The larger Marvel Universe is starting to come knocking as the team faces star of stage and screen MODOK from Gerry Duggan, Javier Pina, Marte Gracia, and Clayton Cowles.
Tony Thornley: For some reason I feel like MODOK should have some sort of catchphrase that we could banter about in our opening this week. But the closest I can think of is his exclamation in this issue- āFor science!ā
Cori McCreery: Honestly, I think that having a murder machine villain use āFor science!ā as a catchphrase right now might not be the best of options.
Tony: Very true.
Advanced Idea Mechanics
Tony: I am a SUCKER for evil/amoral scientists. I loved the first season of Fringe that was all about scientists doing crazy stuff, damn the ethics. I have written Marvel Universe fanfic in which AIM just leans into the amoral science side of their existence. So this issue was like ambrosia to me.
MODOK kicks off the conflict of this issue by releasing an inhibition-releasing virus, called Project Amy after the amygdala, on a cruise ship. I already hate the idea of a cruise ship and a big part of that is the fact that itās a giant floating petri dish. Between the mad science and the cruise ship, this issue just hit my sweet spot. What did you think?
Cori: The superhero action in this issue really felt tangential to the plot this time around. Which I honestly felt was a nice change of pace, but also I didnāt really find myself paying much attention to it, because I was so focused on the actual team drama shaping up. Really, I can only care about so many monster of the week plots, so Iām actually kind of glad that we had all of the interpersonal stuff to focus on.
Tony: Yeah, definitely. And MODOK is a good monster of the week for when a writer wants to do that. I just really loved how he was written. He was pretty despicable but the plot was just enough we could get those interpersonal drama moments within the punching.
Also, I think we need to start doing a āLaura Kinney snack watchā based on the fact that she always seems to be munching on something. Hey, all that healing takes a lot of energy and requires a bunch of protein!
Some Alone Time
Tony: Weāve both been eagerly awaiting the conversation that finally happened in this issue. I donāt think either of us expected Laura and Everett to have their heart to heart while fighting rage zombies through a cruise ship. And honestly, for me, outside of one panel art-wise and one balloon dialogue-wise, I really enjoyed this (weāll get to both of those in a second though).
Cori: I am a little less warm on this whole thing than you, I think. On the one hand, I appreciate Ev giving her space and respecting her boundaries, but by telling her that heās doing just that it feels a little dirty and manipulative. I donāt think itās meant to come off that way, but it almost feels like he is trying to guilt her into it, like āIām telling her itās a burden Iām bearing, and maybe that will make her feel bad enough to ask.ā
Tony: Yeah, youāre right. He was pretty awful as he had the conversation. The statement about downloading their experiences using Jeanās powersā¦ It was creepy. What Iām liking is that his journey isnāt black and white, you know what I mean?
Cori: Like Iām glad that he had the wherewithal not to do that, because that would have been stepping over the line in a way that Iād find unforgivable. Like heās absolutely arrived at the right decision, but there are just parts that still feel off to me. But thatās part of being an X-Men fan. These characters are messy, theyāre realistic, and sometimes theyāre just a bit selfish ā but thatās why we care about them. And boy is Ev messy in this issue, as this isnāt the only bad decision he makes.
Tony: Absolutely. Can I point out two things that really bothered me? First, Pina and Graciaās back-breaking Laura panel early in the fight? I hated that, especially in an issue that otherwise looked so great. Avoiding anatomy-defying moments like that is one of my favorite things about the current Marvel House Style, and it just made me groan.
Secondly, as Laura and Ev find MODOK, Everett makes an extremely ableist comment about MODOK. It was probably the most infuriating thing Iāve seen in a Marvel book sinceā¦ probably the last time an extremely ableist comment was made in a Marvel book. Not okay.
Cori: Oh yeah definitely. I have forgotten to mention that once more we have a fill-in artist on this book, and again, itās a bit disappointing when this book was marketed on the strength of Larraz. There are a couple other things that hit me with the art, notably a panel of Evās face that dives into the uncanny valley a bit too much. And yeah, once more, the book that should be the most inclusive book in the Marvel lineup taking a nosedive into offensive language is just frustrating.
Tony: Agreed. And I think Pinaās fill-in is a little more frustrating to me because it feels like heās specifically trying to draw as close to Larraz as he can, instead of using his own style.
Head In The Game
Tony: After the fight is over Cyclops and Synch have a heart to heart, and some revelations are made. Did you expect the resolutions to these plots to come this quickly?
Cori: We know thereās another X-Men election coming in this yearās Hellfire Gala, and now I have to wonder if Scottās peptalk doesnāt work and itās Ev thatās getting replaced, and really that kind of feels like a bit of a bait and switch for all the readers that were so excited for Synch to get called up to the majors. Synchās reasons for joining the X-Men are again selfish and human, though in his flashback he was trying to get them to vote for Laura instead of him, but it all goes back to feeling like a ploy to goad her into asking him about their time together. And to answer your question, this book has struggled a lot with pacing, and this is no exception. The big plotline seems to be going nowhere, while things like this seemingly come out of nowhere.
Tony: Yeah, I didnāt love the pacing of it. I do still like the idea that Everettās journey is way more complex than we thought, but this just felt way too quickly and way too matter of fact. After the last two issues, and the struggles Cyclops went through transitioning from being him to Captain Krakoa, the mystery of Ben Urichās mindwipe seemed to be ready to give him purpose. But instead, we get Synch screwing up. Which again, I like the moral complexity, but the execution isnāt totally sitting right with me.
Cori: Thereās still a few months before the Gala, so maybe there will be a swerve and surprise, but man I feel bad for being consistently underwhelmed by this book. I just hope thereās some actual plot movement soon.
Tony: You hit it really well. Iām not disliking the book, but I really canāt say that I like it either.
X-Traneous Thoughts
- I think the limited Polaris page time this week is made up for with that kick ass reveal of X-Men #11ās cover, no?
- Laura Kinney snack watch: A Kit-Kat and a plate from the buffet that looked like it included wings, fries, a large scallop, and cake?
- Rogue has maybe two lines the whole issue, which is more than last issue and is still extremely frustrating
- Does Gerry just not know that Lauraās whole skeleton isnāt metal?
Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. Heās also very humble.
