Mekanix focused on Kitty Pryde, attending college in Chicago, bartending to pay for off-campus housing, and trying very hard not to deal with the recent death of her father amid the mass Sentinel attack on Genosha that occurred early in Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men.
Unfortunately, even if the other students don't know she's a mutant, that doesn't mean she's free of stupid bigots and their nonsense. When the story begins, she's already attending mandatory counseling sessions after she whupped the shit out of some anti-mutant guys that tried to get her to listen to their propaganda. That same hate group targets the project team she's part of, and when their sabotage causes a meltdown Kitty only narrowly keeps from killing anyone, the FBI naturally treats Kitty and the scientists as suspects, rather than the right-wing hate group that posted very public threats about them online.
In the midst of that, a few of the Sentinels from the Genosha attack - smaller, more insectile in appearance, but highly adaptable - hitch a ride on a freighter into the city and begin targeting mutants. The only other X-Man around to help is Karma, who has her own concerns trying to protect and care for her younger siblings. There's also Shola, who I think was a new character, a very powerful telekinetic from Genosha, trained to use his powers for defense by his parents, and dealing with his own grief at their recent deaths.
Bobillo's very good at making the various Sentinels look a bit different, but in similar ways. They remind me a bit of the machines that patrol the real world in The Matrix, but less uniform, and certainly less sturdy. Lots of thin wires and cables, and multiple optical lenses, rarely any weapons beyond their own mass (though one does incorporate a pistol Karma had been carrying.) Nodding to their ability to rebuild and improve themselves from whatever is available.
I feel like his human characters' heads are a little big for their bodies, or their bodies - especially the women - are too narrow for their heads, but he's good with body language. Critical in a Claremont-written book, where there's going to be lots of talking - Kitty naturally has to make a big speech in an impromptu debate with the leader of the hate group, a moment where she sets aside her anger and focuses on trying to help rather than just fight - and Bobillo keeps the characters moving or gesturing in ways that are appropriate so things don't grow too static.
This version of Shadowcat's hardened by loss and experience, or is trying to be. The way Claremont writes her, she's more like an open wound, taking very little prodding to provoke a reaction, whether from the bigots, the feds, her therapist (I'm not qualified to determine if this therapist is any more competent than most of the mental health professionals in the Marvel Universe. She at least doesn't appear to be evil.) Her grief, like Shola's, is mostly still directed into anger. She's trying to run from "mutant" stuff, but that didn't work, and now she's almost resigned to the notion of never having a moment's peace to enjoy herself or love anyone. Claremont also seems to moving towards a romantic relationship between Kitty and Karma, which so far as I know never went anywhere. Nowadays it always seems like they're going to push Kitty into bed with Emma Frost, which is just a terrible idea.
Anyway, the point seems to be Kitty can't give up on letting people in, on thinking things can be better.
No comments:
Post a Comment