Things reach a boiling point as secrets come to light and snacks are had in Hellions #15, from Zeb Wells, RogĂŞ AntĂ´nio, Rain Beredo, and Ariana Maher.
Liz Large: Amazingly, itâs only been a month since we last spoke about the Hellions. Somehow when theyâre facing certain death and the hands of the Locus Vile, it seems like the moments just crawl by.
Austin Gorton: Hellions #15 has *everything*: revelations, explosions, gross apocalyptic back-babies! Things are starting to feel like theyâre coming to a head.
Iâd Prefer to Stand Quietly
Liz: Speaking of heads, it took me longer than I would like to admit to recognizing these green-faced soldiers we see in the opening scene. Iâm sure theyâre just playing the robot baby a lullaby with their giant satellite dish, and I donât have to worry about them, right?
Austin: Well, I recognized them as the goons sent by the Right to retrieve Nannyâs purloined robot baby. If, however, you asked me to name them collectively or individually, I would fail.
The compelling aspect about the opening few pages of Hellions #15 is that traditionally, Zeb Wells doesnât do subplots. Nearly all of the arcs in the Hellions series have been self-contained story components like Sinisterâs secrets and Psylockeâs betrayals. Wells avoids the classic structure of devoting a few pages in an issue to keep a plotline simmering before moving it into the âAâ position in the next arc. Yet, we essentially get a subplot in these first opening pages with the robot baby and these green-faced (nameless?) goons. Iâm curious if this is a deliberate change or something born from the possible end of the series? Are we heading for a big line-wide shakeup or is Wells just running out of time for all this stuff?
Liz: Donât put that negative energy out into the world! Jokes aside, that theory does make a lot of sense. This is different from the way Hellions is typically structured. I hope it implies a need to have this puzzle piece in place or a new experiment in writing style. They can take Hellions from me when they pry it from my cold dead hands. Or my cloneâs cold, dead hands, depending on how things go.
Austin: Certainly, I like that kind of classic story construction, and I donât *want* the series to end anytime soon, but there is a feeling of things coming to a head. The story then shifts to the Misters Sinister arriving at Arcadeâs former Murderworld/Sinister Primeâs off-off-the-books cloning facility.
Liz: I truly love that we have to specify the current location. Thereâs some great tension between the two Sinisters. Clone Sinister is still pretty resentful about being sent off to Amenth to get murdered. He had a rough time getting the genetic information Sinister Prime got to play with. I get the feeling the better these results are for Sinisters, the worse they will be for literally everyone else.
Austin: And things are already pretty bad for everyone else! Back at Bar Sinister, the Hellions are fully at the mercy of Tarn and the Locus Vile. After Empath bows out of risking himself to save them all, an act whose success was deeply questionable even if he had been willing to try, Psylocke finally breaks and tells Tarn what the Sinisters are up to and where they are. Her stunned teammates learn one of the secrets sheâs been keeping: they didnât destroy Murderworld and Sinisterâs clone farm. Itâs the first of several dominoes to fall in Hellions #15. And right off the bat, itâs a doozy.
Liz: I have been looking forward to this and dreading it at the same time. The betrayal is obvious. The whole team is kind of a mess right now. The Vileâs powers immobilize them as they watch dozens of Sinister clones get mowed down. Havok and Empath are bickering about handling this, and Psylocke has no other options left. It shows how serious the Locus Vile threat is since we know how she feels about the team and Greycrow. I wish, however, Hellions #15 had a different artist. AntĂ´nio is good at grotesque, and the action is great. That said, human-looking faces arenât his strong point, and it hurts the emotional impact of these scenes.
Austin: Weâve both been struggling with the art in this arc, especially in the facial expressions, but never has that been more detrimental than this issue when things start to come to an emotional climax. I donât want to pile on, so Iâll just say youâre right. The art lessens the punch of these potent emotional beats, and thatâs a shame.
Iâve Seen the Future, and It Is Chimera
Austin: Back in Murderworld, Sinister Prime reveals his Chimera plans to his clone, as well as to Tarn, after he gets looped in by Psylocke and teleports in, and who seems slightly intrigued by Sinisterâs ambitions. Itâs a small moment that probably wonât amount to much but I was surprised Tarn did not immediately execute the Sinisters, given his rage learning about what they planned. Given how Hellions #15 ends, I wonder if it was simply a narrative necessity?
Liz: Itâs interesting! Weâve talked about how Sinister and Tarn are parallels. Here, however, is the first time itâs seemed as though Sinister has done something worthy of living up to Tarn. Not to talk down on our main cast of characters, but Arakko existed and evolved over a long time. It just makes sense theyâd be more powerful or advanced in certain areas. Itâs like Tarn is seeing a child come up with an art project, but the art project is the Mona Lisa. The adult vs. children aspect is played up with Mother Rapture. She is trying to interrupt to tell Tarn something important. He essentially tells her to be quiet while he finishes his conversation. Itâs very much a kid yelling, âDad! Dad! The other kid is eating something he isnât supposed to!â while Dad tries to have one conversation with an adult.
Austin: I can relate, Tarn. There is an undercurrent of parent/child dynamics to this series: Psylocke and her child; Nanny and Orphan Maker; Sinister and his, um, clones; and this fits right into that. Tarn should probably be listening to Mother Rapture right now. Greycrow took the big giant gun he built while raging over Psylockeâs betrayalâmore specifically, his realization that Psylocke cared about him is wrongâand shoved it down Amino Fetusâ throat. Now, Amino Fetus is getting bigger. And, uh, more. As in more little Amino Fetuses are sprouting out of his back. Itâs…disturbing. A data page informs us this is the final stage in his evolution, a stage brought on by incessant feeding, which will lead to the destruction of all existence.
Liz: This is great! He is disgusting, and Iâm rooting for his growth into âThe Atrocious Infantsâ who eat time! He reminds me a little bit of Orphan-Maker. He’s a childish mutant with potential world-ending powers kept in check by his teammates. I just really like these weird and gross mutants. Unfortunately, Tarn does not like the weird and gross infants. So Tarn CASTS HIS CHILD INTO A BLACK HOLE AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE! Tarn leaves us with a quippy promise to return. As Nanny says, he is a terrible father.
Austin: It never fails. Nanny somehow always ends up with the line-of-the-issue.
Sorry, Bud
Austin: With Tarn momentarily busy disposing of his apocalyptic child in a cosmic garbage can, the Hellions follow his portal back to Murderworld to confront Misters Sinister. At which point, Psylockeâs other big secret comes out. The team learns sheâs betrayed them because Sinister is holding her daughter hostage. Greycrowâs immediate declaration of support upon hearing this is somehow even more devastating to witness than his reaction to the betrayal. Hellions #15 does have everything from existence-ending fetuses on one page to raw, devastating emotion on the next.
Liz: It really is impressive. I love this reveal. John, and likely the rest of the team, will allow the Sinisters to hatch their Tarn-Sinister hybrid if it means protecting their teammateâs child. Except for perhaps Empath, all of them would likely have been willing to protect Psylockeâs daughter from the beginning. I mean, Nanny may have kidnapped her, but still! Now thereâs a willingness to go further because theyâve all become so much closer, except for perhaps Empath. It’s very fortunate for the world that the team doesnât get a chance to see how far theyâll let the Sinisters go.
Austin: Before Sinisterâs Tarn/Sinister Chimera can be born, we get our last big reveal of the issue, and this one is as surprising to us as it is to the characters. Weâve all been wondering if anyone on the Quiet Council is aware of Sinisterâs not-so-secret machinations. It turns out, yeah, someone is. And now, with Sinister on the verge of going too far, she intervenes. Thatâs right, Emma Frost is in the house (mentally, at least)!
Liz: I am so excited! Empath gives Sinister Emmaâs regards. He then uses his abilities to compel Alex to take down the facility. He does apologize, though, which in my books counts as growth! The scene is pretty similar to the event that got Alex put on this team back in Hellions #1: laughter, weird speech bubbles, and acting out of character. I assumed this was all due to the Goblin Queen. Now I have to reexamine this whole series and consider how deeply involved Emma has or hasnât been.
Austin: It really puts the title of the series in a whole new context, doesnât it?
Liz: This whole time, Emma has been building a school where she will teach these delinquents to use their mutant powers and blow up any horses she comes across.
X-Traneous Thoughts
- Krakoan reads: IT ALL FALLS APART
- I am sorry to these fancy goons, but theyâre no Locus Vile, and I will not be learning their names.
- “The Abominable Germ” is what Iâm going to call myself whenever Iâm sick from now on.
- âThe Damnation Cycleâ would also make a good name for the turn some Twitter interactions can take.
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.
