Analysis Notes
| General |
The Marvel Universe features a team of alien superheroes
— the personal guard of the leader of the Shi’ar Empire —
based on the Legion of Super-Heroes. This New X-Men run
is notable because it produces new designs for several of the Imperial
Guard, and adds or replaces a few existing ones, making it an analogue
of the postboot Legion. |
| 4:4 |
These are Smasher (a version of Ultra Boy), Plutonia (corresponds
to Apparition), Manta (no Legion association), and Cosmo (name revealed
in a Grant Morrison interview; Star Boy analogue). The shadows are
Gladiator (Superboy/M’Onel) and Cassandra Nova in Professor X’s
body. |
| Cassandra Nova hasn’t merged Smasher and Plutonia;
Plutonia’s powers let her phase. |
| It appears that Plutonia is fucking Smasher “doggie
style.” It would be easy to discount the pose as accidental
if this weren’t written by Grant (Doom Patrol) Morrison
and drawn by Frank (The Authority) Quitely. |
| Apparently Gladiator has powers because he believes he
has powers. Akin to the idea of gods getting their strength from
their worshippers, Gladiator’s power level would increase according
to his own confidence. (The idea of putting Gladiator into a god-like
mode also ties into M’Onel being recast as a Messianic figure.) |
| 5:1 |
Gladiator has more than just a mohawk again, although here
it is hair rather than an apparent helmet. |
| 6:3 |
The tentacled creature is Stuff, an analogue of Chameleon. |
| 18:2 |
Create enough teenage mutants and Legionnaire tryouts and
there are bound to be similar characters. The girl with lips around
her neck seems to echo Eyeful Ethel; can we call her Mouthful Mabel?
(Well, we could, but her name is Irina.) |
| 28:6 |
In order to take out Cassandra Nova, Emma Frost lobotomized
Stuff. She may be on the side of the heroes now, but that doesn’t
make her “good”. |
| Reprints |
This issue was reprinted in the New X-Men: Imperial trade
paperback collection. |
