MY BROTHER, MY ENEMY

Thoughts

I don’t know why but I’ve always had a soft spot for Havok. He’s flawed, he’s always had difficulty keeping the lid on his powers (and his frustration), he’s forever defined as being Not Quite His Older Brother and whatever relationship he ever finds himself in, the narrative will find a way to turn it into a torture for him.

It’s possibly because I’m a younger brother that some of that “not quite the eldest” pressure is relatable. It’s also the fact that – bar the obvious fact that evil manipulative villain types keep twisting and destroying it – Lorna and Alex have one of the nicest relationships in the title. I genuinely used to root for them, hooked by desperately hoping they could overcome the barriers they faced.

This is also the first issue when reading from the Giant Size relaunch where I really feel the lack of reading the earlier run of the title. Who is Erik the Red, and more crucially, why on Earth should I care? Faced with the revelation that this Erik guy is the villains and, for some reason, Cyclops used to be him, the only backstory the comic gives us is via a footnote. That asks if we remember issues 51 & 52. No I don’t Marv! Thanks for asking. Now what does this all mean?

Fun Panel

I love looking at Dave Cockrum’s Space Art, there’s such a sense of fun here. I reckon he enjoyed drawing it just as much.

Any Googling

I mean, obviously X-men 51 and 52. The original Erik The Red appearance. Which you really have to do if you want the backstory here, because the next few issues are in no rush to give you any of this information.

It was a Product of its Time

Storm getting referred to by a villain as “The Ebon Witch” has not aged well. And steel yourself, because its a turn of phrase that’s going to run in the title for some time.

Mutant Mailbag Mayhem

Thunderbird’s death hits the mailbag, and there’s a fascinating letter complaining about the heroes demise given how cool it was to see a Native American – “America’s First Citizens” represented in the team. The answer is equally interesting – he had to die because he just wasn’t distinct enough in power or personality. This isn’t really that convincing, especially when we’re going to see one of the main characters go through a reinvention that is literally one of the most famous storylines in super hero comics. Fair enough they decided they could think of anything to do with him, but they had Sunfire disappear in about two panels. Still, yet again, kudos to the Editor for giving a question that deserves an answer one, even if I don’t quite buy it.

Also, anyone else hankering for a collectible Marvel Stamp of some legs? You too? Well, you’re in luck in this issue!