Uncanny X-Men #184 (Aug 84): The Past... of Future Days

Creative Team: Chris Claremont, writer; John Romita, Jr. & Dan Green, artists; Glynis Wein, colorist; Tom Orzechowski, letterer; Ann Nocenti, editor; Jim Shooter, editor-in-chief

Starting Line Up: Storm, Nightcrawler, Wolverine (DNA), Colossus, Sprite (DNA), Rogue

In New Mutants #18: Psyche knows that the Demon Bear that killed her parents is coming for her; Rachel, displaced from her own time, tries to contact Professor X; Warlock tries to flee from Magus, his father; the Demon Bear comes for Psyche and critically wounds her.

Synopsis: In Dallas, Texas, Mystique as Raven Darkholme and Dr. Valerine Cooper visit a reclusive inventor named Forge. His entire five floor penthouse inside a giant Star Trek-like holodeck. They arrive as Naze, a member of Forge's old tribe, leaves in anger. Forge, a dashing Native American with cybernetic prosthetics, welcomes the women and shows them his latest invention - a gun that neutralizes super powers. He got the designs by copying ROM's blaster used to destroy the Dire Wraiths (in a huge storyline going on in the ROM series). Forge's version is still untested and will not release a prototype until he knows for sure if the effects are permanent or even fatal. Forge uses his gun to register someone in the room is a mutant, frightening Mystique that her cover is blown, but then Forge reveals himself to be a mutant. Back in New York, Rachel, from the Days of Future Past timeline, is watching a news broadcast of the X-Men fighting in Japan, realising there are vast differences between this time and her time's past. As she walks on in the night, she is followed by Selene, who detects Rachel's powers. Selene doesn't wish to feed on Rachel, but instead make her an apprentice. Selene tries to use her dark influence on Rachel, but Rachel mindblasts her and runs. Rachel ducks into a nightclub for safety, but the bouncer tries to throw her out. The owner stops him, and feeling back for Rachel, takes her back to his place for a meal and a bed. Rachel takes a bath. When she comes out, she finds the bar owner dead, drained by Selene. Rachel uses her telepathic ability to fight Selene, but Selene makes the inanimate objects in the room come alive and attack. The fight causes a gas leak, which ignites, and the apartment goes up in flames. Selene starts to use her own mental powers to subdue Rachel until Xavier and the X-Men arrive. They were following two signatures that registered on Cerebro. The X-Men battle Selene, but she manages to get away. Storm then uses her power to put the fire out. The X-Men meet Rachel for the first time, but she's knows them, or least thought she did, from her timeline. Much confusion ensues.

Yeah, but is it good? An interesting debut for Rachel (Ok, not exactly. She was in the two-part Days of Future Past classic, but in the future, and she appeared in the last issue of New Mutants, but this is her full, current timeline debut). She does a lot of comparing of the X-Men as they are now compared to the X-Men as they should be. The way they should be (Storm didn't go punk, Rogue never joined the team, Illyana is still a child) would have probably remained had Sen. Kelly been assassinated way back when. So we know the world will turn out differently from Rachel's time. But for the better? And just who the heck is this Rachel anyway? I don't much care for Selene because her powers arn't very well defined. She drains life force, makes inanimate objects come alive, and has mental powers too. Gee... can she turn green when she gets mad and have an extra spider-sense? Too much. Kitty is obviously gone because of last issue, but Wolverine is gone for a while, too. They meet up in their own story arc. There was also a passing comment from Storm on how well Xavier does as a field leader now that he can join them. She starts to doubt her own talents as leader... again. Very little X-Men here. Mostly Rachel.

Significata: Rachel meets the X-Men from the mainstream timeline. Selene wants to make Rachel her apprentice. Storm questions her role as leader.  ¶ 1:25 AM