Mystique #2:
Tinker, Tailor, Mutant, Spy

by Brian K. Vaughan
& Michael Ryan
(Marvel, 2004)

Mystique's adventures on the side of the angels continue in Tinker, Tailor, Mutant, Spy, the second volume of the solo series spawned by her featured role as a naked supervillain in the X-Men movies. Unlike the films, Mystique here keeps her clothes on, but on the plus side she has actual character development, making her a far more interesting person to star in her own title.

Coerced (by threat of imprisonment or death) by Charles Xavier to work as a secret agent, Mystique goes where the X-Men cannot tread, using her shapeshifting abilities to infiltrate a variety of dangerous locations. This volume begins with her stealing secrets from the palace of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and then, after a brief respite back home, an illegal biological testing facility in South Africa. Her efforts to secure a mutated plague virus are hampered, however, by a villain called the Host, who considers germs her friends and wants to set them free to play.

Midway through the book, Mystique goes on a date. Nothing too exciting, just really bad coffee in a dive cafe, but hey, it's recreation.

The second half of the collection deals with a mutant kidnapping in Brooklyn and pursuit of a colorfully garbed thief in Rio de Janeiro. Through it all, Mystique is assisted by the clever inventor Forge and the diminutive telepath Shortpack, and she is dogged by a mysterious would-be benefactor who wants her to betray Xavier in some way.

I didn't expect to enjoy this series, which I wrongly assumed would attempt to cash in on Mystique's Hollywood notoriety without offering anything of substance. But with glossy, high-quality art and Brian K. Vaughan's clever writing, this has become a book to relish.

by Tom Knapp
Rambles.NET
2 December 2006



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