Uncanny X-Men #282 (1991)

 

Uncanny X-Men #282 (November, 1991)
"Payback"
Plot/Pencils - Whilce Portacio
Script - John Byrne
Inks - Art Thibert
Colors - Dana Moreshead
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Edits - Bob Harras
Chief - Tom DeFalco
Cover Price: $1.00

It's been a pretty rough few days, my friends... emotionally draining, and just plain unpleasantly busy overall. This is kind of embarrassing to admit, though perhaps it shouldn't be... but, I'm still processing the loss of our dog. It's been four months now, and the hurt just refuses to go away. If anything, it only seems to intensify. It makes it very difficult to do much of anything... as he was so, I dunno, entwined I guess, with everything I do on a daily basis. He was always there, by my side... no matter if I was writing, recording... or doing yard work or yoga. Every day, for fourteen years. And now... he's not. I don't think I've allowed myself to actually grieve properly... just kept forcing myself to push forward. That stuff... those feelings... they just don't "pass", I suppose. They're going to have to be faced and dealt with eventually... and, my subconscious appears to be drawing it out to make the sensation as painful and life-destroying as possible. On that happy note...

I'm dipping back into the old From Claremont to Claremont show-prep well to find anything I haven't already repurposed into a blog post for our humble and hollow internet home. I think I've found one worth "zsuszing up".

--

We open at the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, where the Prof and Forge are engaging in a game of Chess.  Charles ekes out a win, and acknowledges that he knew Forge had activated a psychic dampener in order to keep things "fair".  Before setting the board back up for a rematch, the pair are interrupted by the arrival of the Gold Strike Force... and a Sentinel head.  This is a pretty ugly panel...

... though we do see via his bookshelf, that Professor X has been keeping up with the Infinity Gauntlet limited-series!  So that's sorta fun.

Storm explains what happened last issue... which... even the editorial caption informs us isn't what actually happened.  The wheels are coming off this book already!  Bob Harras writes, "Not Quite what you saw last issue, but take our word for it!  It's what happened!"  Yeah, nice try...

The Professor is shocked to see Jean in such a state... and informs the team that, if she were actually dead, he'd have felt it when it happened.  A deeper probe reveals that Jean Grey isn't actually dead... only displaced.  But... where?

We shift scenes to Shinobi Shaw's penthouse apartment... the caption tells us it's late at night, even though the art makes it seem like it's pretty bright out.  Anyhoo, Trevor Fitzroy is paying the man a visit to inform him that... well, he's won the game.  Not only did he kill Donald Pierce, but he also took out the White Queen and her entire pack o' Hellions!  We learn here that Jean Grey is actually occupying the mind of Emma Frost, by the way.

He demands Shinobi's ring... which, I guess denotes he's the leader of the Upstarts.  Imagine that being the "topper" on your resume?  Shinobi assures him he won't give it up without a fight... and so, Fitzroy decides he'll just cut the dude's finger off and take the ring by force.

Back at the Mansion, the X-Men put together a plot to save Jean.  They deduce that Fitzroy's base is located on an iceberg somewhere in the Arctic.  Forge and Professor X decide they're coming along on this mission... which appears to make Storm a little uneasy.

We rejoin Fitzroy, who is accompanied by his weird little sidekick, Bantam, and a trio of heavily-armored guards.  Suddenly... a portal opens!  This is rather a shock to Trevor, as he had nothing to do with it.  From the portal springs... two men, who, in the process of passing through, wind up melded into one!

Fitzroy puts them out of their misery, and blames Bantam for the boner.  Ya see, Fitzroy make'a the portals, and Bantam is supposed to be monitoring them all.  Bantam reveals that this portal didn't seem strong enough to actually work... and so, he stopped paying it any mind.  Or something.  Bantam thinks to himself that Trevor needs to be more responsible with his powers... otherwise, ya never know who or what might crawl out of the next portal!  Let's put a pin in that for the moment...

The X-Men arrive over the iceberg... and it's confirmed, as if we didn't already know, that Jean transferred her psyche into the nearest telepath last issue... and, of course, that telepath was Emma Frost.  Xavier assumes this means that Frost is actually dead... but, again, finds it strange that he didn't "feel" her dying.

Back inside, Fitzroy prepares to "feed".  His Sentinels warn that there's an aircraft approaching... but he silences them.  He's surrounded by his hostage Hellions... and is getting ready to suck up all of their energies.  He starts with Tarot.  It's here where Fitzroy's speech pattern is really started to get to me... any time he addresses someone, he starts his statement with "My dear...", like "My dear Tarot.", or God forbid, "My dear Beef."

Fitzroy uses Tarot's energy to open up yet another portal.  From this one, we meet a trio of gaudy geeks named Burke, Kroeger, and Stylles.  Trevor and Kroeger have some contentious back-n-forth, resulting in the K-Man trying to leave through the same portal he entered... and learning the hard way that it was only a "one way" trip.

Just then, Jean Grey-as-Emma Frost reveals herself to be, ya know, awake... and lashes out at Fitzroy with some telekinetics.  This, naturally, catches Trevor off-guard, as Emma Frost is "nothing more than a telepath" and shouldn't be able to do any of this.

Then... the cavalry arrives!

What follows are several pages of the X-Men just tearing through Fitzroy's Sentinel army.  I can only wonder what Byrne might've thought when he got faxed these pages.  Fitzroy has finally had enough, and rushes over to his hostage Hellions of drain more power than he'd ever drained before!

In turn, he uses this energy to... say it with me... open up yet another portal.  From this one emerges... well, basically Morlocks from the future.  Just a gaggle of interchangeable geeks... without any sort of defining characteristics.

The X-Men wipe the floor with them.  Fitzroy is still pretty confident... but that all changes when some heavy firepower comes blasting through the still-open portal.

He turns in horror to see his old rival... Bishop (flanked by Malcolm and Randall Redshirt).

--

Letters Page:

X-Lapsed, Episode 288 - Marvel's Voices: Identity #1 (2021)

X-Lapsed, Episode Two Hundred Eighty-Eight

Marvel's Voices: Identity #1 (October, 2021)
"That One Thing"
"Personal Heroes"
"Traditional Pink Sushi"
And from Marvel's Voices: Pride #1: "When a Black Cat Crosses Your Path, You Give Them the Right-of-Way"
Writers - Christina Strain, Alyssa Wong, Ken Niimura, & Leah Williams
Art - Jason Loo, Whilce Portacio, Ken Niimura, & Jan Bazaldua
Colors - Christina Strain, Jay David Ramos, Ken Niimura, & Erick Arciniega
Letters - VC's Joe Sabino & Ariana Maher
Design - Carlos Lao
Edits - Brunstad, Roche, Gregorowicz, Shan, Cebulski
Cover Price: $5.99
On-Sale : August 25, 2021

Righting the wrong of... forgetting to discuss this Marvel's Voices one-shot back in October!

Today's a "Just the X, ma'am!" look at Marvel's Voices: Identity... covering three stories that are... kinda just there!  Plus, we right a second wrong when I go back to Marvel's Voices: Pride #1 to discuss the Jesse Drake story that I didn't even realize I missed!

Plus, we've got Destiny of X and X-Men Unlimited news... and, as this is the "November Finale", we're deep-diving the Sales of X for August, 2021!

--

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From Claremont to Claremont, Episode 2b - Uncanny X-Men #282 (1991)

From Claremont to Claremont: An X-Men Podcast

Episode 2B

Uncanny X-Men #282 (November, 1991)
"Payback"
Plot/Pencils - Whilce Portacio
Script - John Byrne
Inks - Art Thibert
Colors - Dana Moreshead
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Edits - Bob Harras
Chief - Tom DeFalco
Cover Price: $1.00

The Coming of Bishop... well, sorta... he shows up on the last page... and the cover... 

In todays segmented From Claremont to Claremont, my pal Billy (@Billyd_licious) and I talk all about it... and the lengths the X-Men will go to in order to make sure everybody is in their right body!

Also - Billy sits in the hotseat for the Pod-File!

--

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From Claremont to Claremont, Episode 1b: Uncanny X-Men #281 (1991)

From Claremont to Claremont: An X-Men Podcast

Episode 1B

Uncanny X-Men #281 (October, 1991)

"Fresh Upstart"

By Jim Lee, Whilce Portacio, & John Byrne

Inks - Art Thibert

Colors - Joe Rosas

Letters - Tom Orzechowski

Edits - Bob Harras

Chief - DeFalco

Cover Price: $1.00

Continuing our way through the legendary (legendary mean from like a really long time ago, right?) first episode of From Claremont to Claremont: An X-Men Podcast - and in this segment, I'm joined by my pal Billy (@BiLLYd_licious) to discuss the first issue of the new-look Uncanny X-Men!  The Gold Team is up to their shoulders in trouble... but not quite as much as the poor Hellions (RIP in Pieces Beef!).

Billy will also share with us his X-Fan Secret Origin!  It's a fun conversation, I hope you'll tune in!

--

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Major X-Lapsed, Episode 3 - Major X #3 (2019)

Major X-Lapsed, Episode Three

Major X #3 (July, 2019)

Writer - Rob Liefeld

Art - Whilce Portacio

Colors - Romulo Fajardo, Jr.

Letters - VC's Joe Sabino

Edits - Bissa, White, Cebulski

Cover Price: $3.99

On-Sale: May 1, 2019

Major X-Lapsed rolls on, right into the midway point of this sorta-kinda baffling miniseries.  This time out, we catch up with some old friends from a strange two-part turn of the century story from the pages of Wolverine and discover the "birthplace" of the X-Ential.  We also get three extended fight scenes, plenty of cryptic dialogue... and thankfully, very little in the way of Atlanteans!

Also: Your humble host kvetches a bit about how quick comics are touted as being "sold out" (such as these Major X issues), despite the fact that there are still stacks and stacks of these things at every brick-n-mortar comics retailer coast to coast.

--

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Uncanny X-Men #281 (1991)

Uncanny X-Men #281 (October, 1991)
"Fresh Up Start"
Plot - Jim Lee
Plot & Pencils - Whilce Portacio
Script - John Byrne
Inks - Art Thibert
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Colors - Joe Rosas
Editor - Bob Harras
Chief - Tom DeFalco
Cover Price: $1.00

Ages ago following Schism, when Uncanny X-Men had it's first renumbering and "new #1", I concocted a list of times that would've made more sense to dump the legacy numbering.  Schism, wasn't quite as big of a deal as Marvel made it out to be... and was more or less just another Cyclops and Wolverine "falling out".

The issue we'll be looking at today is one of those times where I think Marvel could've "gotten away with" a renumbering.  I wouldn't have liked it... but, I could definitely understand it a bit more than following the nothing-burger that was Schism.

To me, if this book was ever going to be renumbered... it should have been either here, or when the book returned to new content following Giant-Size.

Let's get into it... and try not to feel too bad for poor John Byrne having to script these panels at the 13th hour.

--

We open in the Australian Outback, where the Reavers are having themselves a good time drinking and chatting.  All's not completely calm, however, as one of 'em is certain he'd heard something stirring from outside their camp.  Donald Pierce tells the fella to shut up... they're too far off the beaten path (and in the middle of a sandstorm) where nobody can find them.  Well, not so fast, kemosabe... just then, a group of rough-looking Sentinels peel the roof off the joint as though it were a can of tuna fish!

Meanwhile, in New York City, the X-Men's Gold Strike Force is attending a party at the Hellfire Club.  Turns out they were asked to come by Emma Frost herself.  Storm laments the fact that she had to wear a "preposterous gown" to the gala... but, it's looks more like a minidress to me.  She, Jean, and Warren are hanging out upstairs... while Bobby and Piotr mingle among the other guests... and members of Frost's own Hellions.

Naturally, there's a bit of friction between the two factions... however, before it can come to blows, Emma Frost hurls some armored woman through a set of double doors.  This is an assassin who had been sent to kill her... and it isn't the first time this happened (this week!).  Just as the cover copy suggests... this is the sorta thing upon which "desperate alliances" are built.

Elsewhere, Shinobi Shaw is being attended to by a whole bunch of scantily clad folks while chatting up a fella who we will soon know as Trevor Fitzroy.  They're comparing notes... and discussing a little "game" their group is currently playing.  Ya see, these two belong to the Upstarts... a group of assassins who try and rack up points by killing mutants... and assorted V.I.P.s.  Shinobi is currently the "king" of this organization... but Fitzroy might just be looking to challenge for the crown.

Back at the party, Frost is about to "peel the psyche" of her would-be assassin.  The X-Men naturally protest this sort of psychic torture, and intervene before it goes too far.

This triggers the Hellions to launch into battle... and before we know it, we're in the middle of a full-blown skirmish!  Remembering that they're there for a reason, Jean sends out a frantic psychic signal to get everyone to stand down.  When the dust settles, Frost reveals that the Hellfire Club is under attack... and suggests that the X-Men might be next.  Therefore, it might be in everybody's best interest for there to be a truce.

The Hellion Jetstream posits that they interrogate the armored assassin in hopes that she'll spill the beans on whoever might be behind these repeated attempts on their lives.  Before he can, however, Trevor Fitzroy pops onto the scene!

Back in the Outback, Donald Pierce is fleeing from his robotic pursuers.  Bashing through a wall, he runs into Lady Deathstrike. She proceeds to attack the Sentinel, slicing off it's arm.  Surprisingly, this Sentinel is able to reattach the lost limb without much in the way of inconvenience!

More Sentinels follow... and Pierce continues his escape.  He runs up a nearby hill, where he finds Gateway... the aboriginal mutant, with teleportation powers.  He demands the fella spin his "bullroarer" and send him to "the one responsible" for this assault.  No sooner does he step through the portal do the Sentinels arrive.  They appear to look at Gateway, but do not attack him.

Back in New York, Fitzroy is just having his way with the Hellions... killing two of their number (Jetstream and... uh, Beef) in as many panels.  Frost and the X-Men go on the offensive, however, the armor the baddie's wearing protects him from any psychic attacks.  Suddenly, Donald Pierce arrives on the scene, popping out of a portal...

... followed by a whole bunch of Sentinels!  The X-Men and Hellions team up to battle back the bots.  In the fracas, however, Emma Frost is struck dead!  Somehow, that is... the art isn't terribly clear.

The X-Hellions alliance continues to fight the good fight while Trevor Fitzroy looks on.  After engaging in a divide and conquer approach, it all comes down to a two-on-one confrontation between a pair of Sentinels and Jean Grey.

With one last desperate attempt, Jean does... something psychic-y (which will make a teensy bit more sense next issue).  The Sentinels confirm her death, and retreat.  Fitzroy looks on satisfied, knowing he just racked up a whole lotta Upstart points.

We wrap up with Colossus carrying Jean's lifeless body out of the Club while Senator Robert Kelly rushes onto the scene to give the heroes some grief.

--

I feel like when you talk to comics enthusiasts of the long ago, and you ask them which of the Image founders they like the least (insofar as art style), the immediate (almost knee-jerk) go-to is "Rob Liefeld".  For me, however... it's Whilce Portacio.  Fundamentally, he's a good artist, don't get me wrong.  There isn't (as much) wonky anatomy, though there's still a staggering lack of feet (Liefeld might be the least guilty yet most blamed for this phenomenon)... I, for whatever reason, just don't like looking at Whilce's work.

With that out of the way, let's talk story for a bit.

It's not great... but, it has some great elements.  Lemme tell ya, I absolutely love the idea of the Upstarts.  I feel like the X-Offices left money on the table with this concept... and there was just so much more that could have been done with it.  Imagine if this group was allowed to linger in the background for a bit... give them the ol' Claremont "bubbling subplot" treatment over the course of a few years... have them pick off random, perhaps "inconvenient", mutants for points... and finally crescendo into a confrontation.

Such a concept seems right up John Byrne's alley (circa 1991).  Byrne, feeling there were too many mutants to keep track of, was actually petitioning for a second Mutant Massacre around this time (I'll include the interview down below).  So, why not just have the Upstarts "take care" of that?

Well, a handful of reasons... first, John Byrne wasn't long for this era of X-Books.  Citing difficulty in effectively scripting the book due to the lateness of receiving the pages from Whilce and Jim... he'd skedaddle only a couple months into the assignment.  Then, less than a year later, Jim and Whilce would be gonzo from Marvel... then, a year after that, the X-Men had the Legacy Virus foisted upon them, which would more or less do the Upstarts' "job" of thinning the mutant herd, while being somewhat relevant in its analogousness to AIDS.

I'm still a big fan though!  I think the Upstarts could've been great.  Heck, I still do!  Guess it just wasn't in the cards.

Now, the rest of the issue... ya know, the actual "story"... ehh.  It was alright.  Back when I first read this, I didn't know a Hellion from a hole in the head, so I didn't really get how big a deal it was for Fitzroy to wipe them out.  After reading more about the Hellions... that disinterest turned to annoyance, as they really were "jobbed out" here just to establish Fitzroy as a threat.  That's a lot of history to dump just to give the new guy a shine.

The ending, with the apparent deaths of Jean and Emma?  Ehh, again.  I don't think anybody was buyin' it... then again, I don't think a lot of the folks who were literally "buyin'" this issue did so to check out the story in the first place.

Overall... an important issue... but, all told, not a very good one.

--

John Byrne Interview (from Wizard Magazine #3 - Nov, 1991):

Strikeforce: Morituri #1 (1986)

Strikeforce: Morituri #1 (December, 1986)
"Though Some Have Named Thee So--"
Writer - Peter B. Gillis
Pencils - Brent Anderson & Whilce Portacio
Inks - Scott Williams
Letters - Jim Novak
Colors - Max Scheele
Edits - Carl Potts
Chief - Jim Shooter
Cover Price: $0.75

It's Monday... and, for me... that means it's Morituri.  For the better part of a year, Chris Bailey and I have been talking Strikeforce: Morituri on the air darn near every single Monday (we did take a break around the Holidays).  As of this writing, we've covered the first 19 issues in great depth.  This is a very important comic to me... and, if you've followed my audio-exploits, you'd probably know that.  I shoehorn it into any conversation I can, after all.

This will be... yeesh, the third or fourth time I'm discussing this issue... though, the first time I'm doing so in writing, which will be an interesting experience... ya know, talking about it with visual aids.

Here are some of the other times I've talked about this one, if you're interested... which, you're not... but, what do I have to lose?







During the above Chris is on Infinite Earths episode (#24), I discuss, at length how and when I first heard of Strikeforce: Morituri... and how, the first time I read it I was able to draw a lot of sorta-kinda parallels between the basis of the story... and my own real life at the time.  It might be a bit of a reach... at least insofar as the "mortality" of it all... but, suffice it to say, I feel like I first read this at exactly the right time in my life.

I suppose this also gives me the opportunity to share some "hype videos" I made to promote the show:

So yeah, this is a very special property to me... and, I'm hoping that through the work we're putting into it, maybe some folks will "discover" it.  Unfortunately, at the end of the day... it's still Strikeforce: Morituri... and the only time people actually seem to care about it is when they think they've discovered it.  Once the novelty of that "discovery" wears off... and they get their 15 Twitter or Facebook "likes" from sharing a picture of the cover they found on Google Images... it's forgotten once again.

Well, here's me trying again to promote this wonderful book as best I can!  We who are about to... read the same damn comic for the eleventy-hundred skatey-eighth time... salute you!

--

Our story opens in 21st century New Roanoke, Virginia... a former thriving port now decimated my an alien invading hoard.  We discover that a group called "The Horde" took over the Earth... plundering stores and factories, took slaves and killed millions melting half the city with their engines.  Earth was woefully unprepared for the attack. 

As a result we next observe the "Paideia Emergency Volunteer Unit", as they're looking for survivors.  They don't find any... but take solace in the fact that they can now, at the very least, bury the dead with dignity.  We catch up with the central character of the story, who is on his last day of duty with the volunteer group... he is nicknamed R.B. by his colleagues or Rabid Beaver for short.  His civvie name is Harold Everson, and he's just about to leave in order to undergo something called the Morituri Process.  His pals note that he is moving on to become a superhero and a celebration ensues.  We could assume this is gonna be one heck of a going away party!

Later, we rejoin Harold while on a train headed home to Alexandria, Virginia.  It's here we get to eavesdrop on some of his true thoughts and discover that he feels that being part of the few individuals selected to be involved with the Morituri Process is like hitting the jackpot... at the same time, however, he struggles with the fact that others disagree... namely his parents.

He arrives at the station and meets up with his parents who take him home to relax before he leaves to join The Morituri.  An argument ensues as his parents try to convince Harold that he is making a mistake and that maybe he should stick to writing for “The Local Net”.  Harold says he is tired of hauling bodies and wants to do something about the Horde himself.  His parents quibble as he storms into his bedroom that their son is off to "become a dead man".

As Harold rushes off to his room he grabs “The Book” which we see is a comic called The Last Stand Of The Black Watch.  The Watch, as we would discover, were the fabled original superheroes of the Morituri Process.  We see three futuristic looking soldiers dressed in traditional black leather style uniforms, complete with metal shoulder pads and pouches.  They are Clint, Bruce, and Woody... and they're riding on top of a space cruiser flying directly into the heart of Horde territory looking to bring a fight.

Their superpowers and bravery are evident as they easily combat the monstrous horde armies with their bare hands,and super strength.  Worth noting, this is just a comic book... but it really does a great job motivating Harold to be just like his heroes of The Black Watch.

We jump ahead some time later, and rejoin Harold as he's being driven into a gated compound named “New Haven”.  Upon arriving Harold observes the well manicured gardens and iron wrought gates and compares it to... a cemetery.

Immediately, Harold notices that the air is filled with flying crafts, which he calls “Contrails”... which he recognizes as part of the Alien Hordes flying fleet.  Harold and his driver are about to leap into action but discover that these are actually some Paideia on patrol... and, instead head inside the large compound.  It's here that Harold meets the Morituri Commander, Beth Luis Nion (lookin' a lot like Brotherhood of Evil Mutants era Rogue) and the creator of the Morituri Process Kimmo Tuolema. Harold is introduced to the other recruits...  

... Robert Greenbaum, Jelene Anderson, Louis Armanetti, Lorna Raeburn, and Aline Pagrovna... who appears to have already undergone the first stage of "The Process", as when she shakes Harold's hand... she nearly crushes it with her super-human strength!

Harold tried from his journey retires to his room where he curls up in bed with his issue of The Last Stand Of The Black Watch... yes, the same issue.  The only issue, in fact!

As he continues through his comic, he gets to the part where it shows the final fate of those three original members.  They are surrounded by the Horde legion who are rather ticked at all of the damage the Black Watch had done them... and so, the Watch is killed!  Though, not before warning the Hordians that there will be more to replace them... ie. the Strikeforce: Morituri.  Hmm... feels like this innocent little comic book might just be a propagandist brochure, dunnit?

Lorna is watching Harold from the hallway, but he is way too caught up in his comic book to notice.  It's here that Lorna sorta plants the seed of doubt in Harold that the story he just read was not how this scene actually played out.

As the night rolls on, the Compound is stirred awake by some terrible noise and clatter.  We see fellow Morituri recruit, Aline who is absolutely terrified and crying for help.  It's as though she just now realized what she's given away in order to join the team.  She is taken away by Dr. Tuolema, while Harold watches on in confused horror.  This is our first real indication that there is a certain "sacrifice" involved in undergoing the process.  It's been "in the air" for much of the issue, but this is where it really hits.

The following morning, Commander Nion interviews Harold for the process... by asking him the simple question of “--Why do you want to die?”  Harold struggles to answer the question before finally saying he wants to use his life the best way it can be used...in defense of the planet.  Beth, like Harold's parents earlier on, reminds him that he is a writer and this is dead serious and not just some “story”.  She continues... and drops the big bombshell on the readers, by telling him that once he starts the Morituri Process... he will die within one year.  Harold doesn't seem all that phased and suggests that he will write his memoirs regarding his Morituri Process experience in order to share with the world.  This way, he'll sorta-kinda become immortal.

A bit later on Beth gives Harold the nickel tour of the lab facility where Louis Armanetti is about to undergo his initial Morituri Process.  While Harold, Commander Beth and Dr. Tuolema look on with Armanetti's procedure they decide to show Harold the actual video of what happened to the real members of The Black Watch.

While the heroic battle appears to have been not unlike what had transpired... it's the ending that is dramatically different from the pages of Harold's one-and-only comic book.  Instead of going out in a blaze of glory from Hordian fire... Woody the team leader spontaneously combusts and burns to death as a result of the Morituri Process. Harold is rather shook.  It is explained that the human body is not compatible with the Morituri Metabolism... and is eventually bound to reject it and kill its carrier... which explains why those who undergo the Morituri Process are doomed to die within a year.

It is also revealed here that people will react differently to The Process, and will likely develop radically different power sets.  Beth reminds Harold that this is the price the Morituri are being asked to pay (hmm, just like that Twisted Sister song I've heard a few times)... and he she implores him to truly think this over before crossing the Rubicon.

Moving into mid-day, it's lunchtime at Camp Morituri.  Harold and Aline are talking shop over some non-descript foodstuffs.  Aline reveals that she is taking the Morituri Process because... get this... she has been overlooked by men her entire life and The Process will make her strong and give her purpose.  Otherwise, she would have likely committed suicide a long time ago.  Yikes.  Now, she's stronger... her skin's cleared up, she has a bigger bustline... and she's gonna be a superhero. The makeshift meal is interrupted by the emergency alarms.  The Horde are attacking! 

Our new recruits leap into action and are immediately sent underground to a bunker where they're told not to engage the combat.  Remember, the majority of 'em don't have any powers yet!  Harold is stompin' mad about being left out of combat.  It's here that Aline stumbles upon a newly manifested element of her Morituri-Power Set!  She transmits an odd energy through her hands and melts the locks off the bunker's doors, allowing the recruits to escape.  Disobeying orders, they... get this... steal several land ships and fly into the shock zone.

Aline the only one with developed powers leaps out of the ship and joins the battle.  Harold and the rest land their ship and bust out of the tub guns a'blazing!

Harold is taken by surprise by a Horde warrior by surprise and is very nearly killed!  Before that can happen, however, Commander Beth Nion makes the save... which reading this idiot the riot act for disobeying orders. but not without chastising the new recruits for disobeying their orders to remain on base.  While Beth is busy, ya know, saving lives... she herself gets hit by a "parting shot" by the fleeing Hordian!  She survives... they all do.

Back at base, Commander Nion continues to berate the newbies for their stupidity and informs them that the place the Horde was attempting to rob was... a chocolate factory.  So, they all put their lives in jeopardy... for chocolate.  She, rightfully calls them all morons... and boots 'em from her office.

We join Harold back in his room as he... once again... flips through his one and only comic book... The Last Stand of The Black Watch.  It's now where he realizes that everything he thought he knew regarding the Morituri Process was... a lie.

Harold drops the comic... and heads over to the Commander's office.  Beth, who is in the middle of writing up her days report, is more than a little surprised when Harold brazenly enters and proclaims that he's decided to sign on after all!

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Man, I've talked about this issue so many times... it's starting to feel like I'm turning into Harold with his stupid Black Watch comic!  Still though... I love it!

It's very hard to talk about in a vacuum, however... ya know?  I've been so embedded in Marvel Earth-1287, that it's difficult to just talk about this one singular issue... but, I'll do my best.

Let's start with The Last Stand of the Black Watch.  It's weird... the Black Watch even gets the cover of this first issue.  We don't see Harold, or any of the Morituri... it's three dead guys!  It really sets up a strange expectation, dunnit?  We might expect an issue rife with firefights and intergalactic yadda-yaddas... but instead, it's a (relatively) "grounded" and almost soapy affair.

I do love that Harold's lone comic gets so much "play" here... as it really informs us as to the propagandist angle of the Paideia-approved Black Watch "lore".  This comic wasn't made to top the Diamond Top 300... it was made to foment Earthen "jingoism" (if that's a thing) and ultimately result in a new generation of recruits.  Harold bought the propaganda... hook, line, and sinker!

I mean, this wouldn't be the first time comics tried to inform a generation as to how they ought to think.  Comics from way back in the Golden Age would feature our "enemies" as not much more than evil caricatures... and, would also promote things like "war bonds"... with the message that in order to be a "Good American", you'd support the war effort.  Pretty clever stuff here from Gillis.

Harold finding out "the truth" was also very well done.  I appreciate the lengths the go to show Beth Nion as... I dunno, sympathetic to Harold's naivete?  She knows he "came in" via the propaganda brochure... and rather than just scoop him up, and push him through The Process, she makes sure he understands exactly what he's getting himself into.

The bombshell that those who undergo The Process are doomed to die within a year was very well handled... and we get the impression that this may... or may not be known by the public.  Sure, the Eversons referred to their son as "becoming a dead man", but... that could mean many things.  Think about military parents who aren't exactly "on board" with their child's decision to sign up.

That spotlight gets a bit brighter when Aline wakes in the middle of the night in a panic over dying... but, again... that could be taken in a few different ways.  Again, think of a new military recruit who has just found out they're being sent into battle.  I can't speak from experience... but, it stands to reason that might cause a bit of anxiety and stir up some mortal fears, no?

It's not until Harold is told, in no uncertain terms, that... this is a one-way trip.  Once you're part of The Process, your clock starts tickin'.  It's a heavy prospect... and, it was dealt with here incredibly well.  Harold struggles... he's got a lot to mentally digest... but, ultimately, after tasting just a little bit of battle, comes around to the idea.

I tell ya... this is a very special book.  Oh, and the art... oooh... Brent Anderson absolutely kills it!  Just awesome stuff!  The characters aren't like "TV pretty"... they're just normal flawed folks... and it's that normalcy juxtaposed with the extraordinary situation they're in, that keeps these characters relatable... and cheer-on-able.  Whilce Portacio delivers the art for the Black Watch bits, which... I like.  It drives home that these are two different stories... one "real", and one... less so.

Now, one thing about Strikeforce: Morituri that I sort of tire of hearing is that it would "make a great movie/TV show".  I get that... that's where a lot of folks' heads are right now.  But, here's the thing... Strikeforce: Morituri already exists.  The comic is here... and isn't hard to find (check your Marvel Unlimited).  Don't "wait for the movie", because you can experience the whole story... right now.  It ought to go without saying, that I recommend ya do so!

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