Exiles #96

Background

The Exiles had been gone for six months on their last mission. Believing them dead, Heather returned home to resume her life and the Timebrokers cut their losses and left the Crystal Palace. The Exiles resumed operations with the holographic projection of Heather, Icon, in time to find a new world that needs saving. The Exiles land and come face to face with that world's heroes, the Four Fantastics, as they have to deal with Mole Man and his associate, She- Hulk.

CURRENT EXILES:

SABRETOOTH (Victor Creed): Enhanced senses and healing.

BLINK (Clarice Ferguson): Teleportation

MORPH (Kevin MacTaggert): Shape-shifting.

LONGSHOT: Agility and luck powers.

SPIDER-MAN 2099 (Miguel O'Hara): Spider-like powers and talons.

PSYLOCKE (Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock): Telekinesis.

Story 'The Dream of Two of Good Men'

At the Crystal Palace, Psylocke was supposed to be on guard duty watching over the Exiles. Instead, she had fallen asleep and found herself in a strange space-like landscape talking to a couple on an asteroid. They tell her over a picnic materialized from nowhere that time is coming to an end and someone needs to fix it, and it's not up to them to do it despite their obvious power.

On the Earth, the Fantastics try to decide if the Exiles are friend or foe, but their leader, Victor Von Doom says he has a feeling they can trust them. Blink leads the charge on the two villains causing the ruckus by teleporting to their rooftop and trying to come to a peaceful solution. However, Creed notices their body language is off and sends Morph and Spidey flying up as Blink is attacked by Moleman. Spidey webs Shulkie, causing her to fall off the roof, and Moleman snags Blink and drops into a tunnel before Morph can get his hands on him. Shulkie breaks free of the webs and attacks the Fantastics, but Sabretooth intervenes and uses his training and strength to bring her down. Victor then reveals that the Moleman is actually Reed Richards, and offers their aid in getting Blink back, as well as his hospitality to the Exiles.

Blink awakens in Reed's lair, seeing that he's actually diminutive in size, using an exoskeleton to make him look normal. They talk, and Reed realizes she's different because she has base emotions, like humor, that he says Victor had removed from the people. He deduced she's from another world, and warns that Victor will learn the truth and find a new world to conquer.

Meanwhile, the Exiles settle into Doom's home with clothing given to them by him (except for Morph, who doesn't wear clothes, and Longshot, who didn't feel right about them). They mingle amongst Doom's party guests and realize that they feel quite at home there, that everything feels right. However, Morph and Longshot feel very wrong. And, back in the Crystal Palace, Psylocke awakens to find a new guest popping in.

General Comments

I think this issue was presented a little out of order. It should have opened on the alternate Earth to keep the flow of the story, and then continued into the Psylocke segment and go from there. Of course, once again Psylocke is taking a pivotal role. Overall, this was just a reveal issue, further introducing the players and the twist to the situation that the Exiles have to overcome; especially now that they don't have the Tallus on full power to give them all the info they need. That actually was an interesting twist thrown in by Claremont to give them a further handicap.

Overall Rating

4 Webs. Not much in the ways of story progression, but some subtle hints dropped and players revealed.

Footnote

FOOTNOTE In every issue, Morph takes on some familiar and unusual forms. Here, we'll try to chronicle as many as we can in a section we'll call: MORPH'S MORPHS!

Morph's morphs: giant hands, loudspeaker head