BEAST, CANNONBALL & KARMA versus SPIRALBad Karma (Marvel)
Where: Beast #1 When: May 1997
Why: Keith Giffen How: Cedric Nocon
The Story So Far...
For too long the young mutant Karma has sought her missing brother & sister. Drawn into the seedy underbelly of Madripoor during her search -- she returns to New York City intent on taking matters into her own hands.
Karma telepathically possesses an unsuspecting Beast to launch a frontal assault on the Hellfire Club, but the X-Man returns to his senses just in time to prevent undue bloodshed, instead hacking into Hellfire databases to learn the children were handed over to Viper.
A psychic vision of The Body Shop reveals to Karma her lost siblings -- alive and undergoing genetic experimentation at the hands of Spiral. The six-armed free agent was recruited by Viper in her private war against Karma, and a security alert at the X-Mansion can only signal Spiral's inter-dimensional arrival!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Beast 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: Beast 6 (Genius)
Speed: Cannonball 5 (Super-Human)
Stamina: Cannonball 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Beast 5 (Cat-Like)
Fighting: Spiral 4 (Trained)
Energy: Cannonball 3 (Explosives)
Total: Beast 26 (Metahuman)
Two X-Men and two former New Mutants walk into a fight... Okay, those numbers don't quite add up, but that's the set-up when Beast & Cannonball offer assistance to the latter's old New Mutants teammate - Karma.
Where: Beast #1 When: May 1997
Why: Keith Giffen How: Cedric Nocon
The Story So Far...
For too long the young mutant Karma has sought her missing brother & sister. Drawn into the seedy underbelly of Madripoor during her search -- she returns to New York City intent on taking matters into her own hands.
Karma telepathically possesses an unsuspecting Beast to launch a frontal assault on the Hellfire Club, but the X-Man returns to his senses just in time to prevent undue bloodshed, instead hacking into Hellfire databases to learn the children were handed over to Viper.
A psychic vision of The Body Shop reveals to Karma her lost siblings -- alive and undergoing genetic experimentation at the hands of Spiral. The six-armed free agent was recruited by Viper in her private war against Karma, and a security alert at the X-Mansion can only signal Spiral's inter-dimensional arrival!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Beast 5 (Super-Human)Intelligence: Beast 6 (Genius)
Speed: Cannonball 5 (Super-Human)
Stamina: Cannonball 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Beast 5 (Cat-Like)
Fighting: Spiral 4 (Trained)
Energy: Cannonball 3 (Explosives)
Total: Beast 26 (Metahuman)
Two X-Men and two former New Mutants walk into a fight... Okay, those numbers don't quite add up, but that's the set-up when Beast & Cannonball offer assistance to the latter's old New Mutants teammate - Karma.
I guess that makes Spiral the walking, talking punchline. With six arms enhanced with cyborg components, the Mojoverse mutate can go hand-to-hand with her trio of opponents, fist for fist. Assuming that's her chosen method of fighting that is.
Spiral is known to favour swords when she enters battle, swinging multiple blades in a deadly dance that serves a dual purpose of weapons combat, and casting spells with her mastery of magic.
Spiral is best known for teleporting herself and others through time and space, but her versatile dancing spells can also project concussive blasts, conjure objects, interfere with others' abilities, and effect unconsciousness.
She can also resist mental interference -- directly nullifying Karma's mutant gifts of telepathy & mental possession, and has been known to breach the seemingly impenetrable field that forms around Cannonball when he takes flight.
There really is no limit to Spiral's versatility. She even puts Beast's expertise in genetics to shame, running The Body Shop in her spare time, where she experiments with flesh, fusing body and steel to create the likes of Lady Deathstrike and The Reavers. Will that knowhow help her in battle? Let's see!
The Tape: Beast, Cannonball & Karma Ranking: Beast (#55)
She can also resist mental interference -- directly nullifying Karma's mutant gifts of telepathy & mental possession, and has been known to breach the seemingly impenetrable field that forms around Cannonball when he takes flight.
There really is no limit to Spiral's versatility. She even puts Beast's expertise in genetics to shame, running The Body Shop in her spare time, where she experiments with flesh, fusing body and steel to create the likes of Lady Deathstrike and The Reavers. Will that knowhow help her in battle? Let's see!
The Tape: Beast, Cannonball & Karma Ranking: Beast (#55)
What Went Down...
Cannonball rockets Karma and Beast to the mansion grounds where they find Spiral lingering beneath the trees at the outer perimeter. With swords already drawn, she taunts them: "My, my. All this fuss over little old me?"
Karma demands to know where her twin siblings are, but before she can probe Spiral's mind -- the six-armed mystic mutate has swung her hands in a vogue that block's Karma's attack and forces her into unconsciousness.
Cannonball rockets Karma and Beast to the mansion grounds where they find Spiral lingering beneath the trees at the outer perimeter. With swords already drawn, she taunts them: "My, my. All this fuss over little old me?"
Karma demands to know where her twin siblings are, but before she can probe Spiral's mind -- the six-armed mystic mutate has swung her hands in a vogue that block's Karma's attack and forces her into unconsciousness.
Cannonball is the first X-Man to respond -- launching himself at Spiral!
Her swords are bunched overhead, but a rising knee begins the dance around the charging mutant, whose natural forcefield is penetrated by Spiral's otherworldly magic. With a simple gesture she blasts him in the face!
The counter-attack knocks Cannonball out cold, and Spiral mocks his lack of maneuverability as she tosses his limp body aside.
Maneuverability happens to be a skill Beast has in spades. He takes full advantage of Spiral's distraction with his fellow X-Man, bounding in to deliver a swift uppercut!
Beast further demonstrates his spectacular agility, swinging his feet into a low sweeping kick.
Spiral dances clear of the attack, thrusting three swords in the blue-furred X-Man's general direction, but he's already tumbled into a handstand press that keeps his body clear of the blades.
The swordsman lunges at her target, but he effortlessly leaps over her head -- landing behind her to lock in a firm full nelson!
Beast's mighty arms manage to pin three or four of Spiral's many arms behind her, but she isn't immobilized for long.
The mystic manages to slip clear with a simple teleportation that takes her out of the hold and back to the unconscious bodies of Cannonball and Karma.
Content that she has what she came for, Spiral abandons the battle to begin the dance to teleport her prey back to The Body Shop. Something the Beast isn't about to allow uninterrupted!
As the spell nears its completion Beast dives into the energy field -- joining his fellow mutants on their magical mystery tour to a destination unknown.
The Hammer...
Beast makes a valiant effort to save the day, but with both of his allies down, he can't quite turn it around. Spiral takes the win, but Beast will be on hand to keep the team in the fight when they regroup in issue two.
Beast's status as the last man standing is the strongest indicator that this is the first issue of his own mini-series. A surprise release that could've just as easily been sold as a Karma mini -- if something like that would have actually sold.
Somehow I just can't see myself running back & forth between money earned per bucket doing gardening work, and the newsagent that just happened to have this on a stacked stand, without the star power of an A-list X-Man.
Beast's status as the last man standing is the strongest indicator that this is the first issue of his own mini-series. A surprise release that could've just as easily been sold as a Karma mini -- if something like that would have actually sold.
Somehow I just can't see myself running back & forth between money earned per bucket doing gardening work, and the newsagent that just happened to have this on a stacked stand, without the star power of an A-list X-Man.
It's nice to see Beast participating in the good fight. That's basically the reason I decided to dig this one out. A trip back to the good old days of a Hank McCoy who is erudite, full of good humor, and a magnificent combination of physical strength and gymnastic feats. The smart & funny one of the original X-Men.
Here in 2023 Beast has just been on the lethal end of Wolverine's claws as the latest victim in a decade of Marvel Comics killing their icons, and occasionally turning heroes into their own antagonists. It's slightly different. He was cloned before issue's end, but I still lament the days when comics were a bit more fun.
It's tough to reconcile the bounding hero on the cover of 1997's Beast #1 with the cutthroat, rat bastard that seems to have emerged in recent years. It almost reads like an entirely different character. Maybe it is..?
The Beast mini-series was only about a year removed from that odd little period when the Dark Beast of the Age of Apocalypse reality managed to infiltrate our universe, hold the genuine article captive, and secretly replace him.
It always reminded me of the saga of Roman Brady & John Black from daytime TV's Days of Our Lives. A soap opera moment with inter-dimensional doppelgangers as only superhero comics can provide. Prime X-Men territory, but if you don't know the reference, just ask your mother (or grandmother). Trust me.
The return of Dark Beast would be the kind of easy-way-out that could quickly restore Beast to his iconic, fun-loving self -- if only that wasn't a needlessly complicated rehashing of an old story that wasn't that great to begin with. The last thing I want to be doing right now is advocating for sloppy "multiverse" plots.
I don't want to fault the longform storytelling too much either, but is the entire original line-up of the X-Men really destined to take a turn at being raging jerks?
It's tough to reconcile the bounding hero on the cover of 1997's Beast #1 with the cutthroat, rat bastard that seems to have emerged in recent years. It almost reads like an entirely different character. Maybe it is..?
The Beast mini-series was only about a year removed from that odd little period when the Dark Beast of the Age of Apocalypse reality managed to infiltrate our universe, hold the genuine article captive, and secretly replace him.
It always reminded me of the saga of Roman Brady & John Black from daytime TV's Days of Our Lives. A soap opera moment with inter-dimensional doppelgangers as only superhero comics can provide. Prime X-Men territory, but if you don't know the reference, just ask your mother (or grandmother). Trust me.
The return of Dark Beast would be the kind of easy-way-out that could quickly restore Beast to his iconic, fun-loving self -- if only that wasn't a needlessly complicated rehashing of an old story that wasn't that great to begin with. The last thing I want to be doing right now is advocating for sloppy "multiverse" plots.
I don't want to fault the longform storytelling too much either, but is the entire original line-up of the X-Men really destined to take a turn at being raging jerks?
Jean Grey famously turned against the team during the groundbreaking Dark Phoenix saga, followed by Angel's transgression and periodic hostilities as Archangel. Then there were Professor X's various secret indiscretions culminating with the manifestation of Onslaught, and whatever nonsense reduced Cyclops to an unwaveringly miserable prick. Oy. Iceman better run while he still can!
I don't really love the idea of hastily sweeping away recent stories, but it's felt like Marvel (and DC) are shockingly overdue a restoration of their iconic characters in comics for a long time. The type of reset that used to keep these heroes centered and accessible, no matter how outlandish their adventures were.
That overdue sensation is likely only going to heighten when Disney+ brings back the much-loved team of the X-Men animated series in the appropriately titled X-Men '97. It's now rumored to be committed to multiple seasons, and as much as I wouldn't usually advocate for multimedia influencing the source -- this is referring back to a time when cartoons were notable for being directly inspired by comics!
Things change, but I hope we'll be able to enjoy Beast again in comics sometime soon, like the old friend he always was. That's kind of the pleasure of these enduring superhero icons. Failing that, we can always go back to the classics!
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Winner: Spiral
#355 (new) Spiral
#55 (--) Beast
#153 (-11) Cannonball
#989 (new) Karma
#355 (new) Spiral
#55 (--) Beast
#153 (-11) Cannonball
#989 (new) Karma
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