Time for a family reunion in Hellions #17, from Zeb Wells, Stephen Segovia, Rain Beredo, and Ariana Maher.
Liz Large: Weâre finally back with the Hellions, as we get even closer to the all-too-soon finale. Theyâre really building up to the finale here, and that means a lot of totally justified bloodshed. How are you feeling about the state of the team?
Austin Gorton: I mean, itâs this weird thing where, on the one hand, the end is nigh, and thatâs sad. This is, however, the first time the team has come together in defense of one of their own, and not on someone elseâs orders. That just makes me feel good! It really is an emotional roller-coaster, this issue.
Liz: I know what you mean. I really wish the series wasnât ending, but this feels like an actual satisfying conclusion. Not just in the sense that the story is complete, but that the characters have made an impact and grown. Well, mostly…
Where We Going, #@$%heads?
Austin: Hellions #17 opens with Kwannon on her way out the door, only to be stopped by Emma Frost. Things get a little heated, but the quarrel is quickly forgotten when news of the attack on Nanny from last issue reaches them. The way Emma needles Kwannon is one of those Krakoa-era things that bug me.
Emma says, âItâs not every day a Great Captain abandons their post.â While I appreciate the line-wide effort to make the Krakoa status quo feel well-entrenched, little bits of dialogue like this stand out to me. Krakoan society, its norms, and traditions have not been around long enough for characters to be pointing out deviations from traditions that are barely old enough to walk.
Liz: That seemed a little weird. I know in theory they probably have some sort of chore board for the captains, but it feels like the X-Men only have them in between fucking off to go do whatever they want.
I did like the below the surface conversation here. Kwannon knows what Emma did to manipulate the situation between the Hellions, Mister Sinister, and Kwannonâs daughter. Thatâs clearly not something she will forgive, but she will not make a big scene. Waiting for the eventual fallout has to be making Emma more concerned. I think thatâs something Emma probably deserves it.
Austin: Thereâs a lot of tension throughout Hellions #17 between two things which are both entertaining and directly opposite one another. Emmaâs machinations provide an early example of that. Revealing Emma as the secret orchestrator of the Hellions makes sense and is narratively rewarding as it means the council wasnât oblivious to all of Sinisterâs double-dealings after all. Yet, her actions kinda fucked things up for the Hellions, not least of all Kwannon, and there are definitely bones to pick there.
Speaking of bones to pick, Orphan Maker is back at the Right base looking for his baby brother in order to get back in Nannyâs good graces. His actions are enough to prompt a little Hellions reunion as Kwannon prepares to help him out.
Liz: I love a scene where the team assembles for a job. Kwannon is fully prepared to go alone, and would probably be fine doing so. Alex almost immediately approaches her, begging to help amidst an apology for actions he doesnât remember. It is clear being out of control and not knowing why is really hurting him.
That touching scene delays Kwannonâs plane long enough that the rest of the team straggles over. Of course, Nanny wants to rescue her boy. She shows more concern for him than weâve seen in a while. Greycrow and Wild Child are ready to drop everything for Kwannon and the team, even if she insists theyâre not a team anymore. This is what I like to see! Everything has gone wrong, but theyâre going to help each other.
Austin: âPutting the team togetherâ sequences are the best! Especially when theyâre positioned as a âone last rideâ kind of thing. This is the moment where Kwannon, for all intents and purposes, joins the team. Not as their babysitter, but as an actual member of a team working towards a collective goal. It took the complete destruction of the team, but theyâve finally come together around the idea: âwe may be terrible, but at least we can be terrible together.â
Even Empath!
Liz: Every group needs someone to be the worst, but oh boy, is he pushing it. He shows up as if the rest of the team will be happy to see him, arms outstretched for a hug. I love the self-confidence! Greycrow has a gun pointed at his head immediately, and I can hardly blame him. Greycrow killed him with a lot less provocation and that was before he was responsible for the death of the computer child of the woman he loves. We have to assume his self-preservation instincts are totally nonexistent.
Kwannon goes for the middle ground here, stopping Greycrow from shooting Empath, but telling Empath to fuck off, which I appreciate. Her restraint is admirable!
Austin: This is another example of the tension I previously mentioned. On the one hand, Empath is the worst, and Kwannon telling him to fuck off is amazing. Yet, after the last issue, I almost feel a little bad for him. He seemed enthusiastic about going off with the team again! The closing panel of his narrowed eyes suggests heâll soon be giving in to his baser instincts once more. So, yeah, as Kwannon saidâŚ
Awful Lot of Gunfire
Austin: You know who else is indulging his baser instincts? Orphan Maker. He is tearing through the Right base, sending various scientists and goons scattering as he yells affirmations refuting what Nanny said about him in the last issue. He is both terrifying and sweet. I want to both run from him and give him a hug.
Liz: His battle cries include âIâM A GOOD BOY,â and I might cry about it.
Orphan Maker is absolutely demolishing the Rightâs soldiers, but theyâve got more firepower in store for him. Fortunately, his teammates are there. The Rightâs fighters are all human, an anti-mutant cult. That’s why Alex asks Kwannon for some rules of engagement. Even though this isnât an official Hellions mission, heâs deferring to her as the leader. The team arranges themselves around Kwannon as they enter battle. Sheâs the boss. She says they donât have to be gentle, and they are NOT.
Austin: Hey, itâs those guys. You know the one’s! The Rightâs special troops. Sure, I donât remember their names, but I remember NOT remembering them. Anyway, theyâre the closest thing the Right has to people who can go toe-to-toe with the Hellions. The Hellions make quick work of them. It was fun to see Kwannon take out a guy with a good old-fashioned psychic knife to the brain.
Meanwhile, Orphan Maker goes deeper into the Right facility and reaches Mew-Mew, whom Doctor Murch is (suspiciously) more than happy to hand over. Pretty soon, Nannyâs there, and even though sheâs still a jerk to Orphan Maker, allâs well that ends well, right?
Liz: I know weâre mad at Nanny for neglecting her oldest boy, but this is just awful. Nannyâs joy at seeing the baby turns to ashes as we all learn that Mew-Mew is short for âMEWTANT SCUMâ. The tiny robot baby lets loose a blast that destroys Nanny, as Orphan Maker watches in horror.
I know sheâs able to be resurrected, but this hurts.
Austin: I donât know if itâs just because I got swept up in the moment, but it genuinely upset me when Nanny exploded. Itâs not even the first time sheâs died in this series! But something about it coming from Mew-Mew, to whom she had developed such a connection despite it being AN ANTI-MUTANT, MUTANT A.I. DEVELOPED BY NANNYâs EX-HUSBAND, made it sting more. Nanny was such a jerk to Orphan Maker but (particularly now that we know Mew-Mewâs deal) she didnât deserve to be exploded.
Itâll be interesting to see if or how the development of Mew-Mew fits into the larger notions of machine intelligence and its relationship to mutants. Weâve seen self-replicating, evolving machine life already, but the concept of a mutant variety seems new. Especially if we consider the notion of it being self-hating. Even though that appears like a setup for a classic âdefeated by logicâ trap. One similar to telling the Sentinels to fly into the sun in order to defeat the source of mutation. Anyway, if you thought Orphan Maker was pissed before, he kicks things into another gear now and propels us into the issueâs tragic ending. Or is it tragic?
You As Worried As I Am?
Liz: His Nanny is dead, and itâs not funny! A switch has flipped inside of Orphan Maker. He breaks the neck of Nannyâs ex husband and lays waste of everyone he can see. I see nothing wrong with this. Everyone in the facility is a committed member of the Right, which means theyâve hurt mutants. Therefore, I canât view Orphan Makerâs actions as anything but appropriate. They committed hate crimes to join this group and their purpose in being here is to hurt more people. The only element that worries me is that he appears unable to control himself. He wouldnât do this if he was in a better state of mind.
God, was Empath right in saying that they should have brought him?
Austin: Woof. I never even considered that! He seems to be the one person uniquely positioned to calm Orphan Maker down.
At any rate, seeing Doctor Murch get his comeuppance is NOT one of those things I have any ambiguous feelings towards. It ruled. The plot of Hellions #17 gets complicated when the team catches up to Orphan Maker. They realize his violent momentum led him to kill a pair of human cops who arrived in response to the noise of gunfire. The issue concludes by bringing it back to where it all began, with a (mostly) out of control mutant threatening human lives. Letâs recall Havok earning his spot on the team when he turned on the Hellfire Cultists in issue #1.
Kwannon says the situation doesnât feel right; do you think sheâs merely concerned about the geopolitical ramifications of Orphan Makerâs actions, or something bigger?
Liz: I didnât consider that. Thereâs so much that could go wrong hereâis it possible that sheâs sensing the deaths? Orphan Maker probably killed around ten people. Even if she wasnât actively reading their minds because she was busy fighting, I wonder how it would feel then? I wonder how they will handle the geopolitical issues. Emma sure seemed to have a lot of plans in place for a standard level of rampaging against the Right, but that didnât consider killing people (or cops).
Austin: My first read of the ominous feeling hanging over the ending of Hellions #17 was the added wrinkle of the bystander deaths at Orphan Makerâs hands. What was at first a self-contained fight between mutants and anti-mutant terrorists, has spilled out into something bigger, and that isnât good for Krakoa. Yet, the series has consistently teased the notion that Orphan Maker is supremely powerful. It suggests bad things happen when he uses his powers. This message continues right up to the data page in the last issue, where Nanny laments what sheâs unleashed on the world. Maybe thatâs just a reference to the political destabilization that will follow his actions here? Yet, with the series heading to its conclusion, it feels like the Chekhovâs Gun that is Orphan Maker is about to go off. When it does, it will be likely be a bigger deal than anything for which even Emma could have planned.
Liz: Manipulate the minds of some politicians and powerful people to cover up crimes? Emma is ready. But youâre rightâOrphan Maker releasing his power is something beyond what a smart plan can take care of. Things are going to get messy.
X-Traneous Thoughts
- Krakoan reads: weallfalldown
- Orphan Maker: Iâm having feelings. Arenât we all, kid, arenât we all?
- The data page is an urgent memo from Emma attempting to gather all diplomatic/PR resources in order to get out ahead of the impending disaster that is this issue, and I LOVE it.
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.
