The Uncanny X-Men #257, Wolverine #20, Excalibur #18, New Mutants #85, Marvel Comics Presents #41, Amazing Spider-Man #328, Avengers #313, Avengers West Coast #54, Captain America #366, Web of Spider-Man #60, Punisher #29.
Theme Music:
Lazlo Hollyfeld – Buffaloallamericacity
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Issue #257 thoughts (looks like a lot, but it’s not):
Addressing Jeremy’s comments on the seeming randomness of Hong Kong as a starting point for the search for the X-Men, Wolverine did state that “when you want information, this is the place to go.” So in addition to an opportunity to hide out and recoup, it looks like going to Hong Kong is also about gathering intel. The strategy makes sense, plus it dovetails conveniently into an encounter with Psylocke, thus accelerating the mission of finding out what happened to the X-Men. Two birds with one stone. It’s economical in terms of plot, which isn’t something I’m going to complain about in a Claremont comic, if you know what I mean.
Staying on the topic of Psylocke, the retcon that Fabian Nicieza made to her in the mid-90’s (that Psylocke isn’t really Betsy) is mid-grade infuriating. Adam is right to point out the absurdity of it. It undermines what I think Claremont was trying to do with the Siege Perilous and its aftermath, which is far more nuanced and complex than the trope Nicieza used. He did a few good things with 90’s X-Men, but this wasn’t one of them.
A point of distinction: the ‘banana’ euphemism directed toward Jubilee by the street hooligans is less about stereotyping and more about a shaming tactic used by some Asians against other Asians of common ethnicity who have been ‘culturally corrupted’ by the West. What happens to Jubilee is closer to intra-group hostility. Stereotyping is primarily an inter-group phenomenon. It may seem like semantic nitpicking by me, but the distinction between the two is important.
Despite its flaws, I still like Act of Vengeance as a concept. Maybe a one-shot prologue would have helped frame and unify the disparate pieces for those of us who expected this “event” to be more of a traditional crossover. And then maybe a one-shot epilogue or dedicated conclusion which provided some narrative weight or justification for what transpired in each of the Marvel titles? This model seems like standard practice for company-wide events over the last couple decades. Maybe the Marvel editors were still experimenting in ’89.
With Psylocke on board with Logan and Jubilee, the first of three triads involved with the search for the X-Men is established. I look forward to seeing (again) how this era unfolds. Take care, guys.
Correction: Psylocke/Wolverine/Jubilee is the only true triad, and is actually the second “search party” introduced. So one more party is still waiting to be formed.