tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14124267517463534092024-02-22T17:08:42.706+01:00Chris Claremont: Mind Control CentralChronicling Comics Creator Chris Claremont's Curiously Consistent Craving For Mind ControlClarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.comBlogger228125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-89418610857383727552016-05-05T21:43:00.002+02:002016-05-06T12:08:52.422+02:00Bizarre Adventures Into Vampire Lesbian Hypno Hotness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Now, before we were so rudely interrupted by time, circumstance and a general sense of apathy... We're back for a bit to cover one of Claremont's early 80s tales. Lezzz crank one out for ol' times' sake. But oh my, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZIgeAi-9Qs" target="_blank">I don't remember how to do this</a>...!</b><br />
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Then again, covering Chris Claremont's mind control shenanigans is pretty much like riding a bike. You never really forget, if only because both come down to peddling a simplistic going-through-the motions shtick. Though one usually don't wear black leather slave collars while cycling.<br />
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Today's entry is from March 1981's <i>Bizarre Adventures I#25 </i>and features Chris Claremont's favorite late 70s/early 80s pet characters the Daughters of the Dragon. He already had them <a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.nl/2012/12/shooting-up-daughters-of-dragon.html" target="_blank">addicted to heroin and reduced to an existence of subservient sex slaves</a> in <i>Deadly Hands of Kung Fu </i>and now he penned a new story for them in <i>Bizarre Adventures</i>, a Marvel book aimed at adult readers that allowed creators to cover themes the Comics Code Authority would normally balk at.<br />
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<i>"Everywhere I look, I see Angie's eyes.<br />They've become a part of me."</i></div>
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My goodness, you can already tell this isn't a Code approved book by the shamelessly erect nipples that Ms. Angie Freeman is sporting. Angie's an old friend of Misty's who holds a very strange sway over her. Almost like she hypnotized Knight when their eyes met during a supposedly random encounter. Now, Angie suddenly shows up at the Nightwing Offices. <br />
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That can't be a coincidence, can it? But hey, Angie's a friend so let's have a drink and catch up...<br />
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"<i>The wine made me sleepy. I didn't mind. I trusted Angie. <br />With her, I felt warm and relaxed and... Safe. <br />I remember her stroking my cheek... And then my memories stopped."</i></div>
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Nowadays, lines like that tend to make a body whistle the theme to the <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNx7-7b4vIo" target="_blank">Cosby Show</a></i>. But enough topical "humor" about date rape. After Misty dozes off at the office, she's found the next morning by Colleen who simply thinks her partner is a little hungover when Knight feels weak and groggy. But when Misty goes into the bathroom to freshen up, we learn it's a tad more serious.</div>
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<i>Oh my God. What happened last night? What did I do?!"</i><br />
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Misty doesn't have too long to wrack her brains trying to get an answer, nor does she know why Angie put an expensive looking (slave) choker on her. The Daughters of the Dragon are called in to continue the case they were working on before. One of their informants, NYPD detective Dominic Ferrara, wound up dead investigating the curious drop in crime in his neighborhood. When he got too close, Angie had him killed.</div>
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Y'see, Angie's a vampire. And a lesbian, but that's neither here nor there. Ten years earlier, her brother Tom brought a European vampire back homo to New York with him where the local residents struck a deal with the undead killer. They offered him safe haven, if he promised to help them clear up the crime ridden neighborhood. The vampire agreed to the deal under one condition: every five years the locals had to pick one of their own to become a vampire too. Angie was the first sacrifice. <br />
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Even though the original vamp conveniently died off panel in a fire, Angie's still honoring the deal. Now, with another five years almost passed, she's decided she wants to turn her old friend Misty Knight. And she's not exactly subtle about it.<br />
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<i>"I had a wonderful time with you last night!"<br />"- Oh. Angie. I... I'm not like that. I mean..."<br />"I know. But you will be."</i></div>
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A lesbian or a member of the undead? Man, Chris Claremont's not even trying to be subtle with his metaphors here. And of course, having Misty already somewhat under the vampire's sway makes for some thrilling, supposedly sexy scenes when Knight tries to fend off her would-be rapist.</div>
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<i>"Our eyes met... And my struggles ceased. And then her teeth found my neck.</i></div>
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<i>And she drank my blood...</i></div>
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<i>... I <b>wanted </b>it"</i></div>
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Long story short... Angie's got her mental hooks 'n claws in poor Misty's mind (and the fang marks in her neck). Eventually she even abducts her in preparation for the induction ritual. But she also makes sure to bring Knight's partner Colleen Wing, figuring she wants to "know" the sexy samurai as well. </div>
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<i>"Say nothing, do nothing or I'll snap your neck. </i></div>
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<i>The driver will not help you; he's under my hypnotic control"</i></div>
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Angie takes both Colleen and Misty to her headquarters but the Daughters manage to escape. However, they're chased by Angie's mentally controlled Wolfpack and what's worse: Misty starts acting as cold and sadistic as Angie and even abandons Colleen who defeats the Wolfpack on her own but collapses from the effort. </div>
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It takes a little more than that to keep a good shogun down, so for the final showdown Colleen puts on "the equivalent of body armor" along with a big choker around her neck to protect herself. She then goes to Angie's neighborhood where the ritual is in full swing.</div>
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<i>"We'll be together, you and I... forever"</i></div>
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Even drugged and under the vampire's mental influence, Misty still struggles to break free. Her fight would have been useless if not for Colleen. Ms. Wing cut her way through the crowd and briefly succeeded in freeing Misty. But the vampire's control is strong...<br />
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<i>"I've drunk your blood. Your flesh is already mine. Now I shall bind your soul.</i></div>
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<i>Behold <b>my </b>blood. Taste <b>it</b>."</i></div>
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Terrible dialogue like this reads like an SM-fetishist's idea of a Dracula movie. One wonders what Angie sounded like. Does she speak in a typical urban accent or maybe she's adopted a Bela Lugosi style Eastern European vampire accent: "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-bdLEm8HPc" target="_blank">I vant to zuck your blood!</a>" Either way, it doesn't make the following scene any less gawdawful.</div>
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<i>"No! Yes. Please."</i></div>
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Ow lawd, without a doubt... The lesbian undertones are out and about. Having Angie force the trembling, slightly defiant Knight to reach for her bosom while assuring her it's hot and rich with life is just too much. It's smut for smut's sake so let's put an end to it.</div>
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<i> <b>"Misty! </b>Thank God... Thank you!"</i></div>
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Thus endeth the saga of Angie, black lesbian vampire queen of the New York co-opt board. The kicker to the story? The local tennants are rather annoyed at the Daughters of the Dragon for killing Angie, after all she did keep the neighborhood safe. Who cares that safety required a human sacrifice every five years? </div>
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Chris Claremont's story is an odd one. If you look past the usual mind control/domination motifs this blog has covered for over 8 years now, you discover another layer to the tale. Angie's a lesbian, evil and needs to die, even though she almost tempted and corrupted the protagonist with her sinful lifestyle.</div>
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That is reminiscent of the lesbian pulp novels from the 1950s which painted same sex love among women as a very alluring, but ultimately fatal alternative lifestyle. It usually saw a "real" lesbian lure an innocent, straight but impressionable young woman down the wrong path in books with horribly contrived titles like this...</div>
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<i>"<b>LESBO WIFE"</b></i></div>
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After very sordid and titillating descriptions of what two women can do in bed, the heteronormative reset button was invariably hit near the end of those novels. The tempted girl returned to her man and the deviant lesbian usually met a tragic, fatal fate. </div>
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That was the 50s and 60s, you'd have expected something a bit more open minded from Claremont by the 1980s. After all, as writer of the X-Men he was all about hammering home how we should be open and tolerant towards alternative lifestyles. Which a non-Code limited title like <i>Bizarre Adventures </i>would have been ideally suited for. Instead, he opted to go the easy sapphic slasher route. It also makes his <i>piece de resistance </i>of that year, the scathing <i>Avengers Annual I#10 (</i>in which Ms. Marvel blasts the Avengers for letting her get mind raped by Marcus Immortus), feel more than a tad hypocritical.<br />
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35+ years on, this tale reeks like stale garlic and still stings like a stake to the heart...<br />
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* Oh, as a bonus feature... A clip I absolutely love and tried to work into the story before I figured it also worked as a coda. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6lk27UwDBQ" target="_blank">Colleen had two night tables?</a><br />
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-32425500370879552312015-04-01T01:46:00.002+02:002015-04-01T02:15:01.572+02:00Ye Olde Avengers Rhyme & Repetition... <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Once again, this blog shifts its focus from Chris Claremont and his mind control shenanigans to reviewing Chris' fellow comics creator Kurt Busiek's most infamous quirk: repeating words. Today's entry: April 1998's <i>Avengers III#3</i>. </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikp2S8tymSjYbX-NCpNADggxnMEmQjbby0nk8biSDQYcZBU6SNnlLrR6HOgG85ZPre5Z0b_p2v4j77Hy_aLV6RTHd4o6niMdQtGHoy7vJsW7a3jQccmmb26-HC4_QpDLL9xu8oXXn74j8/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikp2S8tymSjYbX-NCpNADggxnMEmQjbby0nk8biSDQYcZBU6SNnlLrR6HOgG85ZPre5Z0b_p2v4j77Hy_aLV6RTHd4o6niMdQtGHoy7vJsW7a3jQccmmb26-HC4_QpDLL9xu8oXXn74j8/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_01.jpg" height="400" width="258" /></a></div>
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<i>"Back from the dead... Wonder Man!"</i></div>
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The Avengers had only recently reformed following their return to the Marvel Universe proper after 1996's <i>Onslaught </i>storyline. Right off the bat, the entire team was threatened by mystical menaces summoned by Morgana LeFay in a complicated scheme to get her hands on the Scarlet Witch. Through Wanda's reality altering magics, plus that of the Asgardian Twilight Sword, Morgana could alter all that is at will. At the end of issue 1, she rewrote history and turned the entire planet back to medieval times, with the Avengers as her personal guard, the Queen's Vengeance.</div>
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By #2, some of the Avengers saw through this fake reality and, led by Hawkeye and Captain America, started a small rebellion. The bulk of the Avengers remained under Morgana's spell while the others fled to the nearby forest to prepare for their next move. Oh and much to Morgana's chagrin, Wanda had vanished too. And that's where we pick up in #3.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SN-EZ1oQXnVUHZ2cdKnzWi3Vf9a_Dl6sNgaVfIfl6mucG_ADi0oCqaWn7bFdIWyq5SmD6UTNNn3qQcQJoWxpXSYLc2ENQxXgVsy_vhOZv-Os99BSFt_Jf6YxByjeIa8usNdOk14VK0Y/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_05a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SN-EZ1oQXnVUHZ2cdKnzWi3Vf9a_Dl6sNgaVfIfl6mucG_ADi0oCqaWn7bFdIWyq5SmD6UTNNn3qQcQJoWxpXSYLc2ENQxXgVsy_vhOZv-Os99BSFt_Jf6YxByjeIa8usNdOk14VK0Y/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_05a.jpg" height="197" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i> "I..I please"</i><br />
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Either it's a shameless repetition, or the man's misquoted and he was just saying "ay ay". Considering Moondragon, or Selene as she's called here, was sifting through his mind with the equivalent of a rusty poker I'd bet on the latter.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrvnv2xw5jj8FfMgWozEhg59wBoX9xoSESAadBn9qMEMG6UzDqpnIxUFgpqetm7lXnbO0Oa2UWFx4BszPs7r0I5rUwCBb1fEMWDpEk2-fF2JLj6G7Wi1yfe56iouNd-oPrtbHPTk-Buw/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_06a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrvnv2xw5jj8FfMgWozEhg59wBoX9xoSESAadBn9qMEMG6UzDqpnIxUFgpqetm7lXnbO0Oa2UWFx4BszPs7r0I5rUwCBb1fEMWDpEk2-fF2JLj6G7Wi1yfe56iouNd-oPrtbHPTk-Buw/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_06a.jpg" height="151" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i> "They're nothing. <b>NOTHING!</b><br /> But... But...<br /> All that matters... ALL THAT MATTERS..."</i><br />
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For someone so concerned with the fact she has lost control over her power, Morgana sure doesn't mind unnecessarily repeating herself. And her nephew Mordred joins in on the fun... Guess repetition is a family trait.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetV9EBjE0Dbnp_If5hNHCO9QyTD1tfQTEWJTDTNvFR2tJ0wNv62AzJAnqtJBRh8hhKi6cc6E68xeoIq446oNcZRicWGCACamFs_JkbL7ipebxnSVEvELzN-Z5P8zl0gQtQwMnk_TaSNQ/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_07a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetV9EBjE0Dbnp_If5hNHCO9QyTD1tfQTEWJTDTNvFR2tJ0wNv62AzJAnqtJBRh8hhKi6cc6E68xeoIq446oNcZRicWGCACamFs_JkbL7ipebxnSVEvELzN-Z5P8zl0gQtQwMnk_TaSNQ/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_07a.jpg" height="123" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"... And then... and <b>then</b>..."</i></div>
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If the seemingly all-knowing narrator feels the need to do a William Shatner style repetition, you know something dramatic is about to go down. Like the appearance of Wonder Man.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb96Ec6V2RO56omo5OISv1cmb4PzhOD1tDqb6mTlmt_ladte6SpBnSeGV1sVUfxkatwxEVvtDqlanaf-vJp7jL85pXjqPTFnwHJVxyjRTmdIWpFQFAG0xdmuad2VWFZsJmr0MP8ZXZbLM/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_08a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb96Ec6V2RO56omo5OISv1cmb4PzhOD1tDqb6mTlmt_ladte6SpBnSeGV1sVUfxkatwxEVvtDqlanaf-vJp7jL85pXjqPTFnwHJVxyjRTmdIWpFQFAG0xdmuad2VWFZsJmr0MP8ZXZbLM/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_08a.jpg" height="348" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i> "But... But how?"</i><br />
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You'll note Wanda used the word "but" no less than four times in the brief space of two word balloons... And who can blame her, ionic energy Wonder Man does have a but-icularly nice behind.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgZyOLMbflhgSZ56ruZJPoE6Qr2WAxc_w99z5WjsYIlrBoYacFRi_xcWBFiDwfdfHoho8TOaAbisO3LjfOnDnfqHritUcYnm50YhRJw1B9QKCCuMQDrTFRg4M1__HeX2KXberVBRdyys/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_08b1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgZyOLMbflhgSZ56ruZJPoE6Qr2WAxc_w99z5WjsYIlrBoYacFRi_xcWBFiDwfdfHoho8TOaAbisO3LjfOnDnfqHritUcYnm50YhRJw1B9QKCCuMQDrTFRg4M1__HeX2KXberVBRdyys/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_08b1.jpg" height="352" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"Pass in, pass in... Pass in, pass in..."</i></div>
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While artist George Perez does the heavy lifting giving life to Morgana's medieval world, complete with Arthurian castle and ditto landscape, Busiek shamelessly repeats his repetition. And yet the editor let it pass through, pass through... </div>
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The Avengers sneak into the castle, dressed as monks, only to be discovered by the Queen's Vengeance, which led to a repetition heavy battle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6s-vfUwGQwJHVKVh5v5WqGGhemEGIHTWgavqyHz5_iQx6fevXlVV3VNVGB3Sc73cjhJ9F1NWz2uC5YfAzTN3kLzLzhuznLuW8Zvvk4kC2jk3igRn93mrCrnj-y_PiT_mh376JmxNTNI/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_12a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6s-vfUwGQwJHVKVh5v5WqGGhemEGIHTWgavqyHz5_iQx6fevXlVV3VNVGB3Sc73cjhJ9F1NWz2uC5YfAzTN3kLzLzhuznLuW8Zvvk4kC2jk3igRn93mrCrnj-y_PiT_mh376JmxNTNI/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_12a.jpg" height="400" width="381" /></a></div>
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<i> "And so it goes, and so it <b>goes</b>."</i><br />
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Well, now that particular <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHO6a2H-pqY" target="_blank">Billy Joel classic</a> is stuck inside my head, and you're the only one who knows. </div>
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In the end, Morgana gets involved in the fight and taunts the Avengers with the Twilight Sword, which leads to the arrival of Wanda who uses Wonder Man as a weapon of sorts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKwgC4Qa6qjooY17UmEOxzWSt66uAZVZZID54wNBGuEtOLZjzulxI8RfYFlf6yN7kI4Lb55vpTkRnWOhN7vq2a83CvZATX8n8WiUNc-lf_8pkUu6TQ2gvYK5aJPdxC0lHqQtn1ZWdqyE/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKwgC4Qa6qjooY17UmEOxzWSt66uAZVZZID54wNBGuEtOLZjzulxI8RfYFlf6yN7kI4Lb55vpTkRnWOhN7vq2a83CvZATX8n8WiUNc-lf_8pkUu6TQ2gvYK5aJPdxC0lHqQtn1ZWdqyE/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_14.jpg" height="243" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i> "This... this is <b>madness!</b>"</i><br />
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I'll say, Morgana... but then again, so it goes, so it goes. Darn that earworm!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vCjKER4OhUWs1KD9wSoPzb2a4UXX-vXNzZN93Es9FU0KzVrwvjGchWQT4JLAOc5P2Gvsytk6tffvBRk8_FuqSYuhfzXzl2eHejSojHciV5nUUza06HM9A30SrFxIRmQJHhQeKuz4uns/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_15aI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vCjKER4OhUWs1KD9wSoPzb2a4UXX-vXNzZN93Es9FU0KzVrwvjGchWQT4JLAOc5P2Gvsytk6tffvBRk8_FuqSYuhfzXzl2eHejSojHciV5nUUza06HM9A30SrFxIRmQJHhQeKuz4uns/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_15aI.jpg" height="192" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i> "That... that <b>can't </b>be Wonder Man up there...<br /> This is... this is <b>way </b>more than I'm used to!"</i><br />
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Repeating yourself twice in two sentences is also a tad more I'm used to, Justice...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimveF92lGDGLy9p68lLws5XGW6b-GRxHLMtgmV9KwBemGNDqH8FZOVnBr14hsiYo6AARkYP0Vd5Y3Zd-mB_H4HOIfEcW6NpEatL7jHb-Cz2WpLgmTw3gEiXcnfeUX7V8n81c2InfMlKo/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_15aII.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimveF92lGDGLy9p68lLws5XGW6b-GRxHLMtgmV9KwBemGNDqH8FZOVnBr14hsiYo6AARkYP0Vd5Y3Zd-mB_H4HOIfEcW6NpEatL7jHb-Cz2WpLgmTw3gEiXcnfeUX7V8n81c2InfMlKo/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_15aII.jpg" height="400" width="397" /></a></div>
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<i> "Wh-what? Who... Who... Who <b>did</b>...?"</i><br />
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We get it, Justice... You want to be an Avenger so bad, you're already starting to talk like one.</div>
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Meanwhile, during a battle that actually matters...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ODjKa7vcISokZG52UdEf8ddPVjun_hdW-eHIYeWHWCJQgE9uNmBelyKqlZL_1mGCYa3-_dLwnB_igbTaDI_UesDSYEUv0o0VTr9gU-8D6JanaMzjqm0w79bJ3slweRok_uuTCNsU8dc/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_15aIII.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ODjKa7vcISokZG52UdEf8ddPVjun_hdW-eHIYeWHWCJQgE9uNmBelyKqlZL_1mGCYa3-_dLwnB_igbTaDI_UesDSYEUv0o0VTr9gU-8D6JanaMzjqm0w79bJ3slweRok_uuTCNsU8dc/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_15aIII.jpg" height="160" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"<b>I don't think you can handle this!"</b></i></div>
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<i>"Kelly, can you handle this? Michelle, can you handle this? Beyonce, can you handle this? I don't think Simon can handle this!" </i>And yet, Mr. Williams can still emphasize the fact HE needs more strength... Which is something Wanda was willing to provide...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Y5mnWPSZFkmFXnOyCGSA1hmt0kD2A7Y6bt_mjkdxzN5xIJyxysZcCZU8NTGWjzc7zBJ8FRMc9VJ4ncmx4A4vDgIMAsKIV1cpdxzzw5u8ziWlbeTuTfkJePoFRMIr3Jkg4EDSmUv_fIg/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_17a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Y5mnWPSZFkmFXnOyCGSA1hmt0kD2A7Y6bt_mjkdxzN5xIJyxysZcCZU8NTGWjzc7zBJ8FRMc9VJ4ncmx4A4vDgIMAsKIV1cpdxzzw5u8ziWlbeTuTfkJePoFRMIr3Jkg4EDSmUv_fIg/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_17a.jpg" height="221" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"I won't... I won't <b>stand </b>for this..."</i></div>
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"... But I'll bet you lay down for it!"</div>
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Classic <i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CheesecakeTime/posts/10151036574727211" target="_blank">Golden Girls</a> </i>comebacks aside. Morgana is thoroughly pissed off and goes in for a final offensive which would have easily overpowered Wanda if not for the fact the Avengers all added their power to hers to help empower Simon. You can imagine Morgana didn't stand for that either, which actually helped the fact she repeated her words make more sense.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyS3d-pb9LPuP4JZQOYOvQclUrcga3V5yBGjqY_Ynoks8j1HtV3rLKH-sy2r357qHdFs7hkw8xhiTHYLLxV2ynJ_GHRVTkCAoouvpXNKbadMSzrOxHsbCRizLxg0dDUGruJyGh238GCc/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_17bI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyS3d-pb9LPuP4JZQOYOvQclUrcga3V5yBGjqY_Ynoks8j1HtV3rLKH-sy2r357qHdFs7hkw8xhiTHYLLxV2ynJ_GHRVTkCAoouvpXNKbadMSzrOxHsbCRizLxg0dDUGruJyGh238GCc/s1600/Avengers_v3_003_17bI.jpg" height="326" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i> "I won't let you <b>do </b>this! I won't let you <b>unite </b>like this..."</i><br />
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Oh fine, so she didn't exactly repeat her words, guess someone didn't let her.</div>
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<i> "<b>I'M... I'M AN AVENGER!</b><br /> ...And she can't... she <b>can't.</b>...<br /><b> Vision? VISION!"</b></i><br />
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Don't mind me folks, or the triple repetition pattern, on to the climax...</div>
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<i> "<b>NO! NO!</b><br /> But it <b>fades</b>... it <b>fades</b>..."</i><br />
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<i> "We... We're back to <b>normal!</b>"<br /> I... I am <b>fine</b>, Firestar!"</i><br />
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Yup, Morgana's defeat immediately caused the collapse of the alternate reality she'd created, returning the Avengers to their real guises and identities. They seemed none the worse for wear... for the most part. Wanda's never been able to pick between Vision and Wonder Man and why not... they're so alike. For one thing, they enjoy repeating the bleeding obvious. Heck, even when one of them is obviously bleeding to death...</div>
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<i> "He was... he was <b>shattered</b>... It's <b>Simon</b>, Vision... It's <b>Simon</b>..."</i><br />
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Considering the Vision's personality matrix was based on Simon Williams' brain patterns, that last bit of repetition feels a little like poetry. But with the threat of Morgana dealt with and everyone more or less back to normal, the issue neared its end... </div>
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So, why not end with a panel that has no word repetition whatsoever, though it does repeat another classic Marvel sequence...</div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">"What are we gonna do with 39 Avengers?!"</i></div>
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Who knows, Beast... Angel didn't know either, back in the day...</div>
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Come to think of it, Hank... You weren't even there for the Krakoa mission in <i>Giant-Size X-Men I#1. </i>How could you know what Warren said?</div>
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Ah well, so it goes... so it goes!</div>
Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-15156045882714901742015-03-17T16:37:00.000+01:002015-03-17T23:52:08.092+01:00Throwback Tuesday: Ms. Marvel's Mind Control Turn<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Now, strictly speaking, since Chris Claremont barely writes any new comics any more, every entry is potentially a throwback, despite the day it's published. But for now, let's roll with the meme, even if isn't Thursday. Today, we're covering the mess that is <i>Uncanny X-Men I#269.</i></b><br />
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As regular readers of this all too infrequently updated blog already know, the events of this particular issue have already been kinda covered in<a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.nl/2008/12/beating-it-to-death-shadow-kings-shtick.html" target="_blank"> this entry from late 08</a>. Still, upon further examination, it turned out we barely scratched the surface of mind control weirdness. Let's start with the basics...<br />
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<i>Uncanny X-Men I#269 </i>tells the story of whatever happened to Rogue after she sacrificed herself dragging the lethal robot menace Master Mold <a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.nl/2012/05/breaking-mindcontrol-mastermold.html" target="_blank">through the Siege Perilous back in </a><i><a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.nl/2012/05/breaking-mindcontrol-mastermold.html" target="_blank">Uncanny X-Men I#247</a>. </i>The Siege is a mystical portal that leads to a conventiently undefined afterlife where higher powers examine who you were and use it as a basis for your next incarnation. It's like the John Lennon song <i>Instant Karma </i>without Yoko's backing vocals.<br />
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Master Mold would return years later as the mysterious, mutant hating Bastion but Rogue was the first one to come back... As, well, herself... So much for advancing along the karmic wheel. She was returned to her old room in the abandoned Australian outback town the X-Men had been using as a base when she went through the Siege. And the minute she returned, she was in for some bad news.<br />
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<i> "It has now been confirmed that <b>Mystique</b>, leader of the federal government's <br /> super-powered strike team... has been <b>killed</b>."</i><br />
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Talk about an ominous home coming... After learning her surrogate mother had been killed, not even noticing the dark, brooding figure of Jacob Reisz behind Val Cooper, Rogue rushed out to inform the X-Men of Mystique's demise. But, much to her own surprise, she found the X-Men had long since been driven off by the town's former inhabitants: the Reavers. The cyborg mercenaries were ready to kill Rogue, regarding her as little more than the one who got away. But, she was rescued by the most unlikely of people...<br />
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<i> "Surprised, Rogue? Feeling's mutual. We have unfinished business, you and I."<br /></i><br />
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I'll say... Not to mention unreal business. That's Carol Danvers, better known as Ms. Marvel... A woman whose powers, mind and memories Rogue infamously absorbed in between scenes of 1981's <i>Avengers Annual I#10</i>. The real Carol Danvers survived, though robbed of her personality, experiences and superhuman powers. Eventually, due to a supreme effort on Charles Xavier's part, she regained most of her mind and memories and the Brood would ultimately mess with her genetic structure to turn Carol into the white hole powered Binary.<br />
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So, in a sense, the one, true Carol Danvers was alive and well... Which left Rogue stuck with a copy of Carol in her mind. The two would often struggle and vy for control of Rogue's body, before she got herself sucked through the Siege Perilous. In the afterlife, Rogue and "Carol" were seperated, spewing both women back out as seperate individuals, because hey kids, comics.<br />
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"Carol" was ready to hand Rogue to a knuckle sandwich or two for having been trapped inside her head all those years and she didn't care if she had to punch a hole through the Reavers to do so. An added wrinkle: it seemed that Rogue no longer possessed Ms. Marvel's super strength and flight. All she had to rely on to keep her safe were her original mutant power and personality absorption abilities... Luckily she was able to think (and walk) on her feet: she headed for the teleporter Gateway sitting on the outskirts of town.</div>
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<i> "What you won't (ah hope, because you cant) give... <br /> Ah'm afraid ah'll haveta <b>take</b>."</i><br />
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So, in order to escape from a furious victim of your mind control, you decide to... mind control somebody else? Well, that's one way to solve a problem and hey, it does give you one magnificent tan.</div>
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<i>"The <b>bull-roarer </b>opens the gateway portal. <br />But you have my word, dear friend. I'll be back."</i></div>
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And with that, Rogue is gone moments before "Carol" can catch up. Rogue was able to teleport herself to the Savage Land where she was forced to fend for herself for an extended period of time. Without any powers other than her own, surviving in a dinosaur filled realm that time forgot, Rogue slowly regained her self confidence. But, whatever became of Carol?<br />
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<i> "Welcome to <b>Muir Isle</b>, Carol. How delightful t'see you seperated from Rogue at last."</i><br />
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... Without any explanation whatsoever, "Carol" finds herself on Muir Island where things aren't exactly as she remembers. Moira MacTaggert seems vicious and cold, the sorceress Amanda Sefton appears equally evil hearted and what's Polaris doing there strapped to a wall? All is soon made clear when "Carol" meets the villain to beat.</div>
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<i>"Stop it, <b>stop it</b>... I just wanted to play with everybody's head!"</i></div>
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"Carol" quite correctly identifies the astral projection as being Charles Xavier's son David Haller... But, just like everybody else on Muir, the boy isn't himself. So, who's to blame for all these mind control shenanigans... Ow, you guessed it: the Shadow King. And he means business. So much so that he turns himself into a particularly penis nosed reptile to charm Ms. Marvel.</div>
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<i> "My province is the </i><b style="font-style: italic;">mind</b><i>. As I </i><b style="font-style: italic;">claimed </b><i>this boy, Legion... and all the others on this rock..."</i><br />
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<br />Oh, you can guess what happened next, right? <br />
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The Shadow King made sure Carol was his to control, mind, body and soul forever. But just how she arrived on Muir Isle was never touched on in the actual comics. Well, as it turns out, Chris Claremont had planned this particular issue to be but a minor chapter in a larger Shadow King centered storyline that should have run all through <i>Uncanny X-Men I#300</i>. Along the way, it would have been revealed the King didn't merely control Moira and the people on Muir, he was also in command of both the Reavers and Gateway. This would have explained the fact Carol popped up in Scotland... *and* the Savage Land, moments after her conversion.</div>
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<i>"We don't possess sufficient life-force between us to sustain two independent beings. <br />As one prospers, the other <b>rots!</b>"</i></div>
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Mind controlled by the Shadow King, "Carol" is determined to absorb Rogue's lifeforce in order to regain her full potential. All this in an attempt to be able to serve her new master even better. And as it turns out, even being near the monstrous Ms. Marvel's form infected Rogue with the Shadow King's deep, dark influences.</div>
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<i>"Her face... she's like a walkin' </i><b style="font-style: italic;">corpse! </b><i>Shoot... the same's happenin' to </i><b style="font-style: italic;">me!</b><i>"</i><br />
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<br />And, just when things seemed at their bleakest, salvation was at hand from the most unlikeliest of sources... That is, if you didn't spot his helmeted cameo on the cover a little earlier. But first, let's indulge "Carol" in what would prove to be the final speech she'd ever deliver...</div>
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<i>"The <b>Shadow King </b>finally managed to track you down. Once you're dust, your powers added to mine... I'll be able to serve him that much better!"</i></div>
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And with a well placed magnetic force blasts, a certain magnetic mutant decided to involve himself. He chose sides and made his presence known.</div>
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<i> "I chose <b>you</b>."</i><br />
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A good half a decade before the Pokemon craze, Magneto already coined that franchise' most popular catchphrase. With "Carol" dead, Rogue was safe, even though she was roped into fighting the magnetically powered Zaladane along with Magneto, Ka-Zar and SHIELD. After that adventure, she'd find herself on Muir Island only to end up mind controlled by the Shadow King after all in <i>Uncanny X-Men I#278.</i></div>
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<i> "This is <b>wrong</b>! 'Cept it seems so natural."</i><br />
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If only Rogue had told Magneto what she'd been going through, even before the final confrontation against "Carol" in the Savage Land. As it turns out in <i>Uncanny X-Men I#275</i>, the master of magnetism had his own run in with the evil entity. </div>
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<i>"At last I confront the </i><b style="font-style: italic;">Shadow King</b><i>. Followed by sick shame at the awful cost of my survival."</i><br />
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<br />Knowing Claremont, he would undoubtedly have revealed the circumstances of Magneto's initial encounter with the King, leading up to the proposed climax in <i>Uncanny X-Men I#300</i>. This anniversary issue should be marked with the death of Charles Xavier and Magneto taking over for the professor full time.<br />
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Alas, Claremont more or less willingly left <i>Uncanny X-Men </i>with issue 279, already co-written by Fabian Nicieza and Jim Lee. So a lot of plot threads were left dangling, though Claremont confirmed the connection between the Reavers and the Shadow King in 2001's <i>X-Treme X-Men Annual</i>. It's also not unthinkable he meant to reveal a lot of Magneto's horrendous, evil deeds were indirectly caused by the Shadow King's lingering corruption, which would have made Magnus' intended status quo a lot easier to digest. <br /><br />Maybe someday we'll know for sure...</div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-35945062941504478912015-01-17T14:37:00.000+01:002015-01-17T23:49:54.021+01:00Nightcrawler's Nearly Non-Existent Mind Control part III: Wrapping It Up As We Go<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's the third and final chapter of <i>Nightcrawler's Nearly Non-Existent Mind Control </i>in which the wrap up of his umpteenth bout against the Shadow King is prominently featured. It's a Claremont classic, meaning that all of Chris' beloved tropes are trotted out to shine... Let's dig in.<br />
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When we last left Kurt, he was in China trying to save his ladyfriend Bloody Bess from the Shadow King, who had used his massive psychic powers to take over the X-Men, the Bamfs and Bess' old teammates the Sea Dogs and the Crimson Pirates. In an impressive show of force, Nightcrawler defeated the possessed X-Men just as his pupils arrived in a stolen Blackbird, all ready to aid their fuzzy blue teacher.<br />
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<i>"Watch me <b>fool</b>... as I break your would-be rescuers to my will."</i></div>
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Oh boy... the King is out on another recruitment drive... And in true Claremontian style, before bringing in the Bamfs, he first takes the time to introduce himself by shouting his own name. </div>
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<i>"They are <b>my </b>creatures now. As <b>you </b>soon will be."</i></div>
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The kids are in trouble, but there's really very little Nightcrawler can do to help out. At the moment, he's a little too busy trying not getting killed by Psylocke, who also appears to be enthralled by the Shadow King... Or is she?</div>
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<b><i>"BETSY!"</i></b></div>
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Another Claremont trick: the last minute fake-out... Turns out Psylocke was only pretending to be possessed. Right after she went after the escaping Bloody Bess last issue she'd managed to free herself. So how did she escape the Shadow King's control? Well, wouldja believe it happened through mind control?</div>
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<i> "We're sympatico psychics, elf. <br />Once Psylocke got inside my head, I stole her away from the Shadow King's control."</i><br />
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Sure, that makes sense... If you ignore all the implications of this statement. Apparently, this makes Bloody Bess a stronger telepath than both Psylocke and the Shadow King, who's supposed to be the strongest telepathic presence in the entire omniverse. But hey, the <i>Nightcrawler </i>series is ending in two months so it's only logical little facts like that are glossed over to get the story done in time.<br />
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Speaking of which... a hastily agreed on plan is put into action. The Shadow King needs to be put back in his proverbial cage before he escapes inside a new host. In order to prevent that from happening, a lot of punching is involved.</div>
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<i>"Possessing Betsy was a <b>mistake</b>... and he <b>failed </b>to seize control of Bess... <br />their <b>psi-powers </b>protect them."</i></div>
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So, having psi-powers prevents you from getting mind controlled now? Well, can someone explain that to Rachel Grey, who the King controlled last issue without any noticeable difficulties? At any rate, Nightcrawler succeeded in locating and knocking out the King's latest host body forcing him to fully revert to his non corporeal form again. All part of the plan, just like this...</div>
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<i> "Time to go to <b>work!</b>"</i><br />
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Using their psi-powers, Psylocke and Bess launch Nightcrawler's spirit on to the astral plane, sufficiently empowering him to take the Shadow King head on. And when you're fuelled by Betsy Braddock and Chris Claremont is writing you, chances are pretty good you'll get to do this...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7htHGcAB5z5gezUiB7MfheaxNnTQLpwEDE8xq-m4RsPn5LgC7Hs6VWT20MNYkwJ9sl0ed3eWsuv0Xn-lImMpVAaGiUyn_CijBki-r4B6CbcQSE8PzY1S4QiMxD8WHuMhyphenhyphen3xxXGVoV_0/s1600/Nightcrawler+(2014-)%2B010-010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7htHGcAB5z5gezUiB7MfheaxNnTQLpwEDE8xq-m4RsPn5LgC7Hs6VWT20MNYkwJ9sl0ed3eWsuv0Xn-lImMpVAaGiUyn_CijBki-r4B6CbcQSE8PzY1S4QiMxD8WHuMhyphenhyphen3xxXGVoV_0/s1600/Nightcrawler+(2014-)%2B010-010.jpg" height="238" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i> "This <b>psi-sword </b>focuses every scrap of power from Bess and Betsy.</i><br />
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<i>Plus the totality of my will"</i></div>
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Heck yeah, a last minute "psi-blade/sword/katana that represents the sheer totality of my will"- reference... Truly a can't miss evergreen, not including it would be like a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert without them performing Free Bird. Speaking of birds and freedom, the Shadow King ultimately gets defeated using a subtler form of mind control...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQoT2FEn21BE3MctIDOLDLh2WuZyPxwSSLehyiCyZ1zAAVtXn4oCNeqV1gvltAJk7hO9huQh0DmY6kKOokMxBza_jaHK43bbEDH1Qg39f-P50xkS1TI6T0Gp5tx-0cjL7kLKqY1fj89E/s1600/Nightcrawler+(2014-)%2B010-011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQoT2FEn21BE3MctIDOLDLh2WuZyPxwSSLehyiCyZ1zAAVtXn4oCNeqV1gvltAJk7hO9huQh0DmY6kKOokMxBza_jaHK43bbEDH1Qg39f-P50xkS1TI6T0Gp5tx-0cjL7kLKqY1fj89E/s1600/Nightcrawler+(2014-)%2B010-011.jpg" height="400" width="371" /></a></div>
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<i> "Before the Shadow King can recover, we have to return him to his <b>prison</b>."</i><br />
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His "prison" is Omega Black, a comatose superhuman operative built from the remains of Omega Red. For some reason, the Shadow King can't escape from her mind. Because, well... mainly because the alloted 22 pages were about used up. Thus ends another thrilling Shadow King adventure. Not with a bang, but with a decidedly underwhelming whimper. </div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-82967999174654532262014-12-28T20:37:00.000+01:002014-12-28T20:37:02.878+01:00Nightcrawler's Nearly Non-Existent Mind Control part II: Here We Go Again!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqqxaNRa5Jysq42TfEQ_vBz4sSFvUZ70lxymPbJ1iEi6UQ2m5EuF3XQo5tfH1nVl0Ou5ruXl5rD4Boe-ngK6zut5lVSWDai2Z4ltzug5hRki7TdF3UzFtOEFv7CsFowRcGq7PecAEJu4/s1600/Nightcrawler+(2014-)%2B009-000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqqxaNRa5Jysq42TfEQ_vBz4sSFvUZ70lxymPbJ1iEi6UQ2m5EuF3XQo5tfH1nVl0Ou5ruXl5rD4Boe-ngK6zut5lVSWDai2Z4ltzug5hRki7TdF3UzFtOEFv7CsFowRcGq7PecAEJu4/s1600/Nightcrawler+(2014-)%2B009-000.jpg" height="400" width="257" /></a></div>
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When we last left <i>Nightcrawler</i>... The Shadow King had just taken over the band of Neo called the Crimson Pirates to get his hands on their wayward member Bloody Bess. Nightcrawler and the X-Men came to her aid, but the King also took over Marvel's merry mutants forcing Kurt to fight his teammates. </div>
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So, just guess what we got in <i>Nightcrawler IV#9</i>? Basically an issue long fight scene that sees Kurt trying to outsmart a team with two telepaths. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2D2Kfb8tdCTIHi0XJcB_Fdu6pjdxvwZht-G8j48xoDsiirkuKP3xRISCMBatUfPepqYT6dAjGdSV8Xh0KC5LghC62gKUpM6EHQsUcgtfJAngLFk82TnG0wVQkPTBdmdvKLjCvpXC7Fs/s1600/Nightcrawler+vs+X-Men+(Nightcrawler%2BIV%239).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2D2Kfb8tdCTIHi0XJcB_Fdu6pjdxvwZht-G8j48xoDsiirkuKP3xRISCMBatUfPepqYT6dAjGdSV8Xh0KC5LghC62gKUpM6EHQsUcgtfJAngLFk82TnG0wVQkPTBdmdvKLjCvpXC7Fs/s1600/Nightcrawler+vs+X-Men+(Nightcrawler%2BIV%239).jpg" height="210" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><i>"Possessed by the <b>Shadow King</b>. They mean to <b>kill </b>me."</i></div>
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No worries Kurt, your name is in the title so chances are you'll live to tell the tale. Still, he's up against rather impossible odds: the X-Men, the Crimson Pirates, the Sea Dogs ánd the Shadow King. Luckily he has his tiny outerdimensional Bamfs to fight on his behalf. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5EXFvgXIZ8qVDlx-Z53YkH6dGRDNzLx5ic14ynw1GBk1lFHEw-UbIRElxeZZjF84FP44nOyAFW08PUS3XrilngWCkU75crMMPDJo0TgwEEqlL0_WPYRCM02aT3ftcDO9eu5gX-eJ66w/s1600/Nightcrawler's%2BBamfs%2Bare%2Btaken%2Bover%2B(Nightcrawler%2BIV%239).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5EXFvgXIZ8qVDlx-Z53YkH6dGRDNzLx5ic14ynw1GBk1lFHEw-UbIRElxeZZjF84FP44nOyAFW08PUS3XrilngWCkU75crMMPDJo0TgwEEqlL0_WPYRCM02aT3ftcDO9eu5gX-eJ66w/s1600/Nightcrawler's%2BBamfs%2Bare%2Btaken%2Bover%2B(Nightcrawler%2BIV%239).jpg" height="333" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><i>"Your Bamfs are mine, Bess.. And soon, you'll <b>join </b>them!"</i></div>
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Well, that was fun while it lasted.</div>
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As for Kurt trying to deal with his teammates, leave it to Claremont to make what would otherwise be a by-the-numbers fight interesting. Just check <i>Uncanny X-Men I#175 </i>where he has Cyclops fight off all the X-Men who were mind controlled by Mastermind to believe Scott was actually Dark Phoenix. Fun stuff... and while dodging his teammates, Kurt thinks back to how he used to hone his skills against them in the Danger Room. He even has a flashback to a talk he had with Kitty Pryde who i rather seductively stuffing her face with icecream.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9k8CDIjsW7kuaB6pjQmV0BXDXwNPbvslvHq_tzL7Lcwk8a-2Yp63hGi9XymU2CehnBCGzhJCrdttSFAbiWJ3zyBbTgx_9Ctx22ruKY9C3WR5PqMYA936e575ip5ytQY0ZsVNygemu-E/s1600/Nightcrawler+and+Kitty+reflect+on+past+mindcontrol+(Nightcrawler%2BIV%239).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9k8CDIjsW7kuaB6pjQmV0BXDXwNPbvslvHq_tzL7Lcwk8a-2Yp63hGi9XymU2CehnBCGzhJCrdttSFAbiWJ3zyBbTgx_9Ctx22ruKY9C3WR5PqMYA936e575ip5ytQY0ZsVNygemu-E/s1600/Nightcrawler+and+Kitty+reflect+on+past+mindcontrol+(Nightcrawler%2BIV%239).jpg" height="270" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><i>"Ogun remade me in his image. He turned me into a <b>weapon</b>."</i></div>
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A flashback inside a flasback... about the time <a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.nl/2008/11/o-gunning-for-mindcontrol.html" target="_blank">Ogun mind controlled Kitty</a> into becoming a ninja assassin? Well, that's a new one. But wait, there's more!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0RVg5qebtR4gsMWnDNSpqGYizYtJzrPiT3B3vZ8xkrd8TiERBHRx4U4g0l1Pl9UgQ0Mu1PmKZ9BeRJws5c1o5leaiwmoO1hpuenyR2XCGfkfSD9758vTV05-cSM_zH6DzhVchGUTKA-M/s1600/Nightcrawler+and+Kitty+reflect+on+past+mindcontrol+II+(Nightcrawler%2BIV%239).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0RVg5qebtR4gsMWnDNSpqGYizYtJzrPiT3B3vZ8xkrd8TiERBHRx4U4g0l1Pl9UgQ0Mu1PmKZ9BeRJws5c1o5leaiwmoO1hpuenyR2XCGfkfSD9758vTV05-cSM_zH6DzhVchGUTKA-M/s1600/Nightcrawler+and+Kitty+reflect+on+past+mindcontrol+II+(Nightcrawler%2BIV%239).jpg" height="190" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"We even saved the <b>universe</b>... but we pay a <b>price </b>inside."</i></div>
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Well, it makes sense to include the Brood Queen in that flashback, after all she <a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.nl/2008/09/brood-her-i-hardly-know-her.html" target="_blank">planted something inside the X-Men</a> that would certainly have changed them, given the chance. But let's get back to the actual story. Nightcrawler's been busy fighting the X-Men, first taking out Psylocke and Rachel to make sure they can't read his mind and predict his moves. Which sounds like a smart move, as long as you're willing to gloss over the fact he is actually fighting Shadow King, an all powerful telepath. But hey, never you mind, time to continue the fight.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8iCLuBaL2OoJdqPMThod8L2nxUg_xfWu2cruxOWXrWERZkxRp2upUmQQHzC4re2RGzKpYIu0eqRVUq5CuSW8Cn5hPuWlPzoSFUhWM1vjQ4ospZA6uZmNzd61eOFSo_wP8mLkJvCBfBY/s1600/Nightcrawler+slaps+Storm+out+of+it+(Nightcrawler%2BIV%239).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR8iCLuBaL2OoJdqPMThod8L2nxUg_xfWu2cruxOWXrWERZkxRp2upUmQQHzC4re2RGzKpYIu0eqRVUq5CuSW8Cn5hPuWlPzoSFUhWM1vjQ4ospZA6uZmNzd61eOFSo_wP8mLkJvCBfBY/s1600/Nightcrawler+slaps+Storm+out+of+it+(Nightcrawler%2BIV%239).jpg" height="345" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"True, the Shadow King controls Ororo's mind... but I know something he does not. <br />My friend is a <b>proud </b>woman with a ferocious <b>temper</b>."</i></div>
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I guess the best way to help one of your best friends regain control of herself and sense of selfworth is slapping her around until she snaps out of it... Right before falling unconscious.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KR6wA91aWlGwFG7sCDEPeFgtkHTWhNCK_bpVZVIaNbVxUjOxQldUdU66vONvSy_zs8w1fdzD-dV2thCea42Y7CQ275qIgTa4KYQO4rDBGo3ICPQlRLN4nZlsYuocOAt8Fbf7gaV3_8s/s1600/Nightcrawler+and+Storm+are+slaves+forever+(Nightcrawler%2BIV%239).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KR6wA91aWlGwFG7sCDEPeFgtkHTWhNCK_bpVZVIaNbVxUjOxQldUdU66vONvSy_zs8w1fdzD-dV2thCea42Y7CQ275qIgTa4KYQO4rDBGo3ICPQlRLN4nZlsYuocOAt8Fbf7gaV3_8s/s1600/Nightcrawler+and+Storm+are+slaves+forever+(Nightcrawler%2BIV%239).jpg" height="277" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"You have won <b>nothing! </b>I will claim her <b>again</b>. <br />She will be my slave <b>forever!</b>"</i></div>
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Ahhh, vintage Claremont lines... But there's no time for Kurt to savor that. After freeing Storm, it's time to move on to free the others... Unfortunately, Shadow King seems ready for that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSVFHWewHu2jijY5TLNh-BSri-qSR3M8ncj9R2wNEOPLn5fSulEMEsmAlZTnGW9_-_uHg7dSF_-FGec0A6zrLeRBY-XBP62uk-dsXnMnfJCClPOPU9lcMBJk1Z4iQr18-omZES96LByU/s1600/Nightcrawler+fights+Colossus+(Nightcrawler%2BIV%239).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSVFHWewHu2jijY5TLNh-BSri-qSR3M8ncj9R2wNEOPLn5fSulEMEsmAlZTnGW9_-_uHg7dSF_-FGec0A6zrLeRBY-XBP62uk-dsXnMnfJCClPOPU9lcMBJk1Z4iQr18-omZES96LByU/s1600/Nightcrawler+fights+Colossus+(Nightcrawler%2BIV%239).jpg" height="285" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"Eventually you will tire and weaken... and make a <b>mistake</b>."<br />Then, Nightcrawler, you're <b>mine!</b>"</i></div>
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But it's nothing Kurt hasn't heard before and he remains defiant until the very end.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMSxKlZJQyfRI9tvTmTYQnpGNmT0hHuvGZTgiaKnONa53e9EpDtOGKwtWkJBXsqpWEhyphenhyphenxS_rzVm-CQ66cF6LA8Mrwbq1HIXfDTHf7RzI1OVcPoLLfJe7HcK53DM6iivs08YJGDhAQG48/s1600/Nightcrawler+faces+off+against+Shadow+King+(Nightcrawler%2BIV%239).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMSxKlZJQyfRI9tvTmTYQnpGNmT0hHuvGZTgiaKnONa53e9EpDtOGKwtWkJBXsqpWEhyphenhyphenxS_rzVm-CQ66cF6LA8Mrwbq1HIXfDTHf7RzI1OVcPoLLfJe7HcK53DM6iivs08YJGDhAQG48/s1600/Nightcrawler+faces+off+against+Shadow+King+(Nightcrawler%2BIV%239).jpg" height="118" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"Let's see how <b>YOU </b>fare, Shadow King".</i></div>
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Dem's fighting words, Kurt... and guess who you missed because she was too busy finding Bloody Bess and turning the Bamfs? Yeah, it's one of Chris' favorite female characters: Psylocke.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKwgZeBPlcs6ijDfnTOZghCEley-ZfvXnvzypDFjknOnW7wnLyQeNrd06aMsGcfCTNM3zYLfI7CuvMO_08AnJWsJX1w7mLrq7ythrdz9nOlDTNirEOZDarF-aYAy8HxsD0kXg4MeJkHc/s1600/Nightcrawler+(2014-)%2B009-020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKwgZeBPlcs6ijDfnTOZghCEley-ZfvXnvzypDFjknOnW7wnLyQeNrd06aMsGcfCTNM3zYLfI7CuvMO_08AnJWsJX1w7mLrq7ythrdz9nOlDTNirEOZDarF-aYAy8HxsD0kXg4MeJkHc/s1600/Nightcrawler+(2014-)%2B009-020.jpg" height="400" width="260" /></a></div>
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Next: well, we all know what'll be next. More mind control and two more issues to go before the inevitable end of <i>Nightcrawler</i>. </div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-55488329172552046912014-11-22T00:50:00.002+01:002014-11-28T11:34:39.909+01:00Nightcrawler's Nearly Non-Existent Mind Control<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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"Well, thát sure took him long enough..."<br />
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I know, I know... It's been a year to the day since this blog was last updated. It's not like yours truly had taken a break from comics blogging, though. I wrote several lengthy retrospectives for <i>Marvel Comics of the 1980s</i>, covering the X-Men's <a href="http://marvel1980s.blogspot.nl/2014/05/1982-infectious-x-men-part-i-planting.html" target="_blank">encounters with the Brood</a> as well as the time the Fantastic Four added a fifth member <a href="http://marvel1980s.blogspot.nl/2014/09/1982-frankie-fantastic-fours-fanatic_16.html" target="_blank">who proved to be nuts</a>. And let's not forget the work for the <i>Marvel Appendix</i>, the online take on the famous <i>Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe</i> for which I provided a fair number of noteworthy profiles. You got your <a href="http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix6/harkness_agatha.htm" target="_blank">Agatha Harkness</a>, you got your <a href="http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix6/arkontheimperion.htm" target="_blank">Arkon the Imperion</a>, you got your <a href="http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix6/pfaffenberger_stux.htm" target="_blank">Stu Pfaffenberger</a>... It keeps a body busy.<br />
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And, truth be told, I'd have been happy to let the 22nd of November come and go... But thank heavens for Chris Claremont, who returned to Marvel and monthly comics earlier this year with <i>Nightcrawler. </i>It took him eight enjoyable, rather quiet issues...but with the anniversary of absentia coming up there was last Wednesday's <i>Nightcrawler III#8, </i>22 pages with all the mind control anyone could ever want. Let's dig in...<br />
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So, Nightcrawler returned from the dead a year or so ago. In his new solo book he coped with being back from beyond, getting reacquainted with this brave new world. Kurt reconnected with the X-Men and even his lady love Amanda Sefton (who he inevitably lost, hey... it's comics!). Kurt even had to cope with the death of Wolverine. And now, he was thrust headlong into some headgames, a Chris Claremont mainstay!<br />
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<i> "His thoughts are scrambled! There's another presence in his mind!"</i></div>
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... Sigh. It takes one back. </div>
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So, while training Xavier's latest batch of students in the Danger Room, Nightcrawler is suddenly contacted by Bloody Bess. And no, it *does* make sense you don't quite know who she is, but Bess used to be one of the Crimson Pirates, a band of mutants Claremont dreamed up when he took over the X-books back in 2000. Bloody Bess and her teammates were reintroduced by Chris on more than one occassion, as the man has made no secret of playing favorites. In earlier issues, the Crimson Pirates were tasked to capture a young girl with powerful psionic powers. </div>
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But things didn't go as planned...<i> </i><br />
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<i>"<b>BIG </b>mistake"</i> </div>
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The Pirates were after her. Luckily Kurt came to her aid, courtesy of the teleporting Bamfs.</div>
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<i><br />"Killian is possessed by someone I know... But who?"</i></div>
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Kurt is forced to save Bess, but he can't help but notice something familiar about all this. Talk about a great tongue in cheek moment. It's almost 40 (!) years since Claremont started his professional writing career... So after four decades of subjecting his characters to an, admittedly, limited number of mind controlling characters their dominating touch can feel familiar. And this one really is familiar, beyond the shadow of a doubt, even.</div>
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But let's not get ahead of ourselves. </div>
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<i>"Your problem, psi-thief, is that you stole <b>Broadside's</b> body, but not his smarts."</i> </div>
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So, who was behind all this, then? Not allowing Nightcrawler time to figure it out, the mysterious entity took over Bess and got rid of her. It also spotted the arrival of the X-Men and focused its powers to deal with Marvel's merry mutants.</div>
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<i>"Your defenses are breached! Those who might have resisted me are the first to fall!"</i></div>
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Ignoring the fact that in previous stories, Claremont went out of his way to make Psylocke immune to any and all outside tampering... All of the X-Men found themselves getting slowly corrupted, with the mystery menace taking special delight in turning Storm...</div>
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<i>"Foolish <b>Storm</b>. I don't need your soul. Not yet. I have your <b>body</b>. <br />For the moment that will suffice."</i></div>
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So, a mind controlling villain with a clear and distinct obsession for Storm? Well, I guess we all know who's behind this particular caper, then...</div>
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<i>"...</i><b><i> Shadow King!</i></b><i>"</i> </div>
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Urgh... Not this guy again. Still, in a world without Charles Xavier, it makes sense for the King to try and make his presence known again. He even tried to take over Nightcrawler, just to complete his set of fallen heroes. Unfortunately for him, that doesn't quite work.</div>
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<i>"I'll simply seize your consciousnes as I did theirs... and turn you into my slave!"</i></div>
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And while Kurt was able to resist the King's might because dying and returning to life somehow makes you immune to the malevolent entity's influence... the same could not be said for his fellow X-Men, as we'll find in the closing pages of <i>Nightcrawler III#8.</i></div>
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Ow boy... Se plus se change, eh, Chris? Thanks for bringing me back to the fold. It might as well have been mind control!</div>
Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-29844357590883657792013-11-22T03:56:00.004+01:002013-11-22T03:56:46.207+01:00Post 100 of 2013 aka Meanwhile at Marvunapp...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sooo... Yeah, hi again.<br /><br />It may be the 100th new post of 2013, but if I can be frank with you (and no, I won't call you shirley)... This blog has been a little quiet these past few months. Not because yours truly is bored with either comics, Chris Claremont or Chris Claremont writing comics about mind control. Nope, quite the opposite: I've been joyfully suckered into writing for <a href="http://www.marvunapp.com/appendix" target="_blank">The Marvel Appendix</a>. <br /><br />I've long since admired the painstaking amount of detail the Masters of the Obscure put into profiling the somewhat lesser known characters of the Marvel Universe. And there are quite a few of those, after all they can't all be Wolverine, Iron Man or Spidey. In the past few months I've had the pleasure of profiling some of my personal relatively unknown characters...<br />
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<br />For instance, there's <a href="http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix6/mactaggertjoexmen.htm" target="_blank">Joe MacTaggert</a>, the man who got controlled mind, body and soul by his own son Proteus. Gone but not forgotten Dire Wraith victim <a href="http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix6/huntley_joe.htm" target="_blank">Joe Huntley</a>, not to mention security guard and parttime Kulan Gath hostbody <a href="http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix6/hovannes_gus.htm" target="_blank">Gus Hovannes</a>?<br /><br />And who can forget how Selene turned <a href="http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix6/vonroehmfriedrich.htm" target="_blank">Friedrich von Roehm</a> into a werewolf decades before the Twilight Saga made it socially acceptable for rotund cosplayers to release their inner lycanthrope?<br />
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<br /><br />Those of you in the know most likely figured out that all these characters are original Chris Claremont creations, pulled right out of the <i>Clarmindcontrol </i>archives. Profiling them for <i>Marvunapp.com </i>has allowed me to tell more of their backstory, touching on their entire history and not merely focussing on what this blog specialises in: satirizing the mind control element.<br /><br />But blood is thicker than water, so for the 100th <i>Clarmindcontrol </i>post of 2013, I figured why not have Chris Claremont mind control... Chris Claremont?<br />
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<i>"Everyone fears insanity or senility... <br />The loss of intellect, of the very capacity of conscious thought."</i></div>
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Be sure to check out the full story in the <i>Marvunapp </i>profile I wrote on <a href="http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix6/claremontchris.htm" target="_blank">Chris Claremont in the 616 universe</a> (better known as the mainstream Marvel U)... And for those of you who may think me lazy for not fully exploring on here what happened to Chris C back in <i>Man-Thing I#11</i>... I dare you to read the abbreviated version. Go ahead, I'll wait...<br /><br />...<br /><br />See, told you?<br /><br />Anyway, long story short: the blog will continue, there are still plenty of stories to tell. Should be fun!<br /></div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-50770133173434238762013-11-04T16:34:00.002+01:002013-11-04T16:34:58.478+01:00Grimly Reaping Mind Control<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today's entry just might be Chris Claremont's earliest credit: August 1972's <i>Avengers # 102.</i><br />
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Remember the days when covers were connected to the story and even contained dialogue? Not to mention when the Avengers were giant, floating heads looking shocked and judgemental? The 70s were a wild and crazy time for all of us.</div>
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Fair's fair: Chris Claremont doesn't actually write this issue, regular <i>Avengers </i>scribe Roy Thomas is responsible for working out what the Grim Reaper wants the Vision to do. But he does give credit to Claremont for giving him the idea to tell this particular tale... And of course, it involves mind control. </div>
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It all starts with Vision being summoned by the Grim Reaper, because apparently back in the 70s, Avengers paid social calls to their villains in their secret headquarters without telling the others. The Vision wasn't feeling very sociable, though. He had slowly developed feelings for his teammate the Scarlet Witch but felt his android nature would make it impossible for him to court her. Somehow, the Reaper had clued in on this and hatched a plan. </div>
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<i>"<b>Join </b>me, and I can transfer your present brain <b>into </b>that body... and <b>make it live again</b>!"</i></div>
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This story continued the Grim Reaper's longtime obsession with his brother and the Avengers. In fact, Eric Williams only became the Reaper so he could avenge his brother's apparent demise at the hands of the team. Now, with the introduction of the Vision, whose android mind was based on a blueprint of Wonder Man's brainwaves, the Reaper's obsession took on a whole new level.</div>
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<i>"Well, don't mull <b>too long! </b>Even <b>my </b>patience is not without <b>limits</b>."</i></div>
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And here I was thinking homicidal maniacs with a scythe for a right hand weren't known for their patience. Anyways, the notion of gaining a body that's not made of red plastic in order to court Wanda is a tempting one. Still, Vision's a hero...</div>
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<i>"What prevents me from <b>capturing </b>you here and now... then <b>seizing </b>my former human shell?"</i></div>
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Isn't that interesting? The Vision wants to do the right thing... and if the right thing is putting a villain behind bars, only to do exactly what he wanted and desecrate the corpse of his brother anyway... Hey, then so be it. But the Reaper wasn't born yesterday...</div>
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<i>"In short: it is <b>booby-trapped </b>to the hilt! <br />Touch <b>me</b>... And you remain an android <b>forever</b>."</i></div>
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If the Punisher is any indication, men who wear all black and a skull for a costume aren't known for their compassion. But at least Frank Castle is a competent tactician. The Reaper's one bargaining chip was his brother's body, which he threatens to destroy if Vision tries to stop him. It's like threatening to kill a hostage when that person is actually the one thing that prevents the police from shooting you.</div>
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All that seemed lost on Vision, who simply wanted to leave. The Reaper didn't stop him, but he would be a lousy host if he didn't give his house guest a parting gift. </div>
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<i>"It seems... <b>harmless </b>enough! I'll keep it... as a memento of sorts"</i></div>
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That's right, the Grim Reaper gave Vision a crossbones medallion that doubled as a communications device... before revealing his secret headquarters secretly belonged to someone else. Someone who probably won't notice the cryogenic unit with the semi-dead superhero just sitting there. </div>
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Roy Thomas soon left the book and incoming writer Steve Englehart eventually resolved this story in <i>Avengers # 106 - 108. </i>In this threeparter, the Grim Reaper teamed up with the Space Phantom to defeat the Avengers. Oh, and the whole 'have my kinda-dead brother's body' proposal turned out to be a convoluted lie, a ploy by the Reaper to plant the idea of obtaining a real body in Vision's head. Because the actual body the villain wanted his 'brother' to inhabit was Captain America's.<br /><br />Just cos. </div>
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<br />Long story short, Vision kindly turned down the invitation to take over his teammate's brain. The Avengers took care of the Reaper, the Space Phantom and their flunkies and in the end, the experience gave Vision the confidence to open up to the Scarlet Witch and show his feelings. And with that, the first seeds towards their inevitable wedding were sown...</div>
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Not bad for a single Claremont idea! </div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-46544063571895571082013-10-02T03:44:00.000+02:002013-10-02T04:29:22.320+02:00Doomed If One Can Divine The Celestial Mind Control Motif<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today's entry, much to my own surprise, still deals with Claremont's <i>Fantastic Four</i>...<br />
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More specifically... # 25, a double sized anniversary issue cover dated January 2000, that properly reintroduced Doctor Doom to the Marvel Universe after the <i>Heroes Reborn </i>experiment of the mid 90s.<br />
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Before his triumphant comeback, Doom had spent most of his time as caretaker of the <i>Heroes Reborn </i>Earth, a world plagued by numerous catastrophies and natural disasters. That is, until Doom got involved in an attempt to save the world from itself ánd the dreaming Celestial who seemed to be at the core of all the shenanigans too convoluted or uninteresting to cover here.<br />
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What you need to know: Doom had just shifted 'his' Earth from the <i>Heroes Reborn </i>pocket universe into his home dimension and he now stood ready to deal with the Dreaming Celestial, along with his trusty aide Lancer (Samantha Dunbar) and his four generals: Lady Dorma of Atlantis, the battlemage Shakti, the mind controlling Divinity and the equally mind and body controlling Technarx.<br />
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Doom and his generals encountered the Fantastic Four in the opening pages of # 25 and, after the obligatory fight scene, decided to pool their resources to deal with their common enemy: the Dreaming Celestial who was now actively trying to destroy both groups in order to achieve, erm... something. Trust me, it really doesn't matter in the end.<br />
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So, how did he plan to achieve this? Well, have you heard of a little thing called mind control?<br />
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<i>"Too much <b>talking</b>. Better by far to let Divinity <b>assimilate </b>them. <br />That gains Doom all of their powers... but none of their <b>attitude</b>."</i></div>
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As soon as the champions of two worlds entered the Dreaming Celestial's sanctuary, the mind controlling Divinity was attacked and absorbed by an equally shadowy creature that effortlessly took control of Divinity's form, as Doom's ebon general started claiming victims left and right. The Invisible Woman was the first to fall, when she got coated with the dark gunk. And well... you can guess what happened next, right?<br />
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<i>"There's something </i><b style="font-style: italic;">else</b><i>... as though the very </i><i><b>darkness </b>itself was a <b>living entity!</b>"</i></div>
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Ow boy, you're not kidding... and Sue and Divinity were just the warm up act. Moments later, the tendrils growing behind them struck out. While Johnny tried to burn through them, he was struck by something rather familiar...</div>
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<i>"No joy, Reed. Something just <b>hit </b>me! It's Sue's <b>forcefield!</b>"</i></div>
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Yup, a mind controlled Invisible Woman was now working for the Dreaming Celestial, using her powers to knock everyone into the Celestial creature so they would share her fate. Overcome by emotions, Mr. Fantastic tried to free his brother and law, only to be saved by Doom, who stunned him into temporary helplessness with a shock blast. Doom ordered Lancer to aid the Thing in buying him, Mr. Fantastic and young Valeria Richards (another long story) time to solve this mess, by going deeper inside the Celestial's tomb. </div>
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So, in case anyone was wondering what chance one rockmonster and a woman with laserfire fingertips have against a Celestial born living darkness ánd at least 6 of their mind controlled allies?<br />
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None whatsoever. And they knew it.</div>
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Still, as they fell, they provided Reed, Doom and Valeria with a pretty important clue as they proceeded to venture deeper into the labyrinthian Celestial slumberpit (on a sidenote: don't you just love words like that?). The tentacle thing is taking over the FF and Doom's allies for a very good reason.<br />
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<i>"You realize, of course, what will happen when all twelve are transformed."</i></div>
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Not specifically, no. Because Claremont's hopelessly convoluted, overly wordy script fails to clearly explain the significance of a Celestial guard dog taking over the form of twelve, apparently random, mortals. All Reed and Doom need to know from reading a few of the tomb's glyphs: they can actually stop the Celestial if they work together to simultaneously activate a number of switches that unlock a pair of levers that will allow them to deal with the Celestial.</div>
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In order to buy her two dads (I know...) the time needed to either stretch or manipulate the levers with a forcefield, Valeria quietly sacrifices herself as well.<br />
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<i>"The brat is <b>no more</b>. And I am one step closer to my <b>freedom!</b>"</i></div>
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After consuming the daughter of two men (again, don't worry about it...), the Celestial sent his creature to deal with Reed and Doom. It proved remarkably capable of claiming both in record speed.</div>
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<i>"Be so <b>easy</b> to give in! But they fought to the <b>last </b>for me. Can I do <b>less?</b>"</i></div>
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Doom's goading inadvertently fired up Mr. Fantastic and the two men manage to simultaneously hit all the switches ánd activate the levers in the exact way the glyphs instructed them. This set in motion a termination mechanism built into the Dreaming Celestial's tomb.</div>
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Apparently, the D.C. (surely a 'subtle' reference to a fellow New York based comics company) tried to to circumvent this lethal safeguard. Its idea was to replacing the essence of the twelve living Celestial guardian statues with those of others, any others. However, since Mr. Fantastic and Doctor Doom had managed to escape capture, the cycle wasnt complete so hitting the kill switch restored all twelve Celestial statues as they lethally wounded their wayward brother by proxy.</div>
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It also released some rather familiar faces...<br />
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<i style="text-align: left;">"It was... <b>Awful! </b>I was<b> aware </b>of everything I was doing... But I couldn't <b>stop </b>myself!"</i></div>
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However, Mr. Fantastic and Doctor Doom weren't quite so lucky. In its dying moments, the Dreaming Celestial planned to take both of them with him to the grave. In the end, only one would survive...<br />
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Well, that's not exactly true, as these posts point out... </div>
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<li><a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.nl/2013/09/the-frightfully-fantastic-wizardry-of.html" target="_blank">Doctor Doom threatens the Wizard into surrendering</a></li>
<li><a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.nl/2009/03/reed-is-doom-doom-is-reed-we-all.html" target="_blank">Reed Is Doom & Doom Is Reed (we all mind control together)</a></li>
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<br />Spoiler alert: It's actually Reed inside Doom's armor. Fun ánd games!<br />
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-48648444774961238572013-09-21T22:00:00.000+02:002013-09-21T22:00:49.854+02:00The Frightfully Fantastic Wizardry Of Mind Control<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />Today's entry hails from the latter days of Chris Claremont's run on <i>Fantastic Four</i>. By this time, in the aftermath of an interdimensional conflict that involved Doctor Doom, his Counter Earth armies and all the Celestials you could want, Mr. Fantastic was locked inside Doom's armor.<br /><br />This fact wasn't made public, for fear of Doom's generals who might rebel and take over both Earths. To help sell his unexpected alliance with his most hated of foes, 'Doom' married the Invisible Woman who was believed to be widowed. This also meant Doom joined the Fantastic Four. <br /><br />Having a feared and hated supervillain head a beloved team of heroes? Fun and games... </div>
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<br />For their first mission, this 'new' Fantastic Four went up against an equally new Frightful Four. The Wizard and his team had invaded the reservation of the Keewazi indians, looking for buried treasure. Fortunately for the Keewazi, their leader Wyatt Wingfoot used to be part of the FF. He managed to send out an SOS which brought the FF to Silver Rock Springs. </div>
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So, just who is part of this new Frightful Four? Well, apart from mainstays Wizard and Trapster there's also Sharon Ventura, the former FF-member known as Ms. Marvel whose mental state was questionable after getting mutated by Dr. Doom during the DeFalco era... and the Punisher.</div>
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Now what would move Frank Castle to join up with bad guys, I mean, he...</div>
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<i>"Ain't this that pipsqueak <b>Punisher </b>robot... what use ta work fer <b>Galactus?!</b>"</i></div>
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Ah, no worries Ben, if your hide's half as thick as that New York accent, you won't feel a thing. But as both the Torch and the Thing started in on their old foe, the Wizard played his ace.</div>
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<i>"Behold fools, the <b>final defeat </b>of the <b>Fantastic Four!</b>"</i></div>
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Hmm, what could a villain do whose sole claim to fame is being the <i>wingless</i> Wizard (aren't we all?)</div>
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Ol' purple top will show ánd tell...</div>
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<i>"That's what happens, dear boy, when the biological mechanisms that <b>protect </b>you from your own powers are... <b>eliminated</b>."</i></div>
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Is that clever or what? Turn the Torch vulnerable to flame, remove the Thing's mobility and making sure Sue would either get blinded when she turned invisible or suffocate when she tried to use her force fields. So, three down, one to go...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmQkfbg90N562YlbyCxu7cilLjtX5NSK4zmrYy-_EUPV7zflCsl59Xkea4MWIw1gq4hbOpex50TtbPTTkgL9TJK2kRGyW8PrRN9Ky1u-gkqF6158febuU9FafasfHeGzvezRBa98qPHI/s1600/Wizard+mind+controls+the+FF+II+%2528FF+29%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmQkfbg90N562YlbyCxu7cilLjtX5NSK4zmrYy-_EUPV7zflCsl59Xkea4MWIw1gq4hbOpex50TtbPTTkgL9TJK2kRGyW8PrRN9Ky1u-gkqF6158febuU9FafasfHeGzvezRBa98qPHI/s400/Wizard+mind+controls+the+FF+II+%2528FF+29%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"Speaking of <b>Reed Richards</b>, where is he?"</i></div>
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So glad you asked...</div>
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<i>"Susan Storm Richards has been proclaimed the <b>Baroness von Doom!</b>"</i></div>
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While the Wizard was momentarily startled by the arrival of 'Doctor Doom', his presence worked like a red rag on a bull... A bull called Sharon Ventura. She immediately jumped on the man who had ruined her life. The Wizard wasn't pleased with that...</div>
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<i>"Are you <b>demented</b>, woman? You've ruined any chance of a peaceful resolution to this imbroglio. Now the <b>Frightful Four </b>have to battle <b>Doctor Doom!</b>"</i></div>
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And battle they did. Trapster tried to hit Doom with his pasteguns, but the Doctor redirected the sticky streams to the charging Sharon Ventura who found herself stuck. Doom was then jumped by the Punisher robot who actually seemed capable of doing some damage. Wizard, ever the valiant assailant, decided to attack Doom from the back with some of his electrified anti-grav discs.<br /><br />Unfortunately for the Frightful Four, Doom was just stalling for time...</div>
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<i>"<b>Trust me</b>, Johnny, our lives... and the Keewazi... depend on it!"</i></div>
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Doom managed to convince the Human Torch to conquer his fear of burning himself alive and flamed on. But, didn't the Wizard turn off his natural immunity to flame? Well, not exactly...</div>
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<i>"As I suspected, the effect the Wizard created was <b>illusory</b>, not factual. He did not materially alter your abilities, but merely made you <b>believe </b>such was the case."</i></div>
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Ah, mind control through hypnosis and trickery. Claremont's decision to give the Wizard this ability makes a decent amount of sense. After all, before the advent of superheroes, Bentley Whitman used his near-superhuman genius levels to become a celebrity. It isn't unthinkable he relied on a bit of stage magic to help sell his performances.<br /><br />But, speaking of mind control... Let's see how the threat of the Frightful Four was dealt with in the end... That is, after the Invisible Woman stuffed the Punisher's insides with Trapster's glue and Sharon Ventura had a change of heart...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnI4s-yBNPY2T3BVrpFtL956okuGhSZgvixNYntt6S2EFLoL1ydTCPVvIdHPZiN0YfvBhu_-xHmo6Mp1_gRyWZtbhhIuFCVA-KZwxGzOLsoZfTayzufsNjCBULkkqlRX_qzuc2neaj_WA/s1600/Doom+intimidates+the+Wizard+(FF+29).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnI4s-yBNPY2T3BVrpFtL956okuGhSZgvixNYntt6S2EFLoL1ydTCPVvIdHPZiN0YfvBhu_-xHmo6Mp1_gRyWZtbhhIuFCVA-KZwxGzOLsoZfTayzufsNjCBULkkqlRX_qzuc2neaj_WA/s320/Doom+intimidates+the+Wizard+(FF+29).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>"I am many things... <br />But I am not <b>fool </b>enough to want Doom as my <b>enemy</b>. </i></div>
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<i><b>I yield</b>."</i></div>
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And with that, 'Doom' beat one of his oldest enemies without even lifting a finger. Talk about the power of intimidation... </div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-42153543627320084542013-09-06T00:19:00.000+02:002013-09-22T02:33:39.659+02:00Spotlight On That Soul Sucking Mind Controller... And Satana too!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmgNf1kLALCLObVv80nnONcKOcG1PpzKUCr5TZ7lGikrza_KwrewpIgO_iTkU7ZeDutePjXWrKH22uX6Z2Bj0jb48jjiD9qdf2XwvZ7iiHV-x8tWTHlTu223nLIYDwqOkqePf-Axo5qY/s1600/MS+024+00+aa+fc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmgNf1kLALCLObVv80nnONcKOcG1PpzKUCr5TZ7lGikrza_KwrewpIgO_iTkU7ZeDutePjXWrKH22uX6Z2Bj0jb48jjiD9qdf2XwvZ7iiHV-x8tWTHlTu223nLIYDwqOkqePf-Axo5qY/s400/MS+024+00+aa+fc.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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The year is 1975, right when Chris Claremont was gearing up to start his 16 year run on <i>(Uncanny) X-men</i>. But before all that, there were stories like the one he told in <i>Marvel Spotlight</i>, featuring Daimon 'Son of Satan' Hellstrom and his sister, the succubus Satana.</div>
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He's the demonologist who exorcises Satan's lot, she is the wanton devilchild who consumes tsouls of the innocent... And Claremont makes three... Let's dig in!<br />
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Meet Gloria Hefford, a minor satanist with delusions of mystical grandeur. She wants to make a name for herself as a witch, by conjuring up a real demon from hell. Unfortunately, she may have bitten off a tad more than she could ever hope to proverbially chew.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvd_iPerNaNaj_t4HLmy3VtTye4cnr7pyKH3aw_qRc6YZHMrhhdYG17DoINHzrA0cUtcq1eOzCddlw0gCUEj602iBVUD7xY2m0qs_Qi_glWWozK07yYOB7yZDV_Ydm1b6MIi-O76Tyr4/s1600/Gloria+Hefford+calls+up+a+demon+II+%2528marvel+spotlight+24%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvd_iPerNaNaj_t4HLmy3VtTye4cnr7pyKH3aw_qRc6YZHMrhhdYG17DoINHzrA0cUtcq1eOzCddlw0gCUEj602iBVUD7xY2m0qs_Qi_glWWozK07yYOB7yZDV_Ydm1b6MIi-O76Tyr4/s400/Gloria+Hefford+calls+up+a+demon+II+%2528marvel+spotlight+24%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"The spell's gone <b>wrong</b>! The demon's <b>hurting </b>me! But it's not supposed to hurt!"</i></div>
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Ow, don't worry Gloria, the pain won't last long. You see, even inside your pretty pentagram, with its protective little wards, you are not safe from a proper hell demon's power. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicd3FNnWTR51OaB5AY8BEBv5UwCrAxGHyvQ7e5Ec-J0GVRVLywS2VXZ8SBMdy4I-9jNxKK6rFjL4obG8dITw1toub0PFolBRdP2SRVaHhvxQHvNWg-fOgEyk6ltvJMdXfNzb9UVvFq7Oo/s1600/Gloria+Hefford+calls+up+a+demon+and+gets+possessed+%2528marvel+spotlight+24%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicd3FNnWTR51OaB5AY8BEBv5UwCrAxGHyvQ7e5Ec-J0GVRVLywS2VXZ8SBMdy4I-9jNxKK6rFjL4obG8dITw1toub0PFolBRdP2SRVaHhvxQHvNWg-fOgEyk6ltvJMdXfNzb9UVvFq7Oo/s400/Gloria+Hefford+calls+up+a+demon+and+gets+possessed+%2528marvel+spotlight+24%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"Do you <b>hear</b>, lord Satan... <b>do you hear!?! Kthara, the mother of demons is free!</b>"</i></div>
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Yup, poor ol' Gloria got herself mind controlled and bodyjacked by the very demon she tried to control. Now Kthara is running the show, using Gloria as her vessel. And what does a hell demon do best? Gather souls for the inferno below, of course...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSlYVIg0Yq6vw8vCUT1BOriFwonzENB-WiRt2apwPHfmiavI5TYVJvz3fUkBEI6p1XMmdFOKMaVkWNbiwgzQyelOPMkp0xGmyboB7FWArTCbMShxA_T9P3xE-SnTJTwUi6XbM_SmSfgI/s1600/Gloria+Hefford+claims+a+soul+%2528marvel+spotlight+24%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSlYVIg0Yq6vw8vCUT1BOriFwonzENB-WiRt2apwPHfmiavI5TYVJvz3fUkBEI6p1XMmdFOKMaVkWNbiwgzQyelOPMkp0xGmyboB7FWArTCbMShxA_T9P3xE-SnTJTwUi6XbM_SmSfgI/s400/Gloria+Hefford+claims+a+soul+%2528marvel+spotlight+24%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"And as I took her <b>soul</b>, o man... So do I take <b>yours</b>."</i></div>
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Yeah, looks like Gloria's became a bit of a bother. That's why, two weeks later, Daimon Hellstrom, acclaimed demonologist and close Hefford family friend, boarded a plane bound for LA. He had received a letter from Gloria's father Lewis, who was worried about his daughter's well being. During the flight from St. Louis to Los Angeles, Daimon fell asleep and had a terrifying vision featuring his sister Satana.</div>
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So what is it a succubus does, except for the obvious observation the job sounds a lot like 'suck' and 'you'? Well, she pleases men right before reaping their very souls. In his dream, Daimon is witness to Satana claiming her latest victim...<br />
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<i>"Doing? I am <b>kissing </b>you, o man... Satana is taking your <b>soul!</b>"</i></div>
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But Daimon's nightmare didn't end there... Satana focussed her attentions on him, changing Daimon into his Son of Satan attire before doing something which was pretty much unheard of close to 40 years ago, let alone in a Comics Code Authority approved book...</div>
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<i>"All I want to do... is <b>kiss </b>you. Do not <b>resist </b>me, brother... you <b>cannot</b>..."</i></div>
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Ahhh. Siblings kissing. </div>
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Not even <i>Ultimates vol. 3 </i>was quite this graphic about the physical relationship between Quicksilver and his sister Wanda... And that was written by Jeph Loeb! Still, Daimon was more concerned with the aftermath of the kiss: the loss of his soul. Satana claimed she'd already taken it, as she mockingly clasped the ethereal butterfly meant to represent a person's lifeforce. Luckily for Hellstrom, this was just a dream. </div>
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Arriving in Los Angeles, Daimon was a little surprised to see who had come to pick him up: Gloria Hefford. But isn't she supposed to be...? Nah, no worries, she had a perfectly good explanation for her father's frantic writings... It's all Satana's fault!</div>
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<i>"She has this weird power over <b>men</b>, like they were her <b>slaves </b>or something"</i></div>
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This is enough to convince Daimon his sister is the one behind Gloria's corruption, not to mention the murder spree that has plagued the city over the last fortnight. Tracking her to a local cemetary, the Son of Satan went forth to confront the succubus. Who denied all of Gloria's claims...</div>
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<i>"You killed the man and you took his <b>soul</b>... <b>And now you're going to pay!</b>"</i></div>
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Usually, the brother and sister inheritors of hell were too evenly matched for one to overwhelm the other. But this night, much to his own amazement, Daimon was smarter, faster and stronger. He managed to overcome Satana's power before doing the unthinkable...</div>
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<i>"I didn't <b>want </b>to kill her... but... I had... <b>no choice</b>. <br />It was as if someone... some<b>thing</b>... <b>made </b>me do it."</i></div>
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And that someone, or rather: thing, was Gloria Hefford. As Hellstrom discovered after he was knocked out by her powers and he came to, bound to a sacrificial altar, ready to be slain as Gloria's twelfth victim. </div>
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Or, to be fair, it wasn't really Gloria anymore. Kthara was the one responsible for the letter that summoned Daimon and she used her powers to influence his dreams on the plane, adding more lies to the mix when she picked him up from the airport. <br />
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But let's have Kthara explain all that ánd the big plan behind this entire ruse herself...<br />
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<i>"<b>Twelve </b>men have I <b>slain</b>, Lord Daimon... <b>You </b>are the <b>last</b>... With your <b>death</b>, the spell is <b>complete</b>... and <b>no power </b>on Earth can <b>shatter </b>it!"</i></div>
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Boy, 70s writers sure loved to emphasize their scripts with bold font, didn't they? Anyhoo, before Kthara could K'kill Daimon, the ritual was disrupted by Satanna who had mysteriously survived her brother's supposedly lethal hellfire onslaught. Kthara, proving her title as the mother of all demons, summoned a bunch to keep Satanna and Daimon occupied but the siblings of sin proved too strong and soon made their way to her anyway.</div>
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Daimon, in an attempt to earn his keep as an exorcist, tried to banish Kthara outright with a variation on the good ol' <i>"The power of Christ compels you"</i>-bit... But she wasn't having any of that...<br />
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<i>"<b>I </b>can stop you, Kthara. I <b>can</b>... and I <b>will</b>. Basilisk, I <b>summon </b>thee..."</i></div>
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'Basilisk'? Surely, you don't mean...?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA07wej4K-3TzoaVk-GFiY-fv80YZBqLu2pDAa_kZV-99CxrVTXAz9hW6DDcsUgTgBvs6OMGQIwdHpg33ks13HgE1gmt9bkVluoNUr4b9SglbtnVNhY1TsEmQZyJlYZJ8gtPOQi8-KKpk/s1600/Basilisk.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA07wej4K-3TzoaVk-GFiY-fv80YZBqLu2pDAa_kZV-99CxrVTXAz9hW6DDcsUgTgBvs6OMGQIwdHpg33ks13HgE1gmt9bkVluoNUr4b9SglbtnVNhY1TsEmQZyJlYZJ8gtPOQi8-KKpk/s400/Basilisk.png" width="221" /></a></div>
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No, not <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilisk_(comics)" target="_blank">Basil Elks</a> but Basilik...</div>
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In fact, Basilisk is the name of a powerful demon that hell lord Mephisto grafted on to Satana's soul right after turning her into a succubus. Basilisk can be summoned to do whatever Satana needs him to do. But the use of the demon's services slowly corrupts her.<br />
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Considering it makes for a pretty lightshow, not the worst of trade-offs...<br />
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<i>"The </i><i><b>Basilisk </b>is free, <b>ravening </b>out from Satana's <b>soul </b>to strike at Kthara and <b>smash her down</b>... to rend her body and <b>ravage </b>her <b>soul</b>... and drag her, <b>screaming</b>, back to <b>hell</b>."</i></div>
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So, the threat of Kthara ends to the apparent anything-but-deus ex machina that is the Basilisk. But as Daimon Hellstrom approaches his sister to congratulate her, she is in no mood.</div>
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<i>"Cross my path again, brother, and I'll look on you and see a <b>cringing</b>, shivering, pitiful little <b>mortal man</b>... I'll <b>look </b>on you... and I will <b>take</b>... <b>your</b>... <b>SOUL!!!</b>"</i></div>
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Sheesh... </div>
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Still more civil than most of my family reunions, though...</div>
Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-34844684515544191942013-09-01T23:39:00.003+02:002013-09-01T23:39:53.511+02:00Maybe Mind Control Might Magikally Be But A Dream...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today's entry is an interesting one...<br />
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Chris Claremont left <i>New Mutants </i>after issue # 54. However, he was credited with the plot to issue # 63, by which time former editor Louise Simonson had been writing the teenage mutants for close a little under a year already. <br /><br />The tale touches on several then current storylines, like the apparent death of the X-men at the hands of Forge, and the changes within the New Mutants themselves. However, this still mainly feels like an inventory issue, a stock story that got dragged off the shelves to fill a hole in the schedule it really had no place filling.<br />
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Way back in <i>New Mutants # 21</i>, the team had a slumber party that was rudely interrupted by the arrival of Warlock. In time, the techno organic alien would be a valiant teammate, but in his first appearance, he was perceived as a villain. Illyana Rasputin engaged the creature, but when she got infected with the technovirus, she retreated to Limbo, grabbing Kitty's petdragon Lockheed for safekeeping.<br /><br />
Near the end of that issue, she returned...<br />
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<i>"<b>Professor Xavier! </b>Boy, am I glad you're here.. Have <b>I </b>got a story to tell!"</i></div>
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However, Illyana and Chris never got around to telling that story... until <i>New Mutants # 63 </i>in which Kitty Pryde spotted the alien armor inside Illyana's closet and prodded her roomie to tell the story behind how she got it. Kitty's persuading turned into a little soft lesbian college dorm tickling fun, with some unexpected consequences...</div>
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After accidentally dropping into her brother's room while he was butt naked, Illyana started to wonder what was going on. After all, Kitty was still on Muir Island at the time, recovering from the injuries she received during her fight against the Marauders... and for all she knew, Peter had died with the other X-men. </div>
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Still, in an attempt to make sense of the odd situation Illyana decided to tell Kitty all about the where and how she got that strange alien armor. After briefly bringing up the aforementioned slumber party, Illyana revealed how she desperately tried to get rid of the technovirus infecting her form once she was in Limbo. Her struggle didn't go unnoticed by the many vicious and power hungry creatures there...</div>
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<i>"<b>Miststress... what you do to poor loyal Skunge...?"</b></i></div>
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Inadvertent mind control, that's gotta be a new one.<br /><br />Still, after catching her breath in timeless Limbo, Illyana decided to deal with the techno organic infection head on. She summoned the full power of her Belasco taught magics and performed what can best be described as an exorcism on herself. Exhausted, she teleported home via one of her light circles. And when she came to in her bedroom at Xavier's, everything seemed all right. Until she opened a random drawer and things went from bad to worse...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8T_yJIHN2vH4aDo6R_iRvt9VtrbBjK1uWmqIriWNAKb-T7DDUxvaVqHZ-CpEE4ub8On20x9zxAQBgeTenfatVR5qrSuKsCz6_i1mlW2IVb8OeqYZb7A1cVoRVcd0LQo2MbK8stGy78K8/s1600/The+X-men+don%2527t+know+Illyana+%2528New+Mutants+63%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8T_yJIHN2vH4aDo6R_iRvt9VtrbBjK1uWmqIriWNAKb-T7DDUxvaVqHZ-CpEE4ub8On20x9zxAQBgeTenfatVR5qrSuKsCz6_i1mlW2IVb8OeqYZb7A1cVoRVcd0LQo2MbK8stGy78K8/s400/The+X-men+don%2527t+know+Illyana+%2528New+Mutants+63%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"I'm <b>Illyana Rasputin</b>, Peter's little sister! Don't you know me?"</i></div>
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As it turned out, the X-men really didn't know her... Even Kitty and Peter are totally unaware of her. Shocked, Illyana realises her unreliable teleportation powers might have stranded her in yet another alternate reality... It's not like it <a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.nl/2013/08/the-karma-conundrum-part-ii-mind.html" target="_blank">never</a> happened <a href="http://before./">before</a>.</div>
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They also never heard of Lockheed, thinking Illyana meant the X-men's plane when she asked where he was. Even worse: she couldn't simply teleport away, something was blocking her abilities... and to add insult to injury, these X-men decided to lock her in her room until Professor Xavier could figure out what to make of her...Illyana wasn't planning on waiting that long...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQWxLyQHrGYX4tH86lzfMlqDA0VZNcmBXWBpRRDNKZ5J-gg2S0vI4LolKDexgUUuDaHHp1T3m1zB3rPBiqyNFFZxXnLAn6cqDRYybNfRSlk6ibwK6AQSy4e0U_NdAfxQ3TBs_3bcUE2A/s1600/Illyana+meets+Lockheed+again+%2528New+Mutants+63%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQWxLyQHrGYX4tH86lzfMlqDA0VZNcmBXWBpRRDNKZ5J-gg2S0vI4LolKDexgUUuDaHHp1T3m1zB3rPBiqyNFFZxXnLAn6cqDRYybNfRSlk6ibwK6AQSy4e0U_NdAfxQ3TBs_3bcUE2A/s400/Illyana+meets+Lockheed+again+%2528New+Mutants+63%2529.jpg" width="350" /></a></div>
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The X-men overheard Lockheed's arrival, but the tiny dragon viciously attacked Colossus and Cyclops, before carrying off Illyana to safety. They both ran into the woods of the Xavier estate, while the X-men chased them. Illyana noticed how odd the team was behaving. Cyclops was clumsy at best with his optic blasts and why was Wolverine attacking her with a knife?</div>
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<i>"Lockheed, did you see that? <b>OUR </b>Wolverine wouldn't have been fazed by a steel <b>I-beam</b>! And why the knife? Why not use his claws? Hey... he doesn't <b>have </b>claws!"</i></div>
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Her musings were interruped by Lockheed, who spit a huge ball of flame that revealed a rather disturbing truth. Illyana hadn't teleported into an alternate reality, she was on board a giant spaceship that had an area set up as Xavier's school for gifted youngster. And judging from the size of the vessel, it has plenty of room for that sort of thing...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2cmubciBQqcyYGRf6SzIpqZI6z3K4u21ds_vz8ZI4LeQZfrmoqWG7GEAsi3rtM3EiAW8E41CA59O7pufrSkZnSsdTx6vHGk9pkG180m7hNLikUv-r37NSKvK2spS-ruH_HhzAf7lzdM/s1600/Illyana+on+board+the+giant+ship+%2528New+Mutants+63%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2cmubciBQqcyYGRf6SzIpqZI6z3K4u21ds_vz8ZI4LeQZfrmoqWG7GEAsi3rtM3EiAW8E41CA59O7pufrSkZnSsdTx6vHGk9pkG180m7hNLikUv-r37NSKvK2spS-ruH_HhzAf7lzdM/s400/Illyana+on+board+the+giant+ship+%2528New+Mutants+63%2529.jpg" width="373" /></a></div>
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<i>"I crept closer to the observation window... spun a chair aside when it blocked my view... <br />And came face to face with one of the <b>original inhabitants!</b>"</i></div>
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One thing, though... that original inhabitant was dead. Courtesy of that other presence on the observation deck...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtOSV_Rf4GrDTPa3w_w3oicxq1hzF5bFvUoPGX_OO957zrsSR4ayXVNaPOMVa3LViAqbwdTWm6hNxn86FlQNgtmiTPP3WGpzt6hQTYnX-9m3FSVky8XLhyphenhyphenQX2a0qFpn7XM5HWzWT-1ro/s1600/Illyana+meets+the+Brood+I+%2528New+Mutants+63%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtOSV_Rf4GrDTPa3w_w3oicxq1hzF5bFvUoPGX_OO957zrsSR4ayXVNaPOMVa3LViAqbwdTWm6hNxn86FlQNgtmiTPP3WGpzt6hQTYnX-9m3FSVky8XLhyphenhyphenQX2a0qFpn7XM5HWzWT-1ro/s400/Illyana+meets+the+Brood+I+%2528New+Mutants+63%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"At first, I thought <b>Magneto </b>was the villain. Then I recognized it... a Sleazoid! <br />The X-men had fought their kind before!"</i></div>
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Half paralyzed by the Brood's unexplained gunk spray, Illyana scrambled for safety while the Brood took on Lockheed... and found time to deliver some exposition...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMVfB7GGtlyRSG6pS2iOp3EDC4_55kVKhGjOGER0XUP9QmxikbyqYxUnYCd2_Jll1yZrJADkVqWe0fldBCSQVTvuO-mRfodQOsQ4aWtOy4voG_1ldp6OYcRbj_XZm5xJlmC_RPwe1aMh0/s1600/Illyana+meets+the+Brood+II+%2528New+Mutants+63%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMVfB7GGtlyRSG6pS2iOp3EDC4_55kVKhGjOGER0XUP9QmxikbyqYxUnYCd2_Jll1yZrJADkVqWe0fldBCSQVTvuO-mRfodQOsQ4aWtOy4voG_1ldp6OYcRbj_XZm5xJlmC_RPwe1aMh0/s400/Illyana+meets+the+Brood+II+%2528New+Mutants+63%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"And now, my dear, since you <b>are </b>Colossus' <b>sister</b>, <br />you, <b>too</b>, will make an excellent <b>host subject!</b>"</i></div>
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Instinctly using her powers to escape the Brood, Magik teleported herself away to the relative safety of a snowy glen. Here, she mastered the use of the energy weapon she'd taken from the deceased alien on the observation deck. Once confident in its use, Magik 'ported back to the ship, ready for action. When she realised the Brood had already left, she donned the dead alien woman's armor, just to be safe.<br /><br />The second Illyana got suited up, the X-men charged in, ready to take her into custody. She managed to evade them long enough to run into the Brood again, who was about to do what all Brood do best...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKdGw5Y7n_W0xvWpLHsztEhfTRHOx8bzgwumzUrH_MJdeWy2KuJeIxilJXEv6h4OZNslb6L2f8g-blhODyYNy8FnxV2C7QSCQBk8rN2HbAn_SQIjAwDoUgZVq_eLnNfDytVpodbzay9w/s1600/Lockheed+gets+injected+with+a+brood+egg+%2528New+Mutants+63%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKdGw5Y7n_W0xvWpLHsztEhfTRHOx8bzgwumzUrH_MJdeWy2KuJeIxilJXEv6h4OZNslb6L2f8g-blhODyYNy8FnxV2C7QSCQBk8rN2HbAn_SQIjAwDoUgZVq_eLnNfDytVpodbzay9w/s400/Lockheed+gets+injected+with+a+brood+egg+%2528New+Mutants+63%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"As the egg hatches within him, it will absorb all his knowledge, memories, abilities... and he himself will be... transformed... or perhaps I should say... subsumed into one of <b>us</b>!"<br />It's a fascinating process. Perhaps you'd care to <b>watch</b>?"</i></div>
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Turns out, Illyana wasn't... Fortunately, the Brood had plenty of other things to discuss and reveal...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGp50Vd4dmSXFgMmDTS2RwbkuFi4HTF1rE1PMh2BN1IhgBBoQfOLis4MGOoecpyS_G0R7QwRqzVyxWdqprJ_5RcA_oogBhajdR_hhMvkEkcNtros5qyX7Bgx3N494-xnGakgVvw4EIiiU/s1600/Brood+queen+tells+Illyana+about+the+cloned+X-men+%2528new+mutants+63%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGp50Vd4dmSXFgMmDTS2RwbkuFi4HTF1rE1PMh2BN1IhgBBoQfOLis4MGOoecpyS_G0R7QwRqzVyxWdqprJ_5RcA_oogBhajdR_hhMvkEkcNtros5qyX7Bgx3N494-xnGakgVvw4EIiiU/s400/Brood+queen+tells+Illyana+about+the+cloned+X-men+%2528new+mutants+63%2529.jpg" width="385" /></a></div>
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<i>"I found this ship, slaughtered its crew, cloned adult X-men, altered their memories and injected them with the eggs! You see, they are under my influence! They think *I* am their adored mentor..."</i></div>
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So, that's the Brood's big plan. The actual X-men might have defeated the embryos implanted in them by the Brood queen, it's always a possibility to clone the team and infect them. A host body's a host body, after all... right?<br /><br />Unfortunately for the Brood, the cloned X-men overhead his ranting as they came in chasing after Illyana... With the enchantment broken, they were in no mood to aid their 'professor Xavier'. After an entertaining struggle, Lockheed kills the 'Xavier Brood' with a fire blast, but the survivors were still feeling pretty guilty...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rg9kkb4bYEz95ZFfsazBh2rwEHsy3IIuvOBP8H2Pp5qL-B5RAT4qqTJHaXmYF6lgEdL2atJRAL4TWRSOeLvadvHUvSkM-VWLyKtnX1iW4K8qzBY5Ktdjbm-ycjO5c1Bv89vkbZcr1tQ/s1600/Illyana+cures+the+Brood+infected+cloned+X-men+%2528New+Mutants+63%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rg9kkb4bYEz95ZFfsazBh2rwEHsy3IIuvOBP8H2Pp5qL-B5RAT4qqTJHaXmYF6lgEdL2atJRAL4TWRSOeLvadvHUvSkM-VWLyKtnX1iW4K8qzBY5Ktdjbm-ycjO5c1Bv89vkbZcr1tQ/s400/Illyana+cures+the+Brood+infected+cloned+X-men+%2528New+Mutants+63%2529.jpg" width="345" /></a></div>
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<i>"We were hypnotized... he made us believe he was our teacher... our <b>friend</b>!"</i></div>
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Even worse, Cy-clone-ops... he also implanted an embryo deep inside all of you. So do try and say hello to that tiny Brood baby just waiting to hatch and take over. Wolverine is ready to die to keep the rest of humanity safe, begging Magik to finish him and the others, but the mistress of Limbo has a better idea...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rKtHVqyiQ0xKrdSC74mhMS8lZuTAdp6EsPezovh-5P1l2zHK1xDG6ANImkgGZlXH9YAR0Zjl9wNUzFZhypfcPaAmfyQF6ST7p7N1YbZDuZPoLKoxJGz7DT54kmTESyNbQoRnNbEWW5k/s1600/Illyana+cures+the+Brood+infected+cloned+X-men+II+%2528New+Mutants+63%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rKtHVqyiQ0xKrdSC74mhMS8lZuTAdp6EsPezovh-5P1l2zHK1xDG6ANImkgGZlXH9YAR0Zjl9wNUzFZhypfcPaAmfyQF6ST7p7N1YbZDuZPoLKoxJGz7DT54kmTESyNbQoRnNbEWW5k/s400/Illyana+cures+the+Brood+infected+cloned+X-men+II+%2528New+Mutants+63%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"I swung it with all my <b>might</b>... and the darkness faded and there was only the light."</i></div>
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So, Illyana's soulsword, specifically designed to be ineffective against material objects, is able to perform an instantaneous multiple abortion of sorts? And what about Wolverine's healing factor? Shouldn't that have taken care of the embryo?<br /><br />After exorcising the Brood embryos, Magik soon found herself back in her own proper time and place... presumably popping up during the aforementioned scene in <i>New Mutants # 21</i>. But after hearing this story, Kitty really wanted to try Illyana's alien armor on...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklvz7BQCUT8zvyi4EO1yhlBwMhaLpqFkLiajuVaceUXRZoeqrmmc2GG2duC22NhrJ-sHG1TgU1wHbxhUH-p-uX9XrMqoEZCUaC0n_p-cOu07lDaubAYIUI0Axe89Tb4Jq-lGADuEU15s/s1600/NewMutants%23063-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklvz7BQCUT8zvyi4EO1yhlBwMhaLpqFkLiajuVaceUXRZoeqrmmc2GG2duC22NhrJ-sHG1TgU1wHbxhUH-p-uX9XrMqoEZCUaC0n_p-cOu07lDaubAYIUI0Axe89Tb4Jq-lGADuEU15s/s400/NewMutants%23063-24.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>
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So that's it... Illyana used her magics to engage in a little mind control of her own, changing the thoughts and memories of the cloned X-men so they'd eventually develop their own seperate identities, no longer restricted by their genetic mold like most other clones.<br /></div>
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Keeping the armor as a memento of a rather special adventure, Illyana returned with Lockheed in time to grace the closing pages of <i>New Mutants # 21</i>. After that, Claremont spends the closing pages of the issue with Illyana and Kitty discussing Magik's caper, while Kitty wore hér armor... <br /><br />And then, Illyana woke up.<br /><br />Yup... the space adventure against the Brood had been nothing but a dream inside Illyana's bigger dream of being with her absent best friend, deceased brother and the other X-men. A very understandable desire, but this story simply doesn't seem like the right vehicle to tell this.<i><br /><br />New Mutants # 63 </i>was cover dated May 1988, but for it to have real impact it should have been published at least 3.5 years earlier. That way, this rather interesting tale about a band of cloned X-men running a planet size starship would be in continuity... and not a dream. It also doesn't make sense, because # 21, in which the armor first debuted, ís still in continuity which means there's quite the mystery left to explain...</div>
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<br />And no, Marvel editors, don't be too smart for your own good. While this might be the 80s and the X-men *did* die in Dallas... It'll be a cold day in hell before anyone buys someone coming out of the shower to tell Illyana it was all a bad dream...</div>
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... No, not even Bobby 'Iceman' Drake.</div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-16232267092251504432013-08-31T20:27:00.000+02:002013-09-16T02:13:18.478+02:00Of Malleable Moles & Terminable Body & Soul Control...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today's entry focuses on Chris Claremont's late 90s <i>Fantastic Four </i>run.<br />
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Claremont's tenure on the book is quite interesting, least of all because he was never supposed to be writing the title after Marvel relaunched it in the wake of the <i>Heroes Reborn </i>fiasco. Nope, it ws up to Scott Lobdell and Alan Davis to tell the tales of Marvel's first family... and they did. </div>
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For three whole issues.<br />
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Just why Lobdell and Davis were removed from the book has never been revealed. Most likely, a falling out or editorial spat can be blamed. Fact remained: Scott & Alan were gone and the double sized fourth issue of <i>Fantastic Four </i>needed to be written. Chris Claremont, working on staff at the time, stepped in and picked up the slack while also using several of the ongoing storylines. After all, issue # 3 ended with an imminent threat to Mole Man and all of Subterranea...<br />
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<i>"<b>Attend </b>to me, my <b>mindless minions!"</b></i></div>
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Seeing that Danny DeVito lookalike halfnaked and without his trademark glasses is worth the 1.99 cover price alone. So, something was hiding in the dark, secretly claiming Mole Man's faithful servants. Wonder who it could be?</div>
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<i>"While I couldn't <b>care less </b>about your domination of the <b>surface world</b>, know this... I will fight you with my <b>dying breath</b> in order to <b>protect my people!</b>"</i></div>
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An impressive speech and an even more impressive choice to keep the identity of this mystery villain under wraps. Makes you want to rush out and buy the next issue to find out who it is we're dealing with... That is, unless you read the 'next issue' promo blurb and find out who the baddie is. And no, it isn't the Silver Surfer... Or Alicia Masters.</div>
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Working from Lobdell's established storylines, Claremont dutifully penned #4, which saw the Silver Surfer and his companion Alicia seek out the Fantastic Four's help in tracking down the same threat the Mole Man had been facing underground. The Surfer guided the Fantastic Four to the source of the disturbing energy readings he had picked up... and it turned out to be in the middle of a small town in Canada, where the people behaved... oddly.</div>
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<i>"Could it be some form of <b>mind control</b>?"</i></div>
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Ha! Kudos for the self deprecation there, Chris. As it turns out, no, the citizens of Yorkton were in their right minds... But, being Canadian, they were ignoring their famous guests to be polite. Still, the local arm of the law did show up to get some answers... and to get some handy dandy additional exposition out of the way as well.</div>
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You can't help but admire Salvador Larroca's dutiful sense of filling the entire page. If the talking heads don't quite cover, just thrown in the logo. Whatever works, right? Also: kudos to Claremont for remembering that Ben Grimm worked as a (test)pilot before turning into the Thing. His explanation of radio beacon blindness is factual, informative and makes him seem like a well rounded character for a change.</div>
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In spite of the Surfer's temporary 'blindness', the story progresses when Mole Man comes stumbling out of the local church to greet his oldest adversaries. The usually grandiose ruler of Subterranea is remarkably subdued and as the FF follows him inside, they learn why...<br />
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The Moloids are suffering from a mysterious, seemingly lethal infection. The FF promise to help look for a cure, but before they can get to work the church is attacked by Terminus, an old foe of both the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. </div>
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Originally created by John Byrne to be a new type of Galactus-level threat, Terminus is a giant, planetary scavenger that raids an entire world's natural resources so it can sell it to the highest bidder. And this time around, Terminus is after more than gold, oil or uranium...<br />
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<i>"Fascinating. This incarnation of Terminus is some form of <b>composite </b>being... made up of the collective substance of <b>thousands </b>of individual Moloids!"</i></div>
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<i><br /></i>Sounds pretty awful, makes you wonder what... Oh, what's that, Reed? You have more to add? Well, go ahead then...</div>
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<i>"<b>Monster! </b>You're as <b>bad </b>as Terminus! You're <b>worse!</b> He may have <b>enslaved </b>my people... <br />but <b>you </b>treat them like <b>lab specimens</b>"</i></div>
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Standing around hearing his sworn enemy compare a creature comprised of your followers as 'something reminiscent of Clive Barker story' makes Mole Man mad. His people are more than lab specimens, or so he claims. That's actually a little rich, considering he's ruled the Moloids with an iron fist for years, caring very little about their survival...<br />
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Anyone remember when Mole Man and Kala planned to destroy the surface world using giant magma funnels in 1972's <i>Fantastic Four # 127</i>?<br />
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<i>"It is not <b>we </b>who labor on these shafts, but my beloved's selfless, nigh-mindless <b>Subterraneans</b>... Already, countless <b>thousands </b>of them have been consumed by accidentally escaping <b>flames </b>over the past few months."</i></div>
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But hey, I get how Mole Man might be affected by watching helplessly as his faithful servants were getting absorbed into the collective creature calling itself Terminus... Their hapless, numb features an ever present reminder he had failed them. Luckily, the Silver Surfer decided to use the power cosmic he's known for...</div>
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Terminus actually deemed himself the liberator of the Moloids... even though his idea of liberation was consuming their very mind and bodies. But that didn't prevent the Silver Surfer from using his powers to free the Moloids...<br />
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<i>"This <b>incarnation </b>of the behemoth has been laid to rest. <br />No trace of him remains along the Moloids."</i></div>
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So all's well that ends well... Back to underground enslavement, you Moloids you. Ya know ya love it! </div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-83287809855062535752013-08-25T14:12:00.000+02:002013-08-25T14:22:52.517+02:00The Karma Conundrum part V: The Big Blubbery Brain Breacher's Bee-zare Bye Bye<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In the fifth and final chapter of the Karma Conundrum, we're still dealing with <i>New Mutants # 34 </i>and the question on everyone's mind: what's been eating Karma? Or, better put: who's been eating as Karma?<br />
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The answer is provided by Magik and Warlock, who teleported into the past to get some answers. It turned out Karma had been taken over by Amahl Farouk, an evil telepath who once fought professor Xavier to the death and lost...Wait, wait, I'll have the kids do the talking, they're awfully good at it...<br />
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<i>"I have a plan. And <b>you </b>funnybunny, are the key! Consider it your chance to play the hero."</i></div>
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Funnybunny? Really? Following the masterplan of someone who talks like an eight year old girl just fills me with hope and confidence of a positive outcome. Still, Warlock agrees and they both teleport away to start planning the rescue of their teammates... They'd better hurry though...</div>
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<i>"You are the strongest, most stubborn of my toys.<br />Your spirit must therefore be the first to be tamed."</i></div>
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Man, the mental humiliation shtick is getting pretty tiresome. For a change of pace, Karma temporarily releases Storm so she can speak her own mind for the last time. After Ororo is done yelling obscenities at Farouk, yes she knew who he was straight away, Kar/mahl confirms and reveals the suspicions about how he survived ánd what he has planned for revenge...</div>
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Yup, the real Karma is still alive, trapped inside her own body. And after he's done reconfiguring Ororo and the New Mutants, they'll unwittingly serve as Charles Xavier's executioners. He'll never see it coming. A brilliant plan, really... speaking of brilliant strategists...</div>
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<i>"I don't want to end up like these mutants. So I accept."</i></div>
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Last time, we covered how Magik allied herself with Karma and now she wants to formalise their working relationship into a permanent partnership. Sealed with a handshake and a kiss. Only, Karma actually wanted to get close so she could possess Magik too. During their struggle, Illyana's light circles quietly teleport Storm and the other captives. How she can do that while fighting Karma? Simple... She's not exactly Illyana.</div>
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<i>"Bismallah... You are not <b>human</b>!"</i></div>
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Not human? Look who's calling the pot a disembodied mental entity.</div>
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Magik's ruse worked like, erm, magic... and teleporting Karma's victims to Limbo freed them from her possession. Reunited, the team attacked their former teammate who tried to do the whole mind control thingie again...<br />
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<i>"Look out, he's nabbed Rahne again"</i></div>
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Yeah, looks like... but when Dani Moonstar used her powers to scare Farouk with his biggest fears, she expected to see professor Xavier again, just like last time. Instead, she manifested an Vietnam war era American chopper raining bullets and death. Which meant one thing: Xi'an was in possession of her own body again. But where did Farouk go then?</div>
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Let the games begin...<br />
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<i>"Our suspicions have just been confirmed... Farouk <b>is </b>masquerading as one of us. He struck down the child because he feared her wolfen instincts might detect him."</i></div>
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Yeah, that makes sense... Unless you actually stop and wonder why if he was so afraid of Rahne, he didn't hide in her... Instead, he took up residence inside Storm. Or did he?</div>
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<i>"Come Farouk... face your slave. Instead of catching her by surprise when she was weak and wounded... let us see how formidable you truly are."</i></div>
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Dems fighting words, Xi'an... unfortunately, all those months imprisoned inside her own mind, had left Karma's mental self as bloated and ineffective as her physical form, as Farouk tried the same trick he did when he was inside her head: pacify Xi'an with all the extatic comfort she could wish for. And she almost gave in too, if not for Storm and the New Mutants who showed up... as bees.</div>
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Yes... truly bee-zare.</div>
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In spite of all that, Xi'an finally realises her own innerstrength and breaks out of her self imposed shell in an actually inspiring sequence. Restored and ready to fight, Karma makes short work of Farouk, transfering all the mental bulk she shed to his form and sending him on his way. Shocked, Farouk fled and sought refuge once again on the astral plane.<br />
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All's well that ends well, right?</div>
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<i>"I will not be his slave... better death than such a fate. Go, my friends... let the flames claim me."</i></div>
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Sheesh Karma, you're such a Debbie Downer sometimes... You just beat an aspect of the Shadow King... Mon dieu, that's reason enough to celebrate. Here, have a cookie, feel better. Or don't, cos, while her astral form shed the pounds, Karma's physical form was still morbidly obese after months of excessive indulgence in food and drink. Which is actually a nice way of showing the kids that victory doesn't necessarily include a happy end... or that there are no prices to be paid.</div>
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<i>"You have all earned a rest... and I know the perfect place. An island in the Aegean called Kirinos. There, for a time, you can be happy"</i></div>
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The Karma Conundrum ends with Storm setting up the events of the X-men and New Mutants <a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.com/2012/05/mind-control-asgard-style.html" target="_blank">adventures in Asgard</a> by taking them on a holiday to the Greek island of Kirinos... </div>
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And here's where we hit a bit of a snag in regard of Storm's presence in the story. As great a character she is, it becomes clear she's really just standing in for Charles Xavier. The Evil Karma storyline would have worked even better if Warlock had sought out the professor, after all he was the one Farouk was really after. <br />
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Ongoing storylines like the second <i>Secret Wars </i>and Charles' injuries after his mugging in <i>Uncanny X-men </i>most likely prevented the professor's presence. A shame, really... Having Illyana betray her mentor to Karma instead of Storm would have packed a real emotional gut punch. And heck, it becomes even more obvious Charles was meant to be there when Storm brought up Kirinos.<br />
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She'd never been there, it was Xavier who visited the island after returning from 'the war'. A fact he also revealed back in <i>Uncanny X-men # 117</i>. At the time, that war had to have been the 1950 - 1953 Korean conflict, but by the time <i>New Mutants # 34 </i>came out, it would have been Vietnam.<br />
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<i>"I went a little </i><b style="font-style: italic;">crazy</b><i>, then I became a nomad, </i><b style="font-style: italic;">bumming </b><i>around the mediterranean. Eventually, I came to the isle of Kirinos. The people there needed my </i><b style="font-style: italic;">help</b><i>... In return, they gave me the care and </i><i style="font-weight: bold;">love </i><i>I needed to burn the <b>psychic poison </b>out of my system."</i></div>
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It only makes sense that he'd take his traumatised students there, hoping Kirinos would do the same for them. </div>
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Let's see how that went...<br />
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<i>"<b>SEE </b>what that devil <b>Farouk </b>has done to me! I am a freak... un <b>monstre!</b>"</i></div>
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... Looks like there's a lot more to do on the island than just burning psychic poison. </div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-25460410466097998442013-08-24T14:20:00.001+02:002013-08-24T14:57:27.618+02:00The Karma Conundrum part IV: Pay No Attention To The Fez In The Corner<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In the fourth part of the Karma Conundrum, we finally reveal what's wrong with Xi'an Coy Manh. The cheerful, innocent former New Mutant turned into the bloated big brain of an evil operation, controlling countless minds as she pleased... Including those of her old teammates ánd Storm, who Karma seemed to have a particular interest in. <br />
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Which is odd, considering this is 1985 and Xi'an wouldn't come out as a lesbian until the early 2000s. Anyhoo, let's get on with it...<br />
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Only Warlock and Magik were able to escape her grasp... But there was a rather specific reason for that. Warlock's techno organic nature made him immune to Karma's possession, but Magik still teleported him to Limbo 'for safety reasons'. With him out of the way, she struck a deal of sorts with Karma, agreeing to be partners. To prove she was trustworthy, Magik delivered both Storm ánd Dani Moonstar into Karma's mind controlling hands.<br />
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Let's see how Warlock responded to this once Magik returned to Limbo in # 34...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTt6giHQLtvvt7_IuapmEFTUrgD9XAIq9nDbvXmd-10N7uHJuzuRqKbF8JA8LE65_nxqNOIhIpaW2lD3e8UT8D9vM3Ng_aBi9EjFeZnYVLeLULExgZUcF0damJRSZmgzvXoLNVtE_nRk/s1600/Warlock+is+ready+to+kill+Illyana+%2528New+Mutants+34%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTt6giHQLtvvt7_IuapmEFTUrgD9XAIq9nDbvXmd-10N7uHJuzuRqKbF8JA8LE65_nxqNOIhIpaW2lD3e8UT8D9vM3Ng_aBi9EjFeZnYVLeLULExgZUcF0damJRSZmgzvXoLNVtE_nRk/s400/Warlock+is+ready+to+kill+Illyana+%2528New+Mutants+34%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"So... if you want my life, take it. I do what you like. I won't even try to stop you."</i></div>
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No dear readers, Illyana didn't just get mind controlled by Warlock's rather piercing eyes. But her sincerity worked... Warlock refrained from killing her outright, instead he joined Magik in observing what Karma was up to with Storm and the New Mutants in club Pharaoh... <br />
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Courtesy of Illyana's scrying pool, we get these scenes...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBRK0cIRthYsV1K3zvEPDackvIg4iw3e43bB8vjWXE4hojKbjNn7TjAHfer8l62aoddWPXdwqQ5IgJzfZ2_iWaUyVtYP57POMdB2mXNDuU9L5egPwkp5Ff6qpRlz0HRVNXAHPjgyAG30/s1600/Karma+toys+with+Storm+I+%2528New+Mutants+34%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBRK0cIRthYsV1K3zvEPDackvIg4iw3e43bB8vjWXE4hojKbjNn7TjAHfer8l62aoddWPXdwqQ5IgJzfZ2_iWaUyVtYP57POMdB2mXNDuU9L5egPwkp5Ff6qpRlz0HRVNXAHPjgyAG30/s400/Karma+toys+with+Storm+I+%2528New+Mutants+34%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"Shall we find someone to play with, Ororo? A body to humiliate, a soul to savage?"</i></div>
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Storm desperately fought Karma's all too present mind control, threatening to break free on several occasions... But Karma always proved to be the stronger presence. A fact she liked to remind Ororo of by forcing to humiliate herself outright.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ580O4fXprVhxVOwJirWVDhzDCVUG5qN_jPERw5xhMqi5eXWtwAtuB9MzRqkYN2M1ZkwePCEcQOX1l0SfuRzkVUvjK65TCe1UfyCRWQH8AH2jS6ZEOmKaQlAT5fOJTKEXzzpTmepsPGY/s1600/Karma+toys+with+Storm+II+%2528New+Mutants+34%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ580O4fXprVhxVOwJirWVDhzDCVUG5qN_jPERw5xhMqi5eXWtwAtuB9MzRqkYN2M1ZkwePCEcQOX1l0SfuRzkVUvjK65TCe1UfyCRWQH8AH2jS6ZEOmKaQlAT5fOJTKEXzzpTmepsPGY/s400/Karma+toys+with+Storm+II+%2528New+Mutants+34%2529.jpg" width="358" /></a></div>
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<i>"My hooks are sunk too deep in you, windrider. Try as you might, you will not win. <br />See? I told you so. <br />Now, show these dear people how much you love me.</i></div>
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Nothing like a little foot fetish to compliment the already intense domination/groveling theme going on here. But Karma wasn't simply out to humiliate her and the New Mutants. If all the world's a stage, she wants everyone to be her puppets. As she reveals how her presence at the Paraoh nightclub will actually increase the number of people she will get to toy with...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1fNIk3DcF3eJhm_nZamvfTc6uDTIGcl3AZKKLLhtwOYBnKed0wo6VDvKCyatb7nzdTb_4IQ3eebo6EXltn0fVzAG1LxejIhEptppRnIhI1roDwJqYtm3dvSsi3wCMTBimaKsEZ7ltqw/s1600/Karma+and+her+new+customers+%2528New+Mutants+34%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1fNIk3DcF3eJhm_nZamvfTc6uDTIGcl3AZKKLLhtwOYBnKed0wo6VDvKCyatb7nzdTb_4IQ3eebo6EXltn0fVzAG1LxejIhEptppRnIhI1roDwJqYtm3dvSsi3wCMTBimaKsEZ7ltqw/s400/Karma+and+her+new+customers+%2528New+Mutants+34%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"I infect them with a taint they'll never be rid of. A corruption that will grow and grow until it rots their souls! Tee-hee-hee!"</i></div>
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Sheesh, and you thought the cover charge and a 4 drink minimum were a crime. Still, Karma had considerable trouble infecting all the customers to Pharaoh, which was known as the most wicked olace in all of Cairo. Y'see, Storm's exceptionally strongwilled and Karma has to fight to keep her in check. And that's simply no fun, so she decides to do this...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3N9yPHhfm51MXoNRb8uPmt-HrgJQqs0dyGNAgAMqfbicLGTSNWOcJ-J3_7HGswI0TDUuYwVQlO98RdoG3FRnDZ5rIZLKEkOQGsattNqivM5b1XxfnyTTHeegMnCvwE4_PIlFsZp0YeI/s1600/Karma+toys+with+Storm+III+%2528New+Mutants+34%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3N9yPHhfm51MXoNRb8uPmt-HrgJQqs0dyGNAgAMqfbicLGTSNWOcJ-J3_7HGswI0TDUuYwVQlO98RdoG3FRnDZ5rIZLKEkOQGsattNqivM5b1XxfnyTTHeegMnCvwE4_PIlFsZp0YeI/s400/Karma+toys+with+Storm+III+%2528New+Mutants+34%2529.jpg" width="366" /></a></div>
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<i>"Tonight, I shall psychically operate on your minds, permanently altering your personalities so that you will henceforth follow me willingly, without any more need of my possessing you. Does that please you, Ororo? Is it not, in fact, your heart's desire!"</i></div>
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So, Karma will use mind control to eliminate the need for mind control? Talk about making sense. But wait, did I say Karma? She jut said she's actually Charles Xavier's oldest, bitterest and deadliest foe. Man, quite the disguise... Guess Magneto's mastered more than just magnetism.</div>
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Actually, it's not Magneto... It's Amahl Farouk, from way back in <i>Uncanny X-men # 117. </i>A fact Illyana and Warlock discover when Illyana teleports them about twenty years into the past and they retroactively become part of that <i>Uncanny X-men </i>issue. They watch as Charles Xavier meets future X-man Storm as a child and celebrates at a local cafe by thinking a man to death. Hey, in Charles' defence, Farouk wás wearing a fez.<br />
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Here's the original scene by John Byrne...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZu4HOvPjlTiw7x-Nm9krq7lBnn7KSugOGT5b3LRDzBs0KPu9GLDa_S93HxrU716oaOVWNq-6yPnj4N0tBFPh1lIwDFEKq5eYjvG4mizhV8gFRf4hMG5KOGjWwKk0AbbKI3irmoPIsY8/s1600/Xavier+kills+Farouk+original+Byrne+%2528Uncanny+X-men+117%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZu4HOvPjlTiw7x-Nm9krq7lBnn7KSugOGT5b3LRDzBs0KPu9GLDa_S93HxrU716oaOVWNq-6yPnj4N0tBFPh1lIwDFEKq5eYjvG4mizhV8gFRf4hMG5KOGjWwKk0AbbKI3irmoPIsY8/s400/Xavier+kills+Farouk+original+Byrne+%2528Uncanny+X-men+117%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And this is Steve Leialoha's reinterpretation in <i>New Mutants # 34.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSFbtY7fF9OVQEGR1zyRMEF-1nWrnbzDvHKy4R9P0AbrO4DBBIL13ug2xpJxgIA1TlKOt9sH5aAzR7066Z7xBd2irk077v6B3lHOqTS46NzZvXyF1ygndDzYZGqkihUSla7lmyROkrLY/s1600/Xavier+kills+Farouk+%2528New+Mutants+34%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSFbtY7fF9OVQEGR1zyRMEF-1nWrnbzDvHKy4R9P0AbrO4DBBIL13ug2xpJxgIA1TlKOt9sH5aAzR7066Z7xBd2irk077v6B3lHOqTS46NzZvXyF1ygndDzYZGqkihUSla7lmyROkrLY/s400/Xavier+kills+Farouk+%2528New+Mutants+34%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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You'll note significant differences between the two. The cafe is totally different and Fahrouk's lady friends actually react relieved instead of shocked at his demise. Which might mean Illyana inadvertently teleported into an alternate reality... Or maybe Leialoha didn't have <i>Uncanny X-men # 117 </i>available for reference. </div>
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Either way, I'll lay-a-lowa on that one... Until the fifth and final part of the Karma Conundrum: The Big Blubbery Brain Breacher's Bee-zare Bye Bye<br />
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-71556652254564134802013-08-19T03:13:00.003+02:002013-08-24T14:57:39.752+02:00The Karma Conundrum Part III: Wouldn't It Be Easier To Simply List Who Doesn't Get Mind Controlled?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When we last left the New Mutants, they'd been trying to track down and capture their former teammate Karma... For the longest time, Xi'an Coy Manh was presumed dead after she disappeared during a fight with Viper and the Silver Samurai.<br />
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Professor Xavier told a whopper of a white lie when he claimed he wasn't able to tell she had survived and went about business as usual... Turns out Karma was very much alive ánd possessed, which is ironic considering her mutant powers allowed her to take over anyone's mind. <br />
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As a victim of this unnamed entity, she gained a tremendous amount of weight ánd augmented powers. The new Karma effortlessly controlled dozens of people, using them as playthings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnD_wnh8nJUX_jf2LFV6VGEvNVTOHGIcbuBiVuhforC14OJ2jHqVzliHk7wsTftovvKVLXQ1fo390W05Xv4Vn671JQI7AsCw7o-hioav18KKiTqh9FEr6xdin5AQ3Di72HKAwSFLvhCQA/s1600/New+Mutants+033-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnD_wnh8nJUX_jf2LFV6VGEvNVTOHGIcbuBiVuhforC14OJ2jHqVzliHk7wsTftovvKVLXQ1fo390W05Xv4Vn671JQI7AsCw7o-hioav18KKiTqh9FEr6xdin5AQ3Di72HKAwSFLvhCQA/s400/New+Mutants+033-01.jpg" width="312" /></a></div>
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Unaware of this power upgrade, the New Mutants barged into Karma's headquarters and attacked. Only Magik and Moonstar managed to escape Karma's mind control. After some adventures we covered last time, they met up with Storm and Warlock, their fellow New Mutant, in Cairo. Here, the beyond pleasantly plump Karma had taken over nightclub Pharaoh where she entertained.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbTjYGkxuJbyf78Gkv7GsdYGvPF2PPe1QSAxZZIMnNcVfcq2-lyH3-hLiZpcLEdrVPcs7VfII09JjthN6ennhPWiBNbJiH33r8zLPWcphJfrMeJ6VemoygrrO3enD98yrjLr92DDf33g/s1600/Karma+messes+with+a+young+couple+I+%2528New+Mutants+33%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbTjYGkxuJbyf78Gkv7GsdYGvPF2PPe1QSAxZZIMnNcVfcq2-lyH3-hLiZpcLEdrVPcs7VfII09JjthN6ennhPWiBNbJiH33r8zLPWcphJfrMeJ6VemoygrrO3enD98yrjLr92DDf33g/s400/Karma+messes+with+a+young+couple+I+%2528New+Mutants+33%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"Shall we then </i><b style="font-style: italic;">play </b><i>with them, my pets?"</i></div>
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And play they did... Karma's power had been intensified to such a degree that everyone she possessed became a part of her... up to the point she was able to manifest her mind control through them. So, when Cannonball approached the couple, he (or rather Karma) was able to do this.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysIzvMoSXLEk83XFq2vc3xp5bTI1e6hJ_PsXqCsVaOMLNhFIUxg_gTozpErTpvj_ZBaHmHwvd6rFGe6DlmgDgdtSAQc3vrUHNpEfROaOSOR-0rlZEkK3_oyZ6yQlnE8Zs4Qn7yg-7pGg/s1600/Karma+married+couple+II+%2528New+Mutants+33%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysIzvMoSXLEk83XFq2vc3xp5bTI1e6hJ_PsXqCsVaOMLNhFIUxg_gTozpErTpvj_ZBaHmHwvd6rFGe6DlmgDgdtSAQc3vrUHNpEfROaOSOR-0rlZEkK3_oyZ6yQlnE8Zs4Qn7yg-7pGg/s400/Karma+married+couple+II+%2528New+Mutants+33%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"<b>Ha</b>! The poor man doesn't know I possess his lovely bride. As I do Sam Guthrie and his fellow New Mutants. The tramp is little more than a <b>puppet</b>."</i></div>
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Karma apparently feeds off more than fast food...She also snacks on the emotional misery she causes, enjoying the anxiety of the husband who has to watch his wife jumping in the arms of another man. Not to mention the eventual horror of the woman when the possession ends and all she can remember is how easily she cheated on the man she'd only just promised to be eternally faithful to... </div>
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<i>"Wonderful! I've inflicted the kind of wound that rarely ever heals. Their love will turn irrevocably into something foul... which will... in time, with luck... utterly destroy them." </i></div>
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Big ol' Karma isn't allowed too much time to revel in her latest psychic scarring... Because a very familiar face enters the Paraoh Nightclub, ready to confront the malicious mental mistress & her mutant minions... And all she has is a walking stick. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9F5Qv9SbpFTlh4KbCNcYhx2xU7JXjIa8Euvq1gkc4c95vtPSDtddpIsCCc5OZ-cSAVCYzOclo5_jLuBkSqyIrjqTN138GSK22fuQ99jSQvG_HGHSOinfpB84pDBTbGIWLppKvOIZkuQ/s1600/Storm+comes+to+free+the+New+Mutants+%2528New+Mutants+33%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9F5Qv9SbpFTlh4KbCNcYhx2xU7JXjIa8Euvq1gkc4c95vtPSDtddpIsCCc5OZ-cSAVCYzOclo5_jLuBkSqyIrjqTN138GSK22fuQ99jSQvG_HGHSOinfpB84pDBTbGIWLppKvOIZkuQ/s400/Storm+comes+to+free+the+New+Mutants+%2528New+Mutants+33%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"I crave the wind-rider's heart, pets... bring it to me."</i></div>
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Storm, ladies and gentlemen, is bad ass... Even without her weather control powers, she stands up to against Karma's New Mutants and manages to hold her own until Magik teleports in the others... like Dani Moonstar who uses her psychic link with Wolfsbane to talk some sense into the mind controlled Rahne Sinclair... A clever plan, but it backfired somewhat....</div>
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<i>"<b>NO! </b>Can't break contact, Karma won't let me! Head aching... <br />feel Karma's influence growing... trying to resist..."</i></div>
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Due to the struggle between Moonstar and Karma, Wolfsbane gained enough freedom to revert to her human form... which severed the psi-link between herself and both Dani and Karma. Free to act, Dani Moonstar used her mutant abilities to manifest one's worst fear to create a diversion. Wanna guess who Karma's worst fear or biggest enemy is? </div>
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No silly, it's not the threat of starvation as a Vietnamese boat refugee, or the cruelty of her uncle, general Ngoc Nguyen... let alone having to absorb her evil twin brother during her first appearance... Nope, her biggest fear tuns out to be the man who showed her nothing but kindness since day one: Charles Xavier.<br />
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Still, taking anything she could get, Moonstar uses the distraction to get Rahne and herself to safety... which isn't exactly an easy thing to do...<br />
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<i>"She's possessed everyone in the club! But how...?! There are so many... Karma never had such power, when I knew her she could barely manage two."</i></div>
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Moonstar and Wolfsbane managd to get out of Club Paroah (interesting typo) thanks to Warlock, who posed as a giant rug but instantly transformed himself into a getaway plane that brought them to Storm's place in downtown Cairo. There, free from Karma's influence, Rahne finally realised just what she's been through...</div>
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<i>"I feel... </i><b style="font-style: italic;">dirty </b><i>inside! The others... 'berto, Amara, Sam... They've become </i><i style="font-weight: bold;">evil! </i><i>Was <b>I </b>like that?!"</i></div>
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Bless Warlock's techno-organic heart for changing into a Disney character and yelling 'unimportant'. But it truly is an emotional scene for the god fearing Rahne who at this point still feels guilty for being a mutant... What if she finds out she was possessed and forced to kill? After all, Karma had the enthralled New Mutants slaughter the gladiators guarding her villa. </div>
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But Rahne and the others didn't get too much time to ponder the deeper consequences of Karma's mind control... Because the equally mind controlled Sunspot, Magma and Cannonball attacked Storm's hideout out of the blue and were ready to take care of business. In the midst of battle, Magik had a bit of an epiphany and teleported Dani Moonstar away...</div>
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<i>"Is this a peace offering, Illyana? Has self-preservation prevailed over your sense of loyalty to your fellow New Mutants? How charming..."</i></div>
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And Illyana was only getting started. By dropping Dani off to get mind controlled by Karma, she caused Wolfsbane to immediately fall under the same spell, because of their psychic bond. </div>
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But Magik was a bit too busy to realise that, as she stopped in Limbo to pick up her loyal pet demon S'ym and together they got back to the battlefield in Cairo where she snatched Warlock away to Limbo, ordering S'ym to take good care of the young Technarx during his stay in her realm...</div>
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Returning to Cairo, Illyana has a personal moment of doubt, fear and confusion in an abandoned alley, wondering if her plan would work or if she even did the right thing to begin with... When all of a sudden, Dani Moonstar and Wolfsbane turn up to make it even harder for Magik to answer that question...</div>
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<i>'I'm so pleased, I would much prefer having you as partner... rather than slave."</i></div>
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Karma, via Dani Moonstar, told Illyana they were very much alike... Kindred souls even, a thought that made Illyana shiver, thinking of how her own soul was tainted by evil and darkness. But that didn't stop her from pressing on, as she heard how Karma's New Mutants had finally found Storm and were moving in for the proverbial kill.</div>
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Much to Ororo's credit, she managed to beat back all of them with only her smarts, the aforementioned wooden walking stick and a bit of luck... Also, when Illyana showed up to rescue her, Storm willingly agreed, not knowing Magik had already made her decision...<br />
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<i>My collection is very neary complete."</i></div>
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Yup, Magik had picked Karma's side by delivering Storm into Xi'an's undoubtedly grease stained hands. Ororo was one of the biggest jewels in Karma's crown, for reasons only know to the entity that controlled her. But it wouldn't be a Claremont comic if the slave wasn't forced to humiliate him or herself for the master...</div>
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<i>"I humble myself before your majesty... and worship you with all my heart and soul."</i></div>
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And while Karma made Storm, the New Mutants and whoever happened to be around participate in her debasing games that would outgross the sickest of the sick, Karma's 'ally' Illyana observed via a scrying pool... </div>
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<i>"It's a big gamble... the risk is so great... and I'll only have the one chance."</i></div>
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Just how Illyana's plan will unfold, we'll see in the fourth part of <i>The Karma Conundrum</i>, but considering this was the clifhanger... you do the math.</div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-20514163632825217612013-08-17T23:28:00.001+02:002013-08-18T21:24:16.996+02:00The Karma Conundrum Part II: Mind Controling Madripoor<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When we last left the New Mutants, they had just discovered their former teammate Xi'an Coy Manh, better known as the mind controlling mutant Karma, was still alive. But more importantly: they also learned she had gained at least 300 pounds and was now an evil, shadowy crimelord involved in overeating and arena blood sports to the death.</div>
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...No really... <br />
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Bill Sienkiewicz managed to... flesh out... the new Karma quite well...<br />
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Vowing to stop Xi'an all by themselves out of a misplaced sense of teenage pride and honor, # 32 opened with Cypher telling the team he had hacked enough high level data networks to track Karma's whereabouts she was on the pacific island nation known as Madripoor.<br />
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En route, the New Mutants had a big discussion about just how trustworthy their mentor Charles Xavier had been all this time. After all, considering he's the world's most powerful telepath, shouldn't he have been able to pick up Karma's mental patterns, even after she went missing in the aftermath of <i>New Mutants # 6?</i><br />
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Sunspot is especially pissed off at the professor and he does have a point. Charles *did* sense Karma had survived ánd that she'd been contacted by a powerful, malevolent presence... and he did everything to withold that information from his students. Because, well... The boss'll tell you himself.<br />
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<i>"I am convinced Shan is alive... I would have 'felt' her death... but the entity that attacked her may strike again. If that happens, I want the New Mutants far away, out of danger."</i></div>
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In fact, that's why the professor sent the New Mutants on a 'holiday' to Brasil where they'd meet future New Mutant Magma and run into the ancient, mind controlling mutant sorceress Selene in Nova Roma... So, yeah Charles... Sending them to Brasil kept them safe alright. </div>
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Also: as the world's premiere telepathic mind, shouldn't Charles know that psychic attacks aren't necessarily limited by geographical distance? The astral plane connects everyone everywhere, all the time... With that in mind, wouldn't it make more sense to have your youngest, most vulnerable pupils near you so yo could immediately protect them from harm? <br />
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You'd think... But hey, sometimes professor Xavier can be a real jerk. Just ask Kitty Pryde.<br />
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And, most damning of all... Charles just sorta forgot about Karma. Sure, he would soon be struggling to learn how to walk again, the first Secret Wars were right around the corner, then he was scheduled for a mugging that left him near death, and right before he handed the school over to Magneto and moved to space, he was more than a little busy bonding with his long lost son Legion. </div>
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Still, was even a little memo in a file somewhere too much to ask? Karma was hired as Charles' secretary, so without her the paperwork would probably pile up, but there wasn't so much as a post it on the refrigerator. <i>"Out of milk... Investigate who corrupted Karma.... Tape Star Search, love Charles".</i><br />
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Anyhoo, the New Mutants used their time in Madripoor well. It was the first time they, or anyone else in comics, had been there, so Claremont took his time setting up the statu quo of the island. </div>
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Skipping that bit of exposition, suffice to say the team learned where Karma was holed up: a palace like compound guarded by technology ánd a contingent of gladiators from her arenas. The team made short work of both threats and entered the main villa, ready to take down and bring in their former teammate.<br />
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<i>"A moment is all Karma needs... to possess her. Or any of us."</i></div>
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More than profetic words, Dani... because as the panel already revealed... Wolfsbane wasn't quite herself any more. And that was just the beginning...</div>
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<i>'Guys... grab her, stop her... Oh... <b>NO!</b>"</i></div>
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Oh... Yes! In the old days, Karma could barely control a single person... but the new and improved evil incarnation was capable of doing so much more to so many people at the same time.</div>
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<i>"Karma's nailed them too"</i></div>
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Using Wolfsbane as a conduit for her mind control powers, Karma snatched Cannonball, Sunspot and Magma. Only Dani Moonstar remained, but the real Karma showed up for that special moment, cursing professor Xavier along the way... And again, who could blame her? Not óne rescue mission?</div>
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But just as you feel ready to side with her... she says stuff like this.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWSaoF7v0fVJ7qAii9-P6XGNKJhPvnnOno6q3Fo0jT1jnY6lzesWmfPa8UkOAEzETIDTZv1-IGYz-Mnqvb79Oy3YNOc6E9E5EUHBwO5PrvUdROsIATEsUN5RoEKK4KZqnsWgnprNoQfU/s1600/Karma+possesses+Wolfsbane+IV+%2528New+Mutants+32%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWSaoF7v0fVJ7qAii9-P6XGNKJhPvnnOno6q3Fo0jT1jnY6lzesWmfPa8UkOAEzETIDTZv1-IGYz-Mnqvb79Oy3YNOc6E9E5EUHBwO5PrvUdROsIATEsUN5RoEKK4KZqnsWgnprNoQfU/s400/Karma+possesses+Wolfsbane+IV+%2528New+Mutants+32%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"You and your friends are to be the instruments of my vengeance. Isn't that nice? <br />(...) once I've broken you to my will. I hope you resist. I want this to hurt."</i></div>
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Yet, right before Karma used her powers to bend Dani to her will, Magik popped in and teleported Moonstar to Limbo out of reach of Karma's possession powers. Ignoring for a second the question why Illyana didn't teleport the entire team to safety, the two girls planned their next move.</div>
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It was a surprisingly easy one: invade Karma's villa with Limbo demons, take her prisoner and let professor Xavier figure out what's wrong with her. Unfortunately, the second they returned to Madripoor, they discovered Karma hadn't only vanished with the New Mutants, she'd also used her mental control over them to force the kids to murder the gladiators guarding the compound. </div>
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<i>"Karma framed us!"</i></div>
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Cleverly placing the blame for the massacre on the New Mutants, Karma literally got away with murder. But Magik and an increasingly erratic, ticked off Moonstar retreated to Limbo once again, now deciding to scout Cairo, where Karma maintained a secondary base of operations according to Cypher's intelligence.</div>
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Magik's powers were still far from reliable... She got the where right, the when was an entirely different matter... They landed in ancient Egypt and were met by a remarkably familiar face. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguLBOxg0t4jtZTvmUS0v2A6f5ho5cQVBfgZuna1JctOycFS6bCpCYa92oO5seD9oabpOYM-Xquh1ziPX2pEjUazBxWyI8HzQJLUUNXbTNiGiAir5u8VPbRiPWLlhkbxqy-xChb3A0feBY/s1600/Ashake+pulls+Magik+and+Moonsta+towards+her+%2528New+Mutants+32%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguLBOxg0t4jtZTvmUS0v2A6f5ho5cQVBfgZuna1JctOycFS6bCpCYa92oO5seD9oabpOYM-Xquh1ziPX2pEjUazBxWyI8HzQJLUUNXbTNiGiAir5u8VPbRiPWLlhkbxqy-xChb3A0feBY/s400/Ashake+pulls+Magik+and+Moonsta+towards+her+%2528New+Mutants+32%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"Like you, Illyana, I walk the <b>shadow path</b>. When I sensed your kindred soul tumbling along the timerace, I drew you to me."</i></div>
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No, that's not Storm... It's actually Ashake, one of Ororo's forefathers and a powerful sorceress. All that magic must have some effect on DNA, because even over a millennium down the road all her female ancestors resemble her. Anyway, this was all part of one of Claremont's aborted plans. </div>
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He wanted Storm to discover and develop her latent magical skills, which would helped compensate the loss of her weather control powers in <i>Uncanny X-men </i>at the time.<br />
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It was a plan years in the works... After all, the elderly Ororo seen in 1982's <i>Uncanny X-men # 160 </i>was a powerful mage as well. So all this was little more than build up and place setting... that went nowhere. <br />
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After catching their breath in the Egypt of old, the girls continued their trek, but now they ended up at least a decade in, from their perspective, the future. They also met their old teammates...<br />
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<i>"So young an' fresh... an' innocent. But we can soon change that... one way or the other.<br />Ya'll going to join us, cuties..."</i></div>
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Illyana teleported Dani and herself away, claiming upon arrival that she was sure she at last got the time right... Wow, I suppose even a broken clock is right at least once a day. Still, the two girls were getting desperate when it dawned on them they had no idea or means how to stop Karma. Luckily, help was on the way...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGsrmrOFRXz_XpZ49tFIasDLHfns0MFPLEUMb8dePZfTKtHQu_FXO5sH2T3gphrFjN29EXdE-OOqDU80i6lG9Te1SyFC1-Bmqxpk5yzAaiDZtJ7AR-5SHGpfRHzuYKLN83ZCZ8m-U4ic/s1600/Storm+is+here+to+save+the+day+I+%2528New+Mutants+32%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGsrmrOFRXz_XpZ49tFIasDLHfns0MFPLEUMb8dePZfTKtHQu_FXO5sH2T3gphrFjN29EXdE-OOqDU80i6lG9Te1SyFC1-Bmqxpk5yzAaiDZtJ7AR-5SHGpfRHzuYKLN83ZCZ8m-U4ic/s400/Storm+is+here+to+save+the+day+I+%2528New+Mutants+32%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"I know something of your foe."</i></div>
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I'll say.</div>
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But let's not get ahead of ourselves. When Karma was busy taking over the New Mutants, Warlock realised he was immune to her mind control powers and fled. The frantic, young techno organic alien was able to find Storm, who upon losing her mutant gifts, was in Africa on a journey of self discovery. The two of them travelled to Cairo because Warlock's sensors picked up the fact Dani and Illyana would be there...<br />
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That's all well and good, if you ignore the fact that Magik's teleportation powers work instantaneously. So Warlock would have had seconds to pick up her light circle ánd transport himself and Storm to the exact spot Illyana'd arrive at. Pretty neat trick... Ah well, let's rely on the suspension of disbelief some more and wrap this post up...<br />
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<i>"The creature is a match for the best of heroes, far deadlier than you could ever be."</i></div>
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Talk about a rousing pep talk... Still, Storm wasn't too wrong as we'll see in part III of <i>The Karma Conundrum: Wouldn't It Be Easier To Simply List Who Doesn't Get Mind Controlled?</i></div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-11189664690693829902013-08-13T14:45:00.000+02:002013-08-13T22:35:12.643+02:00The Karma Conundrum part I: Xi'Ain't Coy About Mind Control...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs079W-A_oa2bd88JEyyJiehAudE4qd3aWyuW_ljQ25UI2UaNCUX3y_RjGHkfFUwlBlthmKro4c9DX9FP5Yr5sqsYtCtD30G_HSnAR9RK-uvYg3Cy0VojO7fm7jE2ZcyKFsrWYSj_zzS4/s1600/new_mutants_v1_031_00_rougher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs079W-A_oa2bd88JEyyJiehAudE4qd3aWyuW_ljQ25UI2UaNCUX3y_RjGHkfFUwlBlthmKro4c9DX9FP5Yr5sqsYtCtD30G_HSnAR9RK-uvYg3Cy0VojO7fm7jE2ZcyKFsrWYSj_zzS4/s400/new_mutants_v1_031_00_rougher.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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Every comic book writer has a signature storyline that defines their run on a title. The Masters of Evil invading Avengers mansion was probably the hallmark of Roger Stern's <i>Avengers</i>. Frank Miller's greatest <i>Daredevil </i>tale is arguably 1986's <i>Born Again</i>... and when it comes to <i>New Mutants</i>, Chris Claremont had the Karma Conundrum, better known as <i># 29 - 34.</i></div>
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And, this being a Claremont comic, it involved a truckload of mind control.</div>
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For those of you not in the know... 'Karma' was actually the former Vietnamese boat refugee Xi'an Coy Manh... An original Claremont creation first appearing in<i> </i>1980's <i>Marvel Team Up # 100 </i>in which she used her mind control powers to keep both Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four at bay. At the end of that particular issue, she was relegated to Charles Xavier where this initially one-off character became a charter member of the New Mutants.</div>
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But Karma wasn't exactly a mainstay of the team... Back in <i>New Mutants # 6</i>, right in the middle of the New Mutants' fight against Viper and the Silver Samurai, she was shocked and surprised when professor Xavier's mental manifestation changed into something intent on consuming her.<br />
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<i><b>"Xi'an Coy Manh... I have come to claim you... body and soul... forever!"</b></i></div>
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And so it did... Possessed, Karma seemingly perished when she dropped into the ocean along with most of Viper's cliffside headquarters. The team searched for several days, but in the end professor Xavier declared Xi'an dead and ordered the team home. That was # 6, and close to two years no one gave Karma a second thought... until <i>New Mutants # 29 </i>hit the stands.</div>
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<i>"Alert the Gladiators. We have most special guests. I want them given a show they will never forget. It will end with their <b>joining </b>us!"</i></div>
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Confused yet? Don't be... the Gladiators mentioned by the shadowy figure, are a band of super powered (mutant)creatures who make a living competing against one another in bloodsport type arena combat. Dazzler and Henry 'the Beast' McCoy first encountered this modern day 'blood and circuses' enterprise back<i> </i>the <i>Beauty & The Beast </i>miniseries. But the arena had obvious ties with the Hellfire Club, as this scene from <i>New Mutants # 28 </i>proves...</div>
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<i>"I only wish I could be there to see them slaughter each other in your arena."</i></div>
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Here we have<a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.nl/2012/08/empathically-emphasizing-mind-control.html" target="_blank"> disgraced Hellion Empath</a> messing with the New Mutants by bringing both Sunspot and Magma to the attention of the Arena. When professor Xavier was over on Muir Island dealing with<a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.nl/2013/07/legion-lost-part-i-charles-xavier-you.html" target="_blank"> his son Legion</a>, Roberto and Amara were kidnapped by Arena henchmen... This had the remaining New Mutants all up in arms in # 29, with a little help from Dazzler.</div>
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Unfortunately for continuity, <i>Secret Wars II </i>literally broke in when Magneto lifted the dome off the arena and gathered the New Mutants so they could appear in the crossover to fight the Beyonder. Sunspot and Magma were blackmailed to stay behind, which gave the others something to do once their obligatory crossover involvement was done.</div>
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The unlikely team of Cannonball, Dazzler, Kitty Pryde, Magik and Rachel Grey were off to rescue them. Now what does all this have to do with a deceased New Mutant? Well, the Arena was run by a man called Alexander Flynn who claimed he was Doctor Doom's bastard son. But he wasn't exactly in charge any more, as Kitty Pryde found out when she was mind controlled, stuffed inside a giant medieval killer robot (yes, I know) and forced to fight the New Mutants in the arena...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fkVywvns1WZ3opYmkAtK7nE32hZzKms5rzFbI5s6RMpPfA8jKsPhBIuPRGS8UUJYVai21Bw7k2lTKN7oAHUeai60emXhAd8cpG6s8JJ_uADxfyrp3teaP8S0RXprsEfEdwgSd4F2QGI/s1600/evil+robot+kitty+pryde+in+the+arena+%2528new+mutants+30%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fkVywvns1WZ3opYmkAtK7nE32hZzKms5rzFbI5s6RMpPfA8jKsPhBIuPRGS8UUJYVai21Bw7k2lTKN7oAHUeai60emXhAd8cpG6s8JJ_uADxfyrp3teaP8S0RXprsEfEdwgSd4F2QGI/s400/evil+robot+kitty+pryde+in+the+arena+%2528new+mutants+30%2529.jpg" width="350" /></a></div>
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God, you gotta love comics from the days of the Comics Code Authority... An institution that insisted giant red skulled killer robot savages had to cover their genitals, so put him in a metal loincloth already...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtr2gUzeSQwu-EzlzgiqsRYAXztYWmoc3eE2nmmQD_MB3XXkYas6OY7Cf4Xi0idWal0fqXA6vAnVGsaofWDp1eF8EHWvs_c1LudU4DYejqldMtW-Z_9Zw-7ScdAG9xlNHePCzCTV1K2SQ/s1600/Karma+mind+controls+Shadowcat+into+a+robot+%2528New+Mutants+30%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtr2gUzeSQwu-EzlzgiqsRYAXztYWmoc3eE2nmmQD_MB3XXkYas6OY7Cf4Xi0idWal0fqXA6vAnVGsaofWDp1eF8EHWvs_c1LudU4DYejqldMtW-Z_9Zw-7ScdAG9xlNHePCzCTV1K2SQ/s400/Karma+mind+controls+Shadowcat+into+a+robot+%2528New+Mutants+30%2529.jpg" width="380" /></a></div>
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<i>"The X-man is proving surprisingly stubborn... possessed as she is... totally under my mental control... she still resists! <b>Charles Xavier</b>, rot his soul, taught her well."</i></div>
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Yeah, that doesn't exactly look like Doctor Doom's son, bastard or otherwise. And what's with the possession? That was never his shtick... Still, he was nowhere near done...</div>
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<i>"Ali's voice... but <b>fatso's </b>thoughts and words. She's <b>possessed </b>like I was..."</i></div>
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Yes, Dazzler gets herself mind controlled and in an added twist, her new owner uses Ali's light powers to hypnotise everyone who looks at her. Kitty is smart enough to look away, but...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjks_ALTyUomTzF-Dzfq8yRG9Qq14iPKEQHXHNquA2Y8pVvt2vi_7sx910ERst5d3sl5erNf52ISnwS1ENJ3fyBN-Px-xukcruH7lHhRT7i4nWKz4eI-vzNj2ngStixK3rrixYiv_buhOw/s1600/Karma+possesses+Sunspot+and+Rachel+Grey+%2528new+mutants+31%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjks_ALTyUomTzF-Dzfq8yRG9Qq14iPKEQHXHNquA2Y8pVvt2vi_7sx910ERst5d3sl5erNf52ISnwS1ENJ3fyBN-Px-xukcruH7lHhRT7i4nWKz4eI-vzNj2ngStixK3rrixYiv_buhOw/s400/Karma+possesses+Sunspot+and+Rachel+Grey+%2528new+mutants+31%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"Regrettably, sweet Rachel... </i></div>
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<i>your own psionic abilities make you much more vulnerable to mine."</i></div>
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So in the space of two pages we have five mind control victims... High time for the big reveal, just who is this mind controlling master villain? Can you guess who it is? That's right, nót Alexander Flynn.</div>
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<i>"Karma betrayed her best friends... she's trying to kill them...<br /> just like I did to Wolverine when I was possessed."</i></div>
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You'd think the team would be able to handle one corpulent woman, but Karma forced her harem of slaves and attendants to put knives to their throat, ready to kill themselves if she wasn't allowed to board her plane. So the New Mutants begrudginly watch her take off, swearing to bring their former teammate in. </div>
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But more on that in part two of <i>The Karma Conundrum: Mind Controlling in Madripoor</i></div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-83171308160121865222013-08-11T22:27:00.003+02:002013-08-11T22:27:49.755+02:00Remember When The Old Mutants Mindcontrolled The New Ones?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today's entry is straight from Claremont's latter days on <i>New Mutants...</i><br />
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Back in # 47, Illyana tried to teleport the team back home... Unfortunately, her control over time and space was sometimes questionable at best. That's why the New Mutants got seperated and lost in space/time, ending up in very different alternate future realities. Issue # 48 saw Karma, Wolfsbane, Sunspot and Magma trying to survive in a <i>Days Of Future Past </i>style future, while # 49 featured the remaining members of the team stranded in a future where mutants were the ruling class.<br /><br />However, that also meant humans were being repressed and that didn't sit well with Moonstar especially. That's why she and Cannonball try to steal some medicine from the mutant part of twon to give it to the needy in the human slums. Kinda like a post modern alternate future Robin Hood.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGSfuygrFL278PV-yAYnUXgfoPP52GV2V2hbWMaM1diPt0lChWQ7foWFP8IA2RfYPmDlq0sSgEyTBnQy_QUfa1aIWHscD7hh8j6Eju-TldR49yQby3F0ycyOFWWBhoRGaeDkxkvdeTUwE/s1600/Sam+and+Moonstar+bitch+about+mutant+dominance+%2528new+mutants+49%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGSfuygrFL278PV-yAYnUXgfoPP52GV2V2hbWMaM1diPt0lChWQ7foWFP8IA2RfYPmDlq0sSgEyTBnQy_QUfa1aIWHscD7hh8j6Eju-TldR49yQby3F0ycyOFWWBhoRGaeDkxkvdeTUwE/s400/Sam+and+Moonstar+bitch+about+mutant+dominance+%2528new+mutants+49%2529.jpg" width="383" /></a></div>
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<i>"That's right... everyone who isn't wearing a <b>slavetag</b>!"</i></div>
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Oh, that's right... the humans weren't just being treated as second class citizens, they were actively being targeted and enslaved. In fact, they were little more than breeding stock for future mutants. And as soon as a child showed any significant mutant potential, it was 'culled'. A clean way of describing this...</div>
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<i>"I don't want your blood money! Give me back my children!"</i></div>
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Cannonball and the others engage the soldiers and manage to chase them away. Apparently, they had been stranded in this future for quite a while by the time the issue starts. They know all about the social injustice and the other crimes committed against humanity. They even meet Katie Power, formerly of Power Pack but now an old woman still trying to fight the good fight. But what they don't know, is who is running this utopia for mutants...</div>
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Long story short... the couple behind the table are elder versions of Magma and Sunspot. In this future, Magneto had allied the X-men and the New Mutants with the innercircle of the Hellfire Club. As the years passed, the influence of the lords cardinal grew and Sunspot and Magma took their rightful place as ruler of the club ánd the new mutant utopia.<br /><br />Upon seeing the younger versions of their long dead former teammates, the elder Roberto and Amara realise the threat they could potentially form against their new world order. That's why they personally accompany the combat units assigned to take the New Mutants in.<br />
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<i>"'Lock... quick... while we're masked by the flames... <b>Merge </b>your body with mine!"</i></div>
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And while Warlock and Cypher... merge... the elder Magma and Sunspot prove that all those years enslaving mankind hasn't dulled their combat skills one bit. Boy, that Xavier sure knows how to teach...<br /><br />The New Mutants are forced to surrender and taken prisoner. But even in captivity, they manage to cause so much trouble that future Sunspot decides they are in sore need of a... different point of view.</div>
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<i>"This may seem a horrible fate... but you'll feel much better when it's done. <br />In fact, I </i><i style="font-weight: bold;">guarantee </i><i>you'll <b>thank </b>me for it."</i></div>
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Ahhh, yeah... blatant mind control of people from the past, with no regard for the possible repercussions to the timeline should they ever return to their own time. Roberto the elder is clearly evil, and artist Bret Blevins sure draws him that way. </div>
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'Evil future Roberto' looks a whole lot less menacing when Jackson Guice draws him in # 50. Not that the New Mutants have the energy or the free will to notice the change. While waiting for their mind control sessions, they realise they're already being subjected to an entirely different type of mental meddling.</div>
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<i>"Some sort of hypnotic field, chief. The room itself is soothing us, calming us down, </i></div>
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<i>putting us in the mood to accept our fate."</i></div>
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Yeah... So they were more than ready to hear Magma and Sunspot's sales pitch on the whole 'let us destroy every single thing that makes you you in favor of our idea of utopia'... </div>
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<i>"This re-education process will show you the whole picture. Teach you what every child here learns from birth... so you'll accept us for what we are. <br />You'll fit in. You'll be happy."</i></div>
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Fortunately for the New Mutants, the Old Mutants were startled by the arrival of their really old mentor Charles Xavier... They got there with a little help from Illyana Rasputin who'd managed to locate Charles, Lilandra and the Starjammers<a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.nl/2013/07/professor-xaviers-jerkin-your-mind-part.html" target="_blank"> earlier that same issue</a>. </div>
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<br />They really were only supposed to find and rescue the New Mutants, but Charles couldn't help himself and verbally slapped Evil Future Roberto around a little...</div>
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<i>"An honest belief. That is clear in your thoughts. <br />Therein lies the tragedy of your life... and this future... Farewell."</i></div>
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Oooooh snap! So remember kids, stay in school, don't do drugs and don't become mind controlling future despots... Excelsior!</div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-29994601757514308112013-08-09T08:23:00.001+02:002013-08-09T21:35:33.677+02:001991: A Great Year For Myriad Mind Control<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Not too long ago, <i>Not Blog X </i>reviewed one of my absolute favorite X-men issues of yesteryear: <i><a href="http://notblogx.blogspot.nl/2013/07/uncanny-x-men-273-febIncruary-1991.html" target="_blank">Uncanny X-men # 273</a>. </i>In today's entry, we will also cover this comic, focussing on the multiple, mostly unrelated, mind control elements at play within these pages. <br />
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Call it an homage<br />
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A little background info: this is the first issue after the massive <i>X-Tinction Agenda </i>crossover. <i>X-Tinction</i> (re)united the X-men and saw them fighting alongside X-Factor and Cable's New Mutants against Cameron Hodge and his Genoshan cronies. After defeating Hodge, the three teams returned home to figure out their next move.<br />
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As <i>Not Blog X-</i>writer G. Kendall pointed out in his review, this is actually one of the first 'down time after a big crossover' issue in the X-franchise. A moment to catch your breath, take stock and set out in new, exciting directions. For my money, Claremont first told that type of story right after <i>Inferno </i>when he had the X-men and women enjoy some time off back in <i>Uncanny X-men # 244 </i>& <i>245</i>.<br />
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But in # 273, all three teams enjoyed some time off together. And most of their shared interludes involved mind control in one form or another...<br />
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The issue opened with Storm, Cable, Cyclops and Jean reviewing their many enemies. It's quite the list...<br />
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Ever the soldier, Cable proposed to take them all out methodically, essentially turning the X-men into a squad of mercenaries under his command. Disgusted, Storm and Cyclops refused his offer to turn the team into an army (... how times change). But Cable's rant did spark a little concern within Storm who wondered if both X-Factor and the X-men hadn't outlasted their usefulness.<br />
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<i>"Are <b>we </b>fit caretakers for longer, for Xavier's school and his dream? Or has the time come to turn that role over to <b>others</b>.. as it was handed first from him to you and you to us?"</i></div>
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And to think Ororo doesn't even recall yet how Kid Vulcan, Petra, Sway and Darwin all but died as the not-quite-so fantastic fill in X-men serving in that brief interval between the original and Storm's team.</div>
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The answer to Storm's question just sort of hangs there though, like the black cloud she generated. After the confrontation with Cable about the future of the team, the issue gradually focused on several ongoing plot points... Like Banshee finally being able to contact his lady love Moira MacTaggert to inform he hadn't in fact perished when the Reavers (remember them from the global threat map?) blew up his plane.</div>
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Unfortunately, Moira wasn't exactly the way Sean Cassidy remembered her to be.<br />
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<i>"What has <b>happened </b>to her?! It's as though the fiercest highlander side of her nature has overwhelmed all her gentler aspects."</i></div>
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Unbeknownst to Banshee, Moira and the other people on Muir Island had fallen under the subtle influence of the Shadow King. The ever present malevolent psychic entity had been working from the shadows for months, trying to form a viable power base. </div>
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Not only operating from Muir, but also taking over another physical form, one detective Jacob Reisz. As Reisz, the King chased after Storm and Gambit, even taking a Shadow Queen in the process. But let's not get ahead of ourselves... <br />
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While Banshee struggled with how Moira had changed, elsewhere in the X-men's basement Forge and Beast pondered a somewhat similar problem...<br />
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<i>"The more time passes... the more that genetic lock sets...<br />until it becomes permanent and <b>unbreakable</b>."</i></div>
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The two genius level mutants are talking about Rahne Sinclair. Back on Genosha, she was turned into a mutate which meant she not only lost all her hair, but also became a willing slave thing, blindly following the commands of the Magistrates... </div>
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But in her case, the genetic reprogramming harbored an additional, cruel twist. It also made mutate Rahne fall madly in love with Alex Summers, who had been reincarnated as a magistrate (<a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.nl/2012/03/psylockes-first-time.html" target="_blank">long story</a>). this provided a second layer of mind control: she wasn't just resequenced to obey a uniform, she was also bound to someone... body and soul.... Who didn't even remotely feel the same way about her. And what's even worse: the longer it remained untreated, the harder it will be to remove.<br />
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Ah well, no rush...</div>
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Let's move to another X-man who only recently recovered from excessive mental tampering...</div>
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<i>"The </i><b><i>Hand</i> </b><i>used magic as well as medicine to do the job. <br />Even Forge can't puzzle out quite how."</i></div>
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Y'know, for an alleged mutant miracle worker, Forge sure can be a bit of a let down sometimes. He was unable to figure out a cure to Rahne's mutation and now he's clueless on the subject of Psylocke's transformation... all the while, Betsy herself is openly wondering if she might not still be serving the Hand in some way. </div>
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She shared all this with Jean Grey, surprisingly enough...a woman she only met once, rather briefly, during <i>Inferno. </i><br />
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Yet here they are, conversing like long lost friends while one takes a shower and the other watches. No implied subtext there whatsoever. Ow, grow up... After her talk with Psylocke, and still mulling over the things Cable said earlier, Jean found herself in the Cerebro room. </div>
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And even though she'd lost her telepathy over in <i>X-Factor</i>, she still donned the mutant scanning apparatus hoping to trace the missing X-men on the astral plane.<br />
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<i>"</i><b><i>Cerebro</i>. </b><i>Essentially, a <b>psychic scanning system</b>, keyed specifically to my brainwaves... </i></div>
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<i>and yours, Jean... Designed to amplify your latent psi-potential."</i></div>
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In the years that followed, Kitty Pryde had redesigned Cerebro so even non-telepaths could use it to track their fellow mutants, albeit with significantly more trouble and headache. But apparently, even though she was presumed dead at the time, the Cerebro system was still keyed to Jean's brainwaves and off she went on to the astral plane.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8kte4YPCpOvwy19aPbU2zEZeRTgZMQYL4fwP_WKenSx0zIWtGBPHDDbopa9QnF6w8n0_CGCweiijRqjnAAd5yXRHvjyJoih3p9_-cT_MAbqnRyJNGCYebfsgilx7NKqLok8fzHY2-s7Q/s1600/Jean+Grey+enters+the+astral+plane+%2528Uncanny+X-men+273%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8kte4YPCpOvwy19aPbU2zEZeRTgZMQYL4fwP_WKenSx0zIWtGBPHDDbopa9QnF6w8n0_CGCweiijRqjnAAd5yXRHvjyJoih3p9_-cT_MAbqnRyJNGCYebfsgilx7NKqLok8fzHY2-s7Q/s320/Jean+Grey+enters+the+astral+plane+%2528Uncanny+X-men+273%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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However, she discovered a bit more than she bargained for.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuljDgKwR6vMVo7Wwoffp1prn7_WbsovZW2T9Y2QMlphnuqHHCDpzIJ1volAf__27xxN3aSgycJ0dSWPOXSPMG__j0ziwb1J_coPlvi7jZJl183df-Vg5-DIhgR5hnpNDgkMzlADtWH-U/s1600/Jean+Grey+is+besieged+by+the+Shadow+King+%2528uncanny+x-men+273%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuljDgKwR6vMVo7Wwoffp1prn7_WbsovZW2T9Y2QMlphnuqHHCDpzIJ1volAf__27xxN3aSgycJ0dSWPOXSPMG__j0ziwb1J_coPlvi7jZJl183df-Vg5-DIhgR5hnpNDgkMzlADtWH-U/s400/Jean+Grey+is+besieged+by+the+Shadow+King+%2528uncanny+x-men+273%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i> "As I was, as I am... As I might yet become! An infinity of aspects... <br />But always the <b>Shadow King.</b>"</i></div>
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Oh Lord, not this creep again...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UlYIMsH9KGgKqcQud4P2wMev3iyKnUsisW0lW1AU20uuqPfvxoxo6v_NXCGaxD_n-8Il2GYFLNYdO11CJYLYKv_YKeCgH3HasJvKcKVHVaKfiEYvBRrtjptYIWDZFXPcbfObhQR3NAE/s1600/Jean+Grey+and+Cerebro%2527s+hopelessly+outdated+defenses+%2528Uncanny+X-men+273%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4UlYIMsH9KGgKqcQud4P2wMev3iyKnUsisW0lW1AU20uuqPfvxoxo6v_NXCGaxD_n-8Il2GYFLNYdO11CJYLYKv_YKeCgH3HasJvKcKVHVaKfiEYvBRrtjptYIWDZFXPcbfObhQR3NAE/s400/Jean+Grey+and+Cerebro%2527s+hopelessly+outdated+defenses+%2528Uncanny+X-men+273%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"Does this hurt? Don't worry. You'll soon come to love it."</i></div>
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The King does make a good point. After Xavier went into space back in # 200, they didn't give the astral plane so much as a second look. Psylocke used it once or twice during the Morlock massacre and Magneto put on the helmet on occassion, but it had been long since a proper telepath explored the astral plane or even updated Cerebro's protocols, allowing the Shadow King to grow more powerful and even bring allies like Lian, his Shadow Queen...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvwROOA42HRRzq1D5GaChtMhFb3RLYx-cSpjN05hByqcAghmuEf1fFs1U21MZUgfB3jDQm6fpoiSnz8AaYZ1sYpu6cEG6JcrV1EiSntCplq0p1bkV-WsDk3PKmIcgzCofrSSB2FrLoOs/s1600/Jean+Grey+and+Lian+the+Shadow+Queen+%2528Uncanny+X-men+273%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvwROOA42HRRzq1D5GaChtMhFb3RLYx-cSpjN05hByqcAghmuEf1fFs1U21MZUgfB3jDQm6fpoiSnz8AaYZ1sYpu6cEG6JcrV1EiSntCplq0p1bkV-WsDk3PKmIcgzCofrSSB2FrLoOs/s400/Jean+Grey+and+Lian+the+Shadow+Queen+%2528Uncanny+X-men+273%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"Embrace my <b>Shadow Queen</b>, Grey. Be <b>ONE </b>with me."</i></div>
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Luckily, Jean had allies too. Psylocke used her psychic knife to literally cut her out off the astral plane, beyond the Shadow King's reach. So, another threat to add to the big board, eh? Well, kinda.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigNItLWSzO050gHDa38z3qgdPBkGOn2w0fo_3IAkiht6BF81BSv1jc99gZXCO5eNl3x-ESB_-kOKMcqgHkLp84Kcz-ZVtfEjXqjOAn_aITS5VFJWG33354ItBYLgu-kxT0xmwzqSt7HgQ/s1600/Psylocke+rescues+Jean+Grey+from+the+Shadow+King+%2528Uncanny+X-men+273%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigNItLWSzO050gHDa38z3qgdPBkGOn2w0fo_3IAkiht6BF81BSv1jc99gZXCO5eNl3x-ESB_-kOKMcqgHkLp84Kcz-ZVtfEjXqjOAn_aITS5VFJWG33354ItBYLgu-kxT0xmwzqSt7HgQ/s400/Psylocke+rescues+Jean+Grey+from+the+Shadow+King+%2528Uncanny+X-men+273%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>'Who was it that attacked you?"</i></div>
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In a bit of a convenient cop out, Psylocke's psi-knife messed up Jean's memories of the incident. She has no idea it was the Shadow King, even though Psylocke was in earshot when Lian called herself the Shadow Queen, so assuming the big monster might be the Shadow... King... wouldn't be the biggest stretch. For now, all they knew that there was 'something' wrong on the astral plane...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOSb_-V1Zcbo2AvXatG9EaRvR0y10l5_pc-ivhaS6h8vN8E8tFbzQsSlsQpM16ZPmKtMHF5L8eVKEhBO7pqsQ1-itrXpHA6pMpuxICvF7C4fKxEGthhwah0yQyvndnyc8rNOf_FCOxAI/s1600/Here+there+be+dragons+%2528Uncanny+X-men+273%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOSb_-V1Zcbo2AvXatG9EaRvR0y10l5_pc-ivhaS6h8vN8E8tFbzQsSlsQpM16ZPmKtMHF5L8eVKEhBO7pqsQ1-itrXpHA6pMpuxICvF7C4fKxEGthhwah0yQyvndnyc8rNOf_FCOxAI/s400/Here+there+be+dragons+%2528Uncanny+X-men+273%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"There be dragons"</i></div>
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Still, the point is moot, because the issue closes with the X-men getting kidnapped by Lila Cheney to the Shi'ar empire where they'd fight an evil, mind controlling Charles Xavier for a couple of issues before realising in # 278 he was actually a disguised Warskrull. We all covered it <a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.nl/2008/12/shadowy-charley-mindcontrol-xavier.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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Point is: within minutes of being rescued, Charles (still naked and covered in Skrull bio-gunk) became aware of the Shadow King when Banshee mentioned Moira's odd behaviour and Storm started infodumping, trying to cover the events of the past 75+ issues in a single panel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0L2BmYT7Lc1kvhI3NQpchiBmPZoGBrAy33IIxziuj2QgUoGa0Cf-nnyaQ9up32NUivFzkoZsa097GxtdYz19XwrpmGhMvSw8SAx3riJEsvgLKC20cZWnAoxsRObGAwdgUjQF5u4liRJI/s1600/Charles+Xavier+becomes+aware+of+the+Shadow+King.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0L2BmYT7Lc1kvhI3NQpchiBmPZoGBrAy33IIxziuj2QgUoGa0Cf-nnyaQ9up32NUivFzkoZsa097GxtdYz19XwrpmGhMvSw8SAx3riJEsvgLKC20cZWnAoxsRObGAwdgUjQF5u4liRJI/s320/Charles+Xavier+becomes+aware+of+the+Shadow+King.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>"By the eternal... the <b>Shadow King!</b>"</i></div>
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So, how's that for keeping the story moving forward? When you least expect it, Chris Claremont neatly weaves multiple plotpoints from # 273's 'downtime' issue into a single, mind control heavy thread as professor Xavier returns home to deal with the Shadow King once and for all.</div>
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... And oh yeah, isn't that Jim Lee art fan-f-ckin' gorgeous? </div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-82801405817851693642013-07-27T10:03:00.000+02:002013-07-28T09:49:49.413+02:00Brand New Brood Control part III: It's Not Just The Power Of Christ That Can Compel You...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Brood saga ended in <i>Uncanny X-men # 234, </i>a comic with a cover so shockingly disturbing to kids, yours truly couldn't bear to look at it without getting nightmares... Well done, Marc Silvestri.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGHRZ9UVeqBDYa_6BrhiwkQuRNKOUvTuT99-xsXWXkOx84i6q-72KSHRKtOMaq23ENYbe5XRBj1vR6L9T07ad0PEgoj3-GHMEpQDh1D0UJpDVrAAzBeGx4YCsmL22H0LHB6M1PzV0GhY/s1600/Uncanny_X-Men_Vol_1_234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGHRZ9UVeqBDYa_6BrhiwkQuRNKOUvTuT99-xsXWXkOx84i6q-72KSHRKtOMaq23ENYbe5XRBj1vR6L9T07ad0PEgoj3-GHMEpQDh1D0UJpDVrAAzBeGx4YCsmL22H0LHB6M1PzV0GhY/s400/Uncanny_X-Men_Vol_1_234.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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The X-men had been fighting medic Harry Palmer, who had accidentally been infected by the Brood. By the time the team tracked him down, Harry had implanted several mutants with Brood eggs as well, which made dealing with this particular Brood incursion a bit more of a challenge.</div>
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After their initial encounter, the X-men had lost both Psylocke and Rogue to the Brood, while Wolverine had been implanted with a Brood embryo. So things weren't looking too hot for the team when the fight moved to the scene of a giant outdoor church event led by reverend William Conover. <a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.nl/2009/02/god-loves-but-mind-control-kills.html" target="_blank">For once, a religious figure who isn't against mutants</a>. </div>
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In fact, he's more concerned with his wife Hannah's chronic rheumatic arthritis.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMGsrSIwZGZHva9LvY0IFGQK0Vca4VnC6hlCGNj53YuGm-A-q87m4Ft8A-onXIlABtncy9chjy6ENHHx2CAgYA7uSNL_jp2S7i_99D5a0FfsQwfjy_YZ_erGCdV41NLNFVsZSeo5WgC4/s1600/Hannah+Conover+and+Brood+nurse+Josey+(Uncanny+X-men+234).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMGsrSIwZGZHva9LvY0IFGQK0Vca4VnC6hlCGNj53YuGm-A-q87m4Ft8A-onXIlABtncy9chjy6ENHHx2CAgYA7uSNL_jp2S7i_99D5a0FfsQwfjy_YZ_erGCdV41NLNFVsZSeo5WgC4/s400/Hannah+Conover+and+Brood+nurse+Josey+(Uncanny+X-men+234).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"If you'll let me... I've something that can fix that"</i></div>
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By the way, that paramedic offering to help Hannah Conover is Josey, colleague and partner to Harry <i>'Brood Embryos For Everyone!' </i>Palmer... What a coincidence! Guess it *is* a small world after all, right? Speaking of the Brood, let's check in on Temptress, a pheromone fuelled mind controller who managed to snatch both Rogue and Wolverine.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDjoHfxVbkcY9juZ61orZu-yjVfJEQYtMirkuzBbUNRpdH_q4MM9r1cj4KOd18YZ57UwHw8-_9gYfBF0-LOzgG-7vYxCG1jdSIBp8xkmH-czyuFZDshjvBgNWHlPYzzF2tGjSAuyup04/s1600/Wolverine+resists+temptress+%2528Uncanny+X-men+234%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDjoHfxVbkcY9juZ61orZu-yjVfJEQYtMirkuzBbUNRpdH_q4MM9r1cj4KOd18YZ57UwHw8-_9gYfBF0-LOzgG-7vYxCG1jdSIBp8xkmH-czyuFZDshjvBgNWHlPYzzF2tGjSAuyup04/s400/Wolverine+resists+temptress+%2528Uncanny+X-men+234%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"With each breath, my <b>pheromones</b> bind your will more tightly to the Brood. And soon, after Harry's implanted an egg in you...same as he did with <b>Wolverine</b>... you'll be one of us in flesh, as well as spirit."</i></div>
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After a sales pitch like that, all Rogue can say is: <i>"Ohboyo<b>boy! </b>Ah can hardly wait". </i>Unfortunately for her, Wolverine's metamorphosis was being hindered by his healing factor, just like it had during the <a href="http://clarmindcontrol.blogspot.nl/2008/09/brood-her-i-hardly-know-her.html" target="_blank">previous Brood arc</a>.<br />
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Incensed after watching him kill Temptress, a still clouded Rogue threw Wolverine to the ground and raced back to Harry Palmer and the others, who were trying to get away from the other X-men by car. But Storm, Colossus and the others put a stop to that. finally caught up with them.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPpD3VT3vQuP-RicMP9IhTkb4qh_-c-_4SuTWrsD2Zcc52sy9OBtQphdBfgh-bX-ah-KbYtGb1tgyEISwRbUAtQ3ZhvpOzuncQmdA93oHmWYFOPjgCtZjXUfQwnyGyXf1KZvkapbbiPo/s1600/Psylocke+breaks+free+and+Storm+is+captured+%2528Uncanny+X-men+234%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPpD3VT3vQuP-RicMP9IhTkb4qh_-c-_4SuTWrsD2Zcc52sy9OBtQphdBfgh-bX-ah-KbYtGb1tgyEISwRbUAtQ3ZhvpOzuncQmdA93oHmWYFOPjgCtZjXUfQwnyGyXf1KZvkapbbiPo/s320/Psylocke+breaks+free+and+Storm+is+captured+%2528Uncanny+X-men+234%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>"Brood got plans for you, Storm... You're gonna host the <b>Queen's </b>egg! An' it's my duty... my <b>pleasure</b>, sweetheart... to see those plans <b>fulfilled!</b>"</i></div>
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Luckily for Storm, she was saved by a well timed laserblast, courtesy of Dazzler. The Brood escaped by foot, heading towards the religious convention led by reverend Conover... Who was already entertaining a most unexpected guest...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2ecC8lxq1rbPHx3V3zhlMo308uZPXhDE-3bF9YqY2B3UUgNqQ10NZzJVzVNaYzpClEhn7NAADqFG9GPSAdHFwxVE2OvpX-0bmgJ14C5CHVumcbq2uY9vDz9QCLvMrq6wsKY-5toSawQ/s1600/Reverend+Bill+tries+to+heal+druggie+Wolverine+%2528Uncanny+X-men+234%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2ecC8lxq1rbPHx3V3zhlMo308uZPXhDE-3bF9YqY2B3UUgNqQ10NZzJVzVNaYzpClEhn7NAADqFG9GPSAdHFwxVE2OvpX-0bmgJ14C5CHVumcbq2uY9vDz9QCLvMrq6wsKY-5toSawQ/s400/Reverend+Bill+tries+to+heal+druggie+Wolverine+%2528Uncanny+X-men+234%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"Poor fella must mean drugs."</i></div>
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Yeah, that's a nasty dose of MGH, to be sure. Usually, Logan's healing factor would have gotten rid of the egg with some effort. But Wolverine suffered additional severe injuries from his involuntary sky diving without a parachute incident. This meant his powers had trouble keeping up, allowing the rapidly maturing Brood embryo to gain the upperhand. But the reverend kept on praying...</div>
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<i> His voice and manner... as different, as changed as his body! The "demon"... it's <b>real!</b>"</i></div>
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At the last possible moment, Wolverine's healing powers come through and destroy the embryo. But it's not like Logan can rest easy. Contrary to what the reverend promises... the danger's far from past. Harry and the Brood arrive, almost strangling Conover before the X-men manage to kill most of them.</div>
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Yes... Kill. For once, the team has adopted a zero tolerance policy. Not a single Brood may survive, or Earth is doomed. That's why sweet, innocent souls like Colossus and Havok slay Brood left and right, until only Harry remains. And he's got a hostage: Hannah Conover.<br />
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Luckily, Wolverine's just about done with all of Harry's nonsense... He crawls underneath the podium the Brood is standing on and pulls a surprise move, before pulling a not too surprising move...<br />
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<i>"You don't understand, bub... Harry Palmer died a long time ago.<br />Now, at last, he'll have a chance to rest in peace...."<br /><br /> *SNIKT*</i></div>
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With Harry Palmer's death, the last of the Earth born Brood have been dealt with. For once, the X-men can enjoy a nice, clean victory that in no way will come back to haunt them somewhere down the road. Heck, even reverend Conover and his wife have extra reason to celebrate...</div>
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<i>"Your <b>hands!?! </b>They can <b>move </b>again, are they healed?!!"</i></div>
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A woman finding herself spontaneously cured of debilitating, chronic arthritis? Surely, this miracle must be an act of divine intervention... Or, well...erm, wait, remember how Brood embryos are able to boost their host's immune system so they're in perfect health by the time they take over?</div>
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And wasn't nurse Josey riding around with Brood host Harry for lord knows how many weeks?<br />
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... Crap on a cracker. </div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-3330126412029555232013-07-26T20:02:00.002+02:002013-07-26T20:06:22.434+02:00Brand New Brood Control part II: Temptress *IS* A Harsh Mistress...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Brood are back, baby... And we all know what that means...<br />
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A few months ago a lone Brood Queen crashlanded her space shark on Earth, snacked on some unlucky campers and infected medic Harry Palmer with a royal embryo. The Queen herself conveniently enough vanished into thin air, but Harry set out to recruit new soldiers for the cause... And what better hosts than mutants? By the time the X-men caught up with Harry, he had gathered quite the, erm, brood.<br />
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<i>"Breathe deep, Storm! Flood your system with my <b>pheromones</b>."</i></div>
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But Harry had chosen his mutant brood wisely. Brickbat's strength rivalled that of Colossus, Tension could choke the life out of everyone from a safe distance and of course, there was Temptress, the mind controller...</div>
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<i>"Don't you feel <b>better now</b>, dear? Don't you just <b>adore</b> me? <br />Won't you do simply <b>anything </b>I ask... to make me <b>happy</b>?"</i></div>
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Storm managed to get away before she was completely under Temptress' pheromone control. Unfortunately for her, one of the Brood spawned wings, announcing his name was Divebomber and went after the windrider. After all, Harry planned to have her carry a brood queen embryo.<br />
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Meanwhile, Temptress had to deal with Rogue... Who on second thought might not have been the best X-man to take her on.<br />
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<i>"Can't help myself. Ah'm absorbin' Temptress's power.. an' <b>psyche</b>. Which seems to have overwhelmed <b>your </b>own, Rogue."</i></div>
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Ignoring the fact that even with Rogue out of commission, Carol Danvers was still inside her head at the time... Temptress effortlessly uses her powers in her new skunk haired body to mind control Psylocke. And together, they take on Wolverine...</div>
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<i> "The perfect one-two, my sweet. I telepathically seize your mind... <br />while my temptress pheromones make you worship me."</i></div>
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After a brief struggle, Wolverine finally gives in and is knocked out... which left him vulnerable to what we all knew was coming...</div>
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<i>"And you know, X-man... what happens next!"</i></div>
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Before he could implant eggs in Rogue and Psylocke, the remaining X-men rallied their forces and Harry decided to play it safe, calling for a strategic retreat.</div>
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<i>"Protect Temptress and Wolverine... with your <b>lives</b>!"</i></div>
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And so they did... Harry, Psylocke and the other Brood ran to the nearest getaway car, while Rogue picked up Temptress and Wolverine and flew off, straight into the third part of <i>Brand New Brood Control: It's Not Just the Power Of Christ That Can Compel You...</i></div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-6512036250194798182013-07-25T02:28:00.002+02:002013-07-26T20:06:38.508+02:00Brand New Brood Control part I: Guess Who's Back?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i> The BROOD is back!"</i></div>
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If you'll allow me to borrow a line from Stephen King: "<i>Sometimes... they *do* come back</i>."<br />
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'They' being the Brood, the massively popular alien race that almost turned the X-men into host bodies for their new queens back in 1982. Chris Claremont had refrained from bringing them back too quickly, finally giving in to popular demand with a three parter in 1987 that felt more like a modern day horror flick than the original <i>Brood saga </i>that felt very much like the 1979 cult movie <i>Alien. </i><br />
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But Claremont wouldn't be Claremont if he didn't subtly weave the return of the Brood into his ongoing storylines, months before the frightful aliens would actually appear in the book. Take for instance this scene from <i>Uncanny X-men # 218</i>, which features a frightening discovery by X-men reservists Havok and Polaris after getting run off the road by a frantic driver behind the wheel of a VW van.<br />
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<i>"Lorna, if that one's a <b>Broodqueen</b>... if she lays her eggs, if they hatch... the human race is doomed."</i></div>
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No, that isn't a scene from <i>Jaws VII</i>, it just so happens Lorna and Alex encounter one of the Brood's space sharks, personal transports the aliens use in their stellar travels. It crashed near a New Mexico campsite, apparently killing everyone around. </div>
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Claremont would pick up this thread a good fourteen months later in <i>Uncanny X-men # 232</i>, in which we discover the link between the crashed space shark and that VW-driver who ran Alex and Lorna off the road.</div>
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Meet Harry Palmer... a medic who was present when the space shark literally crashed his camping trip and everything went straight to hell...</div>
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<i>"Harry... I fell... my ankle... broken... <b>I can't WALK!</b>"</i></div>
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Harry thought he'd been able to escape this gruesome scene unscathed, despite feeling horrible about leaving his friends behind to die. But he couldn't have been more wrong, as we see this issue when he visits a lawyer who suffered a heart attack when his mutant fire breathingpowers first manifested themselves in court. He has a rather... unique... way to heal his patient...</div>
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<i>"Rest easy Bob. Your troubles are over. You're going to be fine. Just fine. <br />In fact, I can pretty much guarantee... that you'll live forever."</i></div>
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Oh snap, so Harry has been infected by the Brood as well! And by infecting the dying Bob with an egg, he quite rightly claimed the man would live forever. After all, as has been previously established, Brood embryos boost the human immune system to the extreme, making sure their host bodies recover from the most serious of injuries or ailments. </div>
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After a hard day of saving people and/or turning them into Brood hosts, Harry returns home to find the X-men waiting for him. As Rogue thinks to herself during the ensuing fight, the team had been on Harry's trail ever since Havok (allegedly) clued them in on finding the crashed Brood vessel in New Mexico. </div>
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<i>"Palmer was infected at the crash site in New Mexico... <br />I spotted that the moment I tagged his scent."</i></div>
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Harry however, still has no clue he's actually a Brood. Even though he effortlessly withstands and repels attacks from Colossus, Psylocke and several other X-men powerhouses. He runs for his life, even boarding a bus in order to cover his tracks. But he finds Rogue posing as one of the passengers, ready to take him down. Unfortunately, due to lack of experience with human/brood hybrids, Harry manages to gain the upperhand and this anything but phallic scene is a fact... <br />
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<i>"This is a moment long overdue, little X-girl..."</i></div>
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Sigh, threatening to stab Rogue with a claw that's rather clearly tentacle porn oriented is a minor kink of Claremont's, seeing as he would expose Rogue to pretty much the same thing years later in a 2000 X-men annual...</div>
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It didn't work then, either.</div>
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Rogue is saved and the team finally manages to corner their quarry. That is, until the police and some locals showed up to reveal they weren't exactly who they seemed to be...<br />
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<i>"We're <b>all </b>of us Brood her. And soon, old enemies, very soon... <b>YOU </b>will be too!"</i></div>
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Oh boy, talk about a cliffhanger...</div>
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To find out who lived, who died, who spawned wings and tossed airplane engines around, check back for <i>Brand New Brood Control part II: Temptress *IS* A Harsh Mistress...</i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">....</span></i></div>
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<i>But before all that good fun... consider this: remember how Harry was shocked to see the Brood that killed his friends and recruited him. So, whatever happened to her? She didn't just die off, or Havok and Polaris would have discovered her remains among the campers she killed. And given the Brood's strong matriarchal society, it's pretty hard to imagine an elder queenf would relinquish or even share power with Harry, her half human daughter. Anyone care to explain this away?</i></div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-84014676452218034842013-07-17T01:55:00.000+02:002013-07-17T15:38:07.649+02:00Legion Lost part III: Sole Soul Survivors<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In the third and final installment of <i>Legion Lost</i>, the New Mutants and professor Xavier finally come face to face with 'the Arab', supposedly controlling the mind of David Haller, better known as the mega powerful mutant Legion... who also happens to be Xavier's son.</div>
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After surviving inside David's wartorn mind, Xavier and his students finally took to the offense in <i>New Mutants # 28</i>, by taking the fight to the Arab who was living inside the big, black dome that kept on growing and growing. </div>
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According to Jack Wayne and Cyndi, split personalities of David who controlled his telekinesis and pyrokinesis respectively, the Arab was using his control over David's telepathic gifts to influence the young boy in a sneaky attempt to completely take over his mind. That's why professor Xavier was determined to stop him, with lethal force if necessary.<br />
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But, how does one penetrate a seemingly impenetrable object? Well, as Douglas Ramsey points out by referencing an old <i>Star Trek </i>episode, and the Vulcan scholar Kiri-Kin-Tha from that same franchise was fond of stating as well: <i>"Nothing unreal exists"</i>.<br />
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<i>"Thing is, the phasers worked all along. </i></div>
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<i>It's just that the villains, who were telepaths, wouldn't let the crew see that."</i></div>
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Once inside, Charles Xavier realises Jack Wayne might not have been too truthful about what 'the Arab' had been doing... For one thing, it seemed many of young David's damaged memories had been carefully repaired, giving the boy small fragments of his sanity back. In effect, his ever increasing mental health might be the big black dome that was slowly taking over the ruined mindscape outside. </div>
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So the Arab... Or Jemail Karami as his real name turned out to be... was actually helping him. Karami was part of a Palestinian death squad that attacked David and his mother Gabrielle, killing his foster father David Shomron in the initial assault.</div>
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The shock of witnessing this triggered David's vast telepathic powers and he absorbed Jemail's mind into his own, shattering the lad's psyche in the process. But during the time inside David's head, Jemail got a new perspective on the world, renounced his violent ways, and actively tried to repair the damage he had caused... <br />
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Which was something Jack Wayne, as a splinter personality, wasn't too pleased with... If Karami cures David, there'd be no more Jack. That was reason enough for Jack to trick Xavier and the others to get him close enough to Jemail to do just that. <br />
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The moment he got within striking distance, Jack attacked...knocking out Jemail, Charles and several of the New Mutants. Luckily, Moonstar was on hand to revive Jemail using a subtle form of mind control....<br />
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<i>"She reaches out with her psi-talent... praying to the great spirit and her Cheyenne ancestors for help as she uses her power to draw upon Jemail's happy memories to calm and revive him."</i></div>
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With Jemail restored to normal, the different aspects inside David Haller's head finally have a heart to heart. Neither of them can actually leave the boy's mind, that's why they decide to make the best of it and work together in David's best interest... But that's something Charles Xavier didn't realise until he woke up from the coma Jack's assault blasted him into... A good two weeks later.</div>
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So, after all this time, Charles finally gets to properly meets his son David. But while Jemail did his best to mend the boy's mental state of mind, part of the 'peace treaty' negotiated by Dani meant that he still wasn't all there. In fact, splinter personalities Jack Wayne and Cyndi were now openly fighting for 'air time'...</div>
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<i>"Forgive me, professor. I lacked the strength and knowledge to deal with these psi-selves"</i></div>
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But at least David was communicating again... And father and son had an emotional, heart felt first meeting that also doubled as a reunion in a way. After al, they'd already met back in Haller's own head. At the close of the issue, Charles made a very poignant promise to his son...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyjROr-e-AVLzHOH7Hb27t469sXMmz98hBNliZ0YdTC3k5dqv0X2wstOmd-4LGQxewlcSu-eXyXJ1YgsMiBXkBD-MYcWD0YW-Z8hW2jCzdlTJBee0m7FPlEffhLZXMrvLMtvG8NW2wk4/s1600/Legion+meets+Charles+Xavier+for+the+first+time+II+%2528new+Mutants+28%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyjROr-e-AVLzHOH7Hb27t469sXMmz98hBNliZ0YdTC3k5dqv0X2wstOmd-4LGQxewlcSu-eXyXJ1YgsMiBXkBD-MYcWD0YW-Z8hW2jCzdlTJBee0m7FPlEffhLZXMrvLMtvG8NW2wk4/s400/Legion+meets+Charles+Xavier+for+the+first+time+II+%2528new+Mutants+28%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>"You have my word... I'll <b>never </b>lose you!"</i></div>
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Well, if you can't trust your father, really... who *can* you trust?</div>
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Anyhoo, a month later <i>Secret Wars II </i>kicked off and Charles was too preoccupied with the Beyonder to really notice the plight of his son. And by the time the Beyonder left, Xavier had pretty much signed his own death warrant by pushing himself too hard for too long, collapsing in Paris during Magneto's trial (where Gabrielle Haller was present too, who was watching Legion?)</div>
Still, that's why, a short six months after the touching father and child reunion, we get to <i>Uncanny X-men # 200 </i>and this particular scene...<br />
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<i>"And we'll never know... if you don't... try!"</i></div>
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Words to live by, Charlie... even if you were in the middle of a fatal heart attack at the time. Unfortunately, after Lilandra and the Starjammers used their advanced alien medical technology to save him, circumstances made it impossible for Charles to return to his son... A boy he never told Lilandra about on panel to begin with...</div>
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Xavier remained in space for most of the 80s, only returning to Earth when the X-men told him about the rise of his old enemy the Shadow King...who by then had taken over his son's mind... After Moira MacTaggert forced him in <i>Uncanny X-men # 259 </i> to use Cerebro in an attempt to locate the missing X-men...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOm_x7QLsSDAZAqCzbDVWFpRnnqBGipljghvzibV7_xDg0aUrwdZtHnMnVoVS9KyqZ9nsMFJ25wqEHeLWBOWb01j1wWXVFpSTiSi4TiGBrGyymx1F5Vttizuka3v4OBsXFBDri2b7JLPk/s1600/Legion+is+taken+over+by+the+Shadow+King+(Uncanny+X-men+259).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOm_x7QLsSDAZAqCzbDVWFpRnnqBGipljghvzibV7_xDg0aUrwdZtHnMnVoVS9KyqZ9nsMFJ25wqEHeLWBOWb01j1wWXVFpSTiSi4TiGBrGyymx1F5Vttizuka3v4OBsXFBDri2b7JLPk/s400/Legion+is+taken+over+by+the+Shadow+King+(Uncanny+X-men+259).jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><i>"My head... it <b>hurts</b> it <b>HURTS!</b>"</i></div>
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Yeah... If only Xavier had been around to train his very vulnerable telepathic son. The Shadow King took control of the boy and he became the focal point of Claremont's final story arc during his initial X-men run: the Muir Island saga. In the end, the Shadow King possessed David Haller's body and father and son were forced to fight. Charles won, driving the King from his son's mind, but he was crippled in the process.<br />
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Still, one has to wonder if things would have turned out differently if Xavier had remained on Earth. For instance, if Charles had been a presence in Legion's life all the way through the modern day, would he have been able to provide a lasting impact?</div>
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<i>"In mercy's name, </i><i style="font-weight: bold;">cease fir...*"</i></div>
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Probably not.</div>
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And let's not forget what other writers did to Legion after Chris left. Scott Lobdell and Fabian Nicieza used poor David as the impetus for the wildy succesful 1995 crossover<i> Age of Apocalypse. </i>The lonely, hurt young boy woke up one day and figured out why his father was never there: Magneto.<br />
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If Magneto never rose to power, his father's dream of mutants and humans coexisting peacefully would come true and 'daddy' would spend more time. David used his latent temporal powers to travel back to 1950s Israel, where Xavier and Magneto first met. He also ran into his mom and this disturbing scene happened... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihCRXfQp-2j6z7pMYaEblHFRRhFCAlG9ZTze2IKeR0Si07nDD7ijyp572l1SgVZkeG-gYec674E1-bxEyRH7_vZdqizy9fCVLTZUnhZVAyfai3xYo6SPwL_9Q_H8ABYBw9e0RmVxUekEI/s1600/Legion+seduces+his+mother.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihCRXfQp-2j6z7pMYaEblHFRRhFCAlG9ZTze2IKeR0Si07nDD7ijyp572l1SgVZkeG-gYec674E1-bxEyRH7_vZdqizy9fCVLTZUnhZVAyfai3xYo6SPwL_9Q_H8ABYBw9e0RmVxUekEI/s400/Legion+seduces+his+mother.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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<i>"Mother...?"</i></div>
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Those glowing eyes are usually a dead give away mind control is in play... Because this is what Gaby saw...</div>
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<i>"Don't call me <b>Charles</b>... Not <b>tonight</b>..."</i></div>
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Urgh, talk about oedipal complex... A son sleeping with his own mother, who he mindcontrols into believing he's in fact his father. But hey, let's not claim comics are formulaic, it's not like the son would plan to kill his father... Right?</div>
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<i>"Shakkreeee!"</i></div>
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Well, not unless your father happens to jump in front of the psychic knife you were planning to kill Magneto with... Xavier's death caused the Age of Apocalypse... way to parent, Charlie.</div>
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But hey, back in 2012, Xavier got yet another chance to prove himself as a parent when he went off with Legion to teach his son what he needed to know... And right in the middle of that, the <i>Avengers versus X-men </i>crossover went down...</div>
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<i>"Father... make it <b>stop</b>..."</i></div>
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Xavier did indeed try and make it stop, by forcing former star pupile Cyclops and the other members of the 'Phoenix Five' to stand down. An enraged Cyclops finally incinerated Charles, killing the professor and forcing his son to grow up...Legion did just that, scoring the lead in the recently relaunced <i>X-men Legacy. </i></div>
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And whát a legacy indeed...<br />
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412426751746353409.post-26238822372402456102013-07-14T23:09:00.001+02:002013-07-16T23:28:47.390+02:00Legion Lost Part II: Charles Xavier You *ARE* The Father!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When we last left the New Mutants, they had accompanied their mentor Charles Xavier to Moira McTaggert's mutant research lab on Muir Island. One of her patients, an autistic boy called David, had accidentally put Tom Corsi and Sharon Friedlander into a coma and Charles was asked to help out. <br />
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When Moira and Wolfsbane suffered a similar fate before the end of <i>New Mutants # 26</i>, that gave Xavier a lot to do ánd recap at the beginning of # 27. <br />
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<i>"Only an extraordinarily powerful telepath has such a capability"</i></div>
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Isn't it funny how intelligent people can be oblivious to the obvious at times? David is the son of Charles' former lover Gabrielle Haller... and now turns out to be a powerful telepath. You'd think Xavier would put two and two together, right? He doesn't... not until he finally, with the help of Mirage, enters the astral plane to look for Rahne and the others. But first, we're treated to this delightfully creepy tidbit...</div>
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<i>"WOW! Professor, you look fantastic! I never dreamed you were such hot stuff!"</i></div>
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Here we have a 14 year old girl basically telling her teacher he has a nice ass. Can't blame her for being surprised, after all he was in a wheelchair for most of the time she's known him.</div>
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Anyway, while it looks like Wolfsbane is approaching them, it's actually a psychic illusion that tears into Xavier and Dani, before bursting into flame. Meanwhile, in the real world, the flames appear around their bodies, shocking Doug Ramsey and Gaby Haller... right before sucking them on to the astral plane as well. Because... well... because.<br />
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Shocked and tired of being toyed with, Charles brings the full range of psi talent to bear and bluntly tears into the walls around David's mind, hoping to break through. This causes the boy considerable pain, and as he cries out, his true face ánd an obvious truth is revealed...<br />
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<i>"This is Gaby's secret, the boy sees it in her thoughts and I in his. David Haller is <b>my son!</b>"</i></div>
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No duh, Charles... look at the size of those bushy eyebrows Bill Sienkiewicz drew on the kid... Apparently, it's a hereditary trait. </div>
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After breaching his mental wall, Xavier tried to bring the others into David's mind... but he got surprised by how quickly the boy's defenses were being rebuilt and lost most of them as they tumbled down into his mindscape. Holding on to Gaby, Charles literally came face to face with the people who ran David's head...</div>
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<i>"Momma... poppa... help me!"</i></div>
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You have to feel sorry for the little boy on the far right. No way this child is able to deal with the three adult personalities vying for control over his body. He wants to be good, but he can't help doing bad. But now his parents were there to help... unfortunately, they weren't in the best of shape. Gabrielle was unconscious and Charles was still suffering from the severe injuries he received after a beating in <i>Uncanny X-men # 192</i>.</div>
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Xavier pushed himself and Gaby into David's mind. But the effort proved too much. He passed out and when he came to, he was alone and a little disoriented by what he saw...</div>
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A dark, disturbing amalgam of places the boy had been to, with a mysterious, seemingly impenetrable black dome dominating the scene. Sienkiewicz's abstract tendencies really sold this premise, giving the inside of David Haller's autistic mind a true sense of alienating weirdness.</div>
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And that was before Charles even met the many, curious inhabitants... Like a curious telepathic Arabic man and... Jack Wayne.<br />
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<i>"The big man's grin is infectious. And in spite of himself, Xavier warms to him"</i></div>
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But it's not like they have too much time getting acquainted, because the mind of David Haller is like a war zone in more ways than one. Xavier gets chased by black helicopters with gatling guns, and Jack is the first to explain to him what was going on...</div>
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<i>"See that dome... that's where you'll find the kid's essence, whatever's left of his true personality. The Arab's responsible for the dome and the military hardware... he keeps the kid prisoner inside."</i></div>
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That's enough to convince Xavier he needs to penetrate the black dome and with Jack's help he sets out to do just that. Meanwhile, in another part of David's mind, Moira McTaggert, the New Mutants and Gabrielle Haller meet the same young Arab that Charles ran across, but Gaby's reaction to the man is rather explosive.</div>
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Turns out he was part of a Palestinian terroristgroup that attacked Gabrielle, her lover Daniel Shomron and David, killing Shomron and traumatising the young boy into his current autistic and catatonic state. Ignoring for a second that autism isn't triggered by trauma, it's obvious Gabrielle is more than a little ticked off at this terrorist. </div>
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But he disappears before she can catch up with him, just as a young punkish girl makes her first appearance...<br />
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<i>"Watch how you talk to m, ladydoc..."</i></div>
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Meet Cyndi, another one of David's made up personalities. While Jack Wayne controls the boy's telekinesis, she possess his pyrokinesis... In other words, she can set things on fire. Heck, in all likelihood her name is derived from 'incendiary', which means 'capable of causing fire. She also has a fiery personality, a typical teenager distrustful of any and all authority figures, preferring chaos over boring, adult order. She's also the one who torched Moira's lab... </div>
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But Dani Moonstar has bigger concerns, not to mention questions for Gaby Haller.<br />
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<i>"I want to know more about that Arab."</i></div>
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You gotta love how innocent the mid 80s were, in retrospect, Nowadays, refering to someone as 'that Arab' has an ever so offensive ring to it. But here we have Gabrielle Haller, smoking in her astral form by the way, explaining how 'that Arab' terrorist attacked her and her family in Paris. </div>
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Gaby finally decides to come clean about her son. She always knew he was Charles' child and that he had mutant potential. Witnessing the terrorist attack as a young boy, triggered his enormous psionic powers before he was ready to use them. </div>
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This caused David to fully absorb the Arab assailant's mental being into his own, which caused his autism and the formation of split personalities like Jack and Cyndi to help deal with a trauma he couldn't grasp at that age...<br />
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While Gabrielle is filling in the New Mutants, the professor is getting briefed by Jack Wayne, who has a slightly different take on the Arab's influence on David's mind...<br />
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<i>"Imagine... Bein' killed an' then reborn as part of the consciousness of your intended victim. <br />Ironic, huh?"</i></div>
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Basically, Jack tells Charles that 'the arab' is holding his son prisoner and expanding the black dome to increase his control over the boy's mind. If he isn't stopped, it won't be long before David completely disappears and a murderous terrorist is allowed to run the show inside the head of an extremely powerful psionic mutant.</div>
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Handing Charles a knife, Jack dares Charles to end it... If he has the guts for it. Accepting the weapon with grim resolve, Xavier ends the issue with a classic 1980s action movie tagline... <i>"Let's go!".</i><br />
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Just how all this will end is answered in the third and final chapter of <i>Legion Lost: Sole Soul Survivors</i></div>
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Clarmindcontrolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14584770229321250898noreply@blogger.com0