The team becomes A Sharpened Blade in Hellions 7, our first issue post-X of Swords, from Zeb Wells, Stephen Segovia, David Curiel, and Cory Petit.
Austin Gorton: It seems like only yesterday the Hellions were completing their ultimately-futile mission on Arakko and we mourned the (occasionally sad, often hilarious) deaths of them all, but we are back and so are (most) of the Hellions, as the post-X of Swords era begins. Did you get the same general ârebootâ vibe from this issue that I did?
Liz Large: Yes! Because of the way the backups work, it seems as though the team lost most, if not all, of the memories of their recent adventure. Itâs almost sad– last issue, we were so excited to see them all working together in a new way, after bonding through their disastrous mission. But now that theyâre alive and back on Krakoa, and the teamâs getting sent off on another high-violence, low risk of human injury mission.
A Truly Breathtaking Lack Of Shame
AG: Things start off as they often do, amidst a meeting of the Quiet Council, as Sinister argues vociferously to have Nanny, Orphan Maker, and Wild Child resurrected, making the case, as was theorized last issue, that since they died in Arakko and not Otherworld, thereâs no concern for them being âscrambledâ. But it turns out his arguments are being heard mostly for the amusement of the rest of the council (and us), as it turns out Professor X is already in the midst of overseeing their resurrections. And while Sinisterâs not wrong that the revived mutants havenât been Rockslided, things are also…not quite the same as they were for this trio of Hellions.
LL: We get a really interesting data page here. When these three were resurrected, their backups were spontaneously purged of unnecessary data, and while theyâre genetically exactly the same as they were before, after hatching their bodies changed. Theyâre now stronger, with better senses and other enhancements that would make them fit better in Arakkoâs more harsh environment. In contrast to Rockslide, their personalities are the same as they were before they left, but moreso. Gotta say, Iâve rarely felt as much joy reading comics as when seeing that âNanny is more Nannyâ now. There is, however, the problem of Orphan Maker.
AG: This twist on the resurrection protocols is packed with intrigue, and Iâm excited to see where it goes. And yes, more Nanny is always a good thing – the visual gag of the reborn Nanny using Eggâs resurrection egg in place of her usual egg armor was simply delightful. But there is the problem of Orphan Maker, whoâs mutant power is referred to by the âusually looks on the bright side of powersâ Xavier as âa curseâ which poses a threat to the world. I had to go back and double check, but this is indeed the first time Peterâs power has been discussed in this much detail; previous stories established him as a mutant whose power was likely being held in check by his armor, but little had been revealed as to the nature of that power. Now, with his resurrection temporarily halted, his power leads the team to their next mission. Were you as intrigued as I was by this development, and any guesses as to the nature of his power?
LL: Itâs wild that we have no real idea what his powers could be, beyond âpotentially world endingâ. Itâs a really broad range of powers to go off of, especially if you get creative. Given enough time/planning/what have you, I feel like a lot of mutants could probably end the world. I have to say, considering the…shady ethics and politics behind the resurrection process, Iâm kind of shocked they brought him back so quickly. Even if we assume that thereâs no ulterior motive behind who gets brought back when, surely they could have waited until Nanny was able to build another containment suit? As always, I am suspicious!
To Me, My Hellions
AG: But the containment suit is what is needed, and in order for Nanny to build one, she needs her old bug-legged egg ship to do it, which forms the impetus for the Hellionsâ next mission, as it is currently impounded at an old base of the anti-mutant Right organization. Sinister gathers the team to lay this all out (with a rhyming assist from Nanny, who is, again, more Nanny now), where itâs made clear that the team doesnât remember the specifics of their recent deaths and the role Sinister played in them. Yet Psylocke, following up on a plot thread from the previous issue, is oddly deferential to Sinister, which sets up another of the issueâs big reveals.
LL: I like that we got the payoff on this so quickly. Weâve always known something was going on here, because Psylocke being so willing to take this position working for Sinister didnât make a ton of sense. The last issue confirmed it, and now we find out the secret: Psylockeâs daughter has been uploaded into Apoth, which is currently under Sinisterâs control. [Ed. note: Confused? You’ll have to read our Fallen Angels coverage] Heâs using her safety to keep Psylocke working for him, including some veiled threats about what could happen if he becomes anything less than safe and happy. Itâs a nice reminder that as much as I truly enjoy his shenanigans, heâs a monster beyond even the rest of the team. (Also Empath. Still hate him.)
AG: On the one hand, I have very little interest in revisiting Fallen Angels or even being reminded it was a thing which existed. On the other hand, I am a sucker for continuity and hate dangling plotlines, so I can appreciate that this neatly ties into the end of that series and offers up an explanation to the âwhat hook does Sinister have in Psylocke?â mystery that doesnât come completely out of nowhere. With Psylockeâs quasi-reunion with her daughter over, itâs mission time, but Sinister does give her and the team access to his private jet as a consolation prize of sorts, so everyone is off for Arizona and The (theoretically abandoned) Right base [Ed. note: You remember The Right? Smiley faces and incredibly unsubtle political messages].
LL: At this point, Alex isnât having a great day. Early in the issue, he asks Emma if he can be released from the Hellions. Has he proved himself yet? Hasnât he done what they asked of him? But she denies his request, telling him itâs for the best if he stays with the team. Then, Sinister sends the team on another crazy mission, and refuses to tell them how they died on their last one. And now, Psylocke, his teammate, is just doing whatever Sinister says, even if itâs crazy. He confronts her about it, and that surprised me! I feel like most of the time, mutants would rather literally face death than have an upfront conversation with someone they have problems with!
AG: The only way it could have been more shocking is if they had that direct, confrontational conversation using a telephone! The Havok/Emma scene was intriguing for the way it sort of kept simmering the bookâs other ongoing mystery – why is Havok periodically acting out as if heâs possessed, the thing which led to his assignment to the Hellions in the first place – without directly addressing it. Itâs a smart way of using character (Havok just wants to be cut loose so he can be on a ârealâ team again) to keep a plot-based plate spinning without being super-obvious about it.
But while Psylocke does remain tight-lipped in the face of Havok inquiries about Sinister, she does offer up an answer of sorts via an act of quiet/explosive rebellion: setting Sinisterâs private jet on a crash course directly into the Rightâs base.
X-Men? Classification: Sub Team
LL: They needed to get through the baseâs wall, and itâs a very clear X-team policy to never use a door. Sinisterâs just going to have to deal with it, along with the loss of his AI [Ed. note: RIP C.L.I.V.E.]. Of course, this method isnât subtle, so they almost immediately activate the baseâs robot defenses. Psylocke, as team leader, attempts to organize their attack, but itâs not necessary. Wild Child and Nanny destroy these robots. We were told in the data page that they were stronger now, but this really shows us the difference. Thinking back to last issue, where they were pretty much immediately murdered, this is a huge upgrade. Iâm so happy for our girl.
AG: As Egg said earlier, she is indeed a little…extra, and itâs great. This is a series that already features Greycrow, Empath, Nanny and the Orphan Maker on the regular, along with one of the Outback Era X-Men in Havok, and brought back Madelyne Pryor in its first arc. But Zeb Wells clearly has an affection for the X-books of the late 80s, because on top of that, this issue not only brings back the Right, but theyâve got their traditional smiley face robot suits and none other than perennial bad penny, literally-canât-keep-him-down, mutant-hating Cameron Hodge with them. And while Iâd be lying if I said this wasnât also very much in my personal wheelhouse and this issue on the whole is a delight, am I wrong to feel a bit troubled by the fact that this is the second story (of three) in this series which concludes its introductory chapter by having the team infiltrate a seemingly-abandoned base housing a supposed-to-be-dead villain from the Claremont/Simonson era?
LL: Honestly, it might be kind of hilarious if this justâŚ.keeps happening. Iâll say that I liked that every team member had their own beef with Maddie in the first arc, and hopefully this one will touch on some of the history Havok has with Hodge. I kind of wish we were doing an arc for each teammate to go fight their now-evil ex instead, but this works too!
X-Traneous Thoughts
- Marvel Girl is present for the council meeting which opens the issue (and is seemingly operating as a member of the council), despite having abdicated that seat by going to aid of the Krakoa champions in âX of Swordsâ, meaning this scene takes place before the end of the crossover, the decision to force the abdications of any council member to go to Otherworld was rescinded, or there was an art error.
- Mister Sinister, after assembling the Hellions, offers up some good advice for the âRona times, reminding everyone to âkeep a healthy perimeterâ.
- Confession time: I (Liz) did not read every issue of Fallen Angels, but I did read recaps– thanks Andrea and Tony! Will this reference make me read the issues? No.
- I (Austin) did read every issue of Fallen Angels; I can say with confidence that you (Liz) spent your time better.
- Before Psylocke jumps in, we get a great moment of teamwork where Greycrow and Empath demand answers from Sinister– and they nominate Havok to guard the door. I just think itâs nice that theyâre working together on anything.
- Nanny has apparently had a standing request in with the Council to retrieve her ship from the Right (denied because itâs a baby-stealing-mobile), and I would love a data page of the requests some of the less well-behaved mutants have submitted.
- New and improved Wild Child wants to make more mutants, very proud of his commitment to the mutant laws.
- Empath (who remains, the worst) gets a fun reaction when Greycrow and Wild Child are bonding over Wild Childâs post-resurrection horniness, muttering to himself âyou guys are weirdâ.
- Long before the Five made textual the genreâs propensity for treating X-Men deaths like a revolving door, Cameron Hodge made a deal with the demonic Nâastirh that granted him immortality, and I love that whether as a head attached to a weird cyborg spider/snake body, a pile of techno-organic circuits, or whatever condition heâs in now, Nâastirh held up his end of the bargain and Hodge Just. Keeps. Coming. Back!
- Krakoan Reads: SMILE WIDE
Austin Gorton also reviews older issues of X-Men at the Real Gentlemen of Leisure website, co-hosts the A Very Special episode podcast, and likes Star Wars. He lives outside Minneapolis, where sometimes, it is not cold. Follow him on Twitter @AustinGorton
Liz Large is a copywriter with a lot of opinions on mutants.
