X-Men Annual '07 - SPOILER HEAVY

[Phil]

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So...

The issue begins with the 'Men rushing the twins to the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier in order to correct their minds and save them because as Cable puts it (and I'm paraphrasing here) 'they did such a bad job of it the first time' (referring to Northstar circa Wolverine:Agent of Shield).

Cable begins using Shield's technology to fix the twins and we get to see some nicely researched flashbacks, of the twins upbringing and their time in AF.
There are some slight issues that longtime readers may have quibbles with, regarding Northstar's past, and Aurora's treatment at the hands of the nuns that raised her, but generally the pages read well.

However. while this is going on Exodus and yet another Acolytes team (which strangely consists of a lot of characters I understood to be dead... but hey, this is Mac territory eh?) and the prosess is disrupted causing Northstar and Aurora's minds to be melded together.

The battle rages on, both with the X-Men vs Acolytes, and between Northstar & Aurora's minds untill the twins realise that to correct themselves all they have to do is harness their powers and... well, a classic J-P/J-M power combination.

This then frees them and Northstar is able to save Rogue's life and effectively the day.
The Rogue/Northstar friendship, from way back in the first X-Men/AF ltd series is briefly touched upon here, or at least alluded to, a nice touch for the fans.

By the end of the issue the twins are completely healed mind and body, they're good rather than evil and they don't join the Acolytes as some of us feared.

All in all, in my opinion, a decent issue leaving the twins in a good condition for other writers to use.

[Legerd]

WOO HOO! :D Thanks for the update Phil.

[syvalois]

Seems like a nice issue. What's going to happen to them? Are they staying with the X-Men or going back home? Or it's not said?

Can you tell us Phil what are the minor stuff you did not like ?

[maniac mike]

FINALLY!!! It's about time somebody fixed the twins for good. Thank You Mike Carey. =D> =D> =D>

[Canucklehead]

Best news I heard all month! Now just fix Madison's mind and get him into that Guardian suit before April.... Well? What are you waiting for!? Go!!! 8)

[Alpha Fan]

This sounds GREAT!!! Northstar and Aurora are two of my favourite Marvel characters so it's great to see them becoming themselves again. It's also a good detail to have references to Northstar/Rogue's friendship and flashbacks to their past in AF.I'm going to buy it inmediately. May we see them in Omega Flight? It would be nice to see the twins reaction to their former teammates death's, wouldn't it?

Thank you Mike Carey!!!

[Mokole]

Wonder what they have planned next for the twins. X-Men universe or not?

[Canucklehead]

I wonder why they would send USAgent and Arachne while the twins are cured, by Shield, and don't think, "Hey, Canada could use these two back."

What would be nice is, if Sassy doesn't join Omega Flight, that the twins and him form their OWN private Alpha Flight with some scattered heroes from their past. They could make some great guest apperances in OF! A team protecting the border and a team fighting the Master etc. sigh, if only.

8)

[Corvus]

Well, US Agent and Arachne are both sort of in exile. US Agent for screwing up an assignment I believe, and Arachne for not registering.

[-K-M-]

Well, US Agent and Arachne are both sort of in exile. US Agent for screwing up an assignment I believe, and Arachne for not registering.

No they sent US Agent to Canada as he was an excellent solider and the only person Tony could trust to protect Canada's best interests

http://alphanex.alphaflight.net/index.php/US_Agent
===
Also when the heck did this come out? My shop said it wasn't coming out for awhile.

[SephirothsKiller]

I thought that the issue wasn't out until next week? Howd you find this out?

[Phil]

It's out this Wednesday coming.

[Ben]

I thought that the issue wasn't out until next week? Howd you find this out?

It's called advanced copies ;) oh Dylan...are you reading? I'm coming to the shop on Monday ;)

Benh

[SephirothsKiller]

Dag, I wish I had access to advanced copies.

[-K-M-]

Wish I knew that before when I drove to my shop to try to pick it up and they just gave me a weird look. :(

[Guardian]

Wish I knew that before when I drove to my shop to try to pick it up and they just gave me a weird look. :(

:) Sorry bud, that is kinda embarrasing.
But yeah, advanced copies are cool sometimes. I get a peek at some titles sometimes if my friend is there on Weds. when I get there. He wasn't there last week. :cry: I'm sure he was at lunch.

[Guardian]

That issue sounds great by the way.

[Transmetropolitan]

I'm just glad that they're both out of brainwashed-villainland.

[Corvus]

I'm just glad that they're both out of brainwashed-villainland.

Which frees them up to potentially rejoin Alpha/Omega at some point if it becomes an ongoing, so thats awesome.

[Canucklehead]

Do the same for Jefferies and I will forgive Marvel for the whole off-panel death scene. 8)

[SephirothsKiller]

Do the same for Jefferies and I will forgive Marvel for the whole off-panel death scene. 8)

I'd like to see OF (when they get their ongoing) go after Jeffries and take care of that, so one more Alphan is back in teh fold. (Instead of joining the X-Men, which is what will happen with Aurora and Northstar probably. Not that I mind it. I always felt that the twins were sort of like the province they came from, a part of AF, but at the same time posessed of a special partnership that went beyond ties to the rest of the team. Of course that specialness will probably be overlooked if they do join the X-Men...)

[Canucklehead]

That's why I asked earlier why, since Canada is in such need of heroes, would Aurora and NS simply stay in the states with the Xmen. We have USAgent and Arachne sent to us because of the shortage and danger Canada is in now. I can't see the Twins saying, "oh well, I made a promise to Charles Xavier and I'll stick with that" a la Wolverine.

I'd rather they make recuring appearances in OF then standing the background of Xmen.

[Effexxor]

But what about JP's students at the Academy? That would absolutely destroy the poor kids if he left them again. The three kids left on his squad have lost almost everything, including half of their team, most of their friends and they're now shoved to the background because they weren't 'good enough' for Emma's team. And apparently they were closest to JP, only second to his sister (New Xmen : Academy of X #12). JP really should go back to the academy, and I think JM would do well there too.

After all, she was a teacher for a short while. Granted, she was also bat**** insane, but she must have retained some of that. Also, with their minds put together during the weird brainwashing thing, they should be around each other so that they can get through this. And frankly, I think JM would do well with the kids, and they would adore her. After Dani was kicked off the faculty for being depowered, the kids really do need another female teacher, and by now with only Shan around, she must be swamped. And, if that crazy third personality of JM pops up, she'll need a telepath around and Emma and the Cuckoos are strong as you can get.

I'd love for the twins to go back to AF, y'all know that, but right now ain't the best time for it. They need to stay with the Academy, if just for their mental health.

[Phil]

I don't recall stating that they stay with the X-Men... :P

[LuminousVelocity]

Oh...my...god. What a relief that they're finally cured! If they had stayed brain-washed assassins...well, I'm trying not to think about that, lol. I must say I was actually really impressed with the X-Men Annual 2007. I just began reading comics last spring, but I've amassed a very healthy amount of X-Men and Alpha Flight in that time. This issue definitely ranks high among my favorites.

What's great about this issue is we have a fantastic resolution with Northstar and Aurora: their minds are restored, they re-kindled their brother-sister bond to its original love (and it was one another that even pulled them out of their own hysteria!- classy), they helped out in a great fight sequence, AND their powers are fully intact and/or restored despite M-Day.

To top it off, we have the reintroduction of what might become a great recurring villain alongside Sinister. Where one door closes, another opens, eh? And, correct me if I'm wrong, but I have a distinct feeling the 198 won't be in such low numbers much longer. I think Sinister will take a shot at "curing" the now powerless mutants...afterall...Scarlet Witch is still alive... :) If the Beaubiers' came back from that craziness from brainwashing after brainwashing, perhaps there's still hope for Wanda to turn the tables yet again. 'cues dramatic music...Dum dum dum!!!'

[LuminousVelocity]

Oh, and I'm of the party that thinks Northstar and Aurora will return to the school to teach. Northstar had a bond with his students, and Aurora needs a family-like atmosphere sans nuns. Just seems to fit.

[MistressMerr]

Do the same for Jefferies and I will forgive Marvel for the whole off-panel death scene. Cool

DITTO.

I have been anticipating this issue since it was first solicited, more than Omega Flight, more than ANYTHING. It was so worth the wait.

AWESOME. Just... AWESOME.

[Guardian]

Picked it up today. But I haven't read it yet. Tommorrow.

[kozzi24]

Other than a statement, "I read the advance copy, and AF fans are going to be really happy" and maybe a tease, I don't know that we needed a synopsis from an advanced copy. :roll:

The story was great in execution on all points. I don't think the J-M/nuns scene contradicted anything already shown about that time period. I interpretted it as part of Jeanne-Marie's first attempt at controlling Aurora...someone else does it for her, "to teach that Aurora a lesson."

I did get a feel for the friendship between J-P and Rogue, without any clutter, so I was quite happy with that.

I liked the little layer of depth added to the J-P/Clementine relationship as well.

The only thing that kept the issue from being 100% to me was the art. I found the people too cartoony, but that is a statement more to my tastes than to the work of the artist.

[LuminousVelocity]

Now that you mention it, I too agree the art was a little "cartoony." It would've been nice to have a darker realism to the story, perhaps like the art in Civil War. Oh well, it was still colorful and fun to read.

[Phil]

Other than a statement, "I read the advance copy, and AF fans are going to be really happy" and maybe a tease, I don't know that we needed a synopsis from an advanced copy. :roll:

Nowhere was it stated that any of you 'needed' to read it.
The topic clearly stated that the issue was spoiled, if you chose to read it that's your decision.

[-K-M-]

I picked it up and it was...alright, decent but meh! Aurora and Northstar didn't do much and I didn't expect them either. Was that a flashbang they did to Frenzy?

[kozzi24]

Other than a statement, "I read the advance copy, and AF fans are going to be really happy" and maybe a tease, I don't know that we needed a synopsis from an advanced copy. :roll:

Nowhere was it stated that any of you 'needed' to read it.
The topic clearly stated that the issue was spoiled, if you chose to read it that's your decision.

My decision was NOT to read the thread or the advance copy in my LCS until after I read the issue when it came out. A full synopsis seems well beyond spoilers, where teasers or recommendations would have served to generate timely interest.

I would have rather seen you do a full review after the issue was generally available.

[cmdrkoenig67]

I really liked it. It's really good to have the twins back on the side of the angels. I wonder if Jeanne-Marie is totally healed mentally or if she's just been restored to her normal (dual personality) MPD? I guess that's up to the next writer who uses them.

The art was pretty good, but also a bit odd...what was with the debri floating around everyone's heads near the end of the story (especially Rogue's)?...And why did Exodus' face get redder as the story progressed?

Good to see Frenzy is still among the living (it was presumed she had died in Sentinel attack on Genosha). Last I knew, Tempo was giving up the whole costumed-villain business...I wonder what made her join Exodus (besides a writer who may not have known any better and threw in a "stock" villain from the past). Who were the two women with Random and Exodus at the end of the story? They certainly didn't look like Frenzy or Tempo(both of whom are African-American).

Dana

[Phil]

My decision was NOT to read the thread or the advance copy in my LCS until after I read the issue when it came out. A full synopsis seems well beyond spoilers, where teasers or recommendations would have served to generate timely interest.

I would have rather seen you do a full review after the issue was generally available.

That's your opinion. Mine differs.
The post wasn't intended to generate interest but to lay out the issue for people who won't pick the issue up and had interest in the twins' outcome in it.

[cmdrkoenig67]

That's your opinion. Mine differs.
The post wasn't intended to generate interest but to lay out the issue for people who won't pick the issue up and had interest in the twins' outcome in it.

I also don't feel it was necessary it to give away the whole issue, Phil. It's a good way to insure that some folks won't pick it up at all (considering the whole plot is given away)...They may just decide not to spend the money on it, now that they know what happens.

Dana

[-K-M-]

Actually I agree with Phil, if they don't want to be spoiled don't read it. Phil gave warnings a head of time so there shouldn't be complaining and the summary was lengthy enough where if you didn't want to spoil the entire issue just skim to the bottom.

I don't see why this has been made a big deal.

[Ben]

Ok, so spoiler space was giving, it was legit. There is nothing wrong with what Phil did, so lets drop it, and just discuss the issue please.

Ben

[Mokole]

I have no problem with spolied stories. Can't worry about that. I appreciate everyone's effort here to keep us informed of Omega news et al, as so many of us live in the past (as in you get to know stuff Wednesday, if I'm lucky I can find out next month).

I appreciate the spoilers and the fact that nobody gives away everything. To me, it's like knowing who won the game but watching it later to find out how.

Nothing bad anyway :oops:

I won't see the issue for weeks, if not months (honestly, I haven't been more than 200 metres from my house since Christmas except for Church, can't afford to go anywhere!). So I wonder how they'll move on with Aurora and Northstar? As a pair or individuals?

BTW, the coloured pic from Initiatives is goo, but I thought Arachne had red hair? And Guardian sure looks short enough to be Wild Child but after all, perspective means so little these days. :roll:

[Garry/Al-Fan]

...and it's one of the most solid, well-put together comic books I've read in a long time.

First, it's well balanced. Rogue and her X-Men are smart and competent (okay, so I need to keep a dictionary with me at all times), and Maria Hill is her in-over-her-head, pain-in-the-neck self. Hill's performance appraisal has got to be crap for this past year.
I'm glad Rogue figures out that curing the twins together is the only way it would stand a chance to work. Second, Exodus and his team are formidable, in a way that The Children promised to be at the beginning of the 6-issue arc but weren't at the end. Third, Northstar and Aurora are featured in a way that restores their credibility as heroes, succinctly providing backstory, cleverly putting in new information, at a point where their treatment is being interrupted, and their cure is not a quick fix but one of self-awareness and understanding.

All in all, The X-Men Annual delivers the payoff that their appearance in X-Men promised. Carey understands the relationship between J-M and J-P: it's complex but it's not ickey. Separated, the twins' lives are a living hell, but together they have the courage to face anything.

Well done.

[LuminousVelocity]

...and it's one of the most solid, well-put together comic books I've read in a long time.

First, it's well balanced. Rogue and her X-Men are smart and competant, and Maria Hill is her in-over-her-head, pain-in-the-neck self. Hill's performance appraisal has got to be crap for this past year.
I'm glad Rogue figures out that curing the twins together is the only way it would stand a chance to work. Second, Exodus and his team are formidable, in a way that The Children promised to be at the beginning of the 6-issue arc but weren't at the end. Third, Northstar and Aurora are featured in a way that restores their credibility as heroes, succinctly providing backstory, cleverly putting in new information, at a point where their treatment is being interrupted, and their cure is not a quick fix but one of self-awareness and understanding.

All in all, The X-Men Annual delivers the payoff that their appearance in X-Men promised. Carey understands the relationship between J-M and J-P: it's complex but it's not ickey. Separated, the twins' lives are a living hell, but together they have the courage to face anything.

Well done.


'Applause' Well said, my friend. This issue certainly exceeded my expectations (and quelled my fears about JP and JM's future).

[DelBubs]

Review at The X-Axis (http://www.thexaxis.com/xmen/annual1.htm).

[Banshee]

Thanks for the review. I'll pick this up(and I wouldn't have pre-review).

[SephirothsKiller]

I enjoyed this issue, but one thing drove me crazy.... Dissociative Identity Disorder does NOT equal Schizophrenia!! I think it is VERY irresponsible of Marvel to allow misconceptions of such serious mental issues to continue to be perpetuated. I know that it was a character who said it and so the character could be mistaken but still... Most people would simply take what she said at face value.

[syvalois]

I enjoyed this issue, but one thing drove me crazy.... Dissociative Identity Disorder does NOT equal Schizophrenia!! I think it is VERY irresponsible of Marvel to allow misconceptions of such serious mental issues to continue to be perpetuated. I know that it was a character who said it and so the character could be mistaken but still... Most people would simply take what she said at face value.

What? you are saying in this issue, they are mixing dissociative Identity disorder and Schizophrenia? I don't know much about each but from what I know they seems very different.

Aurora is the 1st one. She got at least 2 identities. From what I know schizophrenia, you can see and hear voice, but you are not 2 persons like Aurora is.

[SephirothsKiller]

I enjoyed this issue, but one thing drove me crazy.... Dissociative Identity Disorder does NOT equal Schizophrenia!! I think it is VERY irresponsible of Marvel to allow misconceptions of such serious mental issues to continue to be perpetuated. I know that it was a character who said it and so the character could be mistaken but still... Most people would simply take what she said at face value.

What? you are saying in this issue, they are mixing dissociative Identity disorder and Schizophrenia? I don't know much about each but from what I know they seems very different.

Aurora is the 1st one. She got at least 2 identities. From what I know schizophrenia, you can see and hear voice, but you are not 2 persons like Aurora is.

That's exactly right, and in the issue Rogue says: "Bring Jean-Paul back form the brainwashing --and, just maybe, Jeanne-Marie from her Schizophrenia."

[cmdrkoenig67]

Unfortunately, marvel has made this mistake before (I believe it was with Aurora then too, but I forget where and when exactly) and they will probably make it again.

I agree that it's a really stupid/uninformed/irresponsible mistake coming from either ignorance or pure laziness. There is no excuse for it.

Dana




I enjoyed this issue, but one thing drove me crazy.... Dissociative Identity Disorder does NOT equal Schizophrenia!! I think it is VERY irresponsible of Marvel to allow misconceptions of such serious mental issues to continue to be perpetuated. I know that it was a character who said it and so the character could be mistaken but still... Most people would simply take what she said at face value.

What? you are saying in this issue, they are mixing dissociative Identity disorder and Schizophrenia? I don't know much about each but from what I know they seems very different.

Aurora is the 1st one. She got at least 2 identities. From what I know schizophrenia, you can see and hear voice, but you are not 2 persons like Aurora is.

That's exactly right, and in the issue Rogue says: "Bring Jean-Paul back form the brainwashing --and, just maybe, Jeanne-Marie from her Schizophrenia."

[kozzi24]

The writers whould know better, but the mistake is common among the general public. The no-prize explanation would be that Rogue didn't know the difference and JP didn't feel the need to correct her.

"I'm schizophrenic and so am I" just has a better ring to it than "I have multiple personality disorder and so do I."

[Le Messor]

Dissociative Identity Disorder does NOT equal Schizophrenia!!
Aurora is the 1st one. She got at least 2 identities. From what I know schizophrenia, you can see and hear voice, but you are not 2 persons like Aurora is.

I think that's what Sephiro meant.

I disagree, though. Kind of.
Yes, in technical terms, DID, MPD, whatever name it's using at the moment is not schizophrenia. To a psychologist.

To a lay person, however, anybody who has neither the condition nor an acquaintance with it, nor a degree in psychiatry, it is.
Schizophrenia is a word. It is only as good as what it communicates. If 90% of English speakers conceptualise 'DID' when they hear schizophrenia, and that's what the speaker meant, then that's what it means.

The one time I really, really disagreed with somebody mixing the terms up was in an ad for schizophrenia awareness week, which showed a DID sufferer. Now that was dumb!

- Le Messor
Buffy: Cool. You guys can do the brain thing. I'm gonna go to class.
Oz: Which could also be construed as the brain thing.

[Ahab]

Anyone else find it interesting that of all of the background events to show for Northstar or Aurora, they featured flashbacks involving Jeffries and Persuasion? I wonder if the use of those characters was intentional for any particular reason (other than showing the irony in Northstar's sister behaving in the fashion that Northstar was stating was unacceptable)...

[syvalois]

To a lay person, however, anybody who has neither the condition nor an acquaintance with it, nor a degree in psychiatry, it is.
Schizophrenia is a word. It is only as good as what it communicates. If 90% of English speakers conceptualise 'DID' when they hear schizophrenia, and that's what the speaker meant, then that's what it means.


Like how in Québec "oignons verts" are called "échalotte" when they are not? I must say, I understand you but it's not correct and can lead to really bad confusion when you do a recipe.

I don't think I ever mixed up the 2 mental state, but maybe because I grew up reading AF and because of Aurora, the confusion is impossible to me. I did as my boyfriend and also for him, the difference is obvious. From the wikipedia entry in french about schizoprenia, it say the confusion comes from anglo-saxon moviesrepresenting schizoprenia with characters having multiple personality. if you want to read it for yourself:

«Le terme schizophrénie, introduit initialement par Bleuler, signifie littéralement : « esprit coupé en deux ». Associé Ã* la fréquente représentation dans le cinéma anglo-saxon de personnages présentant des personnalités multiples, cela a conduit a une confusion assez répandue dans le grand public entre schizophrénie et trouble dissociatif avec personnalités multiples.»

So you see, you got to blame your movies. Maybe the comic can now undo the wrong movies did :twisted:

[SephirothsKiller]

That's probably referring to "Me, Myself and Irene" (maybe the entry mentions that, I'm not going to take the time to decipher the french... I'm one of those french Acadiens that's missing the "french" part... anyways.) That movie was a god awful Jim Carey exploit in which he had multiple personalities and was called a schizophrenic. So people definately could have gotten confused from that I guess.

I disagree even if lay people get the two confused that Marvel should play to that. Everybody would understand if they said multiple personality disorder and many would understand DID. Just because its lay, doesn't mean its okay... Sometimes lay = stereotype eh? I'm coming off strong on this because I have quite a few family members who work in mental health clinics and it bothers me when I see inaccuracies like this put forth in the media.


My favourite DID flick? The Many Faces Of Eve White. Go watch it... Somewhere. Its old and in black and white, but it's really good.

[Le Messor]

That's probably referring to "Me, Myself and Irene"

Sylvie is probably right, that it comes from movies. But it's a lot, lot older than that one. (There was recently a list of the ten or twenty 'Most Magnificent Movies ever' on TV here. It lost credibility for me when Me, Myself, and Irene was on it.)

I'm not advocating a confusion of conditions.
It's the word that I think has different meanings; a problem of linguistics.

- Le Messor
"Love is just a word. It describes a connection."
- a program, The Matrix Reloaded

[kozzi24]

Anyone else find it interesting that of all of the background events to show for Northstar or Aurora, they featured flashbacks involving Jeffries and Persuasion? I wonder if the use of those characters was intentional for any particular reason (other than showing the irony in Northstar's sister behaving in the fashion that Northstar was stating was unacceptable)...

During the Mantlo run, both Jeffries and Kara were quite harsh to the twins, particularly Aurora. I do remember Jeffries stating that JP must have loved tearing wings off flies as a kid.

[Le Messor]

I liked the little layer of depth added to the J-P/Clementine relationship as well.

Do you mean Raymonde Belmonde?
'coz I've read it twice, and saw no mention of Clementine?

- Le Messor
"Cutting the space budget really restores my faith in humanity. It eliminates dreams, goals, and ideals and lets us get straight to the business of hate, debauchery, and self-annihilation."
- Johnny Hart, B.C. comic-strip

[kozzi24]

I assumed it was Clementine on story page 16 (including the recap page).

[SephirothsKiller]

Yah I thought that it was Belmonde, as he seemed to be acting in a Paternal type role.

[Ahab]

I assumed it was Clementine on story page 16 (including the recap page).

If you are referring to the 16th page of actual story, that is Persuasion that Northstar is talking to, back when she had a crush on him.

[maniac mike]

Apparently, Mike Carey has a thing for AF too, here's a link...

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=102118

MM :P

[cmdrkoenig67]

Okay, okay MM....We get it!

Dana :wink:

[Banshee]

I liked the Byrne flashbacks on the monitor. Cool. :D

[Guardian]

I finally got around to reading it today. It was fantastic. I just wish that Mark Brooks was the regular writer for X-Men. The artists they've had on that title recently aren't very good in my opinion.

By the way, who was that on the last page? Was that Mr. Sinister?

[Le Messor]

By the way, who was that on the last page? Was that Mr. Sinister?

That's what I'm figuring.