Hellions #6

The Hellions get more than they bargained for in Arrako in Hellions #6, by writer Zeb Well, artist Carmen Carnero, colorist David Curiel, and letterer Ariana Maher. In chapter eighteen of X Of Swords, the team learns Sinister’s true motives for the trip and pays the price for their leader’s ambitions.

After an arduous journey, the team arrives at Arrako, where they meet up with Tarn the Uncaring. He scans Sinister’s mind and finds his real motives for the mission- to add Arrako mutant DNA to his library. The team reacts how one would expect to Sinister’s duplicity, and Tarn sicks his own mutants on the team- the Locus Vile. Sinister releases drones to collect samples, and the Hellions fight for their lives, getting the worst of things. Psylocke, Havok, Greymane, and Empath escape with the samples, but Tarn gets the best of Mister Sinister. They get back to Krakoa, but Sinister follows them gleefully, singing as he kills them to protect his secret.

This installment is an action-packed romp, and it showcases why exactly Sinister wanted the team to go on this foolhardy mission- he wanted more genes for his library. This is classic Mister Sinister- ready to sacrifice anything to get what he wants and what he wants is more genes to play with. The idea to steal the swords of Arrako was just a ploy, a scheme so he could get what he wanted. Of course, it seemingly backfires on him- Tarn the Uncaring and the Locus Vile are more than ready for the Hellions and are fresh, whereas the Hellions are beaten down from their arduous quest to get to Arrako.

Wells plays with tone throughout the book. This one gets mighty bloody and bleak, but Wells knows when to pull back and give readers a bit of gallows humor to lighten the load. The Hellions take a horrific beating and pay a terrible price for Sinister’s ambitions, with not everyone making it out of the battle in one piece- literally. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in the rest of X Of Swords- it’s already been revealed that Krakoan resurrection doesn’t work very well when one dies in Otherworld, and it certainly looks like there are some fatalities in this one.

Carmen Carnera’s art is pretty good throughout. There are a few places where his facial detail isn’t the best, but his action penciling makes up for that. The fight scenes look great, if sometimes a little under-detailed on wide shots. He’s also able to capture the madness of Mister Sinister very well.

Hellions #6 is an action-packed romp that will have a lot of repercussions in this book. What’s going to happen with the members of the team left in Arrako? What did Tarn do to Mister Sinister between the survivors retreating and him killing the team? What happens next? Wells does a great job throughout this issue of posing new questions for readers and setting things up for the future. Carnero’s artworks very well, even if it’s sometimes a little undercooked. This one feels like a turning point for this book, and that’s a good thing.

Grade: B