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