X-amining X-Man #-1

"Breeding Ground"

July 1997

In a Nutshell

In the Age of Apocalypse, Mister Sinister performs a status check on his pet project, Nate Grey.

Writer: Terry Kavanagh
Penciler: Roger Cruz 
Inker: Bud LaRosa & Wellington Diaz
Letterer: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Colorist: Mike Thomas
Editor: Bob Harras

Plot

Safely ensconced in his secret lab inside an abandoned orphanage in Nebraska, Mister Sinister checks on his pet project, the creation of a supremely powerful mutant named Nate Grey. Removing the prepubescent Nate from his nutrient bath, Sinister is pleased with the boy's development. When an incoming call from Beast distracts Sinister, Nate slips away, experiencing psionic echoes of his genetic father's, Scott Summers, experiences as a child in the orphanage. Angry, Sinister gives Nate a glimpse of life outside the orphanage, of Apocalypse's Infinites rounding up humans. Nate instinctively uses his power to try and stop the Infinites psionically, prompting Sinister to trigger a failsafe to cut off Nate's powers. As the young Nate grows angry, Sinister placates him with a teddy bear, then leads him back to his nutrient bath. The experience has made Sinister realize that, when fully grown, the boy will be too powerful, and he must develop a stronger failsafe to keep him in check.

Firsts and Other Notables
This issue marks the third return to the "Age of Apocalypse," following X-Man '96 and Tales of the Age of the Apocalypse, though we're still in prequel territory and not "retcon the end of the original story" territory, and an issue explicitly set in the past of the title character whose past takes place in the "Age of Apocalypse" isn't as sweaty a rationale for the return as some other efforts. 

A Work in Progress
Mister Sinister gives Nate the last name "Grey" hear, though we saw Nate adopt that surname himself in issue #5, remembering Jean Grey from "Age of Apocalypse." Given Nate also didn't recognize Sinister in issues #3-4 despite interacting with him here, it's possible Sinister is wiping his memories between "outings."

The setting of this story is the orphanage where Cyclops grew up, and the text makes it clear Cyclops did still grow up there. Presumably, the circumstances of his arrival were different (I don't think we've ever gotten AoA Corsair...) and it's just one of those things (Cyclops ends up an orphan watched by Mister Sinister) that is relatively consistent across realities. 

Artistic Achievements

Comic artists traditionally struggle in their depiction of children, though Cruz's Lil' Nate isn't too bad, all things considered. The biggest issue is that he still has large, mannish hands. 

Austin's Analysis
The Prequel Problem is one that will, not surprisingly, befall at least a few of these "Flashback Month" stories, in that, when telling a story in the past of a character who is still a going concern, there's only so much you can do within the confines of the character's existing history/without breaking that character for future stories. They risk becoming, essentially, narrative cul-de-sacs, in which whatever happens, whatever arc the character experiences, has to be self-contained, leaving the character back where they started for the stories we already know to takeover. Nowhere is that more the case than this story, which literally takes Nate out of a bottle, lets him wander around for a bit, then puts him back in a bottle at the end where the rest of his already-told story can continue.

Ultimately, this is a Mister Sinister story, if it's anything, but it's not like he undergoes any major examination in the course of it. His arc is basically realizing he needs to create more strict controls over Nate, which isn't the most engaging of arcs (and it's an alternate reality version of the character anyway). Mostly, it's just an excuse for 20 odd pages of Sinister's quasi-baroque dialogue as he soliloquies about genetics and power and whatnot. Furthermore, while back in the day there was some appeal to be found in the touting of a return to the "Age of Apocalypse" when doing so was still a novelty, anyone reading it then (*raises hand*) was likely underwhelmed by the limited scope (one setting, three characters, two of whom already appear in the "main" reality) of that return, and anyone reading it now, when "Age of Apocalypse" has become a semi-regular pipeline for alternate reality stories, will find that promise even less engaging. Cruz does a decent Lil' Nate (freakishly large hands aside), but it's been awhile since I encountered an issue that was, in terms of craft and narrative impact, as much a waste of time as this.

Next Issue
Mister Sinister sticks around, but shifts realities and focus as young Havok gets the spotlight in X-Factor #-1!

Like what you read? Then support us on Patreon & gain access to exclusive reviews of Ms. Marvel, X-Men: The Animated Series and more!

Become a Patron!