Your monthly Jeff Parker

[colonel_green.insanejournal.com]

Four scans apiece from Agents of Atlas #10, shortly to enter a reboot phase aimed at boosting its popularity, and Exiles #6, which ends its tragically short existence (but they give him a ton of pages to do it in).

No secret that while I enjoy Agents, I haven't been as big a fan of it as most of the people around here are.  However, apart from the rather unsatisfactory art on the first issue, the "Terror of the Jade Claw" arc is off to a good start (though Suwan is still a really vague character; she was wallpaper as a love interest and now she's wallpaper as an antagonist).  Since we're shortly to be transitioning to the Incredible Hercules backup format, a couple of parts in this issue pertain to plot points from that mythos:



For whatever reason, this issue is a title-card bonanza.



Back when this plot was first introduced in Incredible Herc, I was wondering what was up with all the gods not present at Hera's boardroom coup.  With this, it's safe to assume they're all with Hera already.  Makes sense, since Aphrodite isn't one of Zeus' bastard kids (though that wouldn't explain Dionysus).



I like that they're giving Temugin a bit more depth and purpose here beyond being the cranky newcomer to the group who gets beaten up for comic effect.



There's...not yet been any evidence of that Venus, but I'm sure he'd be fine with seeing her all the same.

Meanwhile, over in Exiles, the titular group finds its way back to the Genosha of the first arc, where they're supposed to permanently break up the mutant alliance.  They do this by knocking out Genosha-Wanda and having Exiles-Wanda impersonate her to tell Jean Grey that Scott's stepping out on her...



Back in the real world, a civil war breaks out between Jean and Emma's allies (who they mind-control to fight each other, presumably).  Emma shows up back at Genosha-Wanda's, where the Exiles are hiding.



When I first saw that I thought "wait, she killed Wanda?"  Then I realized it was Genosha-Wanda, not Exiles-Wanda.

...

Anyway, there's a whole bunch of other stuff happening that could best be summarized as Jeff Parker laying out the Grand Unified Theory of Exiles.  After the somewhat hurried resolution to his long-term plot (I don't think this could have been done at all if he'd only had 22 pages to work with), the team heads off on another mission, after most of them get a chance to see that their worlds are better off with them thought dead.




Aw, poor Exiles-Wanda.

If Parker gets the chance in the future, I'd love for him to revisit these guys in one of his other titles; the Exiles have only bumped into the 616 MU once, so far as I can recall.

Comments

[ccsharumun.insanejournal.com]

That Exiles page between Jean and Emma Frost reads like the end of a Pokemon episode.

[zonictzonecop.insanejournal.com]

Jean Grey is blasting off agaaaaaaaaaain!

[mullon.insanejournal.com]

*twinkle*

[ccsharumun.insanejournal.com]

I spit my drink. It's the like Pokemon punchline.

[jlbarnett.insanejournal.com]

I'm more interested in what happened to Blink? Though I assume this Nocturne is the 616 Blink

The Exiles have jumped into Earth 616 three times. The first time involved Havok I think. It was when Austen was writing both books. The second time it was the modified House of M reality, the third time they were in 616 but landed on Counter Earth.

The theory Beast puts out there is similar to the Legion of Superheroes idea tossed out in Final Crisis for the reason the Time Trapper keeps changing identities.

[arilou_skiff.insanejournal.com]

They also went back when they fetched Beak I think? Exiles!Namora fought Namor.

[jlbarnett.insanejournal.com]

I think that might've been the time that was mainly about Havok.

[arilou_skiff.insanejournal.com]

No, that was before that (when Magik was still with them) the first time (with Havok) was under Austen's run, then thee was the House of M tie-in, and then a few issues more under Bedard's pen. Then the Counter Earth arc as part of the "World Tour".

[neuhallidae.insanejournal.com]

I was all 8_8!!! over Exiles!Wanda. She was awesome.

[bluefall.insanejournal.com]

Yeah, I was really dismayed by that. It's especially bad because it's just so... meaningless. She dies for no reason, it's not really clear how or why it happened (when was the swap made, and how was it even possible with the Exiles keeping evil!Wanda under guard?), and maybe worst of all, nobody who loves her even knows it happened. Her friends and sister are totally oblivious. And with the series over, there's no possibility of them ever finding out, much less anything happening to redeem or avenge her or evil!Wanda ever getting her just desserts. Wanda was cool, and deserved better.

[colonel_green.insanejournal.com]

This was obviously something that would have been an ongoing plotline if the series had continued. Seems like he threw it in for one final macabre surprise, though, as I said, I'm hopeful he'll revisit these guys at some later date.

[arilou_skiff.insanejournal.com]

People dying pretty much randomly and without warning *is* Exiles though. It's just part of the title.

[bluefall.insanejournal.com]

Without warning, yes. Randomly, no. To no reaction or fallout or meaning of any kind, definitely no.

[arilou_skiff.insanejournal.com]

Well of course there's no fallout. They don't even know she's dead yet!

[seawolf10.insanejournal.com]

Mottoage.

And with the series over, there's no possibility of them ever finding out, much less anything happening to redeem or avenge her or evil!Wanda ever getting her just desserts.

Perhaps it's Parker's way of subtly hinting how much of a mistake the early cancellation was?

Wonder if Marvel would try giving Exiles a shot as a trade-only book...

[pyrotwilight.insanejournal.com]

Which is even more interesting.

Think about it. The issue made it clear the switch couldn't happen given that the purported SW of that universe was knocked out. Which means...

The Witch we've had since they left that universe to go to robo Earth was the bad Scarlet Witch so the switch had to have happened much earlier than issue 6 but were only being let in on it now.

Exiles Witch presumably had to start acting like Alternate Wanda to not get found out and when the team bashed her head to knock her out she didn't have a chance to tell them about the fake.

[(Anonymous)]

Wait, what happened to Blink in Exiles? Did she die?

[colonel_green.insanejournal.com]

She rejoined the original group, and Nocturne took her place.

[stranger_dan.insanejournal.com]

So does Exiles Black Panther raise an eyebrow in every single panel? Is that like a facial muscle defect?

[goblinthebamf.insanejournal.com]

if I were in his situation, I'd have that expression all the time as well.

[volksjager.insanejournal.com]

Will miss this Exiles. Loved little red ridinghood/scarlet witch.

Was I the only one hoping for an Exlies/Boostergold cross-over ???

[neuhallidae.insanejournal.com]

I hope they give another Scarlet Witch the hood (are there even any left, besides Loki!Witch?), 'cause damn, it looks cute as hell on her.

[volksjager.insanejournal.com]

so true.

[stranger_dan.insanejournal.com]

Exiles/Booster Gold would be wonderful. I've been wondering how they haven't bumped into the Time Variance Authority though.

[(Anonymous)]

So apparently she caught scott and emma during groping therapy...

dah i mean group therapy

[psychop_rex.insanejournal.com]

While I find it a little much that Venus and Aphrodite look almost exactly the same, it looks like the series is still going along nicely. (Which means, of course, that it's time for a change - oh, well. Murphy's Law.) I like how they're addressing the fact that a worldwide criminal empire, even one that was ultimately benevolent, is bound to have bits and pieces that are, eh, less than morally sound. So far, from what I've seen, the AoA's masquerading as big-time crooks is just an addition to their cool factor - it's good to see that the less savory aspects of it are being addressed.

[billy_vagrant.insanejournal.com]

I kinda geeked out over the "Shore to Shore A.M." bit in Atlas, since I'm pretty sure it was meant to echo "Coast to Coast A.M.," a radio show I used to listen to back in high school. It'd broadcast from something like two to five in the morning, and feature call-in interviews that actually weren't too far from what's shown here. Mostly pretty nuts and/or nonsensical, but a lot of fun, and the show totally had the vibe of being broadcast out of a desert shack.
Now, did I read that right? The Atlas characters are being put on "back-up feature" status like Blue Beetle? I mean, I'm already reading Hercules, and I'm glad the characters aren't getting shuffled off entirely, but it is a little bit of a bummer. I really like the pacing they've set, but it already feels rather slow as a bull comic.

[colonel_green.insanejournal.com]

After this month's second issue, they're doing a two-part X-Men crossover miniseries, and then backups in Incredible Herc. They've said they're planning a relaunch, and hoping to build up more audience interest in the meantime.

[long_silence.insanejournal.com]

I'd really like to know how or when the Genoshan Princess Wanda switched with Exiles Wanda.

On robo world whichever Wanda they had used energy disrupting powers that Exiles Wanda described as her own at the beginning of the series. And then when they came back to Genosha Wanda commented on the slutty dresses.

Banshee hanging out with Emma again is kinda awesome. And they really need to get Heather out of the Crystal Palace if the rules they learned in this issue are true.

[maridee42]

...who's the guy who wants to be Batman?