Mystique #2: In Pursuit Of One’s Destiny

Declan Shalvey and the team continue to lean hard into the espionage tropes in this one. Meetings in parking lots, characters seeking out other characters in secluded snow covered mountains. Secrets past and present pointing people in the directions they need to go. It’s fun stuff. Along the way Shalvey gets to flesh out some character feelings, in this instance we get insight into the character known as Avalanche as Mystique continues to relentlessly pursue her goal. It’s an interesting exchange between the two as Shalvey turns the exchange into a physical confrontation visually but it’s the words exchanged that hit much harder than the blows traded.

In the end though Mystique gets what she wants and body count continues to climb, and the story shifts back to Nick Fury Jr., who’s pulled Maria Hill deeper into his pursuit of Mystique with a reveal that’s going to definitely raise some eyebrows and I think get more people interested in the story the creative teams trying to tell. Using Destiny as the narrator is another interesting touch that adds to the drama as Mystique pursues her agenda…We still don’t know what the protozoa is but it’s clear Mystique will kill for it.

Visually, Shalvey continues to have fun with Mystique as a character as he transforms her into several well know X-characters through the issue leaning into the transformation signature he’s brought to Mystique’s shapeshifting. The whole issue is centered on one on one exchanges between characters. Shalvey likes the thin rectangular panel to tighten in on characters in a cinematic way while Matt Hollingsworth continues to be excellent on colors for the issue. Cowles get’s to have some fun with the Avalanche scene and reminds us that sound of a shots through a silencer is thoop thoop!. An excellent cover from Shalvey and Hiollingsworth rounds of an issue with a great cliffhanger ending that definitely has me hooked. Bring on issue 3!