REVIEW: New Mutants Annual No. 6

Acclaimed writer Peter David (Incredible Hulk, Aquaman) wrote an emotional tale involving the very first team incarnation of the New Mutants. In fact, the story involved the character Cypher, who had previously died during one of the team's adventures.

Cypher dies protecting Wolfsbane

The New Mutants began as a team comprised of a much younger group that Charles Xavier had ever trained before. Many of them were in their teens and the series focused on Xavier's mentorship at first, then eventually Magneto was handed control when Xavier was injured. The mutant Cypher AKA Doug Ramsey was able to understand different forms of languages and translate them.  While not considered to be a mutant of enormous strength and power, Cypher nevertheless aided the New Mutants in their many adventures. However, on a mission that took the team to a remote island, Doug met his death.

This adventure involved a mad scientist known as the Ani-Mator and his experiments on animals that gave them human characteristics such as near-human speech capabilities.  Eventually while protecting teammate Wolfsbane AKA Rahne Sinclair, in a ensuing with the Ani-Mator and his minions, Cypher was struck by a bullet intended for Wolfsbane. At first the team members thought he was kidding as they celebrated their victory and his lifeless body lay still.  Eventually, the tragic truth came out and a furious Magneto had to break the news to Cypher's parents.

Cypher in a reflective moment

Which brings us to Peter David's tale involving Cypher and Wolfsbane.  In New Mutants Annual Number 6, the backup story "Tribute the Second", involves Wolfsbane and Cypher once again.  Time has passed since his death and in the middle of the night, the spirit of Cypher sits on his tombstone pondering his loneliness.  There he complains to other fellow spirits that no one visits him anymore. After slight banter between the ghosts, Rahne Sinclair drops by to leave flowers and Doug is more than overjoyed to see her, for she is his only frequent visitor.  The other spirits complain that this is bad for Rahne emotionally, to keep visiting and holding onto to the past, as she is trying to move on with her life.

Just then, a small group of thugs appear and are vandalizing other tombstones with spray paint.  The thugs confront Rahne as they continue spraying and getting closer to Doug's grave. Rahne transforms into her wolf form and attacks the group.  Startled, the thugs flee and Doug shouts to Rahne to end the confrontation.  He is startled to discover that she can hear him and advises her to change back to human form before she gets trapped in her animal form.  Additionally, He apologizes for being selfish and wanting her to visit him. He asks her to think about him once in a while but to "give the fire and flame of your heart to someone else".

Cypher asks Wolfsbane to move on

Images courtesy UncannyXmen.Net; Marvel Wikia