X-Treme X-Men #2 - Review/Spoilers

[JB]

It's always a fun challenge recapping Claremont and his brain. I liked the first issue and I liked this one even more for its high octane vibe. Larroca is killing it.

We open with the preview pages, Bishop and Sage in a loft adjacent to Belles Hell communicating with Storm via holographic connection, assessing the situation. While the part of Ogun that was left behind in Kitty’s psyche has been dealt with, there’s a part of Kitty inside his that must be addressed. But first they have to find him.

With Storm watching overhead, Kitty and Rachel in all her young Phoenix-y glory hover in the air as Rachel begins to probe and establish a link to Ogun. Her mindscape is a vast labyrinth and Kitty is distraught because Ogun had access to it for so long and feels he's tainted many of her memories. But Rachel rallies her, offering words of confidence that they'll get him. And just like that he appears. Kitty and Ogun fight, which is the distraction Rachel needs to link with this remnant of Ogun, instantly learning that he has possessed a paramedic.

She telepathically shares his location with the team and it turns out the paramedic is on standby at the Purity anti-mutant rally. They need to be careful because one crazy move could turn it into a riot. Storm brings the rain to "cool off" the crowd.



Unfortunately Logan acted too quickly and now the anti-mutant crowd is witnessing an innocent paramedic being attacked. "Please, please don't hurt me! I have a family!" says Ogun the paramedic. Not good. Rachel swoops in and psychically cloaks Logan from the crowd. Ogun escapes and the paramedic is all confused.



Sage likes the idea as Kitty “hardly knows” Gambit. Since Ogun only knows what Kitty knows about Gambit, he’s a wildcard that can take Ogun by surprise. Gambit says they need to think like a thief and that Ogun is after a "better host", likely mutant or powered. The protest crowd is getting more antsy and Rachel says the rain isn't working, only making them angrier. She senses something else is afoot but she's not sure what yet.

We get two brief panels taking place "elsewhere". What is perhaps an AI named Scrap is scanning the area for mutants, targeting them, and we see it finds Bishop and Sage. It sends the data to a nearby "mobile non-mutant enhanced bioform", a big man of muscle assassin for hire I guess. He cracks his knuckles and says the job is as good as done.

We're somewhere else in the area now, on the streets again, where two young sisters are fighting a group of thugs that are bullying and threatening them. One of the thugs is about to kick one of the girls who is on the floor but her bigger sister kicks his ass with her powers. Her powers are like a TK/Armor blend. Basically she punches the air and a big pink fist appears punching the thug. "It's a mutie!" he says. The bigger sister gets hit in the back and falls near her sister. They look up and thankfully there is Gambit, who the sisters know. They run to him and hug him. Rogue tells the group of thugs that she's a Federal Marshal and, holding Gambit's bo, tells them to get lost. They don't listen so she kicks their asses while Gambit is chatting with the sisters. They're of the Thieves Guild and they tell him that members of their crew, kids, have been vanishing. But no one cares because they are mutants. The sisters are glad he showed up so he can help but he explains that he's currently hunting a bigger threat.



Sage and Bishop are watching all of this and Sage agrees with Rogue's reasoning. They also hear the sirens and pull up the cause on their monitors. Multiple-alarm blaze and from Sage's readouts, it's caused by a mutant involved - one of the firefighters! Ogun got him.

The possessed mutant firefighter is torching multiple buildings, making it impossible for his fellow fighters to fight. Psychic-action Kitty arrives to fight psychic-action Ogun again and their tussle thankfully frees our firefighter. He comes to and starts absorbing the flames to rectify the situation. I love him. A fire-controlling mutant who joined the fire department. How sexy is that?

Kitty's fight with Ogun allows Rachel to lock onto Ogun and she dashes after him. She's the Phoenix, she says, and can play on his level, the psychic plane. But Sage, Bishop, Kitty and Storm don't like this. They think Ogun is luring Rachel in and Kitty says though her power is awesome, Ray is still a baby Phoenix. She's Ogun's ideal target. (Ugh, not Rachel getting psychically possessed again.) Kitty decides to go after her.

Sage and Bishop are discussing the situation when that muscle bruiser of a man appears behind him, giving us a Claremont entrance.

[JB]

The next 5 pages are a brutal, beautifully drawn fight between Beasty-Brute and Bishop and Sage. Larroca and team serve us a feast. Unfortunately it ends with BB throwing Sage and Bishop through the outer brick wall of the building, their bodies lying unconscious on a pile of bricks on the sidewalk.

[CGAR]

Everytime he says he's going to find someone else.

"someone BETTER"

Better better be BETSY.

CC still uses alot of his same tropes.

Nostalgiafest for sure.

[Uncanny X-Man]

I thought this second issue made for a strong read and felt very much like classic Claremont. It's crazy how well he still writes all these characters after all these years and how true their voices sound. Larroca is also in excellent shape, this looks so much better than all his recent stuff.

[JB]

Everytime he says he's going to find someone else.

"someone BETTER"

Better better be BETSY.

CC still uses alot of his same tropes.

Nostalgiafest for sure.

I thought this second issue made for a strong read and felt very much like classic Claremont. It's crazy how well he still writes all these characters after all these years and how true their voices sound. Larroca is also in excellent shape, this looks so much better than all his recent stuff.

I'm usually not into stories out of the current continuity but Claremont is hitting all the right spots with this one. Halfway through I felt like I was back in the original X-Treme run. This is a top tier cast and his handling of them is mastery while adding more into the mix (have we met the Thieves Guild sisters before? I love them.) The fight scene between Bishop/Sage and Beasty-Brute (how ridiculous and great is that name?) was thrilling and dynamic with awesome panel layouts.

Claremont and Larocca are like a warm pastry on a cold morning.

[Devaishwarya]

I have to say, Sibling...I've never been more happy to be gluten intolerant.

I thought this was all over the place and a little choppy. And 'Beasty-Brute' had me cackling so hard...(seriously CC?)

The art was nice, in spots. Sage looks FABULUSH in her best outfit ever, even while getting trounced and her stilettoes are to Die For!!!

As with pastries and other baked goods, I have absolutely no appreciation for Classic Claremont in 2022...and that's all on me.

[Askani's Flame]

Wait so is this supposed to have happened in Canon? Because Rachel was not a host to the Phoenix Force during this time. She wore the Dark Phoenix costume in Cable when dealing with the Dark Sisterhood, but she was no longer directly connected to the Phoenix Force as Jean was the host still... I'm really confused by this....

[JB]

I have to say, Sibling...I've never been more happy to be gluten intolerant.

I thought this was all over the place and a little choppy. And 'Beasty-Brute' had me cackling so hard...(seriously CC?)

The art was nice, in spots. Sage looks FABULUSH in her best outfit ever, even while getting trounced and her stilettoes are to Die For!!!

As with pastries and other baked goods, I have absolutely no appreciation for Classic Claremont in 2022...and that's all on me.

The stilettos are everything in this. Head scissors into a flip to the ground without breaking a heel? Come through, Sage. It's ridiculous fun and I guess I'm enjoying the brief change of scenery so to speak.

Wait so is this supposed to have happened in Canon? Because Rachel was not a host to the Phoenix Force during this time. She wore the Dark Phoenix costume in Cable when dealing with the Dark Sisterhood, but she was no longer directly connected to the Phoenix Force as Jean was the host still... I'm really confused by this....

Supposedly this is happening just after X-Treme the original ended so maybe Claremont is shoehorning in Rachel hosting the Phoenix? His vibe is very DGAF these days.

[Askani's Flame]

Supposedly this is happening just after X-Treme the original ended so maybe Claremont is shoehorning in Rachel hosting the Phoenix? His vibe is very DGAF these days.

I guess he DGAF lol, cuz Rachel came back from her stint with Gaunt sans Phoenix... And Jean was actively Phoenix during the end of Xtreme. Also Rachel didn't have a rattail during this period. Also can we not get another Rachel possessed story from Claremont? This would make this the third during his run (X-Treme by Bogan, this, and R'chell by dinos).

[JB]

I guess he DGAF lol, cuz Rachel came back from her stint with Gaunt sans Phoenix... And Jean was actively Phoenix during the end of Xtreme. Also Rachel didn't have a rattail during this period. Also can we not get another Rachel possessed story from Claremont? This would make this the third during his run (X-Treme by Bogan, this, and R'chell by dinos).

I completely agree. I'm hoping against hope that Claremont is making it so obvious that she'll be possessed again just so he can swerve on us. Like Rachel kicks Ogun's ass and he possesses someone else unexpected.

[yogaflame]

Jean died just before the end of X-Treme; they react in the last issue, after freeing Rachel from Bogan. It's impossible to line this story up to a specific moment in canon, as he's clearly referencing from his recent Gambit series more so than the old X-treme run, but it has to be after X-Treme #46(during which Rachel displayed the Phoenix mark over her eye, Gambit got his powers back but Rogue did not, and the team was officially deputized) and Uncanny #444(where they are back to the mansion, with a revamped cast/costumes).

[Cerridwen]

Ack, the Phoenix force left Rachel in the timestream before she became a prisoner of Gaunt.

[CGAR]

Wasnt Rachel showing the Pheonix Eye/Tattoo in the Uncanny run after X-treme X-Men?

But now that I think about it he turned her into Marvel Girl after she was saved from Elias Bogan so there IS some clashing of continuity here.

[yogaflame]

This is from the last issue of X-Treme, #46.
rachelphoenixeye.jpg
She continued to display that Phoenix eye mark throughout her Marvel Girl phase in Claremont's XSE Uncanny run(during which the Shi'Ar attacked the Greys and marked her with the Phoenix back tattoo).
rachelphoenixeyeuncanny.jpg
And then after Claremont's run in Uncanny, in Brubaker's Rise and Fall of the Shi-Ar Empire, she runs into that Phoenix Sword guy and her orange/yellow Phoenix eye sign becomes blue, as she siphoned off some of his Phoenix Force from the sword.

[nightw1ng]

I guess he DGAF lol, cuz Rachel came back from her stint with Gaunt sans Phoenix... And Jean was actively Phoenix during the end of Xtreme. Also Rachel didn't have a rattail during this period. Also can we not get another Rachel possessed story from Claremont? This would make this the third during his run (X-Treme by Bogan, this, and R'chell by dinos).

Unfortunately, Claremont has been pretty consistent in constantly using mind control stories throughout his entire run. I have no doubt we will see Rachel possessed again, and calling her a "baby" Phoenix pretty much sets up that he still thinks of her as novice who gets owned by anyone trying to dominate her mind.