X-Men #22: Every Now & Then I Get A Little Bit Tired Listening To The Sound Of My Tears…

As the next Hellfire Gala inches closer, as well as the next official X-Men team, Gerry Duggan and Joshua Cassara are dealing with the fallout of the Brood storyline while simultaneously laying the groundwork for the Fall of X, giving readers a lot of bang for their buck. Bringing in some faces that one doesn’t usually associate with, like MODOK, which proves to be just as hilarious as it sounds like it should be. Also, a new iteration of the Sentinelsin was introduced, which we can assume will become a more significant issue as time passes. So let’s get to it. 

Duggan’s bringing MODOK, what looks like AIM scientists, as well as Dr. Stasis (he’s the Sinister who has the club ?? on his forehead) into ORCHIS, where they’re using the Krakoan flowers to create a “cure” from the X-gene for mutants who no longer wish to be mutants. There’s a sense of being there, done that, with the cure situation, but having MODOK, AIM, and other scientific institutions in the Marvel Universe makes this a bit on the unexpected yet entertaining side. When dealing with super scientist organizations, one finds themselves dealing with more mainstream heroes, like Iron Man, Captain America, the Avengers, etc., but giving readers a moreover-the-top nemesis, opening the doors for a more humorous take regarding their adversaries that’s not generally associated with the Mutants. 

One of the biggest complaints with Duggan’s second year is the lack of use of the newer members, like Firestar, so giving her a reasonably significant role with this issue is a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, it seems a tad too little too late at this point. With the yearly roster changes, there’s only so much time and space to give these players the needed screen time to be developed. Unfortunately, the book this year has been bombarded with too many crossovers and events tied into it, which has been a massive detriment to the characters, fans, and creators involved. Hopefully, Marvel will learn from their mistakes this year and give the new cast the time and space needed to become a fully fleshed-out team member. 

Joshua Cassara’s art here has to be some of his strongest in quite some time. Cassara is one of those artists that’s a mixed bag with me. Sometimes I like what he produces; sometimes it’s just not my cup of tea—not being a massive fan of his work in the post-HOXPOX X-Force book, many things felt like it came down to the cast and writing here. In contrast, with this issue, it almost feels like it’s an entirely different artist altogether. I’m not exactly sure what’s changed, but I like it. Especially his depiction of Omega Sentinel and MODOK. His MODOK is like pure perfection, and I couldn’t be happier with what we’re given here. His take on Firestar and her microwave power signature was a real sight. 

The issue was a decent read, giving readers some fun and light hijinks juxtaposed with more severe problems awaiting the mutants as we head into the next Hellfire Gala and the Fall of X shortly after that. Still, it’s nearing the end of the current era, with almost zero chance to develop Firestar and have her become one of the building blocks for the mutant community. I’m not sure precisely the blame should fall regarding whose fault it is that Firestar was such a bust, but one can hope Marvel takes notes and doesn’t make the same mistake as whoever won the third annual membership vote.