Comic Chunks – The Game Changers

Hey everyone, this time I’ve read X-Men Legacy #246, Birds of Prey #10, Batgirl #19 and X-23 #7. Apparently BoP and Batgirl’s starting a new “era” after The Death of Oracle. Not to mention X-Men Legacy but more on that after the cut as always.

So first up, we have X-Men Legacy #246. Something has gone wrong! A lot of somethings. Everyone is there but history… seems changed? This is part of the Age of X arc by the way and has a high probability of it being one of my favourite arcs… For one thing, ok I won’t say it yet but a small intro on this Age of X.

The regular X-Men are there (minus the ones who are dead) and they are not the same. The mutants are all in a fortress head by Magneto and they don’t go out and naturally no one goes in, unless they’re a mutant. Cyclops is Basilisk and he has a mask on instead of his visor, Logan is just Logan – a bartender and so on and so forth. Some people have new names and others look a bit different.

Rogue’s name is now Reaper.

But she prefers to be called Legacy.

DUH DUH DUUUUUUUUUUUH.

So. The current X-Men Legacy series  in a way could be called Rogue but not really since even though she’s the “lead” for the current arc, there is more to the cast than just her. The main bulk of the story’s just starting out with this issue since the previous ones were to set the stage for the reader to know more on what just happened. The ones who are “aware” of how wrong the current world is, are locked away and now Rogue… Or rather Legacy’s trying to find out what’s happening after things aren’t adding up correctly.

So heh, that is what is going on with Age of X. It kind of gives a fanfic feel to this though with all the reimaginings of the characters.

Onwards to Birds of Prey #10. To make a really long story short, Oracle isn’t dead! Well, Oracle is dead but Barbara Gordon isn’t. For now, to the world of superheroes except for a significant few of the Bat family and her own team, Oracle is dead.

What is exciting about this issue though is that we get to know who are still around! Misfit is around?! I didn’t know she was still there doing her thing. Cassandra Cain is briefly mentioned but she’s still in “mysterious” mode. This is more to DC’s decision since a lot of readers, including Gail Simone wanted to bring her back in.

However for now it is told that she’s not going to appear yet? No idea when Cass will return and she is definitely missed by a lot of fans.

Also for those that have read this issue, do you think Bruce actually has his bat symbol printouts on A4 paper in his belt including scotch tape?

It’s amusing to think if he does a spot of origami while lurking in the shadows and waiting to bust up some henchmen.

Batgirl #19 should be read after Birds of Prey. I read this issue first before BoP #10 and got slightly spoilered. It is ok if you don’t buy BoP and just read Batgirl since the decisions made by Barbara Gordon are also told to Stephanie here.

The high speed thief is back here and we find out his name is Slipstream. His outfit looks a bit Tron-ish. So far, it looks like Batgirl’s having her own team! With her own base too!

What I want to know is, does Stephanie have a driver’s license? I know she rides the Ricochet but that’s a bike thing. Proxy is her new intel girl and they’ve got new gadgets and stuff sponsored by Bruce including a purple SUV with weapons mounted. Hahahah, it looks like something the Bat family can ride in while Steph and Damien argues with each other and asks “Are we there yet?”.

The Grey Ghost is looking out to be a regular too. It’s unsure if he’ll really be part of the team since he’s just a bumbling guy who wants to do good now. Thus, this is part one of two of Batgirl: Lesson – Tunnel Vision.

I don’t really read the X-23 series but when X-23 #7 had a cover with Laura and Gambit as pirates on a ship, I had to buy it. Well, ok. Gambit as a pirate had mostly to do with my purchase of this issue.

What a pleasant surprise too! Gambit and Laura are in… SINGAPORE! The artwork is gorgeous, somehow it looks familiar from other books I’ve read though. The artist is by Sana Takeda and it’s more to a manga-ish feel but with painted interiors instead of black and white.

X-23 looks very pretty in this which is theoratically odd since you don’t really think “female Wolverine clone” as pretty. Gambit no doubt looks like a super bishounen with lovely floppy hair you want to run your fingers through.

Anyway,  they’re in Singapore because they need to get to Madripor. It’s a minor pit stop since they’re helping a friend out with some pirates. For those curious, the two of them were hanging out near Marina Bay Sands. Or rather some amalgam of it with Clarke Quay and a fancy yacht dock. Also, Gambit was drinking Tiger beer.

As I quote my friend Miss Hallelujah, “Ewww, Tiger. WHY, GAMBIT, IT’S A CRAP BEER”.

For some reason we have dolphins hanging about in our waters but whatever. The artwork is gorgeous and this is fiction. Onwards the two go on their mission and X-23 and Gambit do their stuff. The writing (by Marjorie Liu) plus the artwork makes it a pretty good piece since you get to learn how Laura feels about herself or that she has a sense of righteousness and honour. Also, I can’t help but swoon at how Gambit is drawn here as he is like the “older brother” to Laura.

In a way, it’s ironic! Wolverine had been like the older brother to Rogue or at least someone who looks out for her and now Gambit is doing it for Laura.

AND THAT IS IT! See you whenever I get my comics!