The Cuban military have decided that the only good mutant is a dead one, and as such, have begun their own Sentinel program. Mystique finds the general she's tracking in a town square, where he's facing off against a group of rebels led by a man named Lazaro, and once she saves General Diosvil she ends up impersonating him to infiltrate the Sentinel base. Just when things are going according to plan, however, Mystique realizes her mistake: while in disguise, Lazaro and his rebels have followed her to the base, and they're not happy…

The thrills get amped up a bit as Mystique starts showing off her full range - both in smarts and in powers - as Brian K Vaughn shows he's tightening his grip on the character. Not as wordy as the previous issue, Vaughn instead ensures that no pages are wasted in this issue. The twist at the end really made this a winner for me, as it seems that even when Mystique's intentions are good, something or someone comes in and spoils her fun. It certainly isn't easy being blue, apparently.

Jorge Lucas continues to provide art that gets the story to where it's supposed to be. While I still have a problem with his inconsistency in regards to faces, he more than makes up for it with his action scenes in this issue. One other thing that Lucas should be commended for is the scenes where Mystique transforms. Many artists shy away from showing any transition, and instead rely on separate panels but Lucas' ability to show a figure that is half Mystique and half someone else are a treat to see.

This issue was definitely one of the better issues so far in this series, and as the story races to the first arc's finish, one can only hope that it either maintains course or continues to improve.

7.5/10

Collected In:
Mystique, Vol 1: Dead Drop Gorgeous (2004) TPB

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