X-Men #197 - Summary and Spoilers!!

[Hi-Fi]

The Conquistador is now in Providence, as Rogue is rushed to the medical team facility. Cable says he has to take care of things, since he's the ruler of the place and asks the X-Men to keep a low profile while there. But once Lady Mastermind finds herself alone, she starts looking for the shrink's place.

At the Conquistador, Creed is being all Creed and Karima tells Sam that maybe it would be for the best if they kill Sabretooth. It would help the world, according to her pragmatic nature. Sam says it's not up to them.

Meanwhile, Bobby and Mystique watch the doctors trying to save Rogue. Bobby can't believe Mystique really care for Rogue, since she tried to kill her not long ago. Raven says she does love her, and if this is a paradox, so is Bobby's cold body and warm heart (they basically wanna do it).

Lady Mastermind "convinces" a doctor to make an hypnotherapy with her. Once they get inside her mind, she starts looking for the parasite. She knows it's been hiding inside her (great panels by Bachalo here). She finally finds a big wall, which she breaks. Behind it, there's another Lady Mastermind, all scared. Regan: "Get out of me!!" The parasite gets out of her body but wants it back!

"Open open open Let me back"

We see a big pink cloud getting closer to Earth.

Nathan is chatting with Irene Merrywether about his duties in Providence and about his role with the X-Men. They get an alert sign.

Lady Mastermind tries to run, but the parasite gets inside her and starts to scare the people around her. It makes Regan walls like a zombie, until Iceman and Mystique stop her. The parasite jumps and gets inside Mystique.
"Yes This one Better"

Nathan shoots her. He asks what the parasite is. "I am Mummudrai".

Cable shoots Mystique even more, with concussive blasts. The Mummudrai then makes them see its story. He came all the way from space seeking for the help of telephats (I think).

"The strong thinkers must help me please. Must keep me safe. For the Hecatomb comes... to eat the World"

We see a BIG cloud looking like a hand in the sky of Providence.

To Be Continued.








Amazing issue.:cool:

[Nyssane]

OMG It sounds amaaazing. I didn't even know it came out today...*scurry*

[lament]

I'm headed off to get it now!

[Frodo-X]

I. Can't. WAIT!!!

Stupid month with 5 Thursdays keeping my book held off until April.

[Cayman]

At first I was really glad Bachalo was back after Ramos's iffy artwork in the previous arc. Unfortunately, Bachalo didn't impress in this issue at all.

The book itself was pretty good though. Lots of Lady Mastermind is always a plus. The storyline reminds me of Warlock and Magus from New Mutants.

[Fede]

Arg! I can't wait to read this!!
I'm sorry for all the Rogue fans...but Lady M is stealing the show!:D

[HeckBoy]

I only glanced thru it and didn't pick it up. The art looked good as usual, but it seemed like there was more talking and it looked kinda boring. I don't know, hopefully this will all be leading to something thoroughly satisfying for the big 200th issue, b/c this current team isn't doing much for me as a whole.

[blinkinrogue]

i guess mike was just trying to balance the action with the talking since the last issue was full of action, so hopefully you change ur mind and buy it..... :D mike needs all the support he can get and i pray sales will pick up soon, especially #200... and i hope the variant cover will help too...

[ProfeZZor X]

At first I was really glad Bachalo was back after Ramos's iffy artwork in the previous arc. Unfortunately, Bachalo didn't impress in this issue at all.

The book itself was pretty good though. Lots of Lady Mastermind is always a plus. The storyline reminds me of Warlock and Magus from New Mutants.

That is one villain I would die to see make a come back.... Especially if written by Mike Carey. And I'm sure Bachalo would do a great job at illustrating his techno-organic material.

[Jaykob]

...umm ok.

I actually found this issue to be the weakest from X-Men I've seen in quite a few months. I found the scene between Mystique and Bobby highly melodramatic with some really awkward dialogue. Something about a paradox and fire that burns within...pretty nauseating.

I did enjoy the scenes with Lady Mastermind and the hypnotist and thought they were well written. The hypnotic mind exploration was a nice touch as well.

Decent set-up, not great, but I'm hoping that the next few issues leading up to 200 pack more of a wallop than this.

[Sparda]

This story as it seem's continues in Cable and Deadpool 38 with that creature in Masterminds head, running amok and Cable having to deal with it but I did'nt see the issue at my Local store :(.

Overall interesting issue and like the interactions and seems Mystigue might have a thing for Iceman.

[We R. Venom]

This was a fantastic issue. Great read. It's good to see more on Lady M since I didnt know much. It was great to see her powers working and more of her attitude. One of my favorite babes now. But none still better to Mystique. I loved the art and it was good to find out more of how she has been feeling.

[blinkinrogue]

venom, just a question, the black costume spidey is going to wear again, is it a symbiote?

[Legend_Killer17]

Soo this is probably the way that Cable will have his powers back, since the "thing" is in need of telepaths and I read that Cable would have his powers back making a deal with the "devil". Interesting.

[We R. Venom]

venom, just a question, the black costume spidey is going to wear again, is it a symbiote?

Nuh uh, it's just his old Black Costume. It's revealed in Amazing Spider-man #539.:D Sweetness.

[rwsmith]

Pretty good issue, but I'm not really sure I understand exactly what a Mummudrai is and where they come from.

Cassandra Nova was born in the womb with Xavier. This one apparently comes from hundres of light years away at the edge of the Shi'ar Empire. Are Mummudrai creatures from space? And, if so, was Cassandra Nova always one or did she pick up a nasty little hitch-hiker when she went to the Shi'ar Empire? You never actually see her as a Mummudrai until after she returns, so perhaps that's what happened.

Other than that confusion, though, good issue. I'm still seeing Lady M as being too Emma-like, but the differences in the two characters are starting to appear. I liked the Bobby/Mystique scene and just wish they would get it on already.

Oh, and Cable was pretty badass this issue. I'm almost sorry that Mike is most likely ditching the guy as part of his cast sometime soon. If anyone can make Nate cool again, it just might be Mr. Carey.

[We R. Venom]

I don't think Lady M is too Emma like. I like her as she is. And for me, the Bobby/ Raven thing can be as drawn out as possible. Somehow I just like it like that. I think it'll make the moment when whatever happens just that much better. Cable was great as I thought he would be. I don't know who that chick he was talkin to was but thats ok. I wonder how they will deal with this Mummudrai thingy.

[Mr_Hellfire]

Lady Mastermind and geting in to her head=an amazing idea, I love getting into character's heads as it is. Definitely going to pick this one up when it comes out around here (Which will probably be around freaking August >.o)

[We R. Venom]

Lady Mastermind and geting in to her head=an amazing idea, I love getting into character's heads as it is. Definitely going to pick this one up when it comes out around here (Which will probably be around freaking August >.o)

Damn, thats not cool. Where are you that they deprive such good people of Mike Carey's X-men?

[Mr_Hellfire]

Damn, thats not cool. Where are you that they deprive such good people of Mike Carey's X-men?
An extremely obscure town up in like Northern Maine, like right on the border of Canada.

I'm shocked that we get comic books, but it usually takes like 2-3 weeks after they release until we finally get them.

[We R. Venom]

An extremely obscure town up in like Northern Maine, like right on the border of Canada.

I'm shocked that we get comic books, but it usually takes like 2-3 weeks after they release until we finally get them.

Well, thats not too bad I guess. Not like 3 months. You cant drive anywhere else? I dont even remember how i got my comics when i was secluded. Oh wait, this is an X-men thread. So I cant waist space.....Mike Carey rules. There!

[1WEBHEAD]

I thought it was a good issue. Bachalo's art is unique and pretty and Carey's writing is clever as usual. Its nice Carey didn't forget to explain what was the purple space thunder cloud that destroyed that Shi'ar space craft earlier in his run. My only (minor) compliant is that the issue focused on Lady M, the parasite and everybody else (which isn't a bad thing, but wait for it...) but I was hoping for this issue to be about the dying Rogue and disease she has. Oh well, it's still an enjoyable issue and there's always next issue.:)

4/5

[Mr_Hellfire]

Well, thats not too bad I guess. Not like 3 months. You cant drive anywhere else? I dont even remember how i got my comics when i was secluded. Oh wait, this is an X-men thread. So I cant waist space.....Mike Carey rules. There!
MMm, yeah, I guess, but by the time they get here, I've already read half the spoilers since I have poor self control, heh.
And closest place past here that sells comic is an hour away :\.


And side comment, why aren't Lady Mastermind and Omega Sentinel permanent team members? Gah, they'd be amazing for permanent additions, 'specially since I'm not one for Cable or Sabretooth (although I read one issue of Exiles recently and found myself liking that version of him).

[ClanAskani]

I thought it was one of the better issues of Carey's run. Carey did a good job writing Nate & Irene, and I'm actually starting to like Lady Mastermind.

[Pyro]

Awesome issue. I can't exclaim enough how glad I am to have Bachalo back. I mean, I was looking forward to his return, but his work this issue blew me away. The effect with the Mummudrai was pretty awesome and so was everything else. I only wish the issue had more Rogue, but it was still great from both Carey and Bachalo. Carey's story is so interesting and it seems to be the only x-book at the moment that follows in the vein of Morrison's work. But I like it more than Morrison's.

[Cayman]

Lady Mastermind needs a mini-series.

[UncannyAsianGirl]

Hold that thought webhead... :p
And I’m glad to hear that Rogue isn’t going to be bed-ridden and useless after #198. Will she be appearing much in 198 btw?

Nope. No Rogue in #198. Well, not much. Sorry, Soulkiller. It’ll all be worth it in the end.
That'll make it 3 issues of little or no Rogue, which is quite amazing, considering that she's his favorite character in this roster. (And mine too. :o)

This issue was fun, with Lady M running around causing havoc. Ya gotta love the rude little minx. :D I thought the Bobby/Mystique scene was a bit over-sentimental, but at least it's moving their relationship forward a bit. The Sam/Karima/Creed interaction was very nice, but a bit scary. She's really out for Creed's blood. Mike did say that he faces a bit of a crisis later...

The Mummudrai itself is a pretty intriguing entity, although they're known to be evil, this one didn't seem to have any sort of malicious intent at all. But then again, if we're to infer that it's how Cable gets his tk/tp back, it's the "devil" that the solicits to C&DP are talking about...

Speaking of C&DP, oddly enough, it wasn't the tie-in issue to "Condition Critical", even though the solicits said it did... but what I found interesting was that the plot dealt with infecting people with different strains of diseases. (Think Pandemic, his strains, and Rogue) Agent X got hit by both debilitating arthritis and a really bad case of obesity. XD

Here's a quote from Ann Nichol's recap on Comixfan saying what a Mummudrai is, she quoted it from New X-men #126:
Mummudrai": As Jean explained what Prof. X's mind was telling her in "New X-Men" v.1, #126: "Cassandra is what Shi'Ar legends call Mummudrai, Henry. Charles is... is trying to explain this thing. It's... think of it like 'out' is the Mummudrai of 'in'. 'Yin' is the Mummudrai of 'yang'. And Cassandra Nova is the Mummudrai of Charles Xavier. Legend says each of us faces our own personal Mummudrai in the womb, shortly before birth -- it is our first experience of the alien, the 'other', the different. Imagine a bodiless parasite species... born without true flesh, without real substance..."
So, now that we've established that, anyone want to hazard a guess as to whose Mummudrai it is? And, do you think it was found on the edge of the Shi'ar empire, or do you think the empire is its place of origin? Or maybe, just maybe... this is the Mummudrai that spawned the Shi'ar legend of Mummadrai(s) in the first place... It's very likely, since like Cable said, it took this entity centuries to get to earth in the first place...

And the Hecatomb is a world eater... I wonder if the Mummudrai meant it in the sense that it would swallow the world whole, or if it'd be in a gradual process? Regardless, we're talking of an entity of cosmic-level proportions, maybe even up to Galactus levels here. It's been referred to as "an alien soul-vampire" that "brings death to all it touches".

So how would Rogue and Co. deal with a threat like this? We know they do, (most likely) successfully, judging from the solicits to X-men #199, and, we also know that it comes at a huge price for both Rogue and Cable...

I've already stated my theories, the Mummudrai grants Cable his tp/tk back by undoing the lobotomy in his brain, and he and Rogue face off with Hecatomb, with her possibly coming into contact with him. All we know for sure is that she does something which ends up hurting her, maybe even changing her completely.

But the thing is, she's on life support, and can't go anywhere without the risk of dying immediately. I really don't think she's up for confronting it all on her lonesome, especially in her condition. Creed isn't an option, since if she touched him, he'd die, whether she'd be cured or not, and since the memory-stealing aspect of her powers have been amped immensely, she'd get him stuck in her head for eternity. So... how can the incapacitated fearless leader take down a possibly cosmic-level threat? I doubt it'd be something as silly as Cable hurling her still in hospital bed at Hecatomb with his newly restored tk. (but it'd be funny to see :cool:)

I think the answer might be... How does a dead man walk 200 miles? The answer? The Mummudrai. Previously I hadn't thought about this, since I thought that there would be some sort of difficulty or consequence when it jumped hosts, but this issue proved otherwise, since we see it jump from Regan to Raven. So it's very likely that it could restore Cable's tp/tk and still be able to help a near-dead Rogue get closer to Hecatomb.

Speaking of Regan and Raven...I just realized, this team has a lot of people on it with 5-letter long names/codnames. Cable, Bobby, Regan, Raven, Rogue, and Sabretooth's last name is Creed. How very interesting. Pointless, yes... but interesting. =D

Does anyone think it's strange that if you think about it, Rogue and Hecatomb are quite similar... She's an alien/mutant hybrid (I know she doesn't have the MM powers, but she still has the Kree DNA at least, and possibly some Skrull) soul-vampire of sorts, and with the alterations Pandemic made to her powers, she'll bring death to whoever she touches. And Hecatomb is an alien soul-vampire who brings death to whoever he touches. Ya think it's an intended connection on Mike's part or no? I think it is, and I also think it's the reason why Rogue gets so so messed up and hurt by the end of issue #199. Let's face it, the girl's had more than her fair share of bad experiences with aliens, especially when she touches them. =O

Heh, if you haven't guessed yet, yes; I'm anticipating the events of the next few issues very much. =P

[Hi-Fi]

It's funny to see that some people thought the Raven/Bobby conversation was overdramatic. I thought it was exactly the opposite. I really liked it.

That'll make it 3 issues of little or no Rogue, which is quite amazing, considering that she's his favorite character in this roster. (And mine too. :o)
Yeah, I knew that. But I'm ok with it. If Mike says the waiting will be worthy, then I trust him. I think Rogue will be pivotal to end of this story.

The Sam/Karima/Creed interaction was very nice, but a bit scary. She's really out for Creed's blood. Mike did say that he faces a bit of a crisis later...
I'm loving Karima. She's such an interesting character.

The Mummudrai itself is a pretty intriguing entity, although they're known to be evil, this one didn't seem to have any sort of malicious intent at all. But then again, if we're to infer that it's how Cable gets his tk/tp back, it's the "devil" that the solicits to C&DP are talking about...
The Mummudrai could also be deceiving. I don't think they should trust it at all.

I've already stated my theories, the Mummudrai grants Cable his tp/tk back by undoing the lobotomy in his brain, and he and Rogue face off with Hecatomb, with her possibly coming into contact with him. All we know for sure is that she does something which ends up hurting her, maybe even changing her completely.
I think you're probably right here. And I agree about Hecatomb having too many similarities with Rogue. There's gotta be a reason for that.

Speaking of Regan and Raven...I just realized, this team has a lot of people on it with 5-letter long names/codnames. Cable, Bobby, Regan, Raven, Rogue, and Sabretooth's last name is Creed. How very interesting. Pointless, yes... but interesting. =D
Pontless things are always the most interesting.;)

Heh, if you haven't guessed yet, yes; I'm anticipating the events of the next few issues very much. =P
Me too!! I think this has the potential to be my favorite Carey's arc, even with the lack of Rogue. I'm loving the plot and I really liked this issue cliffhanger.


By the way, great work by the coloring team this issue.

[Faded]

I want to know what happens.

But one more day, and this will be my first spoiler-free issue in a long time! :eek:

[Hi-Fi]

I want to know what happens.

But one more day, and this will be my first spoiler-free issue in a long time! :eek:
Don't spoil yourself. Read it tomorrow. Seriously.:)

[UncannyAsianGirl]

About Karima... don't you think it'd be insane if the crisis Sabretooth faces had something to do with her? He'd be her victim, instead of her being his. If he'd died because of the time-compression chamber, she'd only shrug her shoulders and go "oh well". Or maybe, she manipulates the nano-sentinels in his bloodstream before his healing factor overrides them. :eek:

Mike said in his interview with UXM that she not only thinks with her human brain, but with her sentinel parts as well, and that she's a bit emotionally detached because of it. It's possible that she could and will go that far. That almost makes me feel sorry for Creed. Almost. :p

I know that Rogue'll be fine eventually... like sometime next year... but still, it's fun to worry anyway. :D

[1WEBHEAD]

I want to know what happens.

But one more day, and this will be my first spoiler-free issue in a long time! :eek:

*PM's spoilers to Faded*:D












I kid, I kid.:p

[Hi-Fi]

About Karima... don't you think it'd be insane if the crisis Sabretooth faces had something to do with her? He'd be her victim, instead of her being his. If he'd died because of the time-compression chamber, she'd only shrug her shoulders and go "oh well". Or maybe, she manipulates the nano-sentinels in his bloodstream before his healing factor overrides them.

Mike said in his interview with UXM that she not only thinks with her human brain, but with her sentinel parts as well, and that she's a bit emotionally detached because of it. It's possible that she could and will go that far. That almost makes me feel sorry for Creed. Almost. :p
I don't think Karima will kill Creed, simply because it's Creed. Marvel wont kill him off like that. I do think that once Creed frees himself, she'll be the first one he'll get. :(

But I love her pragmatic nature. What scared me in that conversation was that, once she left the room, Sam stayed with a weird look in his face. Maybe he'll be the one to try something?

I know that Rogue'll be fine eventually... like sometime next year... but still, it's fun to worry anyway. :D
I just don't want to see her missing all the fun of the next months. I hope she's on her feet to play a decent role in the crossover.;)

[Brian M.]

Good reason for Cable to get his telepathy back. I'd say this Hecatomb is just a plot device but Carey has been building towards it since his first issue.

[Syzygy]

...umm ok.

I actually found this issue to be the weakest from X-Men I've seen in quite a few months. I found the scene between Mystique and Bobby highly melodramatic with some really awkward dialogue. Something about a paradox and fire that burns within...pretty nauseating.

It was nauseating, but it was still an effective ploy. Mysty is so crazy, nobody can tell when she's really being serious or not.

If she plants just a seed of doubt in Bobby that she's really interested in him, the seduction, in fact, begins, and Bobby-boy is in real trouble of getting sucked in.

With Mystique, you may know it's a line, but that doesn't necessarily help you!

Peace,
Syzygy

[Syzygy]

An extremely obscure town up in like Northern Maine, like right on the border of Canada.

I'm shocked that we get comic books, but it usually takes like 2-3 weeks after they release until we finally get them.

My sympathies for your comic-book problem. You can always order them individually from any number of internet sellers, like Mile High Comics, for example.

Meanwhile, it sounds like a pleasant, quiet, cozy -- if cold -- place to live.

Peace,
Syzygy

[TinMan]

Good issue, I really enjoy Mike's writing, Bachalo's art is still crap and his Mummudrai effect was really half assed IMO. I do take issue with a couple things however:

1) What's with Karima and making the comment about how she should have put the safeties on but she'll wait til tomorrow to do it? "Yeahbuhwhat!?" I hope Mike has a good reason for that or it's gonna come off really hokey.

2) Cable asks Bobby if he knows what a Mummudrai is and after Bobby mentions Cassie, Cable goes on a rant about using electromagnetics on Mummudrai. If Cable knew what it was and knew it's weakness, why the hell did he ask Bobby if he knew what it was? Was it a rhetorical question? Was he just throwing out some Trivial Pursuit in the middle of a hostile situation? I don't get it.

3) Mummudrai suck. Stupid concept. Here's hoping Mike will do something good with it.

[blinkinrogue]

maybe he was testing how smart bobby is? hmmmm didnt notice that comment by karima, have to reread my copy later...

wish mike would give more clues on what rogue's new powers will be except increasing certain parts/aspects of her powers (let it be strength pls pls and durability)...

what i didnt get is if that M-thing was into telepaths, y mystique?? it apparently still had control of Lady M even when she tried to purge herself of it... hmmmm....

[scouse mouse]

Great issue with lots of the always fantastic Lady M; this girl simply can not leave the team! Im also glad that Bachalo is back, his art really makes a difference to the title.

[We R. Venom]

I just think Bobby has his guard up after what happened with Lorna, and after losing his powers and such he seems to be in a state of mind that makes him more aware to how he is feeling. That's what I think anyway, and if thats true, I think its brlliant of Mike Carey to have picked Mystique because if anyone can get under someones skin, get under their defenses, its Mystique. I just wanna see how Bobby handles her. Maybe itll be a messed up relationship and maybe she is just trying to mess up bobby, who knows.

[blinkinrogue]

i think its pretty obvious the way she "demurely" lowers her eyes that she is toying with him. Iceman is too tame for someone like Mystique, she needs somebody like creed or.... wait.... nevermind .... :D

[We R. Venom]

i think its pretty obvious the way she "demurely" lowers her eyes that she is toying with him. Iceman is too tame for someone like Mystique, she needs somebody like creed or.... wait.... nevermind .... :D

I agree with you a bit. I think that when you think of Iceman and his past, he really isnt the type to freak or snap on someone. Except that time he did snap on creed when he threatened Rogue. Thats the one thing Mystique and him share. They do care for Rogue. While everyone else left to handle their business. Bobby was the one who went down to see Rogue...with Mystique.

[blinkinrogue]

hope there's no love triangle brewing here.... itd be too messy

[ProfeZZor X]

I just think Bobby has his guard up after what happened with Lorna, and after losing his powers and such he seems to be in a state of mind that makes him more aware to how he is feeling. That's what I think anyway, and if thats true, I think its brlliant of Mike Carey to have picked Mystique because if anyone can get under someones skin, get under their defenses, its Mystique. I just wanna see how Bobby handles her. Maybe itll be a messed up relationship and maybe she is just trying to mess up bobby, who knows.

I'm sure it's a ploy as well... Fortunately, what doesn't kill him will only make him stronger. :rolleyes:

...And that hopefully will be evident when he shines in #200 through #203.

[Beast]

hope there's no love triangle brewing here.... itd be too messy
Now a three-way on the other hand....

[We R. Venom]

hope there's no love triangle brewing here.... itd be too messy

I think if Bobby started up with that, he might end up being hated by Rogue just like Gambit is. Don't wanna go down that road. You think Rogue would be mad at him if she caught them...doing whatever or found out they were together?

[Arilou]

1) What's with Karima and making the comment about how she should have put the safeties on but she'll wait til tomorrow to do it? "Yeahbuhwhat!?" I hope Mike has a good reason for that or it's gonna come off really hokey.

I thought it was pretty obvious: She was saying "I'm "Forgetting" to turn the safeties on, so that maybe someone will "Accidentally" push this button and turn Mr. Creed into mush."

[madrox1977]

Really liked this issue, i agree with Arilou's idea of "just in case someone wants to kill him".

Loved the cover nice to see Sam the centre of attention.

Only thing i didn't get was the bit where the Mummudrai showed nate and bobby its life....what was with the two astronauts?......nice it finally cleared up the dead man walking plot.

By the way in regard to the original summary of this issue, not to be rude but; clearly its a mouth not a hand in the clouds, you can see teeth shape and the mummudrai says "eat the word"

[blinkinrogue]

Im sure rogue would melt iceman in a minute if she found out, course iceman would just re-form again in no time, but yeah he'd get the message that she is pissed off...

Venom, im not sure if you read the issue when rogue fought the xmen with blindside, of all the xmen - wolvie, havok, polaris, gambit, and bobby - the powers she wouldnt have wanted to borrow or absorb was iceman's... i wonder why....

[UncannyAsianGirl]

Only thing i didn't get was the bit where the Mummudrai showed nate and bobby its life....what was with the two astronauts?......nice it finally cleared up the dead man walking plot.
Here's my take on it. Since it took centuries for it to get to earth, Ev Teel Urizen, the Mummudrai, is the Mummudrai of Shi'ar legend. It made a huge mess of epic proportions on the Shi'ar homeworld, until it was finally contained, then imprisoned on the edge of the Shi'ar Empire. That bottle we saw was its imprisonment/jail cell, and then those 2 astronauts unwittingly set it free.

Either that or those astronauts could be the dead ones we saw in DG.

[We R. Venom]

Im sure rogue would melt iceman in a minute if she found out, course iceman would just re-form again in no time, but yeah he'd get the message that she is pissed off...

Venom, im not sure if you read the issue when rogue fought the xmen with blindside, of all the xmen - wolvie, havok, polaris, gambit, and bobby - the powers she wouldnt have wanted to borrow or absorb was iceman's... i wonder why....

I do remember that. There could be a few resons, which is probably why the writer(cant remember who) wrote it that way. It could be an analoge(sp?) for her need to be cold, be away from others. Maybe she thought she could have more fun with his powers. Maybe she hoped that she could touch others because it wouldnt be direct skin contact. Well i'll have to think on it but thats a good question.

[Arilou]

Really liked this issue, i agree with Arilou's idea of "just in case someone wants to kill him".

Loved the cover nice to see Sam the centre of attention.

Only thing i didn't get was the bit where the Mummudrai showed nate and bobby its life....what was with the two astronauts?......nice it finally cleared up the dead man walking plot.

By the way in regard to the original summary of this issue, not to be rude but; clearly its a mouth not a hand in the clouds, you can see teeth shape and the mummudrai says "eat the word"

Galactus needs to come kick it's ass for stealing his food.

He'd be like:
"Dude, that's my dinner! I'm saving it for later!"
And Hekatomb would be like:
"Na-ah. I don't see your name on it!"
And G-man would be like:
"You're such an ass Hekky.... I'm going to eat your stash of dorritos!"
And Hekky would be like:
"NO! Way you're touching my stuff!"
And then Galactus would laugh and eat his dorritos.

[blinkinrogue]

it was written by tony bedard, damn it was fun to watch rogue beat the crap out of the xmen hehe (although she was a little sneaky), and i know her memory was wiped, but she didnt think twice about shattering iceman to pieces....

but come to think of it, she was close to bobby and gambit, so notice that when gambit reasoned with her, she seemed to listen, so maybe thats why she also didnt want to touch bobby, coz in the corner of her memory-manipulated head, she had deep feelings for him?

[TinMan]

I thought it was pretty obvious: She was saying "I'm "Forgetting" to turn the safeties on, so that maybe someone will "Accidentally" push this button and turn Mr. Creed into mush."

Ok, that makes sense. I just didn't get it because her little explanation about how the machine works prior to that comment didn't sound like she was implying it could kill him. I reread that dialogue like 3 times trying to figure out what her implication was, I thought maybe she meant she had to turn the safeties on so he couldn't be released without security clearance or something. I guess I'll reread that part when I get home.

[blinkinrogue]

Galactus needs to come kick it's ass for stealing his food.

He'd be like:
"Dude, that's my dinner! I'm saving it for later!"
And Hekatomb would be like:
"Na-ah. I don't see your name on it!"
And G-man would be like:
"You're such an ass Hekky.... I'm going to eat your stash of dorritos!"
And Hekky would be like:
"NO! Way you're touching my stuff!"
And then Galactus would laugh and eat his dorritos.

or he could be like, galactus, dude, i waited 40 years in line and you sure took your time, but you never got to taste even a single patch of grass, so move over and let somebody else try to get a bite.... :)

[We R. Venom]

it was written by tony bedard, damn it was fun to watch rogue beat the crap out of the xmen hehe (although she was a little sneaky), and i know her memory was wiped, but she didnt think twice about shattering iceman to pieces....

but come to think of it, she was close to bobby and gambit, so notice that when gambit reasoned with her, she seemed to listen, so maybe thats why she also didnt want to touch bobby, coz in the corner of her memory-manipulated head, she had deep feelings for him?

Well we will see if Mike Carey will do anything bout that. When Rogue wakes up I hope she talks to her team and isnt the same "distant we have to get the job done and nothing else leader," she has been.

[Scavenger]

but come to think of it, she was close to bobby and gambit, so notice that when gambit reasoned with her, she seemed to listen, so maybe thats why she also didnt want to touch bobby, coz in the corner of her memory-manipulated head, she had deep feelings for him?

Maybe she didn't want the Northstar bits in her brain to meet up with the Iceman bits :D

[blinkinrogue]

ohhhh..... thats cold hehe.... now its a quadrangle, rogue-iceman-mystique-northstar..... we will see when Northstar shows up

[ProfeZZor X]

I think if Bobby started up with that, he might end up being hated by Rogue just like Gambit is. Don't wanna go down that road. You think Rogue would be mad at him if she caught them...doing whatever or found out they were together?

In all honesty, I really don't see them in a relationship. If anything, I can see Bobby admiring her with a crush, like that of a school boy on his teacher. Or even seeing the compassionate side of her. Otherwise, I can see how there might be a little strain between Bobby and Rogue in the long run, once she finds out that he's fratranizing with Mystique on an intimate, personal level. I can also see Bobby defending Mystique's quest to make amends with Rogue.

And who knows what emotional damage and mistrust issues that might lead to... Maybe leading to one of them leaving the team. Which could also be viewed as a subtle way for Mystique to break up the team. (for Carey to bring on other characters later on).

[We R. Venom]

In all honesty, I really don't see them in a relationship. If anything, I can see Bobby admiring her with a crush, like that of a school boy on his teacher. Or even seeing the compassionate side of her. Otherwise, I can see how there might be a little strain between Bobby and Rogue in the long run, once she finds out that he's fratranizing with Mystique on an intimate, personal level. I can also see Bobby defending Mystique's quest to make amends with Rogue.

And who knows what emotional damage and mistrust issues that might lead to... Maybe leading to one of them leaving the team. Which could also be viewed as a subtle way for Mystique to break up the team. (for Carey to bring on other characters later on).

I totaally see where your coming from. If that were the case i'd be fine with it too as long as Rogue and Bobby do talk about it sooner or later because Mystique seems to be moving fast, especially with Rogue out for the count. If Bobby and Rogue have soem type of falling out, most likely because of her, maybe she will be the one to help Bobby....if she doesnt have her own Gambit bull to deal with.

[Volk1]

Guys, the difference between Emma Frost and Lady Mastermind is that Emma acts fake, she poses as she's royalty, with a faux-British accent, and that she deserves the attention she gets because of her fake cleavage and polyester hair.

Regan, on the other hand, is just.....REAL. Attitude, looks, personality. She is who she is and that's what makes her (or at least how Carey writer her) fk'n interesting.

If you can't tell the difference between the two you need to stop reading so many goshdamn comics! :rolleyes:

Loved the issue because it was Lady M-fest. I really enjoyed the Karima scene. The story is progressing and Mike has to feed us that, but he still gives us a little action in between. So good!:D

Going back to Lady M, did anyone else catch when Lady M said something about her dad "trying to hit on her"? That was kinda creepy.....is she saying Mastermind was a child-molestor? Or what.....
If that's the case, I love Regan that much more....no wonder she's angry.....

[Faded]

I thought Bachalo was brilliant this issue, especially his scenery. The weird blue...splashes(?) at the end were kinda weird though. Whatevz. It was good to see all the team members involved in the story (even poor sickly Rogue :(), but what I loved most was having Lady Mastermind really take the spotlight this issue. I just love how the team was divided into scenes, though the Bobby/Mystique conversation just kinda weirded me out. :o

[Hi-Fi]

By the way in regard to the original summary of this issue, not to be rude but; clearly its a mouth not a hand in the clouds, you can see teeth shape and the mummudrai says "eat the word"
How rude!!:p

Yeah, you're probably right. It makes much more sense to be a mouth.

Going back to Lady M, did anyone else catch when Lady M said something about her dad "trying to hit on her"? That was kinda creepy.....is she saying Mastermind was a child-molestor? Or what.....
If that's the case, I love Regan that much more....no wonder she's angry.....
Yeah, I asked Mike about it and here's what he replied:
"I think Regan was making an off-colour joke about her relationship with her dad. It says more about how she sees psychoanalysis than about her actual childhood."

I also asked about the fact that she was wearing her HFC uniform inside her mind. His reply:
"I asked Chris to put Lady M back in her old costume, because I didn’t think her self-image would have had time to adjust to the X-Men uniform yet."

I thought Bachalo was brilliant this issue, especially his scenery. The weird blue...splashes(?) at the end were kinda weird though. Whatevz. It was good to see all the team members involved in the story (even poor sickly Rogue :(), but what I loved most was having Lady Mastermind really take the spotlight this issue. I just love how the team was divided into scenes, though the Bobby/Mystique conversation just kinda weirded me out. :o
I also whinned about the lack of Rogue and Mike replied:
"For those of you suffering from Rogue withdrawal, I have two things to say. One is: when she does take the spotlight again she’s going to be amazing. And the other is HEY, HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL???"

Oh, and I loved the Bobby/Mystique scene. They're totally Richie and Margot Tenenbaum kind of weird.;)

[ProfeZZor X]

I totaally see where your coming from. If that were the case i'd be fine with it too as long as Rogue and Bobby do talk about it sooner or later because Mystique seems to be moving fast, especially with Rogue out for the count. If Bobby and Rogue have soem type of falling out, most likely because of her, maybe she will be the one to help Bobby....if she doesnt have her own Gambit bull to deal with.

Not to make any assumptions here, but the thought of Rogue rejecting Bobby's explanation of defending Mystique has crossed my mind more now than before. Only because we've known MC to bring us a lot of conflict amongst the team members, and that he does give us reasons to believe things aren't always what the seem... Which is the case of Bobby and Mystique.

It would be nice for Rogue to move on to another love interest, but by her questioning Bobby's loyalties to Mystique on some level, I don't see them getting together intimately.

[We R. Venom]

Not to make any assumptions here, but the thought of Rogue rejecting Bobby's explanation of defending Mystique has crossed my mind more now than before. Only because we've known MC to bring us a lot of conflict amongst the team members, and that he does give us reasons to believe things aren't always what the seem... Which is the case of Bobby and Mystique.

It would be nice for Rogue to move on to another love interest, but by her questioning Bobby's loyalties to Mystique on some level, I don't see them getting together intimately.

I really don't know what to expect from them. I do know i'm not for Rogue in another relationship with anyone else quite yet.

[Volk1]

Yeah, I asked Mike about it and here's what he replied:
"I think Regan was making an off-colour joke about her relationship with her dad. It says more about how she sees psychoanalysis than about her actual childhood." Oh, cool, Hi. Okay, that's better for me, because I like the way when Mastermind died, he asked for forgiveness from Jean Grey and kinda redeemed himself. I didn't want this retcon of him being creepy like that.

[ProfeZZor X]

I really don't know what to expect from them. I do know i'm not for Rogue in another relationship with anyone else quite yet.

Like MC said, Rogue won't really be herself until next year, so until then, I see no real interaction with anyone on an intimate level. The only thing I can see happening, is Gambit realizing the complexity and seriousness of Rogue's condition, and making some sort of sacrafice to save her. Or, making a deal with Sinister to cure her. Which seems like the simplest solution, since he's already made his previous deal with Apocalypse.

[Joe Zool]

That was all kinds of SO AWESOME!!!

It really feels like Carey and Bachalo are settling in and it really shows. Bachalo's art has never looked better and the way Carey made the "M" word and even the "H" word feel like a REAL threat in just a few pages...

Awesome.

[Pheonix-NoRelation]

Hey, any reason why it says Red Data on the cover but the arc is called Condition Critical?

[Flight]

Hey, any reason why it says Red Data on the cover but the arc is called Condition Critical? Yes.

Bachelo's art was so off in this issue.
I am lovin' it though. Lady M is such a bitch and I hope she stayz 4eva & eva.

Awful cover. Is it even finished?

[Beast]

Hey, any reason why it says Red Data on the cover but the arc is called Condition Critical?
Red Data is the storyarc name. The issues have seperate names.

[blinkinrogue]

im wondering y mike still has not included head shots of karima and lady M in that little box thingy, it would be more aesthetic if he just removed sabretooth's face....:D

[Mr_Hellfire]

My sympathies for your comic-book problem. You can always order them individually from any number of internet sellers, like Mile High Comics, for example.

Meanwhile, it sounds like a pleasant, quiet, cozy -- if cold -- place to live.

Peace,
Syzygy
Ah yes, very cold, we still have snow that comes up to my knee. And yeah, I'm considering doing that, but is there shipping and handling on that?

Regan, on the other hand, is just.....REAL. Attitude, looks, personality. She is who she is and that's what makes her (or at least how Carey writer her) fk'n interesting.

I'm inclined into believing every girl in the Marvel universe receives a boob job upon reaching the age of 13, so I don't know about that one, heh.

[Yoel]

Great issue. Mike Carey can do no wrong!
Loved Bachalo's art too. I can't get enough of this book... I hope Carey and Bachalo stay on it for a looong time.

[rwsmith]

Guys, the difference between Emma Frost and Lady Mastermind is that Emma acts fake, she poses as she's royalty, with a faux-British accent, and that she deserves the attention she gets because of her fake cleavage and polyester hair.

Regan, on the other hand, is just.....REAL. Attitude, looks, personality. She is who she is and that's what makes her (or at least how Carey writer her) fk'n interesting.

If you can't tell the difference between the two you need to stop reading so many goshdamn comics! :rolleyes:

Loved the issue because it was Lady M-fest. I really enjoyed the Karima scene. The story is progressing and Mike has to feed us that, but he still gives us a little action in between. So good!:D

Going back to Lady M, did anyone else catch when Lady M said something about her dad "trying to hit on her"? That was kinda creepy.....is she saying Mastermind was a child-molestor? Or what.....
If that's the case, I love Regan that much more....no wonder she's angry.....

Yeah. Both are blonde, beautiful, bitchy, snarky, dress slutty, have double D boobs and mental powers and aren't afraid to bend (or break) the rules. Not sure how anyone could get them mixed up.:rolleyes:

Seriously, I'm not saying that there aren't differences, but you have to admit that on the surface they're fairly similar characters. You could say the same about how Brubaker is using Warpath, though. He's basically just a bigger, taller Wolverine with knives instead of claws in that book. At least it seems as though that's how he's being used to me.

[Tre Styles]

I give this issue a 10 out of 10 gold stars. I really like the exploration of Lady M, and some focus on the other characters as well. It was good to see Irene again (I haven't been following Cable & Deadpool, or Cable for a while now soo it was nice to see her here, and I'm starting to understand Cable's new powers. I think I'll pick up some trades of C & D, and yes, I know, for shame, Tre, for shame. ;) ) Anyways, the new storyline is very interesting, and it's a strong start to this new arc. Bachalo's art is also really crisp and clean here, Tim's inks are still on point, and Antonio's colors are absolutely brilliant in this issue.

[Faded]

Yeah. Both are blonde, beautiful, bitchy, snarky, dress slutty, have double D boobs and mental powers and aren't afraid to bend (or break) the rules. Not sure how anyone could get them mixed up.:rolleyes:

I love them both as separate entities, and there are some fundamental qualities that set them apart that Hi-Fi and even MC went into detail over, but its hard to deny their similarities. They both still rock, but its a dilemma.

[blinkinrogue]

i think lady M is nastier than emma, and im not convinced she has reformed as this early it seems like she can stab them behind their backs w/o a second thought... i used to really like her in supernovas, now sometimes i get a little irritated with her snide remarks ( I smirked when she said yes when that psychiatrist asked her if she was a hero and also adding -w/o bragging - that she saved the world a couple of times )... still i hope she does get to reform though she looks better as a "hero"

[Syzygy]

I love them both as separate entities, and there are some fundamental qualities that set them apart that Hi-Fi and even MC went into detail over, but its hard to deny their similarities. They both still rock, but its a dilemma.

Emma is the rich-bitch with all the breeding and class.

Regan is the trailer-trash bitch, lower class and bereft of polish:

"I'm a shrink...where do they keep the nutjobs?"

Just 'cause she's female doesn't mean she's a lady.

Peace,
Syzygy

[xarathos]

Soo this is probably the way that Cable will have his powers back, since the "thing" is in need of telepaths and I read that Cable would have his powers back making a deal with the "devil". Interesting.

Cable doesn't have his powers? Does he still have the virus he had that was kept at bay through he telepathic abilities?

[Nobbel]

Karima is getting a bit unexpectedly cold, very cold, don't you think?

[blinkinrogue]

hi nobbel i read about what happened to u i hope ur doing fine....:)

[TinMan]

Ok, that makes sense. I just didn't get it because her little explanation about how the machine works prior to that comment didn't sound like she was implying it could kill him. I reread that dialogue like 3 times trying to figure out what her implication was, I thought maybe she meant she had to turn the safeties on so he couldn't be released without security clearance or something. I guess I'll reread that part when I get home.Ok, I reread that section last night and I still find the dialogue to be inconcise. Karima says that if you turn the knob to max, everything contracts to a point. What point? Does she mean a literal geometric point, or is there another point she was implying? I imagine Mr. Carey was shooting for the "you can kill him" dialogue in a roundabout way, but I don't think it was as concise as it could have been.

One other problem I've been having since the first arc of Mike's is Sabretooth allowing the X-Men to just throw him in chains and a cage without complaining at all? I just don't get it. Are you telling me that after all of these battles he's been in with the X-Men, that he just sticks his hands out afterwards and says "cuff me."? That just isn't jiving with me. Has anyone else noticed this or is everybody just ignoring how odd that is?

Karima is getting a bit unexpectedly cold, very cold, don't you think?Well, she is half robot after all. :p

[blinkinrogue]

well, he did react violently when they tried to inject those nano sentinels into him... but i guess it just boils down to him being grateful to them for taking him in and saving him from the mess he has created with the children and saving his hide from being wiped out (the children scared the hell out of him, and i think he still knows many of them are still alive, so why not stay a little bit longer until he is entirely sure the coast is clear?).

[Alex A Sanchez]

mike needs all the support he can get and i pray sales will pick up soon, especially #200...

Why does he need "all of the support he can get"? This title already sells very well, it seems Marvel is very pleased with what he has been doing, and his fan support is strong. Why is garnering support so important?


I actually found this issue to be the weakest from X-Men I've seen in quite a few months.

I tend to agree. It's not that it's bad, its just not as strong. BUT, this is a set up issue, so we shouldn't be looking for terribly too much in it. The Lady M parts were cool, but drawn out. Look how many pages she received compared to how much actually happened.


By the way, great work by the coloring team this issue.

I don't think Antonio Fabela gets enough credit for his colors- they are amazing. He's part of the reason Chris's work look so fantastic of late- look at all the special effects Antionio throws in there.


Awful cover. Is it even finished?

What are you talking about? The cover is fantastic! There's great use of negative space, and the three colors really sets the atmosphere.

Erik Larsen once wrote about the many qualities that contribute to a good cover aside from the actual art- one of them was that the cover should look distinctly different from the issue before it. That way, when people return to the "X-men spot on the shelf", the new colors that were not there the week before will immediately catch the their eye. Notice how each cover of X-men has a different color theme to it?

[We R. Venom]

Karima is getting a bit unexpectedly cold, very cold, don't you think?

Yeah, I almost thought of Sinister when she was speaking.

[blinkinrogue]

uh, coz we were discussing about mike's stay, that's why.... :p , and anyway, thought x-men is kinda okay in sales - thought slightly slipping the last couple of months- wouldnt it be good if it penetrated the top 10???

[We R. Venom]

uh, coz we were discussing about mike's stay, that's why.... :p , and anyway, thought x-men is kinda okay in sales - thought slightly slipping the last couple of months- wouldnt it be good if it penetrated the top 10???

Top 20 isnt that bad is it. Wernt they somewhere up there?

[blinkinrogue]

yep, it made #19 last month, though i keep wishing it'd be in the top 3 come the 200th issue.... ;)

[We R. Venom]

yep, it made #19 last month, though i keep wishing it'd be in the top 3 come the 200th issue.... ;)

Why, so it can sell out and i wont be able to buy it. Forget that lol. No, that would be cool though.

[Affinity]

By the way, great work by the coloring team this issue.


YES, it's totally great. The issue felt so cool and cold, like I expect Providence to be. I loved it.

[Keith_Martineau]

Top 20 isnt that bad is it. Wernt they somewhere up there?

Top 20 is pretty damn good, especially when you consider the top 10 is dominated by things like Civil War, New Avengers, Justice League, and 4 issues of 52.

[Mr. Kent]

Love the Mummudrai's name: Ev Urizen

Hmmm...reminds me of "Event Horizon"...cool name.

Have yet to pick up the ish yet, but most of you say it's decent, so it's worth a look!

[Will.S]

I'm really glad that Chris Bachalo is back on art, there's just something very quirky about it that fits Mike Carey's writing so well. He's improved a great deal as a result of pairing with Mike so it's good to see him back with the same colorist (who does a phenomenal job) and 1 count it, 1 inker!

The last arc was good but nothing as good as his first and I feel that this issue is capturing that same quality that the first had with great help from Bachalo. Having seen Providence in Cable and Deadpool I never really liked Patrick Zircher's take on it but the way it was drawn here was more like an island with the added rocks and such.

I noticed that the Mystique & Iceman relationship is inching closer and closer but I can't really say that it's being badly developed at the outset. Mystique's relationship with Rogue also works pretty well since her resentment towards Mystique has been retained. I gotta give it to Mike for making Mystique work after Peter Milligan oddly enough brought her into the X-Men.

Anyway Lady M to my surprise gets a nice spotlight here with the use of her powers and it's good that we're getting to that sub-plot as well as what the outer space entity was. I've got to applaud Mike for continuing to really carry over the Morrison style ideas with the Mummudrai parasite, the way it was drawn was simple yet stylish.

So far, I'm liking the start if the arc more than the last due to it's stronger beginning and Bachalo's art but we'll see where it goes.

[Faded]

Love the Mummudrai's name: Ev Urizen

Hmmm...reminds me of "Event Horizon"...cool name.

Have yet to pick up the ish yet, but most of you say it's decent, so it's worth a look!

Ooooh, I should've chosen that as my MikeCarey.net username. :(

Ev Urizen. I like it.

[We R. Venom]

Top 20 is pretty damn good, especially when you consider the top 10 is dominated by things like Civil War, New Avengers, Justice League, and 4 issues of 52.

That's a very good point! the events shouldn't really count. Everyone will buy them. We will see what happens during a regular non-event period.

[Mr_Hellfire]

i think lady M is nastier than emma, and im not convinced she has reformed as this early it seems like she can stab them behind their backs w/o a second thought.
That's basically Emma as an X-Man without the headmistress title(Of X-Men or Generation X). Seems to me at least.

[Volk1]

Yeah. Both are blonde, beautiful, bitchy, snarky, dress slutty, have double D boobs and mental powers and aren't afraid to bend (or break) the rules. Not sure how anyone could get them mixed up.:rolleyes:
Keep rolling your beady little eyes all you want dude, but they're inherently different and if you can't see it, oh well. No harm done.

She's not intended to be Emma and I don't get that "Emma" vibe from her with Carey at the helm.

She is not her clone. Or her daughter.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Syzygy]

One other problem I've been having since the first arc of Mike's is Sabretooth allowing the X-Men to just throw him in chains and a cage without complaining at all? I just don't get it. Are you telling me that after all of these battles he's been in with the X-Men, that he just sticks his hands out afterwards and says "cuff me."? That just isn't jiving with me. Has anyone else noticed this or is everybody just ignoring how odd that is?

Sabes has been imprisoned so many times, he knows that eventually he'll escape. It's a certainty.

Allowing the X-Men to "cuff" him is his way of game-playing them, like he played "Boom-Boom" back when he was in the X-Mansion.

Sabes will sometimes psychologically toy with his adversaries when he's not in a total bloodlust. So I see this (the cuffing, etc) as just more of that. Example: trying to "sell" Karima information on Lady M, presumably a move to throw her off into thinking, "Hmm, he has his uses; he's talking to me, we have a rapport...." It's just another way of luring or trapping someone.

Peace,
Syzygy

[Alex A Sanchez]

Why, so it can sell out and i wont be able to buy it. Forget that lol. No, that would be cool though.

I'm a die-hard Savage Dragon fan, and that book is extremely hard to find on the shelves these days. Believe me, your chances of grabbing a copy of a book are much better if the book is selling well (and from Marvel). There will always be a speculator who buys issues simply to resell them. If I miss an issue of Savage Dragon, there's very little chance I will be able to find a copy of that issue, because none of the other die-hard fans are going to give theirs up.


Top 20 is pretty damn good, especially when you consider the top 10 is dominated by things like Civil War, New Avengers, Justice League, and 4 issues of 52.

I remember back in the days when the top 10 every month was Spawn, one other "hot" Image book of the month, and like 5 X-titles. Back then, I would have never guessed that superhero books like JLA and Avengers could outsell X-books.


Sabes will sometimes psychologically toy with his adversaries when he's not in a total bloodlust.

My favorite Sabertooth moment was when Creed revealed that he was playing Xavier for a fool. I hope Carey doesn't try to recreat that moment, cuz it will only cheapen it.

[DDM]

X-Men #197 is another good read. I'm glad the Lady Mastermind subplot is being played out so quickly. Will she leave the book when everything is resolved? I like her because she is so bad. She seems to be an X-Man for the wrong reasons. I would like to see this play out. I can see Lady Mastermind, Mystique, & Sabretooth leaving the X-Men to become enemies again for their own reasons.

I would like Mystique to reform the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants at some point with Lady Mastermind & some new mutants.

8/10

[Dagger]

X-Men #197 is another good read. I'm glad the Lady Mastermind subplot is being played out so quickly. Will she leave the book when everything is resolved? I like her because she is so bad. She seems to be an X-Man for the wrong reasons. I would like to see this play out. I can see Lady Mastermind, Mystique, & Sabretooth leaving the X-Men to become enemies again for their own reasons.

I would like Mystique to reform the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants at some point with Lady Mastermind & some new mutants.

8/10
Mike Carey said while she wasn't going to remain on his team after the x-event and team reshuffling, but that she wasn't going to go into limbo, so I'm assuming that she's going to go to another team. I hope PAD picks her up, because he's the only one I want writing Regan besides Carey.

[Mr_Hellfire]

Keep rolling your beady little eyes all you want dude, but they're inherently different and if you can't see it, oh well. No harm done.

She's not intended to be Emma and I don't get that "Emma" vibe from her with Carey at the helm.

She is not her clone. Or her daughter.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Especially since that event only just happened.
Gosh, I absolutely hate the idea of the cuckoos now, I'm in denial about their true beginnings now. I mean, ick, clones should never be done in my opinion.

At least Lady M is the biological daughter of Mastermind as opposed to "omg", the female clone.

And is it me, or as of the 2000's, it seems that seemingly reformed or temporary X-Women villainess dress code is a collar and some slabs of something to cover the breasts? (Of course the only examples I have in my mind are Lady M and Emma since it's the morning)

[rwsmith]

Keep rolling your beady little eyes all you want dude, but they're inherently different and if you can't see it, oh well. No harm done.

She's not intended to be Emma and I don't get that "Emma" vibe from her with Carey at the helm.

She is not her clone. Or her daughter.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Like I said, I'm starting to see some subtle differences, but I still think they're very similar. At least on the surface. And if you can't see that...

...like you said, oh well.

[caney]

This issue was one on my favorites from Carey's run so far!!!

First, I'm extremely happy to see Bachalo back. It just feels right! Bachalo's action is purely dynamic and he does such a wonderful job capturing the emotions in all the character's faces. The use of the abstract blue markings to represent the mummudrai was also very cool. Top notch job by the entire art team this issue.

The focus on Lady Mastermind was great. She's such a fun character. I also liked Cable in this issue. It was interesting how he mentions to Bobby that he was willing to kill Mystique if it would have done any good. Make me wonder if he may eventually consider dealing with Sabretooth in a similar way. The scene where he starts to explain to Bobby how his oversized gun will disrupt the mummundrai, while the mummundrai takes the time to dismantle it, was perfect.

Looking ahead, I'm still scared for Rogue!!! She didn't look too hot laying on the doctor's table. We still don't know much about Hecatomb other than it's a pretty pink cloud of lightning and it may or may not be planning to eat the world.

Oh, and also, the page with Bobby and Raven is total HOTNESS!!!

[Karl H]

And is it me, or as of the 2000's, it seems that seemingly reformed or temporary X-Women villainess dress code is a collar and some slabs of something to cover the breasts? (Of course the only examples I have in my mind are Lady M and Emma since it's the morning)

You're saying that like it's a bad thing! :p

[blinkinrogue]

review of the issue from newsarama.com:

X-Men #197
Writer: Mike Carey
Artist: Chris Bachalo
Marvel Comics
Review by Steve Ekstrom

Delighted by the return of Chris Bachalo and enthralled by Rogue’s plight from last month, this is issue is quite a page turner. Mike Carey has brought back a story element that has been missing from the X-line for quite sometime—depth. Not to say Brubaker and Whedon don’t tell decent stories but Carey’s work is the closest thing to Claremont’s original run if I’ve ever seen it—a second coming, if you will. His book has the most character driven, densely interwoven conflicts and dynamics of any Marvel book on the shelves.

This issue we also see the return of Providence, a past incarnation of Cable’s ship Graymalkin turned utopian island sanctuary. It’s obvious that Cable is calling the shots as Rogue lies unconscious—as he verbally checks the acerbic Lady Mastermind, who has a fairly prominent role this issue. I’m still out to lunch on this character; her caustic nature and lack of any kind of compassion sticks her in the same boat as Mystique and Sabertooth in terms of the strategy of keeping your enemies closer than your friends.

Speaking of Sabertooth, I have to wonder if Mike Carey likes the character or not—he spends a lot of time incapacitating the character from issue to issue because Sabertooth is just too dangerous to leave free and clear. A great moment of dialogue goes down at this point when the Omega Sentinel indicates to Cannonball that she has left the safeties off the device that keeps Sabertooth in a time gap of suspended animation—if somewhere were to come along and mess with the device it would kill him. In one tiny panel, all Cannonball does is cut his eyes back at her—and then they change the subject.

Iceman’s relationship with Mystique continues to interest me—Carey does a great job of creating an emotional tug of war between the dark and mysterious ex-leader of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and the resident class clown of the House of X. Bobby’s got the worst dating history of all the X-Men; as a reader I can only speculate if Mystique’s feelings are genuine or is she manipulating Bobby in his weakness for a connection with the opposite sex.

These aforementioned story points happen in the first SIX pages of this issue, folks. See what I mean about density?

The bulk of the issue involves Lady Mastermind and Sabertooth’s grim forewarning of the “smell of death on her” from last month. Apparently she has been the carrier of a “mummudrai”, the Shi’ar equivalent to an evil half—but an evil half of what? The mummudrai jumps from Mastermind to Mystique as Iceman and Cable attempt to subdue it. The mummudrai then attempts to psychically explain itself with a barrage of pictures that will confuse a reader as much as it did Iceman and Cable. To me, it looks like some fragments of story from Milligan’s initial arc are coming back to haunt the X-Men—but that’s merely speculation. The mummudrai closes the issue warning “For the Hecatomb comes to eat the world.” Fascinatingly, a ‘hecatomb’ in Greek literature is a sacrifice of one hundred cattle to the Gods—it’ll be interesting to see what Carey throws at the X-Men in this arc before the upcoming 200th issue.

Again, I have to say I’m glad to see Chris Bachalo and Tim Townsend back together for the issue. There is a level of detail that Bachalo provides that I simply enjoy in his work. Also, Studio F’s Antonio Fabela deserves some props for the coloring of this book—all around #197 has been quite a treat.

This X-book is a consistent solid hit month after month—internally you have the most interesting team line-up and externally you have cutting edge artwork with well crafted writing. If you aren’t reading this book, run—don’t walk—to the comic shop and get a copy before it’s gone.

[ProfeZZor X]

Great review by newsarama... Glad they can appreciate good work when they read & see it.

[We R. Venom]

I've been Buying X-men for a while now. I don't need Newsarama to co-sign. Though the article is a good one. Bring on 198. Funny number.

[ProfeZZor X]

I'm a little confused so far on this story, and maybe you can help me out.

...Is the "brain matter" thing (for lack of a better analogy) that Beast discovered in the walking corpse different from the Mummudrai, or one in the same? I know the Mummudrai is an energy being, which can easily occupy a person without taking up physical space, but it's a little hard to make a connection between both entities.

[blinkinrogue]

that was it i believe.....

[Slumber Hulk]

I liked this ish too, anything with Cable is cool. I love Providence, when can I move in. This series needs Deadpool to drop in.

[rwsmith]

I liked this ish too, anything with Cable is cool. I love Providence, when can I move in. This series needs Deadpool to drop in.

I'd love to see Deadpool come in and replace Creed at some point.

[blinkinrogue]

just think of the banter between DP and LM haha....

[ProfeZZor X]

that was it i believe.....

Well if that's so, then Lady M should be labotomized right about now... Because according to Beast's autopsy report (a few issues ago), it moved a few things around inside the corpse's brain. I might sound a little too analytical here, but if a part of someone's brain is missing... mutant or not, wouldn't that have a detremental effect on the body.

[blinkinrogue]

well maybe it stayed for only a few hours in her head????? and with the dead guy, who knows maybe weeks? months?

[rwsmith]

just think of the banter between DP and LM haha....

Oh, man, it would be priceless! Not sure if Carey can do humor well, as I haven't seen that side of his writing yet, but having Wade constantly hit on Lady M would definitely prove to be funny IMO.

[blinkinrogue]

ohhhh and the barbs Lady M would direct at DP.... like toying with his looks with her illusion powers if he irked her to hell.... :)

[rwsmith]

Yeah, there's definitely a lot of potential there.

[UncannyAsianGirl]

I also liked Cable in this issue. It was interesting how he mentions to Bobby that he was willing to kill Mystique if it would have done any good. Wow, good point! :D Or, you could take that another way, perhaps she actually turns out to be beneficial to the future, rather than end up as the traitor? Maybe if he kiilled her, it'd end up doing more bad than good to the further chain of events. What an intruiging notion. Maybe there's hope for Mystique after all! And then there's that thing about Destiny's Diaries...

Previously, since Mike said that neither she nor Rogue would be having any reasoned discussion in the future/clearing of the air/heart to heart, but that their relationship would move into a different phase, I took it as probably something really bad happening to Raven. (Like her possibly dying) But now... since Mike said that there will be some kind of "culmination" in the Bobby/Mystique relationship (he mentioned writing a second kiss quite some time ago), as well as having the mother/daughter relationship with Rogue move in to a different phase... Perhaps it could be concluded that Rogue finally found out what her mother and her best friend have been up to? :p Whether Mystique's intentions for Bobby are bad or good, Rogue is not going to be happy. Strange, it's usually the parent who isn't happy with their child's relationships, not the other way around. :D
Well if that's so, then Lady M should be labotomized right about now... Because according to Beast's autopsy report (a few issues ago), it moved a few things around inside the corpse's brain. I might sound a little too analytical here, but if a part of someone's brain is missing... mutant or not, wouldn't that have a detremental effect on the body.
I'm such a geek, but I've actually put quite a bit of thought into this... :o

Here's my take on the Mummudrai. For the deadguy, most of the growths in his brain were made post-mortem, after he died, so Urizen could do whatever the heck he wanted inside his brain without worrying about hurting his host.

In Lady M's case, his host is still alive, so whatever rearranging he does has to be minimal. This has been the cause of the headaches she's been getting lately, and while there have been a couple, it wasn't anything to debilitating or severe. Whether Urizen changed anything dramatically to get comfortable inside her head is yet to be seen.

Now in Mystique's case, here's why I think it saw her as a "better" host. Because since she's a shapeshifter, her brain matter most likely has more malleability, (it can be moved around/changed) so he could move things around with little fuss at all, that plus Mystique is also resistant (at least semi-resistant) to telepaths, so even if people knew about his presence in her head, they probably wouldn't be able to do anything to get him out.

For Cable, the solicits of C&DP lead us to believe that he will be the next host for the Mummudrai, and that it'd be able to undo the lobotomy he did on himself, in order for him to regain his TK/TP in order to combat Hecatomb. However, judging from the previous cases, Cable's going to have to undergo a whole lot of pain in the process, as well as make some kind of pact with the Mummudrai in return. Whatever an evil alien wants to do with someone with immense tk/tp potential as well as a large sphere of influence both on Providence, and around the world because of his Messiah-like ambitions is anyone's guess.

This next scenario I'm going to describe has, I think, about a 50% chance of happening, and it has to do with Rogue. We all know that Rogue's going to make a really tough choice and do something huge at the end of X-men #199, while getting extremely hurt in the process. At her current state, she isn't in much of a condition to do anything. So unless she somehow recovers enough from a very fatal disease on her own (impending full systemic collapse), I don't see how she could play a part in this arc's climax. Unless, we take the dead guy into account. From him we find out that Urizen's host doesn't have to be in good health, heck, even alive for him to be able to occupy and control them. However, since this is a conscious decision on Rogue's part (described as taking a debilitating curse, and turning it into a spectacular tactical advantage), it can be deduced that perhaps they'll share a conversation of sorts via telepathy, perhaps a 3-way calling of sorts with Cable, if he has his telepathy restored to him. She wouldn't be indebted to the Mummudrai because its agenda lies with Cable, and not with her.
Oh, man, it would be priceless! Not sure if Carey can do humor well, as I haven't seen that side of his writing yet, but having Wade constantly hit on Lady M would definitely prove to be funny IMO.
You haven't laughed at all during Carey's run? =O Despite the grim nature of the book, there have been a lot of funny moments sprinkled throughout. Of course, nothing as hilarious as what happens in the pages of X-Factor, but only because it'd definitely take away from the overall feel of this book.

When things aren't so solemn, perhaps Mike could fit a Deadpool cameo in somewhere down the line. ^_^ Here's the revamped release schedule for C&DP, according to Nicieza:
CDP #40-42 are tied in to events in X-MEN #198-200.
#40 is pretty much Cable, though Deadpool does make an appearance in Cable's dreams. Well... not like that.
#41-42 will reunite CABLE & DP.

So, I'd say it's looking like a "maybe". ~_^

[blinkinrogue]

UAG, i dunno about mike writing DP in a similar way as in his book with cable, but from the quotes i read in some threads/forums, mike seems to like his jokes as subtle/sublime, while in DP's books, the wisecracks there occur more frequently, and admittedly, hilarious... though i only read the quotes, but since i dont actually read the issues, i can only comment on what i had read.... :)

[Mr_Hellfire]

You're saying that like it's a bad thing! :p

It is!

I mean, it's good that Lady M and Emma want to show off the girls, but come on, let's try to go for something a bit more tasteful.
(I love Emma Frost to death, but the diaper thing on her New X-Men costume was appalling).

And with Lady M, it's more the collar. I just don't like it for some reason.
But....she could use some support.
I mean she should think of her boobs when she's older (it'll happen......in a parallel universe of course) and they sag from poor support.

[The Fury]

Comics Finally arrived. :)

This was a great issue, Carey is great...isn;t he?

Art = awesome too.

[rZi]

yes fury yes!

bachalo and carey just do everything perfectly for me, i have no complaints. I wish these two would stay on x-men for the next 2 years atleast!

[rwsmith]

I would agree as well. This is a great book, and from the sound of it is only going to get better over the next year.

I do wish that Dave Finch was going to be rotating arcs with Bachalo rather than Ramos, but you can't always get what you want, I guess.

Still, Finch said in an interview that Cable was his favorite X-men character, so perhaps he could be persuaded to draw a few issues? I know I'd love to see it.

[Pyro]

I was going through these issues again, and I noticed a plot hole that seems to have gone unnoticed. In issue 195, Pan petrifies Iceman. In issue 196, Iceman isn't shown except for being frozen in the background of one panel. Then here in issue 197, he's back to health as if nothing happened without any mention of how they got him out of that petrified state. I guess we should just assume the X-Men were able to heal him somehow on their way to Providence, but I would have liked an official explanation of what happened.