continuing a look back at a '90s classic. if we can call it that.
Fatal AttractionsX-Men #25 "Dreams Fade"
Fabian Nicieza/Andy Kubert/Matt Ryan
following Magneto crashing Illyana's funeral and stealing Colossus as his newest Acolyte, the world prepares for the worst, by activating the Magneto Protocols - an electromagnetic shield around the planet designed to keep Magneto out. maybe.
Magneto retaliates by - let's just say he explodes an EMP on the shield (don't even ask me how he's able to float into space without as much as an oxygen supply or protective suit), and thus disrupting all electrical systems worldwide. how these humans managed to design an EM shield that can be used against them anyway, i scratch my head. no adequate protection, no nothing. maybe they do deserve the wrath of the Magster.
with the EMP blast shutting down the world's power supply (how this was not a catastrophic event with a much stronger impact across Marvel's titles at that time, i don't know again), only the X-Men with their spanking Shi'ar tech were able to watch the football game at that time. i bet some Westchester neighbors knocked on their doors and begged to allow them to watch too (they brought chips!).
following that
VDP,
Professor Xavier deems its his turn to deliver a rousing speech and implement a final plan to take down old BFF
Magneto once and for all (it was the final plan, alright ... for
1993). he forms
Task Force Magneto, just like Philippine cops like to form teams to do something specific, but fail in that task more often than not. we'll see how this one fares.
he leaves behind energy wielders (except Gambit) because close-quarter combat is expected, and leaders (like Cyclops) as a precaution, just in case they do fail. Charles' strike force are sooooo grim given their task, Andy Kubert drew them like they all got robbed of a million dollar lottery jackpot. we don't even see Jean kiss Scott goodbye.
the wondrous thing about alien technology is that we can use it anyway we want. for example, Jeff Goldblum manages to infect an alien ship with a virus without knowing a whit about the alien language. this X-team actually manages to teleport themselves right in Magneto's floating space station, Avalon. sure, they had some help getting by undetected, but going by that principle, they can actually go anywhere they want. any-freaking-where.
since the Internet then was never heard of (despite all that vaunted Sh'iar tech - hah!), this time to control the station, Quicksilver has to use a USB flash drive to - what, they didn't have that too?? ok, he used something called a "compact disc" ... soooo lame. did it have DRM?
the result is a reverse teleportation of all of
Magneto's sidekicks to escape pods that get launched at a specific distance from Avalon, thus taking them off the board.
so, we have the inevitable confrontation between friends and family. sounds like most reunions.
Quicksilver, in particular, thinks that headbutting his dad will solve his family and self-esteem problems.
now, the most common error in fighting a single foe (as seen in movies and elsewhere) is throwing down one at a time. Kill Bill notwithstanding, you have pile on especially if you're fighting someone world-class, if you wanna win. the X-Men sort of fall into this trap - though Xavier and Jean try to warp his mind while everyone else gets their dibs.
Cyclops didn't want Wolverine to go toe-to-toe with Magneto for obvious reasons. overriding caution with ferocity, Logan is part of this team, and you know you can't stop him from trying his best to slice and dice.
and the inevitable result:
actually, the inevitable result is a more interesting Wolverine and record sales.
and this moment leads to more crossovers and events for years to come (we all worship at the altar of Bob Harras), whether good or bad.
Onslaught, Heroes Reborn, Heroes Return, Joseph, etc. ... the current Marvel braintrust took a page from this when they depowered mutants, sent the Hulk into space and started Civil War. one crossover should beget another.
now, the obvious suspect for letting the X-Men get into Avalon without clanging alarms would be their erstwhile teammate, Colossus. but shouldn't he be in one of those floating escape pods, remote teleported before the battle?
i know why. everyone that got teleported had IDs and magnetic strips identifying them as Acolytes - Peter still didn't even one or even an official uniform.
this crossover epitomized the darkening of the heroes we've come to love ... Xavier written in the '60s wouldn't cross that line, and since then his choices have been always questioned by his students. is it any wonder that these days, he's no longer in control of his school, and his first and best student, Cyclops, one-ups him at every turn?
next: the triumph of Larry Hama and more backstabbing
