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Welcome back, superhero enthusiasts, 1990s culture enthusiasts, X-Men fans and comic book collectors! Today we revisit the Marvel Comics shared universe through one of the many tales of the X-Men 2099 monthly series.
If you have been reading a great majority of the Marvel 2099 comic book series of the 1990s, then you should be aware about a notable turning point that saw Doom 2099 taking over as the President of the United States. The comic book Spider-Man 2099 #34 reflected the impact of that turning point and it had this pretty clever way of having Doom 2099 and Spider-Man 2099 (but in civilian form as Miguel O’Hara) getting reunited for the first time since the Fall of the Hammer crossover storyline. The same thing also happened in the X-Men 2099 series and the encounter between Doom 2099 and a few X-Men members was remembered.
With those details laid down, here is a look back at X-Men 2099 #21, published by Marvel Comics in 1995 with a story written by John Francis Moore and drawn by Ron Lim.
Early story
The story begins with government propaganda released to the public. It announces the direction that America will go to under the rule of Doom 2099 as US President. It turns out, Doom has been President for days and already a series of changes is happening nationwide. Halloween Jack (who was a fake Loki during the events of the Fall of the Hammer) asks a rhetorical question about Doom. Halloween Jack and Meanstreak meet with Celestia Amberlyn who is the biggest star of the Synge casino and also a close personal friend of Indigo Eshun, the minister of Signal.
Their meeting intensified quickly due to their conflicting agendas. Amberlyn is with the Doom administration while Halloween Jack is defiant towards the new US President. He shows her his new technology called the virtual unreality projector. He tells her that he will overturn the natural laws of physics throughout Las Vegas and replace them with the wildly unpredictable reality of another dimension…
Quality
With Doom’s influence as US President felt a lot in this comic book, I can say that the storytelling and events here really got wild. Halloween Jack’s machine really caused a very unique kind of chaos on Las Vegas and his insanity here reminds me a lot about the Joker of DC Comics. After working a lot on making Halloween Jack’s insane agenda happen, Meanstreak finally realizes his errors and decides to take action before total disaster happens. That said, Meanstreak’s old self is back complete with recalling his rightful place with the X-Men.
As stated earlier, Doom has impact on the story and it is truly an expressive portrayal of what he could achieve with the power of the US Presidency. Doom clearly has plans for America and he has his own vision about establishing order and this comic book clearly dramatizes it. On face value, it looks like Doom’s short appearance in this comic book is just for show but I can assure you that he has an action-packed response to Halloween Jack’s insane operation on Las Vegas.
Conclusion
X-Men 2099 #21 (1995) is indeed a wild tale that concluded with purpose. Not only does it reunite Meanstreak with a teammate, it also sets that direction towards the inevitable reuniting of the futuristic X-Men. The wild turn of events here is balanced with the good amount of details and character development implemented by the Moore-Lim duo. Doom’s presence here really shook things up and the impact on the city of Las Vegas has to be seen.
Overall, X-Men 2099 #21 (1995) is recommended.
+++++
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