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It’s so great that at a time when most Marvel comics are either bland or bad, we have Peter David setting the stage for the early 2000s, character-based, genre-busting revolutions that would happen when Marvel finally emerges from bankruptcy and decides to actually care about the art of comic books again.
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This is a character-based issue that shows Doctor Samson having psychiatric sessions with the teamembers. It’s one of the best comics Peter David ever wrote.
A LOT is revealed. Wolfsbane says she has feelings for Havok.
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Quicksilver, who Peter David writes better than anyone else (David is truly responsible for developing and perfecting the character), talks about how lonely it is to be the fasted mover-and-thinker on the planet. It’s an ingenious take on super speed.
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It explains his arrogance and hot temper, and makes him (almost) sympathetic even when he’s a jerk.
We also see Polaris feeling insecure about her appearance and a little threatened by Rahne’s crush on her boyfriend Havok, which makes her change into a new, sexier costume.
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At least this explains one of these godawful 1990s costume changes!
Strong Guy gives us some of his background/origin, which is nice because he was kind of introduced years ago as a throw-away character and we don’t know much about him. Madrox reveals a fear of being alone (perfect for a guy who dupes himself).
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Havok is insecure, just his gal-pal Polaris, only the basis for his insecurity is that his brother is Cyclops, the super X-Man.
Psychiatric sessions are not new for Peter David, he used them in Hulk, but he consistently creates dramatic page-turning comics even when the characters are doing nothing but talking.
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Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. One of the best single issues of the 1990s or, frankly, ever.
This is one of the 100 best single-issue stories of all time, according to this objectively accurate list.