Issue - 197

Title - To Save Arcade

Writer - Chris Claremont

Art - John Romita Jr.

 

Summary:

After suffering through a terrible nightmare, Colossus awaken in his bed. Beside him lies Kitty Pryde in her own bed asleep. He awakens her when he realizes they are no longer in the X-Mansion. Arcade bursts through the door of the room and welcomes them to Murderworld. After a missile attack nearly kills them all, Arcade explains that he has brought them to Murderworld in order to protect him from Dr. Doom. Kitty suspects that there is something more to it and agrees to help in order to find out. Given the full support of Arcade's robot simulacrums of the X-Men, Colossus and Kitty do battle against hordes of enemy robots. Eventually Doom reveals himself at the helm of a flying craft. Using a fallen pipe, Colossus lunges it like a harpoon downing Doom's craft into Arcade's control booth. Rushing to the booth, Colossus finds Doom with Arcade in his hands but Kitty phases through him causing him to fall. Suddenly Miss Locke emerges from Doom's armor revealing at last that it was all a game. To celebrate his own birthday Arcade gave Miss Locke 24 hours to try and kill him. With the game over, Arcade drives Colossus and Kitty back to the X-mansion.

 

Comments:

Its not often someone else dresses up as Doom. It certainly beats having the usual Doombot at the end. Perhaps that is why Chris Claremont went this route for this story, so no one could tell him later that his story was being retconned into a Doombot. Still, he seems to have taken the retcon rather well since he alludes to it here.

Since this isn't an actual Doom appearance, I think I'll skip rating the story. Bottom Line: N/A

 

Notes:

Return to Monarch in Exile