.png)
As for Uncanny X-Men 346, it's easily the strangest tie-in of the event. It's the only Uncanny X-Men issue included in "Operation: Zero Tolerance"--because it's the only issue of Uncanny X-Men running during the event that doesn't feature the X-Men. Yes, you read that right. The Uncanny X-Men team went to space in issue 341 and still haven't returned so their issues can't exactly be part of a U.S. centric event. The logical decision, obviously, is to have Uncanny X-Men 346 star J. Jonah Jameson and Spider-Man.
Also...Nate Grey does a thing and (you guessed it!) complains about it in the process.The Story of the Year
After several strong appearances in the months after "Onslaught", J. Jonah Jameson faded away from the X books. When the Graydon Creed campaign plot ended with his assassination the month after the Bugle reporter digging into his past was killed, Jameson's usefulness to the story appeared to be at an end. He had made his noble stand against injustice and bigotry. Ironically it's Bastion that pulls Jameson back into the story.
With Operation: Zero Tolerance in full swing, Jameson is pushing his reporters to get as much information about the extra-governmental operation as they can. Bastion, visiting Jameson in the dead of night, offers him all the information he's decrypted pertaining to the identities of the X-Men and their allies (this is the most significant follow-up to Bastion's announcement that he's accessed Xavier's files back in X-Men 65). Jameson doesn't give in, telling Bastion that he's the real story and accusing him of killing his reporter (Uncanny X-Men 339). He burns the disc Bastion gives him, telling the Zero Tolerance leader that if there's anything to report, he'll get that information honestly. And as Jameson kicks Bastion out of his office, he promises that he'll see Bastion prosecuted for the murder of his reporter.
 |
| Uncanny X-Men 346 |
In the wake of Zero Tolerance's attack on the X-Men's plane (X-Men 65 again), Cable learns from S.H.I.E.L.D. director G.W. Bridge that Bastion has seized Xavier's mansion. With no one willing or able to stand up to Zero Tolerance and afraid Bastion will use that information against mutants, Cable embarks on a one man mission to keep the data out of Bastion's hands.
Cable sneaks into the mansion after a bit of misdirection that suggests he was killed. Bastion isn't convinced (like in X-Force, Bastion seems suddenly more interested in Cable than he was when Harper was trying to capture him in Cable 40). Cable's first stop is rescuing Caliban who is imprisoned in his room. This ties back to X-Force 67 where Cable was looking after Caliban who was recovering from seizures in the prior issue. The continuity is a little weird here as X-Force 67-69 seem to take place entirely at night after Operation: Zero Tolerance has begun, but in his own title Cable has left the mansion the next day after watching Caliban, seen the X-Men get attacked, and returned to the mansion later that night.
 |
| X-Force 47 |
After a brief fight between Cable and Bastion's forces, Cable uses telepathy to send the soldiers away while he tries to get out of the mansion. He ends up passing out from the effort and by the time he wakes up, Bastion and his troops are gone leaving the mansion empty.
Meanwhile...
While Cable is deleting files at the mansion he takes a moment to warn Jean Grey's parents and niece and nephew that Zero Tolerance forces are on their way. To protect them, Cable contacts Nate Grey telepathically. After some resistance, Nate agrees to help--though only because they're Jean's family.
Nate catches up to Jean's parents and spends the issue trying to hide and protect them from prime sentinels--a difficult prospect because he's recovering from his own struggles in previous issues and his powers are not at full strength. Unable to beat the prime sentinels thanks to their ability to adapt to mutant abilities used against them, Nate finally manages to raise a telekinetic shield as the sentinels fire a kill shot and subsequently make him and the family invisible. The sentinels are fooled as is Bastion. He laments the loss of human life but sees it as an acceptable cost of his efforts to wipe out the Grey bloodline.
What Would You Do?
 |
| Uncanny X-Men 346 |
There are probably few people who don't know the poem "First they came..."--if not the text then certainly the sentiment. It speaks to the importance of standing against oppression--if not because it's the right thing to do than because it's the smart, self-interested thing to do. But understanding what the poem says invites self-reflect: would you stand against oppression if your freedom or life weren't on the line?
Uncanny X-Men 346 tackles that idea head on as Jameson, perhaps unexpectedly given his past, refuses to help Bastion even though it could benefit him. Contrast this with Cable's discussions with S.H.I.E.L.D. director G.W. Bridge who sees the situation for what it is but won't take any unsanctioned action.
This is a theme we've seen a few times so far during the event and leading up to it--most prominently via Senator Kelly who has gotten so very close to actually taking action. The fact that this is continually reinforced throughout "Operation: Zero Tolerance" begs the question of whether this is a conflict that can be won with a fight.
That's a Little Convenient
Bastion not killing or capturing Cable when he passes out is a little silly. Writer James Robinson chalks it up to Cable telepathically manipulating the Zero Tolerance troops into leaving and there not being any rounds in the gun Bastion takes from Cable. There really wasn't another gun anywhere on the mansion grounds? There were no other troops Bastion could call? It makes sense that he'd leave the mansion if there was nothing more to take, but Cable seems like he would be a high value target. And we know from the final scene that Operation: Zero Tolerance is still ongoing (though Senator Kelly is taking a stand which we'll see in Wolverine and X-Men). So...it's a little convenient.
 |
| Cable 45 |
In some ways X-Man 30 is interchangeable with most other X-Man issues around this time. Nate is petulant and Madelyne Pryor is doing...stuff. His default dislike of the X-Men is on display again when Cable asks him for help. That Terry Kavanaugh persisted with this attitude beyond "Onslaught" contributes to a sense of stagnation with the character. After his experiences with Xavier and X-Force (and experiences with Excalibur in intervening issues between "Onslaught" and "Operation: Zero Tolerance") it seems that in a situation like this he would be more willing to help.
The overall quality of the Cable issues is decent. Perhaps not as good as X-Force but miles beyond Generation X. In each series James Robinson was filling in as writer during the event tie-ins only to leave the book once once "Operation: Zero Tolerance" ended. But in the case of Cable, Robinson felt invested in the story as opposed to Generation X where it seemed like he wanted to race through the event and set up the series' upcoming storylines. The story isn't too much more complicated than X-Man (which joins Generation X in saying nothing of consequence in its tie-in issues), but the interactions do connect to the larger themes of the event.
The standout issue in this group is certainly Uncanny X-Men 346 where Lobdell effectively lays out the case against helping Bastion in any way with his operation. Jameson is the perfect character for this because even with his well-established skepticism and hostility toward many of the heroes in the Marvel universe he refuses to compromise his beliefs, paint all mutants with the same brush, and chuck civil rights out the window. It's a little crazy to see Jameson be the conscience of the X books, but here we are.
~~~
For an index of the entries in this "Operation: Zero Tolerance" retrospective, jump back to the landing page here. And for an issue-by-issue commentary check out Twitter @theronscomics #XMenOZT.
<Previous
Next>
No comments:
Post a Comment