X-Men #4: Fearless, Chapter Four: Nightmare on 86th Street

[superboyprime]

"X-Men comics have exceeded all expectations. It's been really cute to watch people try to argue against our success." - Gerry Duggan

Comments

[whatsmoothbeast]

Poor Nightmare.

He used to be in the running for arch-enemy to Doctor Strange-- certainly in the top three, anyway-- but I don't think I've ever seen him treated as anything but a joke this century.

It's a shame, because I think he's fantastic, visually. The green and black with the pale nightmare-elf face, the billowing cape and the demon horse, all great, and his powers lend themselves to some really wild stuff.

[cainofdreaming]

His schtick just doesn't really give him much when it comes to stories. He confronts the heroes with their fears, they overcome them because that's what heroes do, daily. Repeat ad infinitum. It's probably also why you don't see D'Spayre much any more.

[lordultimus]

The upcoming Multiverse of Madness movie will probably treat him seriously.

Also, does Ultimate Nightmare count?

[xammax]

I do like the Cyclops was Right reference in his nightmare. Also, Jean, dream Emma is right. Get a better uniform.

[tinygaylaura]

"I want to see you out of that costume immediately"

"You don't like it?"

"I didn't say that"

[scorntx]

Much as there are things about Hickman's writing that I didn't tremendously like, he did at least not write Jean's characterisation as being all about the sodding Phoenix for the umpteenth time, and I don't think I truly appreciated that enough.

(It's like Barbara Gordon and The Killing Joke. If a writer's first idea for them is to reference that, throw them in the scorpion pit.)

[blues32]

Oh, for god sake...Jean is not strong enough to overpower Nightmare like this. Not alone anyway. He's a demon that feeds on fear. He fights the like of Dr. Strange and Ghost Rider. Mystics and demons...er...angels...whichever Ghost Rider is. Maybe she could beat him in the end, but she's handling him like he's a rookie in the mindscape or something.

[tinygaylaura]

Jean is canonically an Omega level telepath. That basically means the only limits on what she can do with her power are the ones she puts on herself

That scene in X-2 where Xavier is shown to have the power to literally kill everyone on earth just by THINKING about it? Yeah that's canonically something any Omega level telepath could do 0_0

So I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility Jean could beat Nightmare

[shakalooloo]

This series has been all about the X-Men ROFLstomping serious threats in a single issue. The Annihilation Wave? Pfft. Nightmare? Nuthin'. Somehiow, it's the High Evolutionary and his Amazing Uplifted Animals that came the closest to having them even work up a sweat.

I mean, I like it better than stretching each out to a decompressed six issues, but things do seem a little too easy for the team.

[gnarll]

The home court advantage seems to be strong in Marvel telepathy, and capable of producing upsets. Cyclops against Xavier, Juggernaut against Cyttorak.

And incidentally, Scott should be nearly a telepath on his own by now, and Cain should be one of the most practiced human minds there is a mental combat.

[zachbeacon]

I've seen Nightmare lose to Peter Parker.

Not Spider-Man; Peter Parker as a child.

He had absolutely no chance against an Omega Level telepath who can make the Space Chicken flinch.

[alliterator]

"Oh, for god sake...Jean is not strong enough to overpower Nightmare like this."

Yes, she is.

[bruinsfan]

This. While I can see Jean personally overcoming Nightmare's influence in her own mind (she doesn't strike me as someone who fears a lot), breaking his power over the other X-Men is another matter. I don't think even Xavier is a match for him; he's overwhelmed gods before, and on at least one occasion used humanity's dreams to capture Eternity.

[nyadnar17]

Man that letter at the end. Somebody either works in or has friends/family who work in academia. So on point.

[tinygaylaura]

"Some of us actually earned our doctorates, we didn't just go around calling ourselves "Doctor" when we don't even have an accredited bachelors degree because we melted our face off trying to open a doorway to hell

V I C T O R"

[thezmage]

Looks like the most disappointing three way on Krakoa

[tinygaylaura]

Second most dissapointiing three-way

after any threeway that involves Sebastian Shaw or Fabian Cortez

Those two are definitely an example of a minute man

[mastermahan]

Not cool, Nightmare. That's Logan's spot.

[arilou_skiff]

Like, much as I like to critique the Krakoan status quo I think it ultimately comes because it actually is a genuinely interesting concept and space of ideas to play with.

It's just that a lto of the authors are either not doing that, or doing it badly. In a lot of ways it reminds me of Civil War (the original one) a good idea and interesting concept that was let down by generally careless writing and sloppy editorial control. (note: Civil War was much worse than this, but I think they have similar flaws from a structural level)

[deh_tommy]

That’s the comparison I think of as well. At least the other writers were making the pro-regs evil on purpose, though, I don’t know how the X-Men are going to recover from unironically endorsing colonialism and eugenics in a way that doesn’t involve retcons that’ll tick everyone off.

[numeronone]

By all means keep patting yourself on the back, Gerry.

[tinygaylaura]

He isn't tho?

He's talking about the X-line in general and stating the fact that the comics are doing better now than they have done in years

Despite the fact there is NO X-men presence in the MCU Marvel are launching new X-men books on a wide scale all the time and multiple titles in that line of books are doing great

That's not something that happens at one of the big two when a property ISN'T making money

[gnarll]

I am surprised they don't have defenses against this sort of thing. Isn't that Magics job? And the way she mauled Dormammu, you'd think most demon lords would take the hint.

[blues32]

Well, she mauled Dormammu in Limbo. That's her realm. You don't attack a demon lord in their own house. Colossus learned that when he had the power of the Phoenix and was still beaten with the wave of a hand.

Still, yes, it should be Magik's job. She's really the only mystically trained mutant on the island since Wiccan doesn't reside there.

[lordy_co]

Great it just took four issues for Duggan to turn this book into filler-fest. Let's hope it comes back into course soon enough.

[starwolf_oakley]

There were two big "Nightmare want to conquer the waking world" stories. One was "American Nightmare," a Captain America story by Mark Waid. The other was "Tempus Fugit," which took place in Incredible Hulk #77-81, by Peter David and Lee Weeks.

"Tempus Fugit" was Nightmare doing an experiment, and using the Hulk as a test subject.

This seems to be"Nightmare invades the X-Men's dreams for his own amusement."

[blues32]

The Hulk is the last person he should have experimented on. His psychic defenses are incredibly high and he's more likely to become enraged than afraid.

[rfmcdonald]

This scene evoked for me Jean's dialogue to the U-Men in New X-Men. Loved it.