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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.
The past few issues followed the developments seen through the eyes of separated X-Men members – Meanstreak who assisted Halloween Jack’s move to take Las Vegas away from the Synge family, Krystalin who has been in California to help her brother, and Shakti who recently uncovered something about the legacy of mutants. That said, Bloodhawk’s absence was really noticeable and this was because Marvel Comics had him appear in a few Doom 2099 comic books set in the Savage Land.
With those details laid down, here is a look back at X-Men 2099 #20, published by Marvel Comics in 1995 with a story written by John Francis Moore and drawn by Ron Lim.
Early story
The story begins in the Arizona desert where Bloodhawk flies over the wasteland. He just returned from the Savage Land and he immediately notices huge tracks left behind by some kind of large machine and they are radiated. He notices a sick and radiated coyote approach. Bloodhawk grabs the coyote, says some words to it and kills it to end its suffering.
Meanwhile at the ACME Pit Stop (a roadside tradition of fuel and food since the year 2047), a conflict between business owner Cyrus and Lou Ann is taking place with lots of bystanders watching. Their conflict gets disrupted as a massive, large robot suddenly arrived causing everyone to panic. The robot grabs a long rig and threw it at the ground causing a huge explosion.
Bloodhawk, who raided one of his weapons cashes to arm himself with grenades, quickly flies in to attack the giant robot…
Quality
To point out the obvious, the main feature here is the focus on Bloodhawk’s return to the American wasteland coming from the Savage Land (chronicled in Doom 2099). By having him encounter a massive robot, it is clear that John Francis Moore and Ron Lim planned this to have a huge storytelling weight and give the X-Men 2099 fans – especially the ones who love Bloodhawk – something to enjoy. Along the way, this comic book has Bloodhawk gaining an unexpected ally which allowed the creators to show some character development on him. As many fans already know, Bloodhawk values nature and despises both technology and modern society as he saw them as devourers of the natural environment. In this comic book, he has a gigantic mechanical problem to deal with and the odds are absolutely against him. That said, Bloodhawk’s tale here is pretty much a big comeback from being absent in the past issues.
Meanwhile, Krystalin finds herself in deeper trouble. After helping the Free Radicals regain their very young but tech-oriented teammate, she finds herself and her brother still trapped by the gang. Continuing from what was symbolized in the previous issues, this comic book sheds light on political symbolism and the radicalized people’s obsession with drastic change in world they believe is controlled by institutions they perceive as oppressive. The Free Radicals have sinister values that make them comparable with real-life evil forces like Black Lives Matter (BLM), Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Antifa, LGBTQ mobs, Islamists and others. The Free Radical’s youngest member clearly believes that anarchy means freedom.
Conclusion
Crafted with care and symbolism, X-Men 2099 #20 (1995) has two tales that are gripping to follow. The tales of Bloodhawk and Krystalin succeeded with ensuring a gripping read and moving events forward. That said, the stakes of Krystalin’s conflict with the Free Radicals have been raised even more. Those who are very fond of Bloodhawk will have good stuff to enjoy here. This comic book’s only weakness is the rather corny design of the giant robot, and it felt distracting from time to time.
Overall, X-Men 2099 #20 (1995) is recommended.
+++++
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