Mystique #9 is basically a fight scene - not that there's anything wrong with that, given that it's part three of four.  However, given the number of X-books I've got to wade through this week, I'll take that as a cue to skip over this one fairly quickly.

The South Africa backdrop fades into the background this issue, as the focus switches to Mystique trying to recover the macguffin (mutant smallpox) from our villain, the Host.  The Host's gimmick is that she controls viruses.  Or, if you believe her, she communicates with them.  The Host takes a rather extreme line on virus rights, and thinks that modern medicine is a genocidal attack on her "little ones."

Now... hmm.  This is incredibly corny stuff, obviously.  It's the sort of thing that villains used to get worked up about in Marvel Team-Up.  And although it does look superficially like an interesting argument, that kind of depends on you accepting that viruses are self-aware.  Otherwise, it's on the same level as arguing that vegetarianism is an assault on vegetables' right to life.  Oh, and Mystique recovers rather quickly from Murray Valley Encephalitist, considering that it's supposed to be fatal in 20% of cases.  So if you want to take it seriously, it doesn't really work.

On the other hand, I'm not sure the creative team are taking it all that seriously either.  They seem rather more interested in car chases through the streets of Johannesberg.  And it's a rather good fight scene, which manages to pull off the sort of vehicle stunts a lot of artists struggle with.  Michael Ryan's not one of the flashiest artists in the business, but he's a very solid storyteller.

Fun, but perhaps a bit too superficial.

Rating: B-

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