New Mutants #51: Starjam

New Mutants #51 is more about the mentors than about the teens themselves. Our kids are still in space (after the events of #48-#50), and Xavier is deciding whether or not to return with them. He hoovers up memories: the Mutant Massacre is shocking, but not enough. The real surprise is seeing an advert for X-Factor on the tellybox: he recognises his original X-Men on screen.

Oh.

So, the main team really were just not paying attention: they only started noticing the adverts for X-Factor around the time of the Battle of Sheep Meadow. Maybe the kids just watch more TV?

Xavier decides to let go. The Starjammers need him and he can rely on Magneto. I suppose he must have done research on how that had been working out. One problem though: Magik is on strike. This is quickly worked round by Xavier ordering Karma to possess her and do it directly, something that is ruthless even for Professor X. Dani protests, so good on her.

Can Magneto be trusted? That's the question that Magneto himself has been pondering. He's got an offer to join the Hellfire Club as White King, and consults with Storm, who strongly urges he take it up. He doesn't, though - not on their terms anyway. Instead, Storm and Magneto join together, and wearing their own costumes. This is supposed to be an alliance, after all, not a supplication.

X-Men #107-#108: "Where No X-Man Has Gone Before"

It's been four whole months since the X-Men went into that star-gate in X-Men #105. They arrive in X-Men #107 to find themselves in a double-page spread, prominently featuring a very large crystal, and a number of aliens in brightly coloured costumes, called the Imperial Guard. These are all apparently Legion of Superheroes expies, but the only one I spotted myself was Gladiator being Superman. I suppose that tells you how much I know about DC.

They are somehow able to communicate with the X-Men (I suppose aliens really do all speak English after all?), and quickly compare notes. Gladiator, who appears to be lead alien-in-costume, refuses to give up Lilandra, who is a traitor to the empire. Rather than try and find out more information (how do they know what Lilandra is saying is true, after all?), they are met with defiance and a large optic blast.

This lasts a few pages, before we find that D'Ken and Shakari are forcing Lilandra to watch this. D'Ken is doing a typical evil villain gloat, as well. X-Men get Lilandra free, and we finally get the infodump we've been waiting for. Lilandra's brother wants to unleash the force in the M'Kraan Crystal, the "deadliest weapon in history", and tried to have Lilandra executed for opposing it. She escaped, and then established a telepathic rapport with Xavier because of the events of X-Men #65, where he beamed altruism into space. D'Ken found this out, contacted the local agent, Devan Shakari (not an exile, then?). The crystal opens a gate, that can can be accessed every million years.

Gladiator is there, politely waiting for Lilandra to finish expositing, and when she's done, the punching starts again. Then suddenly the Starjammers, a motley collection of aliens led by a bloke with a moustache called Corsair (and including a catwoman protesting she's not called Hepzibah), who we'd met on the last page of #104, turn up too, and start shooting at the Imperial Guard. At this point the story gives up and just has everyone speaking English explicitly, apparently having been taught it by Corsair, who is very definitely American. Jean mindscans him, and is shocked by finding out it is someone significant to do with Scott. But it's too late. The gate opens! And reality itself may cease to exist!

What I don't understand is why Lilandra has been even brought here in the first place. She'd run away to get the X-Men's help, but her ship had been destroyed. If it hadn't been for Shakari taking her back in the star-gate, then the X-Men would not be here to try and stop this. Has D'Ken really had her brought here solely so he can gloat? That would be very supervillain, wouldn't it.

Well, OK. So it's a universe-threatening thing, this M'Kraan crystal. And for once the response to the threat seems big enough, as our our friends Starcore, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers all get involved. Oh, wait, no, they all wash their hands of the matter and leave it to the X-Men and Starjammers.

Jean manifests as a giant fiery bird and fixes it. She uses the power of Phoenix, aided by Storm and Corsair, and the medium of long narrative captions.

After this happens they go back home. Lilandra comes too.

Some little character notes: Nightcrawler teleports carrying someone. He's never done that before, he says. Banshee worries about never telling Moira he [loves] her when he thinks he's about to die. Hepzibah says she's feline not mephitidae right there in her first appearance. Through Jean, we learn some things about Corsair. He answers to "Major Summers", and he had a wife, Kate, and that something terrible happened to her. Oh, and he's Scott's dad. She tells Corsair that but not Scott, which will surely lead to trouble. So, Summers finally falls prey to Claremont's "must have improbable backstory" tic. What are the odds of your father turning out to be a space rebel against your teacher's new girlfriend's space empire? Quite good, apparently.

And most importantly, X-Men #108 has Beast say "oh my stars and garters" for the first time in an X-Men comic! I am very happy to have made this discovery. I assume this means he's been saying it in Avengers for a little while now.