"Playing God"

So Heather and I watched X-Men: First Class this past saturday, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how good a movie it all turned out to be! I admit that I harshly judged the movie based off the cast, the costumes(which I've grown to like) and the whole story not following the comics. Despite that fact, the overall story being told in the movie was very coherent and nicely told. Yes there were huge continuity gaps,especially in the case of Moira MacTaggert, with new characters given familiar names. Still, on its own, First Class is a first rate movie, and a credit to the X-franchise.  I wish the last and 3rd X-Men movie, Last Stand, was as good as this, then maybe the current state of the franchise as a whole would look a lot differently.

Also, while I still maintain that Ryan Reynolds shouldn't of been picked to be Hal Jordan, after seeing the expanded trailer, the overall movie looks good. I'll still probably just rent it when it comes out on DVD.

Okay kids, this is the portion of the blog where I review so random comic, or hell even a TPB or graphic novel.  For today's choice, and based off the X-Men kick that I've recently been on, I figured I'd review an old issue of Uncanny X-Men from the 2001 Revamp-era by Joe Casey. It's not a bad one, and even though I actually only own three issues of his run, I think Joe Casey was good fit on X-men at the time. Sure there were more than a few people to not like his stuff, but hey, he was infinitely better than Chuck Austin's run. Remember that? I know my buddy Googum and I do, since @ his blog, he reviewed the whole horrendous "Draco" storyline that further complicated Nightcrawler's origin. I still don't know if it's still canon, but I know I can't be the only one to hope its not.

Anyway on to the review.......

Uncanny X-Men#394(June 2001) "Playing God" by Joe Casey and Ian Churchill.

 

The issue starts out in a bar with a new mutant inside. His name's Warp Savant, an he plans on celebrating his 18th birthday by attacking Cape Canaveral, just like a certain Master of Magnetism did years earlier. His mutant powers are to teleport items either directly inside his mind or in another dimension.

We then go to the Xavier Institute where an intense-looking Cyclops is watching a new program about mutant-human relations. Jean Grey-Summers, his wife, walks in, and the two discuss use of the media to spread fear about mutants. Cyclops is in one of his moods due to the anti-mutant direction of the new program, and Jean walks off to let Cyclops brood some more.

The story shifts to Cape Canaveral, where Warp Savant is taking on an entire army and winning! Using his "warp"powers, all the missles and bullets aimed at him just disappear into another dimension. When a army general confronts Warp Savant about this, WS simply says "I've taken away your stuff and I've put it away...you've seen me do it. Tanks, shells, anything you wanna drop on me....one thing though, it works on people too. Later, pops." and with that he makes the general and his men disappear too.

Back at the mansion, Cyclops rounds up his wife and Wolverine at their ready room. He informs them about what's happening at Cape Canaveral, and that Wolverine and Jean will meet him and Warren there to stop this new mutant threat. Wolverine notices something's not right will Jean and Scott, but the discussion gets put on hold as they fly over their target. Warp is having a good time making the soldiers and parts of the army base disappear, when he suddenly looks up to see Wolverine flying right at him. He doesn't panic, and simply makes Wolvie disappear too. Jean mentally attacks Warp after seeing what he just did, asking him where Wolverine is. He turns his power on her, and she too vanishes. Both Wolverine and Jean wake up in a nightmare-ish world over-run by all the things Warp put there, like the missing army tanks and helicopters, and troops. This is too much for Jean, with asking "Are....are we dead? I can't--". Logan responds with a "Look kid, you need to get it together. I don't know where we are...or how we got here. But I do know one thing, my sense's are tellin' me this is place is real."
The remaining troops are radioing for an air strike, but the transmisson's being blocked out by The Angel, who flies into the site with a portable EMP machine on his shoulders. He tells Cyclops that he's got WS targeted and locked, but can't find Wolverine or Jean. Cyclops tells him to go ahead and fire the pulse beam at Warp. He does, and Warp is in intense pain. Wolverine and Jean hear his screams where they are, leading Jean to figure out where they are. But all of a sudden, the area where they're at changes into a kid's room. A monster emerges out from under the bed, and Wolverine guts it. Outside, Cyclops fires his optic blasts at Warp, distracting him enough for Warren to hit Warp Savant again with another EMP blast. This blast temporarily shuts his powers done, allowing Cyclops to get up on him and ask where his wife.

Back to Logan and Jean, as Jean figures out that they're trapped inside Warp's subconscious. He flips out, thinking they're not going to get out, while Logan tries to reassure her that everything will be alright. At that moment, everything goes dark, and it seems like the reality they trapped in is going to collapse. Faced with death, Logan and Jean embrace and kiss, both convinced that they're going to die. Everything goes all bright, and then, both Jean and Logan reappear @ Cape Canaveral. Cyclops picks up the exausted Jean, with Logan wanting to kill Warp. Just as Wolverine gets ready to skew him, Warp turns his powers on himself, and disappears. Wolverine's pissed, and the rest try to figure out what just happened. Jean comments that's its hard for her to remember what just happened, but Logan says "I remember Jeannie. Every bit of it. Just another day on the job eh? "  The issue ends with Jean looking at Logan, and then walking off with Cyclops and Angel.

Not bad huh? Of course this isn't the 1st time Logan and Jean Grey ever kissed. Back during the X-Tinction Agenda, while they were imprisoned they kissed. Then again during Morrison's run, they briefly smooshed, only for Logan to tell her how it never work out between them.

I know Warp Savant hasn't shown back up, but he wasn't a bad character overall. I could see him coming back again, but he should be with a group this time so he won't be taken out so early next time.