X-tremely Early X-men Mindcontrol

The year is 1991 and Chris Claremont has been forced into a corner.

During his impressive 15 year run on Uncanny X-men, Claremont made a bit of name for himself as a talent scout, handpicking the pencilers that worked with him on the title. Starting with Dave Cockrum and John Byrne, the selection of popular artists like Paul Smith, John Romita Jr. and Marc Silvestri were increasingly up to Claremont... and culminated with the pick of Jim Lee.

Lee's art was more than a little impressive. In fact, it was so stellar the X-men editors started to realise the artist might well be more important than the writer. Editor in chief Bob Harras spotted a rising star when he saw one and decided to cater more to Jim's needs than whatever Chris set out to do.

While Lee wanted to revisit X-men classics like the Sentinels and the Imperial Guard, Claremont wanted to look forward but was repeatedly overruled... until he finally decided to quit in 1991 after launching the second monthly X-men title with Jim Lee.

Adjectiveless X-men # 1 was a smash hit, with a record 7.1 million (!) copies printed up. It involved Claremont's final status quo changing story for both the X-men and their arch enemy Magneto... and oh yes, lots of mind control...

The story opens with a battle in space, near Magneto's orbital home base Asteroid M. Involving himself in the skirmish, the master of magnetism is stunned to learn one of the involved parties is a band of mutants who have come to pledge them to his cause. Intrigued, he takes them in...

The fight didn't go unnoticed on Earth either. The Russians picked it up, handed it over to SHIELD which sent Nick Fury to deliver it to the X-men.

The X-men go on high alert and split up into two teams: X-men blue and gold. A clever way to maintain seperate casts of characters for the two main X-men titles. X-men blue, scheduled to be X-men's main cast, was comprised of Cyclops, Beast, Gambit, Rogue, Psylocke and Wolverine. 

After fighting the X-men in the Atlantic, Magneto makes an appearance in Genosha where his newly minted Acolytes are cutting a bloody swath through the mutant oppressing magistrates. He has a bit of news to share with the world...

Proclaiming Asteroid M a sovereign nation and threatening to avenge any mutant is bound to get a response from the global super powers... But for now, the X-men fought Magneto and the Acolytes while Genosha burned. So just who are these Acolytes, what can they do?

Well, there's their red headed leader Fabian Cortez for one. After planting a kiss on Psylocke, he used his abilities to regulate mutant powers to amp her telepathy up to the Nth degree... Causing her to lose control of her self as her mind almost drowned in other people's thoughts.

Luckily, she recovered in time for the next Acolyte to make his move. Meet Chrome, he can do stuff like this...

Yup, he turned most of the team into living statues with just a wave of his hand. Of course, he could have done it half an issue earlier, but then it wouldn't have been much of a slobberknocker, now would it?  Magneto takes the X-men blue team prisoner as he and the Acolytes return to Asteroid M where a stunning discovery awaits them.

Someone has been messing with Magneto's genetic codes... And he knows full well who is responsible...

Way back in the 1970s, Magneto fought the Defenders and professor X with the help of Alpha, the ultimate mutant. During the fight, Alpha realised Magneto was the real enemy and turned him into a baby. Charles Xavier took the helpless child to Moira's Muir Island facility so the young Magnus might have a chance for redemption. 

Unfortunately, Moira instead used all her time to mess with Magneto's mind, in an attempt to 'cure' the once and future master of magnetism of his more... insane... tendencies. Let's see how Magneto appreciated her efforts.

Comparing Moira to Nazi doctor Josef Mengele might be a bit harsh... Then again, both doctors experimented on young children with complete disregard of their professional ethics and morality. 

It is truly horrific to see what Magneto puts Moira through. Torturing her until she agrees to something that will truly haunt her for the rest of her life: using the same techniques to mind control the captured X-men. The procedure goes off without a hitch and the X-men blue team swear allegiance to Magneto's cause, just as the X-men gold team is mounting a rescue operation. The clock is ticking though, because the UN has decided to blow Asteroid M out of the sky, no matter who's on it.

But, how can Storm, Jean Grey, Colossus, Archangel, Iceman, Banshee and Forge possibly beat their fellow X-men, the Acolytes ánd Magneto?

Not easily. 

But sometimes, the only way to end a fight is to fight.

Rogue's back to her old self again and the others are soon to follow as the third issue of X-men draws to a close. Y'see, Moira's mind control technique doesn't really stick because, well, let's have her explain it... She's the Nobelprize winning geneticist here after all...

Yup, Moira's mindwipe won't stick if a mutant has already used his or her powers. It's a bit of a pop psychology psychobabble cop out, but hey... At least it established Magneto's fully responsible for his own actions and can't pin his crimes on Moira's handiwork. With that established, the UN deadline conveniently runs out and, as promised, Asteroid M gets hit with an orbital laser cannon.

Preferring to go down with their home, Magneto and the Acolytes stay behind as the X-men race for their ship. And in the closing moments of a 15 year run, Chris Claremont has professor Xavier offer up a few last nuggets of wisdom

Mind Control On The Toad To Nowhere

Today's short but sweet entry serves as both a prequel and a dovetail to the previous God Loves But Mind Control Still Kills threeparter. 

After his initial return to the X-books in 2000, Chris Claremont was asked to incorporate the events of the first X-men movie into mainstream comics. The bulk of the work was taken care of by Fabien Nicieza who penned X-men Forever, a continuity heavy limited series that featured Phoenix and Iceman teaming up with established baddies Juggernaut, Mystique and the Toad.

By the end of the mini, the events had miraculously *cough* caused Mystique and Toad to transform from their ever familiar form in comics to the look of their movie counterparts.

So... how did the reimagined Mystique (now with 80 percent more scales and spikes!) and the new model Toad for the 2000s go over? Well, the fact yours truly has to remind you they ever existed ought to tell you enough. Still, Claremont tried to work with the new status quo when he set up a subplot with them in X-men # 106...

Yup, the new and improved Toad is no longer interested in taking orders from his bald broterhood bootcamp trainer and he uses his newly discovered, chemically rich tongue to the best of his abilities... first by forcing Mystique to reveal her true form and then, just to prove this is still a Chris Claremont comic, by adding a little hot mind control to the mix... 

Toad's attempt to control her with his newly discovered pheromone powers suitably impress Mystique, earning him a spot in her new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants after all. But let's review the panels without the dialogue.

For one thing, apparently that single lick caused the disappearance of Mystique's new, spikey template host (only a matter of time, considering how complicated a look that would be to keep consistent from panel to panel).

But more importantly: judging from the art, it seems there might have been a last minute change of plans. Consider Mystique's submissive kneeling position, head held down and eyes closed, while Toad triumphantly stands next to her grinning all the way.

Still, all that alledged mind control went nowhere. This particular incarnation of the Brotherhood (including a new Crimson Commando and a speedster called Sabre) is never seen again. Mystique and Toad next appear as the Brotherhood a few months down the line when all that nutty forced movie adaptation was over and done with...

... Or maybe not.

God Loves, But Mind Control Still Kills part III: Mind Control Is The Opiate Of The People

In the third and final part of God Loves, But Mind Control Still Kills, the mysteries surrounding Mount Haven are finally answered. Just why is the mutant hating reverend William Stryker after the inhabitants of this mountain town? How come Bishop and Shadowcat are the only two X-men who seem impervious to whatever is mind controlling everyone else and just what is the deal with minister Paul? Let's dive in...

                              

Issue # 29 opens with Lady Deathstrike standing triumphant over the unconscious body of her archenemy Wolverine. However, because her body is being controlled, lady Yuriko Oyama is unable to fully appreciate this victory...

Not that she would have had too much time to enjoy his death, because Logan's fellow X-man Cannonball races to the rescue... the sounds of which can be heard in Mount Haven, serving as a bit of a wake up call for the mind controlled Storm... However, the equally addled Sage tries to win her back...

Ah yes, when all else fails and the violent weather mirrors Storm's subconscious fighting back... Dial 'S' for either Sage or Sappho....the mind controlled mentat needed the X-treme X-men's team leader back in the game. After all, Bishop was still on the loose... So Sage resorted to this here.

Storm's near lesbian encounter had no effect on that cheerful, mindless grin on her face. In fact, it seemed prevalent in Mount Haven... all courtesy of minister Paul, as Kitty Pryde finds out in the labyrinth like catacombs of the city. 

Kitty finally realises Mount Haven's dirty secret. The place didn't exactly start out as a haven for mutants... quite the opposite in fact. The town was home to one of the largest mutant detention and research facilities in the country...Aaron Pankow, the convicted mass murderer William Ryker went to see in the opening issue of this arc, worked there and told the reverend about the atrocities in Mount Haven, causing Stryker to start up his crusade once again.

Long story short... Stryker has figured out just who minister Paul really is. Mount Haven did indeed house a government sponsored mutant R&D facility, outfitted with a top notch sentient computer system capable of sentient reasoning. During the many hours of supervising and facilitating horrific experiments on captured mutants, the 'innocent' A.I. started to see right from wrong and decided to take action. 

Taking over the form of one of the tortured mutants, Haven's A.I. used his body to reinvented itself as minister Paul. Soon, it figured out a way to protect everyone who wasn't a mutant, by unleashing swarms of nigh undetectable nannites into the air that infected everyone in town. Paul slowly killed every human within the city limits. This meant death came as an unexpected surprise to the general population and it also explained just why there were no adults, only mutant offspring running around carefree (and mind controlled). 

An apalled Stryker finally carried out his mission when he pushed Shadowcat into minister Paul. Her innate phasing abilities immediately short circuit whatever electronics they encounter... Not only did this ability make her impervious to the nannites, it also explained why the healer Cybil died after Kitty accidentally phased through here...

In this case, Kitty's phasing caused the computer controlling Paul to suffer the equivalent of a grand mal seizure, shutting down all the nannites in Mount Haven at once... Often with lethal results as Bishop discovered...

Yes, the entire town had been infected with the nannites that slowly turned their bodies into cybernetic organisms designed to be controlled by the not quite human cybernetic intelligence housing in minister Paul. When he short circuited, his followers paid the price... Only the most recent of arrivals lived to tell the tale.

In the end, Bishop was instrumental in ensuring all the X-men, including Cannonball, recovered from their bout with cybernetic mind control. In case you were wondering why Bishop wasn't infected himself... the answer is painfully obvious: coming from a future where cybernetic infestation is as common as chicken pox, Bishop was inocculated against nannites as a kid. A rather simple and effective deus ex machina... Speaking of machines of god...

'Paul' was left in a state of existential crisis. The only reason the evolved computer system did what it did was a rather silly misunderstanding. It believed the only real human beings were the ones showing 'the spark', actually meaning the energy flare indicative of mutagenic potential. Baseline human being were considered to be little more than vermin to be eradicated... after all, anything to protect the 'real human beings'.

The reverend Stryker offered a stunningly selfless solution for this dilemma...

Yup, here we have the mutant hating man of God, wearing a slave collar, freely sacrificing his life to keep a newly formed cybernetic intelligence in check. It's really one for the history books, if only future writers would have left the reverend alone...

Despite heavily relying on mind control, God Loves Man Kills II is a remarkable story that mirrors the original graphic novel in having William Stryker starting out as a protector of humanity, but eventually merging with a mechanized man hunter to safeguard both man ánd mutantkind in the process... It's a rare case of perfect symmetry and a worthy send off for the character of the reverend William Stryker. His story arc had reached a natural climax... what else could be done?

... *sigh*... Yeah, instead of leaving a powerful and unique character alone, granting him the story arc his creator had intended, you could of course turn the reverend Stryker into a platitudes spouting hate filled bigot stereotype, literally armed with a piece of the futuristic Sentinel Nimrod. Y'know, for shits and giggles...

"Oh heavenly father, forgive us our sins as we forgive those indebted to us" ... indeed. Thankfully, the X-men weren't too bothered with all of that after their experiences in Mount Haven.

God Loves, But Mind Control Still Kills part II: Haven Knows I Tried To Control You!

In the second part of God Loves, But Mind Control Still Kills, Chris Claremont is hard at work crafting a sequel to his classic 1982 graphic novel. Originally intended to somewhat tie in to the second X-men movie, ol' Chris lost track of that when writing this story.

The reverend Stryker was freed from prison by his associate Lady Deathstrike, who intentionally made sure the blame was placed on the X-men. At the same time, Stryker and Deathstrike kidnapped Kitty Pryde because the reverend felt she'd be instrumental for his mission in the mysterious town of Mount Haven.

However, before Stryker could make his move, an unknown entity from Mount Haven controlled the body of Deathstrike and forced her to chase after Stryker. He cleverly escaped with Kitty by donning adamantium laced body armors and forcing her to phase them to safety by, well, let's have Chris explain this.

However, this process is apparently extremely disruptive to the Earth's energy fields because of the adamantium armor they're wearing. And that's where the X-men come in, because Storm goes completely ballistic when she's caught in the backlash of the trauma Kitty's phasing is causing the Earth. After calming their leader down, the X-men figure out a few things thanks to Sage.  

Believably explaining the connection between Stryker and Lady Deathstrike, Claremont also has the team realise Kitty is involved which only increases the urgency of their mission. Storm uses her powers to follow the trail of destruction left after Kitty's joyride, figuring that she has to be somewhere near where the devastation stops. As they get underway, Kitty wakes up...

Yes, Kitty had managed to lose Stryker along the way but was so exhausted she was almost run over by a family who were on their way to bring their mutant son to... Mount Haven. Which is exactly where Kitty finds herself...

Obviously taken by the charismatic minister calling himself Paul, the confused Kitty follows him on a tour of Mount Haven... which at first glance appears to be the realisation of professor Xavier's dream: a town where mutants don't have to hide who or what they are. However, halfway through the tour, Kitty suddenly falls ill.

It's interesting to note that while Paul dressed Kitty in an outfit that's a cross between elitist WASP and naughty schoolgirl, he didn't bother to remove the armored slave collar Stryker had placed around her neck.

Still, that is of little importance as Paul rushes Kitty to an underground facility in the opening pages of X-treme X-men # 28, where a healer called Cybil tries to treat her. However, Shadowcat is so delirious, she phases through the mutant feline... which leads to several gruesome discoveries.

For one thing, Cybil dies on the spot because Kitty phased through her. Also, the underground clinic is actually part of a bigger lab complex, filled with people who seem to have died instantly... This partially answers Kitty's question why, apart from minister Paul, Mount Haven only seems to be populated by young mutants. But before she could get some answers, the armored form of reverend Stryker pops up out of nowhere, knocking out Paul and going on an extensive rant about the mysteries of Mount Haven... 

Meanwhile, the X-men have arrived in Mount Haven and soon find themselves mind controlled...

After encountering some young mutants, the cold and calculating Sage was suddenly all smiles... which was a dead give away for her fellow teammate Bishop that she wasn't quite in her right mind. Easily taking her out, he soon finds out she wasn't the only one compromised... the hard way.

And there was even more mind control fun to be had... As Wolverine encounters Lady Deathstrike, hot on the trail of Stryker and Kitty. 

Yuriko's cybernetic body was still being controlled, but that didn't exactly dull her fighting instincts. And heck... she didn't mind sharing the experience as she gave Logan some sage advice after a two page spread of bloody battle.

"Embrace Mount Haven as your new home. And Paul as your saviour."

'Savio-u-r'? Never knew Deathstrike was British. Ah well, the cat's out of the bag now...minister Paul is the big bad of this arc. Just how big a threat he is, will become clear in the third and final part of God Loves, But Mind Control Still Kills: Mind Control Is The Opiate Of The People

God Loves, But Mind Control Still Kills part I: Here we go again...

Back in the early 00's, Marvel celebrated its initial successes at the box office thanks to the first Spider-Man and X-men movies.

2003 brought Ang Lee's Hulk and more importantly X-2, heavily based on Chris Claremont's fan favorite God Loves, Man Kills graphic novel from 1982. While the movie version of William Stryker was a military commander instead of a reverend, the powers that were at Marvel still felt the movie should warrant a comics tie in. Ahhh, synergy... It truly is a wonderful thing.

Naturally the task to write this tie in fell on Chris Claremont, who came up with the six part God Loves, Man Kills II that played out in the pages of X-treme X-men, starting with issue # 25. Naturally, the reverend William Stryker had a starring role. However, which version of Stryker? Claremont's 1982 original...

Or someone more like actor Brian Cox, from the actual movie Marvel's marketeers were trying to plug?

Oh, you guessed it... right down to the goatee...

So what had Stryker been up to since he got sent to prison after killing a woman on live tv? Well, he's still in prison, where he's being treated as a celebrity of sorts.Not every inmate gets a private jet to take him back to his prison cell after hearing serial killer Aaron Pankow's confession. Something is up with Stryker and Sage is all over the case. Hey, she *IS* the X-men's mentat after all...

At first, the X-men don't consider Sage's Stryker newsflash too important... but the reverend's travel plans soon take a turn for the worse as an old foe of the X-men manages to worm her way aboard his jet.

Yuriko Oyama, Lady Deathstrike for her enemies, featured heavily in the X-2 movie. So it only makes (commercial) sense she would have to appear here as an ally of Stryker's as well, in spite of any previously established continuity between the two of them. Rescuing the reverend by killing his captors and crashing the plane, she also manages to place the blame like a pro...

So, the X-men have been accussed of downing a plane and causing the death of at least half a dozen people. Of course we know it's a lie, but why would the team even consider getting close to the scene of the crime?

After all, apart from the old 'guilty by association' line, contaminating the crime scene with their presence and finger prints would only work to incriminate them further... Yet, the X-men travel to the site of the crash where Wolverine realises that the corpses in the wreckage died from very familiar stab wounds. But before he could share his findings, the team was attacked by para military troops who appeared ready for them.

Meanwhile the reverend Stryker and Lady Deathstrike are in Chicago's The Belles of Hell bar to see an X-man who didn't want to be an X-man anymore...

"Yes, Deathstrike. She is PERFECT."

Stryker needed Kitty for his latest mission, but rather than asking for her help he tried to mind control her in the opening pages of X-Treme X-men # 26, which subjected Kitty to a plethora of alternate identities who tried to undermine her sense of self, in hopes of making her vulnerable to the reverend's subliminal recruitment message. 

Luckily, his slick sales pitch was undermined by an aspect of Kitty's mind, taking the form of her best friend Illyana Rasputin. Kitty cast the reverend out, leaving both Stryker and his team of mind control specialists baffled. She really should have succumbed to the procedure, yet her phasing powers made it impossible for the mind control techs to fully map her brain patterns.

Annoyed, Stryker asked Lady Deathstrike to use her impressive cybernetic abilities to check in on the surveillance team in Mount Haven, the location where this mission of his is supposed to go down...

You gotta love Lady Deathstrike's, in retrospect, low tech approach to surfing... Forget wifi, best way to go online is by shifting your fingers into com ports and dialing in. Still, despite the slow dial up, she made contact with the surveillance team...

Discovering their demise, she was confronted by the mysterious presence responsible for all the mayhem.. but managed to sign off before he could affect her. Or did she? 

Shocked to learn Deathstrike was being used as an unwilling assassin, Stryker ordered his followers to protect him, causing them to serve as little more than cannon fodder while he raced towards the cell of a  rather strung out Kitty Pryde. Revealing a metal slave collar around his neck, Stryker slapped one on Kitty too just as Deathstrike barged in for the kill.

Activating the collars, Stryker and Kitty manifested adamantium laced armor while waiting for the mind controlled Deathstrike to catch up. Just as Stryker used Kitty's phasing abilities to move to freedom, Lady Deathstrike was left alone with a rather chilling realisation...

The game was afoot as we'll see in the second part of God Loves, But Mind Control Still Kills: Haven Knows I Tried To Control You!