X-Men '92 #2 Review
It occurs to me that I have had this blog for well over a month and we have yet to review a comic from the Marvel side of the fence. Let’s change that.
From what I’ve been able to gather, X-Men ’92 is a sort of alternate X-Men reality that more closely resembles the popular 90’s X-Men cartoon, or at the very least, the X-Men comics of the 90’s. Frankly, I think that this is a great idea. See, I love X-Men, have since I was a little boy, but the current X-Men comics… well they’re kind of a mess. We got Cyclops turning evil, X-Men from the past coming to the present, I think Wolverine is dead but not really, I don’t know. Every time I try to make sense of the whole thing, I end up with a headache that no amount of Tylenol can contend with. So, the problem to be solved here is: How do old school fans like myself get their X-Men fix without putting their pharmacists’ children through college? The solution we have is X-Men ’92, a more recognizable X-Men series with familiar characters that simultaneously intrigues older fans and can serve as a jumping on point for newer fans without being overwhelmed by continuity. I missed the first issue, but that’s okay because if there’s one thing Marvel’s always been good at, it’s keeping the readers up to speed so it’s not that big a deal if you miss an issue.
Our comic opens with Maverick, a mutant mercenary who, last issue, had arrived at the Xavier school with a warning for the X-Men, getting punched through a wall by Bishop. Bishop doesn’t trust mercenaries, which ordinarily is a pretty smart way to go when dealing with folks who kill for money, but in this case, Bishop’s actions aren’t too smart. Wolverine, being an old friend of Maverick, threatens Bishop if he doesn’t let him go. Psylocke, trusting Bishop more than she trust Maverick, threatens Wolverine right back. Storm acts as the voice of reason and breaks it all up before things get ugly, chastising Bishop and Psylocke for their actions and assuring the two that if Wolverine vouches for Maverick, then that is enough for her. Everyone calms down, but that doesn’t last as Chamber enters the gates of the mansion. In his arms is an unconscious Jubilee with two mysterious fang marks in her neck. Elsewhere, we see… I’m honestly not sure. I think these characters are meant to be the hellfire club, but very few of them are mentioned by name and I barely recognize any of them. All I can gather is that they seem to playing some kind of game that involves manipulating the X-Men and that they have a mysterious benefactor, but few of them know who.
Back at the mansion, despite Beast and Professor X having done all they can, it seems Jubilee is dead, prompting the X-Men to hunt down the monster who attacked her. It would seem that Maverick and Wolverine are one step ahead of the other X-Men. Suddenly, the two are attacked by Omega Red. Omega Red hates Wolverine so he attacks on site, but he’s clearly not the monster that got Jubilee. No, that would be Alpha Red, Omega Red’s predecessor, and the people’s protectorate, a team of Russian superheroes. However, in addition to they’re usual powers, the Russians also appear to have been turned into vampires, in case it wasn’t obvious that that was where this story was going. This is especially terrifying when you realize that one member of the People’s Protectorate is a super-intelligent Ussuri brown bear, meaning that a creature who, in the real world, is an unstoppable killing machine three times the size of a full grown bull-shark, has human-level intelligence and is now an immortal blood-sucking demon. That particular character has no real bearing on the plot, I just thought it was worth mentioning because that is now the scariest thought that has ever entered my mind. Anywho, Gambit and Rogue come in to bail out the others, but not before witnessing Alpha Red brutally murdering (or at least gravely wounding, it’s honestly not clear) Omega Red. The X-Men get out as fast as they can, but they’re not out of the woods yet as Maverick has been turned into a Vampire.
Back at the X-Mansion, Psylocke, Bishop and Storm, along with a trainee named U-Go Girl, a mutant with teleportation abilities, teleport themselves to the lair of the Mastermind behind all of this. And as the doors of the mysterious European castle open and the lightning flashes and thunder booms, the X-Men learn that they are not just dealing with ordinary vampires, but, in fact, they are dealing with the deadliest and most infamous vampire of them all, Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, though most simply know him as… Count Dracula.
What Works: I’ve already gone into great detail in regards to the idea of a less headache inducing X-Men book, but the thought is still appreciated. While not all of the characters are recognizable, this is a welcome breath of fresh air amidst the toxic haze that has been the X-Men books as of late. While the shadowy cabal we saw only served to confuse me, Alpha Red and the others more than made up for them as the villains of the story.
Speaking of villains, I cannot begin to express how stoked I am that Dracula is a part of this story. Dracula, this version anyway, has actually been a mainstay of the Marvel Universe for several decades and has even fought the X-Men on a few occasions, but I still cannot contain my excitement. For those of you who don’t know, Dracula is one of my favorite characters in all of fiction, and the Bram Stoker novel is one of my favorite books, so anytime I get to see him go head to head with some of my other favorite characters, it’s always a delight.
What Doesn’t: I’ve decided to show a lot of leniency with this comic as I missed the first issue. Anything that may have annoyed me or seemed confusing could have been better explained if I had picked up last months comic. And besides, even then, there’s not much to complain about.
Overall: 4/5
Dear lord does it feel good to be reading X-Men comics again.