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Underground > Comic Books >

New X-Men #150

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12:47 / 29.09.03

Beast clearly isn't as 'big' a character, although until the Weapon Plus arc he was certainly more central to NXM than Logan. But the only way I can see - at this stage - his death working in this arc would be if it related to Beak's rebellion against Magneto, as Hank was initially his mentor.

Dif to tell who had the missing eyes in NXM 128 - remeber the terrible art? - I think it was Wolverine. But it could have been Scott.

13:08 / 29.09.03

It makes horrific sense that it would be Scott who has missing eyes.

As much as it pains me to say this, there is one line that keeps dancing in my head, "Why do I have the impending feeling that my life's approaching some kind of HORRIBLE CLOSURE?"

Please. Not the Murder of Emma Frost again...

But I say that it is Angel who bites it in the arc. I do not think that Grant would leave the book and kill staple of the X-Canon. I think he will kill one of his own creations. I think Angel's purpose this whole time has been to play a part in the tragic origin of the future Beak. My prediction? Angel dies and Magneto keeps their babies a la the puppies in Animal Farm. Beak is hardened into the hard-cracking falcon we see in the future.

14:53 / 29.09.03

Hmm so you think there's this one cataclysmic optic blast that takes Scott's eyes out with them?

Don't think it's Emma as she appears to be in the future arc. Though that line did scream foreshadowing.

16:31 / 29.09.03

Yes! I say blow Scott's eyes out and have him look like Wonder Man!

17:18 / 29.09.03

>> That said, I DO think the original Thunderbird WILL be revealed as Fantomex, and sacrifice himself in #150

LOL!!! That would be awesome!

All the speculation can take at least a little tiny step forward in just 2 days when 147 comes out....*droool*

17:37 / 29.09.03

From this week's LYING IN THE GUTTERS column...

THE ONE EYED MAN

One Gutterati writes to report on a meeting with Phil Jiminez. Jiminez was discussing the much-anticipated "New X-Men" 150 and dropped a few teasers. That Charles Xavier will not die in 150, nor Emma, Jean or Scott. Grant Morrison has been trying to get Marvel editors to commit to the lasting changes he does to Scott's character in 154 are not undone and that he is written this way from now on.

Apparently the entire point of the run from Grant's perspective has been to get Scott to loosen up. And despite the success of "X2," Marvel has made no edicts regarding preserving Scott and Jean's relationship.

Phil's take is that Scott and Jean's relationship ended in issue 141/142. And that they are only still together because that is all they know.

19:34 / 29.09.03

Only one hard-cracking falcon round here...

I must admit, I didn't even consider the special class or Xorn/Mags as possibilities.

19:43 / 29.09.03

We know Morrison is a great admirer of the Claremont-Byrne run - especially the Dark Phoenix saga & Days of Future Past. Planet X and the next arc would seem to be his takes on those two stories.

Some time ago Chris revealed how he's originally intended the Phoenix story to end - Jean would have been depowered by the Shi'ar rather than killed herself.

But later Magneto would have offered her the chance to regain the power of Phoenix. She refuses and then the story ends with a different version of the Watcher's speech that ended the Dark Phoenix Saga that was published. (A version of this story was later told in Wat If..?)

I suspect, given that Morrison's said the future arc will explore the responsibilities of the weilder of the Phoenix force, he intends to give his own spin on Claremont's original plans.

So I think Jean makes a choice between her humanity and the godhood she probably attains in NXM150. This probably ties in with Scott choosing between her and Emma.

05:38 / 30.09.03

Flux, one earlier aside: apologies for outlining that you accused me of posting spoilers regarding Rich Johnston's info on #146. I looked back through another thread, and it was actually another poster who had the reading difficulty, not yourself. Thought I should clear that up here, since this is where I originally posted the comment singling you out.

Petar

I'm Rick Jones, bitch

14:38 / 30.09.03

I was that poster.

02:08 / 01.10.03

Radiator, B@BY.

Given the recent spoilers over in the NXM 147 thread... maybe Magneto is his own demise...?

02:29 / 01.10.03

magneto's an anti-person deluxe,bout to get supercleansed,peesh.

Yotsuba & Benjamin!

19:21 / 01.10.03

Oh, duh! It's Fantomex. It's absolutely Fantomex. He's cross-bred with Sentinels, for God's sake and he's a de facto X-Man, pretty much, more than even Angel and Beak.

"Oh, In see you're swimming in metallic sentinel technology. Well, you were."

My bets have shifted from Angel to Fantomex.

20:33 / 10.12.03

Go to www.popcultureshock.com for the preview pages.

Matthew Fluxington

20:44 / 10.12.03

Here's a proper link. Henry! Emma!

I love Henry. He's figuring it all out while lost at sea...

Matthew Fluxington

20:51 / 10.12.03

Also, it's nice to have a solid timetable for this storyline. According to Henry, this whole storyline has taken place over the course of three days!

21:06 / 10.12.03

I love that Emma saved Beast from the explosion and then Beast saved Emma from the crash, and they're debating it. The dynamic between these two is really the sleeper hit of the run and should have been explored more.

Now we know why Logan was missing eyes in the Phoenix vision. Cool!

AND, Jean is wearing the traditional Phoenix outfit!

21:10 / 10.12.03

Love the Henry/Emma banter, the run needed more of this.

Who do we think saves the day? Phoenix? Fantomex? Xorn? Beak?

Jeans obviously gonna bit the dust after this, bye bye baby.

21:23 / 10.12.03

My guesses? Fantomex and EVA gain the X-Men access thru Mag's shield. Angel f*cks up Toad. The Cuckoos and Emma take on Esme. Beak has a hand in Mag's downfall with Jean, Xavier, Beast and Scott.

Matthew Fluxington

21:33 / 10.12.03

Who do we think saves the day?

It's called "Phoenix Invictus," man. That should be a hint.

It's probably going to be a big team effort. It'll be like the conclusion of Imperial - everyone pulls together and triumphs because they cooperate.

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

00:59 / 11.12.03

Yay! Next week as well.

I love beast.

01:37 / 11.12.03

so.... Phoenix plays with magic mirror, then.

hmm.

Regrettable Juvenilia

07:32 / 11.12.03

Sublime Pharamceuticals!

I'm more convinced than ever that when 'Xorn' was sold to John Sublime, Magneto thought he was playing Sublime but was actually being played... I just can't figure out the specifics.

Regrettable Juvenilia

07:49 / 11.12.03

Page 5 is here: "Bloody Jean, showing off again."

10:53 / 11.12.03

Dumb question I'm sure and I'm guessing its mentioned in the annual that introduces Xorn (that i don't have) but who or what is Feng Tu?
Henry mentions it with his conspiracy theory ravings and that was the only word I didn't understand.

"It's called "Phoenix Invictus," man. That should be a hint" never been asked a rhetorical question Matthew?

Regrettable Juvenilia

10:57 / 11.12.03

Feng Tu was Xorneto's iron prison.

Matthew Fluxington

11:00 / 11.12.03

Feng Tu was the "prison" which held Xorn captive in the annual.

12:13 / 11.12.03

Ta... thought that might be the connection.

So its all connected eh? Shock horror! lol.

14:32 / 11.12.03

I'm more convinced than ever that when 'Xorn' was sold to John Sublime, Magneto thought he was playing Sublime but was actually being played... I just can't figure out the specifics.

i think i said something sort of to that effect when Magneto mentioned "his followers in China" helping him set up Feng Tu and the Xorn hoax. i think i said something about Mags being totally the type of person who would accept any random group of complete unknowns walking up to him saying "we are true believers in your dream! you are so much wiser than Xavier! here is a plan for the advancement of your dream that we have come up with, and we humbly submit it for your approval!" at face value, and that someone who realized that could play him like a fiddle.

everything about Planet X so far has really made it seem like Magneto is getting worked. he says the Xorn thing was his idea, but I suspect its really more his "Chinese followers" letting him believe that, and how much of his behavior is the result of the Kick? I feel like he's been juiced up on drugs and propped up as a figurehead and allowed to remove the X-Men from the board, but now he's served his purpose and he will be allowed to fall, clearing the way for the real movers and shakers behind GM's entire run to make their big play and setting up the final arc.

i wonder how much Esme knows. is she really the love/awestruck naive young follower or is she just playing the expected role to jerk Erik's chain and keep him "on the puff" (as the kids say in their discos)?

Matthew Fluxington

14:42 / 11.12.03

I think it makes sense that Magneto is being played - what he did in NYC is exactly the sort of excuse the humans need to justify wiping the mutants out.

Now, think about the timetable set up in the dialogue: it's been three or four days since Logan blew up that Weapon Plus satellite. When they were on the satellite, Dr. Sublime said that in two weeks time, the "sleepers" would be activated and the war on mutants would begin. So it makes sense that Magneto's devastation of NYC was part of Sublime/Weapon Plus's plan all along.

14:51 / 11.12.03

Sorry to be geeky but on page 5, Emma talks about feeling "telepathic emissions" in her diamond form. I thought should couldn't use telepathy in her diamond form.

Regrettable Juvenilia

15:00 / 11.12.03

Indulgent answer: maybe she can receive transmissions just not send them out, or maybe Jean's Phoenix-telepathy is just really freakin' strong.

Honest answer: Morrison has messed up Emma's diamond form = no telepathy thing almost every time she mentions it. She called a taxi telepathically in diamond form, for example.

15:02 / 11.12.03

When they were on the satellite, Dr. Sublime said that in two weeks time, the "sleepers" would be activated and the war on mutants would begin. So it makes sense that Magneto's devastation of NYC was part of Sublime/Weapon Plus's plan all along

well, there's been a lot of speculation regarding possible connections between the Cuckoos and Weapon Plus, and Esme is holding Magneto's leash...

there are also still a lot of other puzzle pieces left over here. the big one that leaps out is Cassie. what's her deal? Beast talked about her connection to John Sublime, Doctor Sublime runs Weapon Plus, which is a Sentinel program, Cassie's first major move was activating the Sentinels to attack Genosha, which set into motion the whole Xorneto deal...

15:54 / 11.12.03

Well it certainly seems that Magneto could have been played as much as he thought he was playing others (the U-Men?). Sublime mentioned he had an agent inside the Institute. Did he mean Magneto, Esme, Martha? Then there's how Asteroid M came to be in the same orbit as the Weapon Plus HQ. I'm intrigued to see how this, as well as the Cassandra/Sublime link, is all tied up.

17:01 / 11.12.03

"Sorry to be geeky but ..." / "Morrison has messed up Emma's diamond form = no telepathy thing almost every time she mentions it ..."

Up through "Murder," at least, I got the impression that she was just telepathically immune/safeguarded, like with Magneto's Helmet, which is in keeping with the fact that she has no emotions/cannot be "hurt" and generally turns to diamond form whenever emotionally labile, coming out of it only when she's very excited. Plus no need to train her with this new mutation, since she's been doing it all her life.

In both cases, telepathically and emotionally, it comes down to self-protection as a metaphor for her ability to become completely remote/flip/selfish whenever faced with emotional or mental (or physical) adversity -- the B-side of her "I was probably out of my mind on drink or drugs" thing. Making her the B-Side of Dark Phoenix-style Jeannie: utter self-control and self-sovereignty, the ultimate in introvert style vs. extroverted star-power. Which in turn is Scott's whole problem, the reconciliation of those two ideas.

In any case I don't see this affecting her telepathic sensitivity to Jean's "emissions," anymore than it affects her physical sensitivity or she'd be constantly crushing things with her diamond-hard fingers.

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