It’s a quite week for comics, with only a pair of reviews I’m afraid. Works just fine for me! I’ve got a bunch of other stuff of my own brewing, and I can’t wait to share with all you loyal readers.

Comic Book of the Week goes to X-Men Blue: Origins #1 because I fully support this retcon and I simply didn’t read much else. I should have got caught back up on other comics, but nah.

Meanwhile, I’m still meandering my way through Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, except I’m more interested in collecting all the lightsaber and clothing hidden treasures than I am in the story, so the game is just me reading online guides so that I don’t miss any hidden boxes. Oh well.

Comic Reviews: Captain America #3 and X-Men Blue: Origins #1.

Captain America #3
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artists: Jesus Saiz and Lan Medina
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna

This Captain America series continues to stroll along at a leisurely pace.

The Emissary, who is now possessed by the demon Asmoday, is killing these future change agents in cruel, mystical ways, and finally kills one in New York City. This draws the attention of Misty Knight, who calls Captain America to the crime scene to help look into it. They think he’s next…and sure enough, The Emissary ambushes him outside.

Meanwhile, in the past, Steve continues to disrupt the American Nazi rallies, and he catches the eye of a local gangster, who is also doing his part to disrupt the Nazis. The gangster recruits Steve to look into Project Garden.

Comic Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good.

There’s just not much excitement here. Captain America passively wanders around a crime scene while Misty Knight and Doctor Strange explain parts of it to him, and then he gets ready to fight a villain he doesn’t know. He waxes extensively about time being a flat circle this issue, but it feels pretty meaningless. The villain has a fun tone of voice, as the host of the Emissary is a pretty snarky dude. But it’s still just a demon possessing a serial killer and using a couple of super-weapons. He’s not all that threatening or fearsome, and his master plan simply ain’t much. It’s all written fine, and the art is solid, it’s just not very exciting.

I do like the new twist given to the story of young Steve, that he’s been recruited by a gangster looking to disrupt the Nazis. I can’t remember if I ever read something that gangsters did indeed fight against the American Nazis. That feels like a real thing from history. Part of me was worried that Steve would turn the guy down on principle, but it is much more interesting to watch Steve work with them to get this good work done. That will hopefully be an interesting story.

TL;DR: This is a pretty dry comic so far, but there are some really fun and potentially interesting story swerves in this issue that get my hopes up.

X-Men Blue: Origins #1
Writer: Si Spurrier
Artists: Wilton Santos and Marcus To
Inkers: Oren Junior and To
Colorist: Ceci De La Cruz
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna

The retcon 40 years in the making!

Mystique has had her mind messed with by Xavier, and Nightcrawler is currently posing as a new Spider-Man. They’ve met up in Central Park and Mystique tells him the true story of his birth: surprise! Destiny is his mother, and Mystique is his father. Baron Wagner and Azazel are weaved into the tale in various ways, but ultimately Kurt was conceived in love, and Mystique lost him half by accident and half by Destiny’s pulling her strings. Then they had Xavier wipe/alter their memories to hide it all. Now the truth is out and Mystique and Nightcawler embrace.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

I am 110% on board with this retcon. It’s what Chris Claremont was planning back in the 1980s, but the world was an unforgiving place 40 years ago. Now the world is better and the idea of two women, one of them a shape-shifter, conceiving a child together and being in love is totally awesome! So I’m all for it! I read The Draco when it first came out and I will gladly agree that it is the single worst X-Men story of all time. So by all means, ditch Azazel as Nightcrawler’s father and let’s deeper the uses of Destiny in the modern day. She was gone for so long, and now she’s back and young again, and her and Mystique have a lot of storytelling potential — especially now that they can be properly united with their son.

The issue itself is almost entirely just the exposition. First, Mystique explains some of the existing known lore. Then she goes through what actually happened. I’m not reading the Nightcrawler as Spider-Man series, so I don’t know what was set up. I’m also clueless as to why all of this information is coming out now. Something about what Mystique went through on Krakoa, maybe? Why that differs from everywhere else she’s been through, I don’t know. So as a comic book issue, this one is a little off in the weeds. As a standalone entry that spells out the new Nightcrawler retcon, it works…in large part because I am fully in favor of the retcon.

TL;DR: If you’re in favor of the new retcon that Mystique and Destiny are Nightcrawler’s father and mother, then this issue does a perfectly fine job of spelling it out for you.

The comics I review in my Hench-Sized reviews are just the usual comics I grab from Comixology any given week, along with a few impulse buys I might try on a whim. So if there are any comics or series you’d like me to review each week, let me know in the comments.

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