfsbane's powers.

And cool scenes as Mirage fights Death...

...and uses her ghost-shaft arrow and death killer spear to defeat it.

Bob McLeod does nicely with the demons as well...

...and it's worth remembering that he was the original New Mutants artist. It's nice seeing them drawn so cleanly after the Sienkiewicz stuff.

I also think Louise Simonson is doing more to explore the fact that Mirage is now a Valkyrie than Chris Claremont has been able to find the time to devote since the New Mutants returned from Asgard. There have been a lot of changes in the X-books recently and they just seem to keep piling up and not getting developed, so it's nice to look at Dani as a Valkyrie here.

Also in this issue, we see Franklin Richards' precognition powers are starting to manifest while he's awake.

First Goo-Gam reference:

Quality Rating: B+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: A note tells us this takes place before New Mutants #37, and indeed it should take place soon after New Mutants #36 since the demons appearing in this story are a result of the events there. I'll also note that it's the day before Christmas in this story.

References:

• Power Pack's mom was injured in Power Pack #18.
  
• The demons got loose from Limbo due to Magik's temporary relinquishing of her Darkchilde entity in New Mutants #36.
  
• Mirage became a Valkyrie in Uncanny X-Men annual #9.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

As well-rounded as Claremont usually is, he did drop the ball on Dani"s Valkyrie phase, which Weezie delved into...but it's that very same aspect of collaboration that makes conics so great!

It's an interesting coincidence that 2 months after the return of Jean Grey, we get demons trying to use babies to open up a gateway to Limbo, which will be a major plot point in Inferno 3 years later.

At this point, Weezie wouldn't have known she would later be writing X-Factor and the New Mutants as part of a major crossover based on a combination of this idea & resolving "the Maddie problem" caused by the return of Jean, but that's one of the great things about Marvel continuity :-)