Madelyne Pryor and her Marauders draw first blood against the Hellions in Hellions #3, by writer Zeb Well, artist Stephen Segovia, colorist David Curiel, and letterer Ariana Maher. This issue has a nice horror movie vibe to it as the team is faced with the return of Madelyne Pryor and her twisted plan for revenge.

Madelyne talks to Havok, explaining why she’s back, but he tells her he doesn’t care, and then she kisses him. Psylocke, already injured, leads Wild Child on, and when he pounces, she uses her psychic knife on him, shutting his mind down and leaving just his lower functions. Elsewhere, Madelyne and Havok walk through her house of horrors, as her Marauders torture Greycrow, Orphan-Maker, and Nanny. Psylocke and Wild Child keep fighting, with Psylocke easily beating the feral mutant, asserting her dominance. Madelyne explains her plan to Havok as the torture continues… and then is stopped. Wild Child thanks Psylocke for the beating, and the two set out to save the team.

Madelyne Pryor is a very interesting foe. This issue highlights her current obsession- being forgotten. Since Mister Sinister cloned her, her entire life has been a series of being forgotten- by Cyclops, by Havok, by the X-Men, by her child, and by Mister Sinister. It’s become a mania for her, so much so that she wants to keep Greycrow to torture herself. Of course, she’s not exactly wrong- all of the things she said happened to her did happen. Even now, Krakoa, the ostensible homeland of mutants, won’t even acknowledge her existence. However, as usual, the lengths she’s willing to go to are as extreme as they’ve always been.

Elsewhere in the story, there’s a wonderful battle for dominance between Psylocke and Wild Child. When it starts, it seems like Psylocke has been beaten pretty badly, but it’s basically all a ploy, as she just whales on Wild Child for the rest of the book, proving her dominance over him in no uncertain terms. The Madelyne’s Marauders continue to be a creepy, zombie-like presence in the book. There’s something almost oppressive about how the whole thing is laid- violence and torment and darkness all orchestrated by a broken woman. Zeb Wells sets the perfect tone in this issue and lets it play out wonderfully.

Stephen Segovia’s art is definitely a big help. His pencils are detailed and do a great job of setting the scene. The battle between Psylocke and Wild Child is great, a hard-hitting affair that readers don’t miss a second of. David Curiel’s go a long way for all of this as well- he keeps the background dark and ominous, but everything in the foreground is colored brightly for the art not to get murky. It’s a delicate balancing act, but it works very well.

Hellions #3 does a great job of setting up the threat of Madelyne Pryor. Her mania makes sense, but she’s just insane enough to keep readers from sympathizing with her too much. Wells sets a nice spooky vibe, and Segovia and Curiel’s art does a great job of upholding the tone. Hellions #3 has it all- thrills, spills, and chills- and is a wonderful comic.


Grade: B+