• Review - Exiles #84 (Volume.1)

    Issue: Exiles #84 (Volume.1)
    Writer: Tony Bedard
    Artist: James Calsfiore
    Cover: Paul Pelletier
    Date Published: 07/26/2006

    OVERVIEW:


    Gathered together from their own separate realities, Blink, Sabretooth, Longshot, Spider-Man 2099, Power Princess and Heather Hudson (formerly Sasquatch) embark on missions to save one imperiled Earth after another. The team is guided by the Time-Breakers from their headquarters in the “Crystal Palace” and provides information through the Tallus worn by the leader of the Exiles, Sabretooth. After chasing down Proteus through several different realities, the team is taking a much needed break before returning to duty and some are returning to their home reality such as Heather going back to Earth #3470 to see her husband James Hudson and Sabretooth traveled to Earth #295 to discover his partner Wild Child has gone missing. The Time-Breakers opposed the team leaving their duties to have a time of relaxation and set in motion plans to teach the Exiles a lesson.

    While talking to Magneto, Sabretooth gets an alarm through the Tallus saying Heather Hudson’s earth is in danger so the Exiles team-up with Earth #3470’s Alpha Flight to address the problem. In this reality the Cold War is still continuing to this day, and the Soviet Super-Soldiers are planning to release the Elder God Chernobog, the source of Darkstar’s power to create a layer of darkforce across the Earth effectively smothering it. The Exiles were cautious of the Time-Breakers and suspected them of something so they left two members in the Crystal Palace to watch over them.

    Alpha Flight and the remaining Exiles go to battle with the Super-Soliders, and disrupt Darkstar’s summoning ceremony. However, Chernobog is still becoming stronger prompting the Time-Breakers to teleport more Exiles into battle leaving only one left in the Crystal Palace. The battle continues and the Time-Breakers convince Longshot he needs to join the battle and leave as well, but upon arriving Snowbird banished Chernobog back to his dimension confusing many as they discovered the Exiles were not required here to save the day. With the mission complete, Sabretooth orders the Time-Breakers through the Tallus to teleport them back to headquarters, but they discover they have been fired and the Tallus effectively disappears from his hand leaving them stranded in this reality.

    REVIEW:
    Another great issue from the Exiles team as this series is always a consistently excellent book. The new renditions of Alpha Flight were quite different from their 616 counterparts, but that’s why Exiles is so great as it embraces differences and tries to make each world unique. Can’t say I was fond of Shaman’s costume, but I really liked the new Marrina and Guardian design.

    The art is OK, nothing spectacular as there could be more shading and the faces are something to be desired for but the art suits well for the Exiles series.


    RATING: