Issue(s): Uncanny X-Men #329, Uncanny X-Men #330
Cover Date: Feb-Mar 96
Title: "Warriors of the Ebon Night" / "Quest for the Crimson Dawn"
Credits:
Scott Lobdell & Jeph Loeb - Writer
Joe Madureira - Penciler
Tim Townsend - Inker
Ben Raab - Assistant Editor
Bob Harras - Editor

Review/plot:
Digital review warning.

Normally when a writer is paired with Scott Lobdell during this period, Lobdell gets a plot credit and the other writer scripts. For these two issues Loeb and Lobdell are both just credited as writers.

Doctor Strange's Detect Team-Up spell goes off.

I haven't been keeping up with Dr. Strange so i assume "catastrophic magic" refers to something from his series and he isn't just negging himself.

What he's detected hasn't really happened yet. Wolverine has taken Archangel to "Little Asia" in Manhattan to find a mystical cure for Psylocke, who was injured by Sabretooth last issue. When Angel presses Wolverine on why regular medical methods won't work on the very physical, non-mystical injuries that Sabretooth dealt Psylocke, Wolverine says, "Medicine ain't what turned her into a ninja, is it?". And that's about as much of an explanation as i guess we're going to get on that. The cure for Psylocke involves fighting computer-rendered steam ninjas in a tea house, and that's just the way it is.

Ever reach into an old woman and pull out a mystic? I hearby declare this move "pulling a gomer".

Wolverine tells Gomurr that he wants him to get a "pint of Crimson Dawn from the Ebon Vein". For what it's worth, a Cult of the Crimson Dawn was once mentioned in the Dr. Strange story from Marvel Super Heroes #14, but Dr. Strange doesn't mention that when he shows up and offers to join the party.

As this thing goes on, it just feels more and more like a prank that Wolverine is playing on Archangel.

Anyway, a Dungeons & Dragons quest to save your girlfriend!

Dr. Strange reaches into Archangel and pulls out a gomer a physical manifestation of Psylocke's soul which Psylocke gave to Angel via their love.

A gomer would have made more since, really. I didn't realize Angel and Psylocke's love was so deep. They've barely registered as a couple to me, honestly. It wasn't that long ago that she was psychically hitting on Cyclops.

But that causes Psylocke to stabilize.

In a failure of storytelling typical of 1990s art, we don't actually see the mark that Gambit asks about.

This suuuuuucks. The idea was apparently to do something to distinguish Psylocke on a team with several other telepaths. But Psylocke has been reimagined so many times at this point she makes Dr. Druid look like a stable character. The best way to make Psylocke unique would be to just continue using her ninja abilities. Phoenix and Xavier can stand in the background of a battle and touch their foreheads; Psylocke can jump right in there and stab you in the face with a psychic knife. It's awesome and it's all that was needed to make her cool and distinct. No need to add a bunch of weird mystical stuff.

But even beyond that, this story in its own right is lame and generic as hell. At least come up with a reason unique to Psylocke to do this - have them go through the Siege Perlious at least! - and springboarding off a physical attack from Sabretooth makes no sense. Wolverine and Angel have an antagonistic history but not much is made of that in their interactions, and Dr. Strange's appearance doesn't add anything (the mystic guide role is already played by "Gomurr"). This is bad all around.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 4 - introducing Crimson Dawn (w/ Gomurr & Tarr)

Chronological Placement Considerations: Even though this arc comes right after the issue where Psylocke is injured by Sabretooth, Psylocke's injuries are mentioned in other books (X-Men #48, Excalibur #96-97) at this time as if she'd been in a coma for a while. It could of course be that Psylocke continues to need to recover even after these events, but it seems the intention was otherwise. So i've placed this after the Excalibur arc.

References:

• Psylocke was turned into a ninja by the Mandarain in Uncanny X-Men #256-258. (Well, sort of!)
  
• Archangel was badly injured in the 1995 Sabretooth special.
  
• Wolverine lost his adamantium in X-Men #25, and dealing with mystical stuff makes him worry about further losing his humanity.
  
• There's a scene with Gambit where he briefly considers letting Psylocke die so that she doesn't reveal his dark secret, which she might have learned after probing his mind in Uncanny X-Men #324. But instead he administers CPR and so "today, he is an X-Man".
  
• Psylocke was blinded by Slaymaster in Captain Britain #13 and was given bionic eyes by Mojo in New Mutants annual #2. This is added to the ninja thing as a reason why regular medical attention wouldn't be enough to heal Psylocke. Which is of course ridiculous. Does she need to go on a quest every time she stubs her toe?

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A