New Mutants #60 (Fall of the Mutants)

New Mutants #60 (February 1988)
Rating:  ★★★★★★★
Suspended Ani-Mation
Writer:  Louise Simonson
Artist:  Bret Blevins
Inker:  Terry Austin

This issue was a bit more enjoyable than the last, mostly because the big bad isn't a bunch of some animals.  Still, the Ani-Mator still plays a part in here and that, along with Blevins' art, keeps this from being a great issue, instead of just a good one.  Still, we really find out just how low level The Ani-Mator is in his organization as he cowers behind Cameron Hodge (Warren Worthington's best friend who turned out to be the leader of a paramilitary anti-mutant militia, the Right).

Apparently, the mutants forgot that Illyana's sword would be useless here.

Still, the first half of the issue is all about the mutated animals and the Ani-Mator and they remind us that they really are a horribly thought out villain.  Also, Simonson demonstrates that she didn't really seem to care about anything Claremont had already put out there.  The scene above mentions the mutants contemplating getting Illyana's soul sword from Limbo, however they should already be well aware that her sword is only effective against magical creatures.  It would be completely ineffective against these creatures.

The mutants are gunned down by The Right

Cameron Hodge and the appearance of the "Smiley Faces" really ups the tempo.  They show up and it's then when you know that shit's for real.  Cameron Hodge wasn't necessarily a well thought out and complex villain, but I loved him nonetheless.  And his soldiers, with those creepy smiles, were just terrifying.  They bring the true threat of this issue.  They easily take down the mutants with tranquilizer darts.  Now luckily, Bird Brain rallies the remaining mutated animals and they stage a revolt against their masters (who have begun to murder the animals).  Of course, this still comes across as rediculous, but then we get a totally hectic battle, made even moreso when Sunspot and Warlock show up.  Don't even get me started on how they find their team who is on a remote island somewhere in the Pacific ocean.  When Bird Brain led the mutants there, he did so only through his own memory, and yet Sunspot and Warlock find their way through maps left behind?  In the entire ocean?  I guess some things just must be accepted, but this is just silly.

Cypher saves Wolfbane's life - at the cost of his own

During this battle, Cypher notices the Ani-Mator pointing a gun at Wolfsbane who is tussling with a Smiley-Face.  Cypher knocks her out of the way and takes the shot meant for her.  It's poetic in a way because they have been toying around with romance for some time now.  He dies the next panel.

Okay, so here's the thing.  The scene of him collapsing is just heartbreaking.  Reading it now I still get upset.  For one, remember that he's only 15 or 16.  He's a child.  Second, I actually liked Cypher.  I felt that his struggle against being useful versus his lack of physical powers and training made for some great conflict.  I'm also mad about why Louise Simonson killed him off.  She didn't do it to shake up the mutants or because it was planned over years and this was just his time to go.  She did it because he was boring to write.  Seriously.  She said that in an interview.  That is just lazy writing and a disservice to those who've come before her.  Still, I thought his death was handled well, especially in the next panel.

Rahne finding Doug's body was just shocking.  I mean, keep in mind that These are all kids.  The only one who might have been of age was Cannonball, but even he was about 17.  These kids had been through amazing adventures and yet they had never really encountered death like this.  Rahne completely lost control.  Warlock, who didn't understand the concept, even, spoke to him, unable to understand why he couldn't share in the rejoicing.  I really do have to hand it to Simonson.  Her stories may not have been the greatest, but she truly understood children and teens and how they should react to these very adult ideas.

New Mutants #59 (Fall of the Mutants)

New Mutants #59 (January 1988)
Rating:  ★★★★★
Fang and Claw
Writer:  Louise Simonson
Artist:  Bret Blevins
Inker:  Terry Austin

As with the other Fall of the Mutants entries, this issue is the climax of a building story involving some mutant "Bird Boy".  It's funny how for every fantastic story Louise Simonson belts out, there seems to be an equally ridiculous concept that almost ruins a series.  Thankfully, Bird Boy doesn't hang around long and appeared to only be a plot device to lead the mutants to this island to shake them up.

The mutants find out that the "trials" are very serious and very deadly

The one thing you might notice is the lack of Sunspot and Warlock on the cover.  They were off in the Fallen Angels series (along with Boom Boom from X-Factor).  Never read the miniseries, nor do I have any strong feeling to finally pick it up after all these years.  Don't worry, though.  The two show up in this issue and trip some automatic alarms that Magneto has set.  Of course the New Mutants aren't around to greet them.  They ran away from home (AGAIN).  This was a recurring theme in Simonson's books and it drove me nuts.  It culminates in this story but I'll get into it a bit more in the third book.

If the trials were a video game, these guys would be the final bosses.

Another theme appears to be "What makes a man".  Bird Brain appears at first a mindless animal until Cypher is able to communicate with him.  Turns out that he operates on more than just instincts.  But the eveil ani-mator (what is with these crappy villains) views him as a mindless beast.  The basic premise is that the Ani-Mator works for the Right (Cameron Hodge's group) performing experiments on animals, creating mutants.  Bird Brain and the other "animals" on the island must go through deadly trials.  Birdbrain escaped to try to find food and led the New Mutants back to the island.  The mutants decide to help Birdbrain's friends, but although they treat Birdbrain well, they have the same reaction to the rest of the animals.  They view them as dimwitted brutes and figure they should be easy.  They are wrong.  The animates easily beat the Mutants, leaving them at the mercy of the Ani-Mator.

The New Mutants are at the mercy of a madman.

Honestly, this entire arc is just bad.  Birdbrain is a character that we can't even empathize with since he's a mutated bird, not a mutant.  The Ani-Mator is so completely off his rocker that he's not even threatening, he's just laughable.  Bret Blevin's characters are all misshapen.  The best thing about this issue is that when read as a whole with the other two issues, it fits in.  The reader really does get the sense that this is trouble the likes of which the New Mutants have never been in before.

This is also one of the easiest Fall of the Mutants issues to get and I think this was probably one of my earliest.  None of the New Mutants issues have ever been terribly difficult to find (except maybe the Liefeld years).  So I've had this one quite some time and don't really remember trying to find it.  I think I picked up all three at the same time.  If I remember correctly, I found it at a small comic shop near a pizza place I would go with my parents every few weeks.  Ah, memories...

X-Factor #26 (Fall of the Mutants)

X-Factor #26 (March 1988)
Rating:  ★★★★★★★★
Casualties
Writer:  Louise Simonson
Artist:  Walter Simonson
Inker:  Bob Wiacek

This is generally considered the final Fall of the Mutants issue that follows the X-Factor storyline, although there is a tie-in after it in Fantastic Four.  This issue wraps things up perfectly for me so I hate even getting involved in the FF issue.  Why couldn't they have just left well enough alone?

X-Factor stands on Apocalypse's ship, overlooking various police and reporters.  They quickly rush off as explosions continue to erupt all over New York, remnants from the battle with the Horsemen.  Throughout several scenes, the police continue to  make attempts to arrest them, even as X-Factor continues to offer assistance to quell the fires and disaster.  Eventually, they take survivors to a hospital where Beast confesses to Trish Tilby that he was responsible for Ship wrecking the city.  Finally, as Marvel Girl and Cyclops continue their exhausting effort to save people, the police arrive and announce that they are no longer wanted fugitives, but rather considered heroes.  They pair return to Apocalypse's ship (since the X-Factor HQ was destroyed.  There, Cyclops and Marvel Girl get jiggy with it.  Iceman then arrives with new costumes.  The issue ends as X-Factor is given a parade for their help in staving off disaster.

This is an excellent issue and although it could use a bit improvement here and there, it's definitely worth reading.  Marvel Girl and Cyclops finally begin to patch up their relationship.  You really can feel the desperation while X-Factor rushes from fire to fire, trying to save New Yorkers, and yet you feel hope as they are successful.  Beast is a sad case in this issue as he has the reaction to the death as a child would.  It's made worse by the fact that it was he who destroyed the ship's gyroscope.  He feels incredible guilt and you really feel sorrow when he breaks down crying to Trish Tilby.

I also love how X-Factor finally becomes the mutant heroes that Xavier always strove for.  They are finally recognized as such, even having a little girl exclaim that her family would be proud of her if it turned out she was a mutant.  This issue makes for a great epilogue of the story (one that actually started 15 issues ago).

Maybe Death has reformed after all

I love seeing the teamwork between old friends

It's heartbreaking to see Beast like this

Cyclops and Marvel Girl reconcile!

Captain America #339 (Fall of the Mutants)

Captain America #339 (March 1988)
Rating:  ★
America the Scorched!
Writer:  Mark Gruenwald
Artist:  Kieron Dwyer
Inker:  Tony DeZuniga

This issue is a little different because I actually remember when I didn't have this issue.  This particular issue ties in to X-Factor #25 (remember when Famine just disappeared during her fight against Marvel girl) and continues in X-Factor #26.  I remember reading X-Factor #25 and thinking for the longest time how much I wanted to find this issue because it was a tie in to one of my favorite X-Factor stories.  I figure it's got to be good right?  Well guess what: it's the one issue I rarely read word for word.  I hate it that bad.  There are just so many things wrong with it.  I'm usually a bit generous with rating a comic, but this one truly deserves 1 star.

I hate this issue so much, I'm not even going to tell you what happens in it other than Famine causes crops to wither, The Captain, Falcon, Nomad, and D-Man (seriously - the guy's code name is D-Man and his costume is a bad Wolverine ripoff) show up, knock some sense into her and then she vanishes.  That's it.  That's seriously all that happens in here.

The art is awful.  I think I actually prefer Bogdanove because he at least puts some effort into the details.  Dwyer also forgets that the yellow mask that covers Famine is just that - a mask.  It's not a second skin but apparently in Captain America it functions just like that.

I won't complain about The Captain too much, because I know that this is his book.  Steve Rogers losing his "Captain America" mantle was a long running story in his book.  Of course, I'm not sure how anybody would get fooled by The Captain who had a flag on his chest and threw a circular shield at people.  Seriously?  People wouldn't know that was Captain America?

I will, however, complain about his supporting cast.  Falcon is useless (moreso than Angel who at least can use his wings as a weapon much like a giant bird), Nomad is crap with his little throwing discs, and D-Man...well, you already heard my opinion on him.  The battle against Famine is crap.  All D-Man does is try to subdue the horse.  Seriously.  Why was he even in this issue?

Freedom Force makes a guest appearance...which actually makes no sense continuity wise.  They laugh about the X-Men dying in Dallas, but this issue takes place while the X-Men were still fighting the Adversary!  On top of that, Freedom Force actually parted ways from the X-Men on reasonably good terms.

This issue was a blatantly obvious attempt to get X-Men readers interested in Captain America.  And it failed miserably.  It had virtually nothing to do with Fall of the Mutants.  Heck, it had nothing to do with New York.  I honestly feel stupider for having read it again.  And yet, it's part of the story, so I'll read it next time I go through my back issues.  In 40 years, my IQ will probably hit single digits from this issue.

Famine goes crazy

See?  Told you Falcon was useless.

Seriously...what good is a Horseman of Apocalypse if a glorified gymnast can take her down?

Power Pack #35 (Fall of the Mutants)

Power Pack #35 (February 1988)
Rating:  ★☆★☆★
Life or Death!
Writer:  Louise Simonson
Artist:  Jon Bogdanove
Inker:  Hilary Barta

Okay, so I'm going to try something a little different.  I really want to get two of these out each week, but I'm noticing that putting in an entire play by play of the issue just takes up too much of my time.  So I'll try an abbreviated synopsis.  If anybody is reading this and would prefer the longer version and don't mind the slower turn times, let me know.

So, during Apocalypse's attack on New York, the PP kids are waiting for their mom to get home when the lights go out.  The youngest rainbow one goes searching for her mom who is probably trapped on the subway.  There, she comes across Pestilence who is killing travelers.  Katie wins out, but is first made sick by the Horseman.  As the rest of the kids look for her, Apocalypse's ship appears overhead and they rush to help.  They see Cyclops and Marvel Girl and one of the kids knocks Pestilence off her horse.  Katie grabs her to save her, but the destruction of the antenna forces her to drop the Horseman, killing Pestilence.  The Power Pack kids then follow ship and try to stop the descent by destroying one of the engines.  The ship topples over and lands on the shore.  They rush home just in time to greet their mom who walks in.

Anybody who knows me and what I read know that I absolutely hate the Power Pack series.  I think it's ridiculous (more-so than most comics) and poorly written and I can't believe the same woman who writes X-Factor and New Mutants writes this garbage.  The art is even worse.  Jon Bogdanove is the worst artist I have ever seen on a Marvel title, and that's saying a lot.

Still, this issue has a few redeeming qualities.  First of all, I like the tie in to X-Factor and how closely the two titles work together (which is due to the same author writing both).  It definitely feels like a continuation of the story and how a crossover should act.

But the bigger thing is Katie's reaction to Pestilence's death.  Yes, Pestilence was a villain, and yes she probably deserved to die, but Katie demonstrates the innocence and hope that most 6 year olds are filled with.  Death upsets her, as well it should.  She is devastated by it, even though it happened to someone evil.  I have a daughter that age and reading this now, I realize that Katie's reaction is absolutely perfect.  And for that, I commend Louise Simonson on a gem within a garbage heap.

Ship shows up overhead - such a great view!

Pestilence is taken down by a child???  Some horseman...

Katie shows a very real reaction to death.

X-Factor #25 (Fall of the Mutants)

X-Factor #25 (February 1988)
Rating:  ★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Judgment Day!
Writer:  Louise Simonson
Artist:  Walt Simonson
Inker:  Bob Wiacek

This issue is a fantastic follow up to the prior one.  Non-stop action throughout, and Simonson's art is in top form.  My issue (as you may be able to tell from above) isn't in the best of shape.  A little sun damaged and the spine has creases.  Needless to say, I've had this the longest of any of my Fall of the Mutants issues.  It's also the climax of the X-Factor issues and I actually feel a little stab of pain when I read the destruction of New York.  Unlike most of you (I kid, I kid) I actually remember September 11th and seeing New York undergo such devastation, especially the destruction of the top of the Empire States Building, is harder than it was when I was younger.  Now that the depressing stuff is over with...

The issue starts off with Apocalypse surveying his horsemen's attack on the city.  War destroys buildings, Pestilence kills with a touch, and Famine decays flesh.  Death...well he just flies around and cuts things.  Apocalypse gloats over the captive X-Factor but Beast, with his enormous strength, digs into his platform and crumples a chunk of metal.  He hurls with at Iceman's dampening belt, switching it off.  Iceman's powers go berserk and the sudden cold causes the metal bindings to become brittle, freeing all of X-Factor.  Cyclops fires a blast at Apocalypse but the mutant dodges and Cyke's beam instead hits the power transformer, causing Apocalypse's ship to start drawing power from the city, forcing a chunk to blackout.

Apocalypse then flips a switch that opens a trap door.  Marvel Girl and Cyclops are sucked outside while Beast holds Iceman in.  Once outside the cloaked ship is invisible to them as well and they elect to chase after the screams as Pestilence travels through the subway.  The duo then notice War and Famine and split up to engage the horsemen.  Marvel Girl tackles Famine and although injured, she manages to disable the horseman with the most unconventional of weapons that could only be found in New York:  a hot dog stand.  Famine is suddenly  teleported away.  Cyclops engages War, but his optic blasts are deflected off of War's horse.  Then, in a jump that would make a world class gymnast proud, Cyclops flips into the air and, upside down, fires a point blank optic blast into the mouth of War's horse, destroying it.

Meanwhile, in the ship, Apocalypse fights Beast and Iceman.  Beast throws a large chunk of machinery but Apocalypse easily dodges.  The throw instead destroys something important.  Outside, the ship appears in the sky and starts careening out of control.  It crashes into one tall building, toppling the building.  The ship then starts spinning out of control and takes out another building.  Cyclops and Jean fly up after the ship but are interrupted by Death.  His wings disrupt Jean's TK hold on Cyclops.  She catches him soon after just in time to watch the ship crash into the top of the Empire State Building!

Jean manages to catch the giant antenna, but it takes all of her effort to hold it.  Pestilence goes after the pair, but just then Power Pack (for those of you who read my Mutant Massacre reviews know how I feel about this group of delinquents) show up and the girl who controls her density (can't remember nor do I care about her name) slams into Pestilence, knocking her off her horse.  Katie, the rainbow girl flies after her and grabs her.  But just then, Death shows up and slices the antenna in two.  Jean is unable to hold both pieces and both fall.  In the debris, Katie loses her grip on Pestilence and Pestilence falls to the ground and dies.

On board Ship, Beast and Iceman renew their attack and Apocalypse flips a switch to teleport War and Death back to the ship.  Jean and Cyke both climb aboard Pestilence's horse and use it to ride to Apocalypse's ship.  On board, War engages Beast and Iceman but is quickly defeated.  Cyclops and Jean join the fight quickly just as Death makes his assault.  Then, Iceman has an idea.  As Death is circling above, he sees Iceman raise his arms to attack.  Death wastes no time in slicing apart his former friend/teammate.  The shock of what he has done finally brings him back to his senses.  He turns on Apocalypse and attacks.  The rest of X-Factor attacks en masse, joined by Iceman (turns out it was an ice double meant to trick Death back to normal).  Apocalypse smacks Death to the ground but before War can finish the job, Beast carries Death out of the way.  Iceman then easily defeats War.

Finally outnumbered, Apocalypse gathers Caliban and War and flies out the side of Ship, leaving X-Factor behind.  Suddenly, the ship hurls to a momentous crash.  The back side lands just in front of the Statue of Liberty.  The ship then teeters forward and finally topples on top of the old X-Factor complex.  X-Factor rejoices but then head outside at the sound of police and reporters.  They head outside and announce that the menace to the city has been destroyed.  They also reveal that they, the X-Terminators, are the same people as X-Factor, the mutant hunters.

This issue is so fantastic in so many ways.  It's just the thing you need for the climax of a major story.  it is action non-stop and the victor is never clear until the dust settles.  Never once did our heroes seem in control, going from one disaster to another.  There's very little character development, but you shouldn't expect that in the big battle.  It came before and it will come after.  For now, we are meant to be whisked from one scene to another.
The artwork is fantastic.  The best thing Walt can draw is action and he does this incredibly well in this issue.  Even in the scenes that have 20 things going on at once are drawn incredibly well and each page has so many things happening at once.  The art isn't perfect, but it's definitely enjoyable.
I only have a few complaints about this issue, but they are minor and I won't bring them up.  Overall, this is one of my favorite issues of the entire Fall of the Mutants saga.

X-Factor #24 (Fall of the Mutants)

X-Factor #24 (January 1988)
Rating:  ★☆★☆★☆★☆
"Masks"
Writer:  Louise Simonson
Artist:  Walt Simonson
Inker:  Bob Wiacek

So I've been trying to figure out all week how I'm going to post these, because unlike other x-overs, there isn't really any coherent plot throughout the titles, rather simply a similar theme of changing up the status quo.  So I figure for now, I'll post all of the X-Factor reviews.  Interestingly enough, X-Factor is the only issue that really has tie-ins to it (other than Hulk #350 which leads into the Uncanny stories).  This is probably due to the fact that X-Factor is the only one that really takes place in New York where almost all the other Marvel titles take place.

This issue was the hardest and costliest of all of the Fall of the Mutants issues to collect.  It's also my favorite (at least of the X-Factor issues).  The reason is the same:  it's the first full appearance of the horseman Death!  Now this may not seem like a big deal, and I'm sure many of you aren't even aware of how this originally played out, but for the last 8 issues, there were hints of the mysterious 4th horseman of Apocalypse.  Angel was believed dead, having apparently committed suicide and Apocalypse could be seen prepping his newest horseman, promising the gift of flight.  When Death arrived to confront X-Factor, it was a momentous occasion.

Here's some interesting trivia as well.  Although most of us have always known him as Archangel, he actually didn't take on that moniker until the end of the Inferno saga.

The issue starts where the last issue left off.  The four remaining members of X-Factor, along with Caliban, arrive in a mysterious room, having just been teleported away from the young mutants they had been watching.  Caliban announces that he senses 5 mutants:  1 who is new to him, 3 who they have fought before (the horseman) and 1 who is familiar, but different.  Beast and Cyclops start tearing apart the room (and Beast keeps getting dumber and dumber as a result of his illness inflicted upon him by Pestilence).  Finally, Apocalypse appears and announces they are on his Ship, hovering above New York.

Apocalypse talks and talks (he really loves posturing), explaining how Xavier's dream has been foolhardy (yes, although Xavier is hidden from the general public, Apocalypse somehow knows about the mutants' former mentor) and the public fears and hates mutants more than ever.  He also reveals that he has been around since ancient Egypt, making him one of the world's first mutants.  He taunts X-Factor about their mutant hunting campaign and Angel's crippling and eventual suicide.

Apocalypse then brings out his three known Horsemen:  Famine, War, and Pestilence (another trivia - according to legend and the bible, Pestilence isn't a horseman - it was instead Conquest).  He opens a door to allow them to ride out and destroy New York.  X-Factor springs into action.  Marvel Girls slams War with a pile of rubble.  Famine emaciates Iceman.  However, he recovers and deactivates his power dampening belt (which helps him regulate his powers after Loki made them go wild) to go into overdrive and down Famine in a pile of frost.  Pestilence goes after Beast, hoping to finish the job.  Beast gets away, but his strength is so great that he crumples a steel pipe easily and knocks out Pestilence.  With the three horsemen defeated, X-Factor turns to Apocalypse.

Apocalypse then reveals his newest horseman, Death!

Cyclops is stunned at this apparent abomination of what Angel stood for.  Death removes his golden mask and X-Factor realizes that it isn't just an abomination.  It is Warren Worthington III, also known as Angel!  Angel declares that Warren is dead and he is now Death and he attacks.  Flying high above X-Factor, his wings hurl countless knives, each slicing Beast, Cyclops, and Iceman, paralyzing all three.  These knives are laced with a temporary paralytic.  He then confronts Jean and she tries to talk him down.  It seems to be working, but then his programming takes over and he takes her down as well.

All four of X-Factor (anybody notice how Caliban's missing?  well he'll come back into play) are strapped to tables.  Death/Angel dons his mask again even as Apocalypse asks X-Factor to join him in his war on the humans.  Cyclops, of course, refuses and Apocalypse once again opens the bay doors and his four horsemen speed off into the city to destroy and kill all they can.  Caliban suddenly shows up near Cyclops, unnoticed by all.  Cyclops begs Caliban to free him but Caliban instead runs to Apocalypse and pledges his service, if Apocalypse will make Caliban Death's equal.

I loved this issue.  I think if this had just had a better artist, this would have been a 10 easily.  It's a fantastic read, but the impact is so much more important when you read it in the context of the past 14 issues of X-Factor.  The feelings of betrayal are so incredible and you can tell by the dialogue and the expressions how betrayed and full of hatred Angel is.  He no longer cares for his friends as he feels they allowed and protected the humans who cut off his wings.  It comes full circle as Caliban, who appears to be more of a mascot, finally sees a way to take revenge on the Marauders who killed his people.

This is also the issue that really solidifies Apocalypse as a major player.  He has been around for a millennium and knows of the X-Men and X-Factor and it is apparent that he is a major threat to all of humanity, even if most of his horsemen are somewhat crap.

Also, the first full appearance of Death/Archangel is shocking.  We'd seen him in the shadows the previous issue but here you find out just how deadly he is.  Angel is no longer a weak guy with bird wings.  He really IS Death and you get the feeling that he will easily live up to his name.