The Big "M"

• Writer - Tony Bedard
• Artist - Mizuki Sakakibara
• Colorist - JC
• Lettering - Dave Sharpe
• Ass't Editor - Cory Sedlmeier
• Ass't Editor - Stephannie Moore
• Editor - Mike Marts
• Editor in Chief - Joe Quesada

Summary

  Exiles celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this week, although they haven't really gone overboard with it. No major events, no double-sized issue, no gimmick cover. But they've put the words "50th issue" on the cover, just in case you hadn't noticed the number.

  Actually, because it ships so frequently, Exiles has only been going for a little over three years - it started in June 2001. And to be honest, it's been a little bit formulaic at times, especially in the final year of Judd Winick scripts. But I have a soft spot for the book, regardless. It's not flashy, it's not showy, but there's a sort of wide-eyed enthusiasm about the title, with enough self-awareness to stop it being saccharine without tipping over into cynicism.

  The arrival of Tony Bedard hasn't changed the style too much. This is another issue where the plot is pretty straightforward, but it's really just an excuse to have fun. The Exiles' mission is to reunite the Brotherhood of Mutants and then free "the Big M" from prison. Bedard does a pretty good job of distracting attention from the twist (although now that I've flagged up the fact that one exists, you'll doubtless spot it immediately), and I like the idea of this story. One aspect of the Exiles set-up that hasn't really been done before is to send them to meet their own counterparts - they always seem to be mysteriously missing from every world they meet. It's a simple way to use the format, but it hasn't really been done before.

  Of course, you've got to pad things out until the twist comes along, so in the meantime Bedard and Sakakibara give us some amusing material with the Exiles reluctantly regrouping the Brotherhood. I particularly enjoyed the down-at-heel Blob, reduced to carrying out bank robberies by handing over a piece of paper that says "This is a robbery. I am a bulletproof mutant." Somehow it's all the funnier because the Blob doesn't seem to realise quite how pathetic it is.

  Exiles is never going to win any awards for breaking new ground, and the very concept will always make it a little formulaic. But when it's on form, it delivers good quality entertainment.

  Rating: B+

Summary

  The Vault, Federal Supermax Prison, Colorado: Destiny asks a guard if he saw the Big "M", but he doesn't have clearance for the Omega Block. She can see the future and knows the Exiles are coming; he's made the arrangements and will be back, as she knows.

  The Exiles arrive, landing on a railroad track. This time, things are different: they are expected. Barnell and Namora, unused to teleportation, barf. A train barrels through, and the Exiles scatter to avoid it. Suddenly the ground rumbles, and a fissure opens: the guard, who is really Mystique, has brought Avalanche. She pushes a remote control, and a tanker car on the train explodes, spewing fumes which choke the Exiles. In the confusion, Mystique sneaks up on Clarice with a tranquilizer gun. *Blink emerges from the fumes, now unable to teleport, and Heather's and Calvin's noses aren't working. *Blink says the Tallus is ordering them to help reassemble the Brotherhood of Mutants and free "the Big M"; they assume that means Magneto, whom both Barnell and Calvin are ashamed to have followed on their worlds (X-Men II:146).

  Blob enters a bank and hands the teller a note, saying he's a bulletproof mutant and this is a stick-up. *Blink interrupts him; she flashes yellow eyes, and he realizes she's Mystique and plays along. A guard shoots him, to his annoyance: he told them he was bulletproof. Calvin speeds in and grabs the gun but promises not to harm the guard. *Blink whispers in Blob's ear, making Calvin suspicious, and they all escape in a "borrowed" pick-up truck. Blob knows where to find Pyro, if he's still alive.

  They break into an AIM facility, defeating the guards. Blob and Heather pry open a door, finding Modok behind it; he and Namora are ready to kill each other till Calvin intervenes, knocking Modok down but insisting nobody dies today. They free the captive Pyro, who is shocked to see Calvin; he's curious why everyone has been reacting to him that way, and *Blink explains: "the Big M" isn't Magneto, but this world's Mimic, who's being kept in the Vault.

  Note: if Mimic mimics Mimic's powers, then will he be able to mimic 25 powers?