Surer Footing
Though I haven't read issue 2 (since I don't yet own it in any form), I get the sense the creative team of Byrne and Palmer are finding their way a bit more easily with the series by this point. Having established their knowledge of the history or at least immediate context of where the "hidden years" begins, and knowing where the end goal of GSXM 1 is, Byrne seems to be more at ease with the kinds of stories he can tell, feeling better the freedom of the scenario he is in without being over-encumbered by the fairly implacable boundaries around his effort. The overall issue isn't all that spectacular, being mostly a set-up sort of story between major arc high points, but the quality of the overall presentation is improving, and that is a significant victory. The low point is Angel's line "that bites," which is a painful anachronism (unless the kids were really saying that back in the '70s, and if they were, it isn't something that Warren would really say back then). Certainly the highlight of the issue is the brief exchange between Lorna and Alex, as Lorna tries to create a codename for herself of "Magnetrix," which Alex finds abysmal. Her rejoinder that he did not give himself the name "Havok" is a good testament to Byrne's familiarity with the X-Men universe. Havok acknowledges this little datum but encourages Lorna to get a real nickname, since that's an important part of being a superhero. It's the ability to make in-jokes like this one of the more appealing aspects to the series, since none of the adventures seem "real" anyway. It's more like a fourth-wall-broken X-Men special, with all the characters winking at the camera and giving the audience a sense of their knowing it's not real, either. Sort of like The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., or Red Dwarf: Back to Reality. I could be totally wrong, but that's the sense I get. Hopefully, now that I know the rest of the series is available (or soon will be) finally in TPB form, I can read the series and see if that continues. If I'm wrong, at least I still could enjoy that scene with those two fledgling love birds.