Hours after completing their first rescue attempt, Madelyne Pryor’s very own X-Men are heading out on yet another mission in Dark X-Men #2! Once again the storytelling stewards of the book are Steve Foxe, Jonas Scharf, Frank Martin, VC’s Clayton Cowles, and Jordan D. White. The Dark X-Men’s crusade isn’t over yet, but each battle certainly seems to be taking them one step forward, two steps back.
Where Dark X-Men #1 was split between the primary narrative and a backup story, the creators have all of issue #2’s page space to weave their tale. In the first issue’s closing battle, young mutant Carmen Cruz was rescued from Orchis custody, both Havok and Archangel were fatally wounded as both sides each claimed one of the fallen heroes, and the android Albert was severely damaged and taken by Zero as spoils of war. It is in the middle of this messy aftermath that this week’s installment picks up.
More than anything, this issue of Dark X-Men gave the audience a clearer view of the series’ antagonists. The mad Goblin Queen, the Madelyne Pryor variant previously seen in Secret Wars and X-Men Blue who was eventually exiled to the depths of Limbo, has been acquired as a part of Orchis’ growing collection of arcane and occult resources. Her mysterious handlers’ have tasked her with her first assignment: revive Archangel as an Orchis asset. Even with her mutant powers removed, this Goblin Queen gets the job done handily.
The two shadowy handlers briefly appeared in issue #1, but here they are more formally introduced to the reader. The sadistic Agent Krol is an ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. and ex-H.A.M.M.E.R. roboticist with a penchant for torturing AI beings. Under his care are the disassembled Elsie Dee, as well as reconnaissance devices within Albert that allow him and his partner Agent Vallens to foil the Dark X-Men’s further exploits. Vallens is the direct supervisor of Orchis’ mad Maddy Pryor, as her area of expertise centers on the demonic arts.
Credit: Marvel Comics
Outside the alt-Goblin Queen, Krol, and Vallens, the issue contains a few other key elements. Carmen, who previously operated under the codename Gimmick since her Children of the Atom days, is trying out ‘Feint’ as a new moniker. Also, readers got another peak into the fictive manuscript for Fall of The House of X. Through this excerpt as well as Madelyne’s own speech to her team, we learn that her Mercy Crown may operate similarly to Cerebro, but it primarily connects to mutant souls. Unfortunately, she may have just telegraphed Krol and Vallens about the most powerful weapon Orchis has ever laid eyes on.
Foxe utilizes the Krol and Vallens data page to make the most out of the pair’s introduction which really helps frame the stakes and challenges that Madelyne’s Limbo Squad are facing. Scharf’s character designs, especially for the truly demented Goblin Queen and the newly resurrected Angel of Death are pitch-perfect. Martin’s coloring only adds to these effects, as well as adding a zombie-esque completion to the revived Alex Summers.
Dark X-Men continues to be a fun ride, particularly for fans who like their X-Men with a side of horror story elements. However, Madelyne’s team still comes off as very slapdash and half-baked. This is almost surely intentional, but it does make her team feel a bit reactionary and directionless in the face of the wider Fall of X setting.
Dark X-Men #2 hits the ground running, keeping our protagonists on their toes and off-balance. It’s a fun and spooky ride, but it’s still anyone’s guess where this train is heading. Will Madelyne and her X-Men save the world, or will their efforts put even more at risk than ever before?
You must be logged in to post a comment Login