Operation Zero Tolerance - 25 Years Later part 7: And So it Begins

All due respect to the writers of Wolverine, Cable, X-Man, X-Factor, and Onslaught: Epilogue but when it came to the real build-up for "Operation: Zero Tolerance", Scott Lobdell deserves the credit. Lobdell handled the sporadic but significant J. Jonah Jameson scenes. Lobdell turned Graydon Creed into a character with actual depth and made his campaign have real weight. And Lobdell set in motion the plot that finally
launched the event.

After "Onslaught" Lobdell was handling the the writing duties for both X-Men books as well as Generation X. Lobdell launched the latter series, and for the length of his tenure the series had a voice unlike any other X book. Given Lobdell's investment in the series it's not really surprising that he used it as the platform for Bastion, the villain he created that got pushed into "Operation: Zero Tolerance" by X book editors.

The following includes major spoilers for Generation X 20-26 and minor spoilers for Uncanny X-Men 343.

A Simple Investigation

Many of Bastion's appearances so far have been meaningless panels here and there in issues that have nothing to with him . But in Generation X 20 Bastion begins an investigation that at last furthers the story. His scenes in Generation X 20, 23, and 25 are small but they explain how he connects the dots to the X-Men by way of Jubilee in issues 26 and 27.

Generation X 20

The subplot begins with a call back to Generation X 1. Bastion is reviewing security footage from Chamber's arrival at Logan International Airport in Boston. Operation: Zero Tolerance knows his codename and that he's completely composed of psionic energy, but they don't know his identity, where he came from, or where he went. They also have footage of Emplate, who they know absolutely nothing about, and Sean Cassidy who they can identify as Banshee. But when the fight in the airport began security lost its cameras. Bastion orders an analyst named Daria to backtrack any young men arriving alone in Logan that day and, after a few implied death threats, Daria gets it done. They identify Chamber as Jonothon Starsmore and are able to immediately establish that his ticket was purchased for him by Frost Enterprises.

Daria's investigation into Frost Enterprises yields very little. There are almost no pictures of Emma Frost available and no evidence that she's a mutant. Bastion isn't interested in speculation about her at this stage, but he is interested in the fact that Emma runs a school.

Generation X 25

Bastion's investigation bears fruit in Generation X 25. On what is a simple recon and investigation of the Massachusetts Academy, he stumbles upon Jubilee running through the snow, fleeing her teammate Mondo who has apparently turned against the team. Bastion grabs her, seemingly kills Mondo, and renders Jubilee unconscious for a trip back to his Hulkbuster base. From there, he takes her to "the Lab".

Surprising Compassion

Generation X 26 catches up with Jubilee blasting her way out of her cell and through members of the team First Strike (the same guys who went after Cable and Rene Majcomb in Cable 40). One of the them is killed and, despite trying to convince herself that the soldier doesn't deserve help, Jubilee abandons her urgent escape and begins giving the soldier CPR. Bastion, watching from elsewhere in the base, is surprised by Jubilee's behavior.

Jubilee successfully revives the soldier who expresses concern that she might have done something nefarious to him rather than gratitude that she saved his life. In the next moment another team of soldiers arrive and Jubilee makes another frantic escape. Bastion is incredulous that Jubilee would stop her escape to save his soldier despite her own life being at risk. He simply cannot process her action.

Generation X 26

Jubilee succeeds in her escape, emerging into a frigid, snow covered waste. She loses consciousness almost immediately and is rescued by Bastion who carries her back inside.

Generation X? Really?

"Operation: Zero Tolerance" will mostly involve the X-Men (as X events usually do), so starting it in Generation X feels like an odd choice until you look back and realize that Scott Lobdell created the series alongside Chris Bachalo. 1994's "Phalanx Covenant" involved several younger mutants who Lobdell introduced and who were spun off immediately to this new title. Lobdell's writing in the series was unlike anything going in the X titles at the time.

The characters, teenagers save for Emma and Banshee, were quirky and distinctive. Their adventures were unusual. The series frequently acknowledged and broke the fourth wall. Accompanied by the stylized, comparatively unusual art from Bachalo, the series stood out among all the X books. Reading this series alongside Uncanny X-Men and X-Men (which Lobdell was also writing), it's not hard to feel a passion that doesn't burn quite as bright in the X-Men books. Add to that Bastion was also his creation (as was idea that led to "Operation: Zero Tolerance") and it's easy to see why he might put so much focus on the title.

Generation X 26

It also helped that Uncanny X-Men had followed half of the team into space.

The choice to use Jubilee as Bastion's first move against the X teams in this story makes sense; among the students she has the greatest connection to the flagship team. However I do dispute a moment in Generation X 26 where the narration declares her not an X-Man but a child. Compared to the rest of the students Jubilee is hundreds of miles ahead in real world and combat experience. Among the things she did during her time with the X-Men were helping Wolverine escape from the Reavers, battling the Mandarin and the Hand, joining the rescue of several New Mutants from Genosha, and participating in the liberation of the Shi'ar Empire from War Skrulls. Sending her off to Generation X felt like an unwarranted demotion (though at the time the series launched Jubilee was a popular character thanks to X-Men: The Animated Series so it's possible she was moved to the series to give it a headliner).

A Grab Bag of Artists

It's hard to think about Generation X without thinking about Chris Bachalo's art; indeed, when someone fills in for him the issue just doesn't feel the same. Unfortunately that's the case with this series of issues. Bachalo has the art duties in just three issues from Generation X 20 to 26. By no stretch are any of the guest artists bad (Mitch Byrd with Jason Martin and Karl Story handle the characters particularly well in issue 23), but any guest artist is going to be a jarring experience compared to Bachalo.

The one issue where the lack of Bachalo is a detriment is 26. Jubilee just does not feel quite the same which is unfortunate since this begins a solid character arc running through "Operation: Zero Tolerance". Her range of emotion in this issue doesn't prove as compelling.

I Can't Believe They Said That

Bastion's complete surprise at Jubilee displaying compassion is a strange moment. He certainly understands emotion given how emotional we've seen him be. He's seen mutants be emotional. Lobdell is obviously leaning into the idea that Bastion's own prejudices preclude him from thinking a mutant would help a human, especially an enemy, because he would never do that for a mutant. But he comes across so disbelieving that I'm half expecting him to turn to another character and ask, "What is this human thing called emotion?".

Uncanny X-Men 343

As for "Final Solution"...

That's one hell of a loaded phrase. I honestly don't know how I feel about its usage here. In the context of the developing "Operation: Zero Tolerance" story it does fit. Even so, it feels gratuitous.

~~~

For an index of the entries in this "Operation: Zero Tolerance" retrospective, jump back to the landing page here. And for an issue-by-issue commentary check out Twitter @theroncouch #CompleteOZT.

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