Reviewer: Kevin S. Mahoney
Story Title: World Tour/House of M Conclusion
Written by: Tony Bedard
Penciled by: Paul Pelletier
Inked by: Rick Magyar and Hennessy & Meikis
Colored by: Wil Quintana
Lettered by: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Marts
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Well, fans can stop worrying about the new Exiles. Sure the root plot concept has completely changed. Yeah, the pencils are totally different. And now (and perhaps for the next dozen issues or so) the leaps to new realities will be leaps to known alternate realities. It’s true that one of the cast has left the team, and another seems to have become evil. But it is still an exciting, involving book whose continuity is twenty times easier to deal with than any 616 version of the X-teams.
This issue has its standard quota of surprises and thrills. The death of a certain House of M character was very well done, and yet done so quickly it took rereading to register the craftsmanship involved. The release of the team’s sort of “dead weight” character back into his uncertain universe went as well as it could. The reveal of the World Tour villain didn’t take very long, but his current incarnation has some rather frightening implications. And the team’s destination is such a retro and rarely used reality that there’s no telling exactly what will happen next, and that’s probably for the best.
While not usually one to quibble about continuity type minutiae, there is one ongoing plot thread that’s enough of a puzzle to mention here. Calvin Rankin, also known as Mimic, has a nifty mutant power: he can copy the abilities of five mutants at one time (if at only half potency). These powers can be switched out in favor of other muties he comes into contact with over time. In this issue, we know he still has Deadpool’s healing factor, Northstar’s speed, Colossus’ metal form and super strength, and Cyclops’ optic blasts. He also seems to have Wolverine’s claws, but those might be biological artifacts from a previous period where Cal had to copy Wolvie’s powers; since Logan’s claws are part of his mutation, they may have just grown in and stayed pat like the 616 Mimic’s Angel wings did. The first question is: should Cal have been able to copy Deadpool’s power at all, since Deadpool isn’t a mutant to begin with? His healing factor (gross scarring and all) was implanted by the Weapon X project, Canada’s second rate answer to America’s Super Soldier program. Now Mimic can’t rid himself of Deadpool’s gift, and that’s just as puzzling. If Deadpool’s healing factor isn’t genetic, Mimic should never have been able to copy it. If it is, there’s no reason to think it shouldn’t vanish on command unless maybe Mimic can no longer survive without it. This would be a case of Mimic’s mutant power being smarter than he is, and that is triply weird. It’s a mess, and since Cal is generally a major player in the title and specifically a big deal in this arc, it’s hurting the story.
The art is progressing nicely. It’s hard to top the ultra-detailed slick look Calafiore brought to the title. Instead, Pelletier relies on a cartoonier, warmer approach. At first, the drastic drop in the level of detail really hurt the artwork overall. After a few issues, Pelletier seems to be finding exactly which character and setting details should be emphasized and that keeps the art from appearing lacking. The colors remain bright and appealing, if a bit too reliant on fluorescent colors for effect. It will be a real pleasure to watch this art team reinterpret so many interesting non-canon worlds.
