X-Men Blue #16 review: Let’s do the time warp again
By Thomas Bacon
Time is broken, and it’s all the X-Men’s fault!
X-Men Blue #16
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Thony Silas
Colorist: Rain Beredo
It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since Brian Bendis brought the All-New X-Men into the present day. Ever since, one question has been asked countless times: is there any way they can go home? Dennis Hopeless seemed to settle the issue for good, suggesting they actually originated from an alternate timeline. Now it’s time for Cullen Bunn to revisit the issue. One of Marvel’s foremost masters of continuity, Bunn is determined to do so in a fresh and invigorating way.
X-Men Blue #16 launches an arc that Bunn has called “Cross Time Capers.” Old-school fans will know exactly what Bunn means by that title. The original “Cross Time Caper” was an interdimensional, time-traveling arc penned by Chris Claremont. It sent the British superteam Excalibur on a merry jaunt through countless realities, and is fondly remembered by countless X-fans. Bunn clearly intends to send his team on a similar journey.
Time is breaking
The Master of Magnetism is in serious trouble. [Credit: Marvel Comics]We’ve known this was coming for a while now. A constant subplot has been Magneto’s mysterious scheme to send the X-Men back to their own time. Let’s face it, these are comic books, and such an idea is never going to be simple. So it is that the issue opens with Magneto receiving what we learn is a telepathic message from Charles Xavier. That is to say, the Charles Xavier of the Original Five’s reality.
At the same time, the X-Men begin to realize something’s gone badly wrong with time. it all kicks off with Bobby Drake, who’s settled down watching Mojo’s reality TV. That’s when the channel decides to replay a moment of history; Magneto’s death in battle with the original X-Men. As Bobby knows, that never happened. It doesn’t take long for time to catch up with Magneto, who literally disappears from existence.
The model of time-travel Bunn’s using seems reminiscent of the one Bendis originally toyed with back in the “Battle of the Atom” event. There, we saw that the death of the young Scott Summers would lead to the old vanishing from existence. Time would gradually rewrite itself around the anomaly. It’s a very different approach to the traditional Marvel multiverse, and it has a lot of dramatic potential.
Magneto’s not the only one to be vanishing from existence though. As the issue progresses, we see Polaris disappear too, swiftly followed by Danger. The desperate and confused X-Men attempt to work out what’s going on, with Jean managing to read Magneto’s mind before he pops out of existence.
Yeah, they really didn’t want to see that! [Credit: Marvel Comics]
The Cross Times Caper begins
Jean has a theory. That one of their enemies has discovered their absence in their own time, and is taking advantage of it. The theory only works if we discard Hopeless’s previous explanation, and assume the time-lost team really are from the main timeline. It’s an intriguing twist, although it definitely suggests Marvel lack long-term plans for their books. Realistically, this was only settled by Dennis Hopeless seventeen issues ago.
Still, the solution is clear. The X-Men must go home. Unfortunately, it turns out none of them know how to use the time machine. We get a hilarious sequence in which they run through countless moments of X-Men history. Fans will laugh at Scott and Jean’s reaction when they see their wedding day, while Iceman’s delight at an advancing dinosaur is hilarious.
But the issue closes with the team in a very different time-zone. Cullen Bunn, mastery of continuity that he is, has decided it’s time to head to the year 2099. Back in the ’90s, Marvel launched a range of comics set in this dark, dystopian future. The most famous 2099 character is Miguel O’Hara, Peter David’s Spider-Man 2099. But there were also X-Men in that year too, and the Original Five are about to come face-to-face with them.
Meet the X-Men of 2099! [Credit: Marvel Comics]The issue is a strong launchpad for what promises to be a fun arc. At the same time, there’s very little here that Bunn hadn’t teased in interviews. Because this is essentially all setup, and he’s already discussed the setup, we don’t get any surprises. That said, the rest of the creative team are performing to a high standard, making this book an enjoyable read. Thony Silas’s artwork is generally top rate, while colorist Rain Beredo takes every opportunity to strut his stuff. The opening sequence with Magneto is chilling, and the whole book is infused with a real sense of tension.
Perhaps the best artistic touch is just how characters disappear from time. Silas has chosen to avoid the dramatic. Instead of fancy temporal flares and time lightning, he simply has them disappear, replaced by a puff of smoke rising from the ground. It’s disconcerting, and therefore effective. Such a dramatic event as a person disappearing from time happens without any visual fanfare.
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Cullen Bunn has launched what looks set to be a very strong arc. At the same time, this first issue won’t give you any surprises. It will, however, set the scene for a lot of fun to come. Let the Cross Times Caper begin!