The X-men Thread (spoilers)

[Previsionary]

X-men: Worlds Apart #2:

I know, I know. I said I would review this a long time ago, but, um...I was plotting the seeds for a hostile takeover of Podmark's homebase. Yeah, it's on, hombre. Last issue, Gentle was arrested as he was suspected of murdering one of the wakandans and Storm was called in to handle him in the absence of Black Panther. Once Storm arrived, she realized a bigger player was at work and that bigger player was the Shadow King who had also manipulated T'challa. Will Storm save the day and once again defeat her odd foe? How did Shadow King get back after Psylocke "killed" him a year or so ago? Will any of these questions be answered? Find out now!

[spoiler]-The book opens with Cyclops fighting a bunch of Morlocks from the "Extremist" arc of Uncanny X-men by Ed Brubaker.

-This is proved to be a trap Shadow King set up to manipulate Cyclops's fears to exploit it. Cyclops's quartz glimmers as he calls out for Emma.

-Shadow King mocks Storm and informs her that T'challa doesn't fully trust her. She doesn't believe him and he continues on to say that Cyclops knows in his heart that Emma will one day betray him. He goes on to say that Cyclops knows Emma has taken over the X-men and that's why he's on a personal mission to stop her.

-Storm is forced to make a choice between Cyclops and Black Panther. Storm screams at Shadow King demanding him to get out of her husband before we get a few pages of her displaying her powers.

-Storm and T'challa struggle on the floor as Nehzno refuses to fight even after Storm's encouragement. Because of his refusal, he is shot at by most of the guards. He's only protected thanks to his tats.

-T'challa points a gun at Nezhno's head and prepares to shoot him. Storm freezes the gun and forcefully flies Nehzno off the field.

-T'challa sends his female guards after Storm and Nehzno. Storm and her young student land in a field where Storm concentrates on striking Cyclops out of the sky in transit to San Fran from New York. She does so with ease.

-Back at the palace, T'challa is in pain for a second and then continues on his way...pleased with the game Storm is playing.

-Storm hopes Cyclops isn't dead and is sure he'll find a way to survive. At most, she bought the X-men more time. As she describes the Shadow King to Nehzno, they are attacked by the BP's female guards.

-Nehzno continues to not fight as Storm handles the guards herself without her powers. She continues trying to explain the situation, but gives up. The guards are too in love with T'challa to listen.

-Nehzno finally powers up and joins in the fight after he sees how badly Storm is being worn down. They win the fight and Nezhno feels horrible. He considers his act a direct violation of the king. Storm tries to reason with him, but T'challa appears and claws Gentle's back.

-The book ends with Storm and T'challa preparing for a showdown.[/spoiler]

This book was awesome and if you're a storm fan, you'll appreciate some form of the true Storm reappearing in the recent comics as she's been a horrible copy of herself in Astonishing and Uncanny. She's back in top form and using her powers in smart ways while also showing off her physical training. It's pretty cool to see Storm with a personality again (IE: she rarely uses contractions, she's not just a yes man and easily bossed around, she's not just foil for Emma) and out fighting two fights on two different continents pretty much alone. That Cyclops scene was awesome and it touched on some pretty subtle stuff that the other books gloss over...a lot. I rank this issue 3.5 out of 5. The art, though it's fine as it is, could be a smidge better and to really get the most out of the book, you have to be a Storm, BP, and/or Gentle fan. Luckily, I'm all three...so it works for me. Now...can I quit? ^^

[Previsionary]

Gonna catch up on a few books I have laying around, but never got a chance to read until now.

Beast Origins:

If you remember my Jean Origins review, I said this book was coming out and it basically tells Beast's latest origin for those people that missed all those lovely details. I really don't have an opening for this, so I'm just going to jump right into it with a minute sumview.

[spoiler]The book starts with a young Hank reminiscing about some of the heroic events that have taken place in the past few days. Spider-man fighting Sandman, Thor descending from the clouds, and some random images of the Torch and the fantastic four. His daydream is abruptly interrupted when his teacher announces his grade. After class, one of Hank's friends (Jenny Nyles) asks him why he got a "B" on a test. Beast explains that his dad was caught in a bad experiment and hoped that his son would be normal when he heard that his wife was pregnant. Hank does everything he can to stay within the "high end" area of normalcy.

As Hank and the girl continue to walk, a coach asks Beast to kick a football over the nearest post. Beast kicks the ball over the post at the far end of the field and is put on the football team. Hank becomes a big local star and basically breaks every record there is. His family and most of the locals are very pleased. As Hank sleeps, a bunch of members of the Ponce de Leon's crew enter into his room and try to recruit him. To get Henry to go along with their goals, they inform him that his parents have been kidnapped.

Henry is taken to the nuclear plant where his father works and breaks in. Hank gets pretty far before he has to resort to breaking things and making a run for it. He's raced back to the leader of the Ponce de Leon's crew and hands over the prototype he stole. Things don't go as planned and Beast ends up fighting the whole crew using his enhanced ability and intellect. Hank takes them all out, disables their leader, and unties his family. To his surprise, they're shocked and a bit frightened. Hank tells them that he might be a mutant and his father says they have to keep that a secret. Hank doesn't understand and suddenly his parents forget who he is and leave the building. Enter Xavier and the other X-men (minus Jean). Beast is invited onto the team and Xavier reveals that he erased Henry from the minds of everyone he's ever met. The book ends with Beast reflecting on the words he shared with his female friend and we get brief glimpses into his future as a X-man and an Avenger. End.[/spoiler]

Hrm, you really need to be a Hank fan to enjoy this book. It's not bad, but it doesn't add much to the story. There's a bunch of minor changes to the origin that you won't notice unless you've seen the backup strips from those old marvel comics. The most obvious pertaining to Hank/Conquistador/X-men. Some of it probably isn't a bad idea to be forgotten (IE: Hank was reported about on tv and in newspapers and Xavier mindwiped everyone...the same plothole BND has). I will say that Mike Carey did a pretty good job with Beast's voice and it's a shame he hasn't gotten chance to write more of him. This sits at a 2.5 for me. It's a book really for the fans that need or want to know Beast's condensed background. Also, I'm not a fan of the art (photorealistic + painted feel), but it's nowhere near as stiff as it was in Cable #1-5.

Civil War: HoM-

Christos Gage is at it again! Another HoM book. Why these books are still coming out is way beyond me. There's no real reason for them except it presents the opportunity to do otherworld stories and to make ample use of Scarlet Witch, Magneto, Quicksilver, and Lorna...all of whom are missing from current books. I'm enjoying Gage's current Spider-man/X-men run (comes out Wednesday) and I also loved his HoM: Avengers story, so maybe I'll like this series too? Perhaps. In fact, I think I gave his book the highest rating out of every book I've sumviewed. Well, that says a lot. Not many X-men were even in that book. HA! This sumview will cover three issues and I won't be going too indepth.

Issue #1:

[spoiler]The opening revolves around Magneto and how he came to be. We begin in 1945 at a concentration camp as a young Magnus and his mother escape into the coldness as Nazis arrive. Days later, in Russia, his mother passes away, but Magnus is handed to a Russian man. Years later, Magnus meets Magda, and even later down the line, marries her. Sometime later, Magnus gets into it with his landlord and shows signs of being a mutant. Because of this display, he arrives home to see that his house is on fire and his daughter is trapped inside. As he watches, he's beaten by the locals. This is where Magnus displays his true power and levitates in an attempt to save his daughter from the flames. She's dead and Magda is horrified by Magnus's powers as he also killed all the locals. Magda is informed that Anya and their other children are also probably mutants. This frightens her more and she runs off never to be seen again.

Later, Magnus basically throws together a mutant team that does random strikes on facilities. As Magda has run away, Magnus finds a new lover and she turns up pregnant as well. This worries Magnus and he has her leave the country to protect her. Meanwhile in New York, Bolivar makes the first Sentinal as a way to handle the mutant population. Magneto and one of his mutant pals take one on and Maggie's friend is killed. Magneto finishes off the robot and is confronted by Apocalypse. A partnership is formed. Months down the line, Magneto is one of the strongest mutants around, but he refuses to kill helpless civilians. This upsets some of the members (Shocker) and Magneto challenges Apocalypse to a showdown for leadership of the mutants. Magneto easily wins and leaves Apocalypse a melted figure in the snow. Magneto then continues to show his dominance by destroying SEVERAL Sentinels without breaking a sweat. A reporter climbs out of a downed helicopter and Magneto uses him to pass on a message. War has been declared if the humans continues to push for it. Mutantkind will no longer run from or be oppressed by the humans [/spoiler]

Issue #2:

[spoiler]The book opens in California at a concentration camp. A bunch of mutants are being policed by humes and sentinals and Fred Dukes/Blob finds himself in pain. That pain is removed when his inhibitor is stripped from his neck by a blinding streak. The sentinals are then destroyed by the dual magnetic force of Magneto and his daughter Lorna. This incites a mutant revolution and Magneto welcomes it. After all the sentinals and guards are destroyed or captured, Magneto speaks to his people. In the audience emerges a walking Xavier wearing an X-man training uniform.

On Asteroid M, Magneto, his brood, and Xavier catch a report of the vice president informing the press that they'll have to capture Magneto. Meanwhile, Quicksilver finds out the gun the guards used weren't made of metal and Xavier theorizes that the sentinals will probably be made of the same material soon. As the children leave the room, Xavier tells Magneto that he believes in the cause, but the methods used alarm him. Xavier goes on to reveal that Magneto is the father of QS, SW, and Polaris, though the kids don't know this themselves. Wanda returns to the room with a young mutant she helped to escape her capturer. Xavier reads her mind and feels all her pain. With this knowledge, he fully agrees with Magneto.

Magneto and his band of mutants attack Genosha in an attempt to liberate it. The Soviet Super Soldiers headed by Black Widow answer the call to help protect the country. Meanwhile, Xavier, Pietro, and Lorna enter into the prisons and release several of the mutants. Xavier helps to free their mind and unlock their powers. The trio is caught off guard as the Crimson Dynamo appears behind them and brings down the building. Quicksilver and Lorna escape, but Xavier is trapped inside. This enrages Magneto and he threatens to bring down a whole island on top of Genosha if the humans don't surrender.
[/spoiler]

Issue #3:

[spoiler]Resuming from the cliffhanger, Magneto gets his answer and allows the country to remain as long as his demands are met. In the rubbish of the prison, Xavier is found and he's barely breathing. In a twist no one would have expected (-_-), his legs were crushed.

Magnus addresses his people again. He informs them that every mutant is a citizen of genosha and if anything is done against them, the perpetrator will be made to pay. Quicksilver wants to go out and save the rest of the mutants, but Lorna warns against it. Their bickering upsets Wanda and they instantly stop. Meanwhile, Magneto explains they are now a World Power and can't behave rashly. He's doing this for Charles, who's now crippled. On TV, Xavier and Magneto witness Graydon Creed give a speech to the humans that America is Magneto's next target and they will be ready to fight for their country. Xavier warns Magnus to act as a head of state and he does so by adding the Inhumans and the Atlantaens as allies. This barely pleases Magnus and he sends Sabretooth on a secret mission to kill Graydon Creed.

Weeks later, Xavier finds out about Magneto's plan and he's rightfully upset. Magneto's action has given the world cause to attack Genosha. Magneto welcomes the fight. Enter Bucky and his small team into the story as they sneak into Genosha in an attempt to take down Magnus. Magneto learns of this attack and cuts his convo with Xavier short. As he leaves, Bucky sneaks into his palace, deals with Sabretooth, and confronts Xavier one on one. Bucky tells Xavier to call Magneto back to the palace, but Charles refuses. He tells Bucky that when he was a child, he wanted to become him before he's stabbed.[/spoiler]

That's the totality of the series so far and to be honest, it's an ok read, but it's weaker than HoM: Avengers to me. Magneto is a very interesting character in this series and he isn't just a mad man heading towards war, but he's not patient enough to follow through with Xavier's plans either. The art is ok and it seems to range from mediocre to great. I think I enjoyed issue one the most and as the series continued on, it became more action heavy, but everything seemed to pass by so quickly. Some of this was needed to set up the story, but several moments didn't stick in my head or resonate very long like it did with HoM: Avengers. What surprises me most, so far, is that the kids of Magneto aren't big characters. I expected it to focus on Magneto, Quicksilver, and Wanda. To my (pleasant) amazement, it instead works on Magneto, his goals, his relationship with Xavier, and what the humans in America think of his attempts at civil rights for mutants. Magneto comparing Creed to Hitler and Xavier applying it to Magnus from a normie's perspective was pretty interesting and it's just one of the minor things that sticks out to me. I'm still questioning the timing of this series since Civil War and House of M were so long ago, but it works. The latest offerings of the HoM series completely outrank the actual event and most of the tie in series, me thinks, and because of this I'll rank the series a frank 3.2 as of now. It's a bit above average with some interesting ideas on old characters, relationships, and storylines, but the art and the pacing make me drop it a few points. It's a book to grab if you were truly enjoying enough of House of M to get more of the background. And, as I said with HoM: Avengers, you don't need to know anything about the event to actually read this series. That's a plus in my book.

[BentonGrey]

Well Prev, I promised you a reply if you posted you review, so here you are.  I don't have too much to say, except that I've always liked Quicksilver, and his absence (and the manner of his disappearance), not to mention what I here about the state of his character, are another reason for me to keep my distance from modern X-books.  Ha, that and that a revision of some of Xavier's early escapades, mind-wiping and controlling LARGE numbers of innocent people, might not be a bad idea.  'Ol Stand didn't think too much about the moral implications of having an INCREDIBLY powerful mutant psychic poke around in whoever's brain he felt like, 'cause he was a good guy, after all....

[Tekkarath]

I loved X-Men and Spider-man 2.

It's building up really well I think.

The following is all opinion and should not be taken as any kind of review also spoilers, warned, etc...  I'm also biased as I LOVE some Spidey & X-Men action [Thats Spidey first, not X-Men.], I'm going to enjoy this book no matter how bad it is.


[spoiler]The first gave off that classic old vibe, that 'hey lets go hang at the skippidy-bee-bop-boo club with our best gals' kinda vibe while still pulling off the well done art during fight scenes  I was happy to see Spidey and the Muties get along. 

So I was interested in seeing how the book changed after a time jump (And of course how close they were following continuity.).  I was surprised as the feel of the comic seems to change quite a bit, spidey has his brooding 'I've just seen some $*#! man.' and the X-Men are in their own particular brand of 'We've got stuff going on at the moment.'

Once it's out of the bag that Mr. S is behind their current troubles the Muties let Spidey come along for the ride to track his plot down.  What ensues is some excellent X-Men and Spidey team up action.  Very fun read overall.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler]Also, Ben Reilly in the next issue!  I've been waiting years for more Ben Reilly![/spoiler]

[Previsionary]

yes, it would take on quite a change considering the events they follow. :P

Captain Britain and the MI13 #8:

Last issue, Captain Britain was reunited with his lost love, Meggan, and his crazy brother, who has somehow survived the events of Uncanny X-men, attacked them. Elsewhere, the MI13 make their way to Plotka as Dane loses his mind and finds out he doesn't have the true ebony blade (again) and Spitfire passes out or something as Blade reveals he revived all the vampires. Will this issue keep up the action while answering some questions? Find out...NOW!

[spoiler]The book immediately opens up to an action shot as Dane reels from the news that his ebony blade isn't the real one. He passes out and Captain Midland carries him across his shoulders as Pete holds off their advancing foes. Over with Spitfire, she's landed very hard on the floor and her left leg appears to be twisted...inward. As she writhes in pain, Plotka arrives and plays with her mind in an attempt to catch her in his dream corridor. Spitfire isn't deterred by such offers and before she can say a pretty intense "F" related swear, Blade arrives and cuts through him in one foul swipe. Plotka is shocked that Blade actually hurt him and retreats. It's revealed that Blade's current sword is a paper mache piece made of magical book pages which is why he was able to hurt Plotka. Spitfire stands up, ignoring all her pain on the suggestion of Blade, and Blade reveals that there are two magical sources in the house and all the minions have disappeared.

Outside, Pete's men cease-fire as nothing they do hurt the mindless ones. Instead the plan to capture them in a magical device. Inside the house, Dane awakens and confirms that he knew about the ebony blade being fake at one time (Excalibur...nto written by Claremont), and Pete assures that he did which is why it was weird that he started to go crazy. Pete continues on to say that he was going to deal with that but at a later time. In the meantime, Dane's current blade was good enough to fool the magical powers of Camelot and it seems to be doing something to Dane as well. Back outside, the Pete's men activate the magical device and it affects Brian. Brian is surprised he isn't dead and Jamie explains that when Merlin remade him, Brian unconscious mind was made very strong. Jamie has been trying to break Plotka's hold over Brian. Brian learns the truth and allows Meggan to fade away as she pleads with him not to do so.

Meanwhile, back outside, the men have captured on Mindless one. And to go through a few pages as quickly as possible: Brian is stuck in the dream corridor but no longer in an illusion. He can't decide how to get out because his new desire is to leave...which would put him in another illusion. Meanwhile, Pete and his team make it to Plotka's HQ, but Faiza can no longer sense him. Blade and Spitfire arrive and Blade reveals that he's with the team now because Plotka is a duke of hell which means big trouble. He goes on to explain more about the Dukes and their purpose. It seems the dark powers want to claim Earth to themselves now that Pete released a brew of magical creatures in Britain.

Finishing the book off, Captain Midland bursts through a door that Plotka is suspected of being behind and the others follow him. What they find is Captain Midland's wife, who Spitfire has met, and we get a major twist. Captain Midlands accepted the deal with Plotka a long time ago and he was setting the team up. The whole team is trapped in the Dream Corridor now and are just power sources for Plotka. END.[/spoiler]

What a book and it left off on three cliffhangers. I can't wait for the conclusion and Plotka is actually a pretty good new villain that easily ties into the past, me thinks. I'm sad about a certain part that happened in Cap's story and it's nice to see the ebony blade and Black panther addressed in story as many people thought it was a writer's error. Um, what else, the twist. The twist actually got me. I won't talk about it now, but I didn't see it coming until I got to that page. I give this issue...a 4 out of 5. And Murs said I don't give 4s...he's crazy.

Astonishing X-men: Ghost Boxes #2:

This is another what if book that allows Ellis to give another two situations that could have arrived from his half finished Astonishing plot had the fire man lived and accomplished his goal. Basically, either the X-men are killed, mortally wounded and changed for the rest of their lives, or returned to the status quo of being hated by everyone. I can understand how this might be interesting to some people, but it doesn't work for me because I'm not big on the already established plot and it's not because it's "scifi". It's because it's slow, lacks a bit of characterization for the WHOLE team, and I dislike the art very, very much. All it serves to highlight to me is that A) the artist needs a bit more time and B) the actual core story is moving way too slowly. Anyway, this is usually at the end of my Summary/reviews, but...sure. I scanned this in store, so this will be strictly by memory.

[spoiler]The first story opens to Cyclops weeks after the event. He goes on about how his power has increased and now he's at a point where he can decapitate himself if he so chooses. He then thinks back to Subject X and his mission. It turns out Subject X was looking for a parallel Earth to colonize and annex. After Cyclops destroyed whatever was crawling out of the first ghost box, the people from Subject X's universe begin to open boxes all around 616's universe and the time stream began to become "liquid". As a result, Westchester is full of "ghosts" of the fallen X-men which includes: Logan, Emma, and Storm. The story ended with Cyclops chastising himself for not being a good leader and returns to his room to kill himself.

The second story focused on Beast (with part of his facial skin missing thanks to Wolverine's claws), Logan (crippled), and an older Armor. It seems that California was overrun and ruined and as a result of whatever took place (barely remember), Wolverine had his legs bent at an angle and Beast had his mind altered to that of a child with brief glimpses into his old psyche. During the story, Logan thinks Kitty is back and saving people, so Armor, Beast, and Logan pack up and try to go meet her, even though Armor doesn't believe it's true. They finally reach the place where Kitty is supposed to be and nothing is there. It was a trap, but they arrived too late to be affected by it. The book ends with Armor snapping Beast's neck and setting Wolverine on fire which kills him 8 hours later. Only Armor is left and she'll die soon enough. [/spoiler]

That's both stories. I think they were, overall, better than the first issue but still didn't really serve a purpose. I know a "little" more about the ghost boxes, but that's it. I don't even have a real opinion on this story. I'll just say it's a 3 as I enjoyed the stories for what they were. Much better than I enjoyed the actual canonical story at its stopping point.


More to come later.

Taken from CBR:

They've seen their fellow mutants hunted, murdered, enslaved and worse, but in 2009, the X-men finally go to war over it.

"Messiah War" follows up on 2008's mega X-book crossover "Messiah Complex," which centered on the first mutant birth since M-Day and the battle that ensued over the baby. The first shots ring out in March with the "Messiah War" one-shot, which picks up on the ending of "Messiah Complex"---where Cyclops sends the mutant baby off to the future with Cable in hopes of protecting the safety of mutantkind---and continues in a six-part crossover between Cable and X-Force. After hearing nothing from his son for weeks, Cyclops sends his black ops X-Force team to the future in hopes of assisting Cable and the baby. Unbeknownst to them, while only weeks passed in the present, it's been eight years gone for Cable. With an X-war looming, Wizard spotlights some of the combatants to track in the coming year.

It goes on to talk about Cable (he will be heading back to "warrior status" and his "greatest challenge next year will be himself---literally"), the baby (expect to find out more about her and her true purpose next year), Cyclops (his secretive actions put his relationship with Emma on thin ice), Wolverine (is the time coming when this soldier finally gets an order from Cyclops that he refuses to follow?), and Deadpool (that's right, Deadpool is in this crossover; apparently Cable and X-Force let him out of a freezer in the future where he locked himself 400 years ago).

and since this comes from Wizard Magazine...don't take it too seriously. -_-

[Podmark]

Ahhh I wanted to post the crossover story. Serves me right for going out. Anyway I'm kinda excited. An X-Force/Cable crossover featuring Deadpool could be a lot of fun.

I didn't read any X-Books this week. I read Spider-Girl, it was pretty good.

[Previsionary]

Ahhh I wanted to post the crossover story...An X-Force/Cable crossover featuring Deadpool could be a lot of fun.

I didn't read any X-Books this week. I read Spider-Girl, it was pretty good.

I'm sorry. Next time, you shall post all crossover news! Tis your destiny! If the story is true (Wizard...), it could be good. Deadpool, Cable, Wolverine, Domino, and Warpath (if he's involved) = quite a reunion. I've yet to read Spidey girl...I should read it today!
---------

X-men and Spider-man #2:

Last issue, the O5 X-men went out looking for Spider-man in an effort to offer him a friendly hand once it was suspected that he was a mutant. They also got into a fight with Kraven the hunter and said fight turned out to be a ploy to collect DNA for Mr. Sinister. This issue takes place in the 80s right after "Kraven's Last Hunt" and the "Mutant Massacre". So, as noted above, it should have a different tone and feeling than the feel-good 60s. ANGST, y'all, ANGST!

[spoiler]The issue picks up with Spider-man investigating Kraven's safe haven in an attempt to destroy any personal info of Kraven may have stashed around about Peter. Spidey finds nothing on himself, but he does find some information on the original X-men and he goes off to see them. Unfortunately, the O5 X-men are no longer around and the current team aren't all that interested in what Spider-man has to say. Well, they weren't until Mr. Sinister is mentioned.

Spidey and the X-men head to the sewers, which is where Kraven and Sinister last met. Wolverine picks up a faint smell of Sabretooth and the team heads deeper into the sewers which turns out to be the Morlocks' tunnels. The team then comes face to face with the Marauders and a fight breaks out. This goes on for a few pages, but the Marauders eventually give up and let the X-men have what they came for. The X-men + Spidey find out that Sinister had a lab, and in his lab, were several clones of the original X-men. Seconds later, everything explodes and the team manages to escape. The book ends at Kraven's grave with Sinister ensuring Kraven that his legacy will live on.[/spoiler]

Well, this book was pretty good, but it has one major problem in it. One problem I can't just ignore and it revolves around Sinister, the X-men, and his clones. A big part of Sinister's past involves him trying to collect DNA from the X-men, Scott and Jean in particular. Last issue and this issue create a major error in the continuity and that effects the story for me. I did enjoy the interaction between Spidey and the Australian-esque X-men and the return of Punk Storm, but I feel like the art was a bit wonky in some scenes. Not to mention that this was quite a quick read. Because of the things I detailed above, I give this a 2.5 out of 5.

===========

Deadpool #8 Cover: DP vs. Thunderbolts?

http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=19149

Astonishing X-men #28:

http://www.marvel.com/news/comicstories.6340.FIRST_LOOK~colon~_Astonishing_X-Men_%2328

X-men Legacy/Carey interview:

http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=19145

Could it be? The return of the *true* Juggernaut?! Also of note:

Xavier's journey may be coming to an end, but that doesn't mean "X-Men: Legacy" is. "It stops being Professor X's book after 'Salvage,' but it's not going to go back to being the adjectiveless X-Men title," Carey confirmed. "It's going to be a different book with a different kind of dynamic. And although it's not something that's never been done before in the X-Men universe, I think it's a really sidelong and unexpected take on an established formula. I hope people won't see it coming, and I hope they'll enjoy the ride."

Color me partially intrigued.

[murs47]

Hmmmmm...Deadpool vs. Thunderbolts. I'm gonna have to try that issue out. Although I doubt Way can do anything "lol-ish" with two humorous characters. Here's to hoping.

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/120812-Wolverine-Weapon-X.html
Interesting news bit which Prev will hate. A new Wolverine ongoing! Yay! :thumbup:
In all seriousness, this'll probably be the best of the Wolverine comics. Jason Aaron will be writing it and I thought his "Get Mystique" arc was excellent. Time will tell though.

[Previsionary]

Civil War: HoM #4:

I covered the last three issues last week, so no "last time this happened" opening.

[spoiler]This issue picks up with Mimic attacking Magneto with his and every other mutant power he's obtained since reaching Genosha. So far, Magneto is able to hold off Mimic's attacks, but Mimic gains an upperhand when he threatens to remove Genosha off the face of the Earth.

Meanwhile Nuke is ripping through Magneto's citadel and killing guards and mutants right and left. He then makes his way upstairs and tries to kill the weakest member of Magneto's army. That member happens to be a nude Wanda who is asleep in her bed. He places the gun to her head and...Wanda awakens and goes crazy. She turns his gun into a flurry of butterflies and scolds Nuke, telling him he has no place in this world. Sofia, one of her helpers, rushes into the room and Wanda assures her that she was just having a bad dream as a butterfly flies outside her window (Nuke).

Back with Magnus and Mimic, Mimic threatens to kill innocent people if Magneto doesn't surrender. This greatly upsets Magneto. It's one thing if he's being targeted, but to hurt innocents is not ok. Magneto places an inhibitor on Mimic magnetically and Mimic falls from the sky and lands on the earth below. Magneto floats down, grabs a stick, and calls Mimic a monster before clubbing him. Seconds afterward, Magneto receives a telepathic message from Charles and levitates back to his citadel just in time to have Xavier die in his arms. To his surprise, Magneto is then attacked and harmed by Bucky. A knife goes through his hand and Bucky informs him that his weapons have no metal and fires his gun. Magneto retorts that Bucky did bring something metal and uses his powers to levitate the shield Bucky brought with him in an effort to protect himself from the barrage of bullets. This causes Bucky to become angrier and he demands to have the shield back...so Magneto gives it to him, and it takes off Bucky's head.

Quicksilver and Lorna return to the citadel and give Magneto rough estimates of the mutants injured and killed by Bucky's attacks. Wanda then enters the room with an injured Sabretooth. Magneto tells them what happened and he says one of the better quotes in the whole book which I will show you below.



Back in DC, the President is anxious to hear any news on the attack they staged on Magneto. He's frightened that this attack, if it didn't go off correctly, could make Magneto retaliate in much worse ways. His informant assures him that everything probably went off fine and that Magneto and his situation were used to get rid of the Water-Gate scandal and to pass a new amendment that allowed the president to be re-elected for his third term. A shield then comes crashing through the window and the President is escorted to safety. Outside, his men shoot at Magneto and the sentinels are released. Magneto informs his army of mutants that he can't affect the sentinels, but this fight isn't about him; it's about them and heroes like Charles Xavier.



The book ends on Airforce 2 with the President making a decision to travel to the SHIELD helicarrier instead of his home and choosing to wipe the most dangerous mutants off the face of the Earth...with missiles![/spoiler]

I felt this was a great read. I love the characterization of Magneto, his friendship with Charles, and the effect said friendship had on him. It's also interesting that Wanda was believed to not have been a mutant in this universe and she seems to repress her powers unless she really needs them. This was mostly an action book, but the characterization went a long way with me. Any book that makes Magneto seem more than a "wannabe tyrannical ruler" gets a plus in my book. So much of a plus that I rank this issue a 3.2 out of 5. It loses a few points for not really building on Quicksilver or Lorna much at all. They seem like bit characters and it would have be very interesting to see how Pietro and Magneto interacted BEFORE the end of HoM #8, but I doubt that'll ever be touched on in this universe. Magneto seems to be the sole focus of this series which means this mini is full of flat characters just to advance the story. It's a decision I can accept, but not one I agree with in certain circumstances.
---------

Oh Murs, I'm fine with Jason Aaron and SOME Wolverine books if the writing is good and they serve a purpose. The problem is most Wolverine books are either rehashes, pointless, or incredibly mindless. I mean, does he have to grace our presence 9,000 times a month? No thanks. :P
=======

Speaking of Wolverine, interview with Matt Faction about the female version of Wolverine in terms of appearances...Emma Frost! Also, some Dark Reign info:

http://www.marvel.com/news/comicstories.6379.Dark_Reign-Makers~colon~_Matt_Fraction

[Podmark]

Info on the X-Force/Cable crossover:
http://marvel.com/news/comicstories.6395.Messiah_War_Begins_In_March
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=19158

I really liked what Choi had to say about his art on X-Force, how he was approaching it like Uncanny with extra violence, and now he'll be trying Max toned down to fit a parental advisory rating. My biggest complain about him when he came onboard was that he was too pretty, and wouldn't fit the tone set by Clayton Crain. Turned out I really liked his art, but honestly he doesn't get across the same tone Crain does. I'm hoping that's about to change.


Anyway very excited about this.

[Previsionary]

Um, where are the reviews?

My thoughts on Uncanny 505:

I enjoyed the issue. The covers weren't the best choices and I'm tired of them showing Dazzler but never using her. Quit that. On the actual book, a lot of progression. I loved the scenes with Emma and Storm and it's nice to see Armor and X-23 in the Uncanny books (again in X-23's case). This book also ties into Dark Reign regarding Emma and she knows Cyclops is keeping a secret (X-force) and she confronts him on it. My rating is a 3.

Also, I liked this scene
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]
----------------

My thoughts on Legacy:

Filler book, but I enjoyed it. Juggernaut is back in his true form and this book was mostly from his perspective and his reasoning for returning to the villain side. I have to say that I won't miss heroic Juggernaut too much and I'll be even happier if he forgets about his Dazzler love. 3.2
----------------

My thoughts on Kingbreakers:

Firstly, this took TOO LONG to come out and I'll be glad when it's over because I'm over Vulcan. The book was slow and only served to point out where everyone was and how they were doing. Rachel, Korvus,a nd Lilandra are still in space looking for their friends; Emperor Vulcan is expanding his empire and trying to break Havok; and the captured heroes are still captured and being tortured. Nothing else really happened and, because of the year gap, I guess I can understand a setup issue that's this slow. Still...a 2.
----------------

My thoughts on X-factor:

Ouch on those first few pages. That was not a pleasant surprise. The switch in artists was very apparent and I do not want to see stroman art again. I dunno how I really fill about this issue. It was kind of anti-climatic in a way. Siryn, Rictor, and Val was interesting in a way and the evolution of Jamie continues to be interesting. I'll be fine with this book as long as it avoids a Darwin/Longshot/Monet triangle. tis a 3.
----------------

I'll leave Deadpool to Murs.

[murs47]

I'll leave Deadpool to Murs.

It is another comedy issue but without the comedy. There are zombies with breast implants. Still no sign of Bob.

Standard Prev-O-Meter: 1 out of 5. The one is for the art.

There you go Prev. ;)

[AfghanAnt]

Can someone explain the newest New Exiles to me? I have no clue why I picked this comic but but I read it twice and are there three 'Cats now? Also what happened to Psylocke and what is the deal with the Sage backup story?

[Previsionary]

there's ONE cat, but she changes appearances to one of her counterparts. She apparently also has the power to merge with people and she has no problem with killing. Claremont just started exploring her and he won't get a chance to finish, it seems.

Psylocke was missing in issue 16, I gather from the reviews I read. I'm pretty sure she was in last issue. Anyway, she's done not a lot other than show off her psychic powers she utterly refuses to use to their full advantage. The only thing that's happened to her in 16 issues is her going through training with Ogun and gaining her crimson dawn scar for a few issues that she has the power to hide.

Sage...where to start. Her story goes allllll the way back to the final arc of New Excalibur, continues into Die by the sword, kept going in Exiles, and is just now being finished up in the final few issues. She created an alternate identity to trick Albion (alternate Captain Britain) back in New Excalibur and that alternate psyche took over. This is compounded by the presence of Roma's memories and knowledge which she acquired in "Die by the sword". So, because of all this knowledge and personality issues, she's basically insane and trying to maintain her sense of self. No explanation on Merlyn as he's not actually evil right now...I assume it's just one of his many incarnations or something.

[Podmark]

I didn't get my comics til today. X-Factor was ok, cept for Stroman. Didn't get Uncanny but the Emma finding out was very interesting.

Now I'm going to go sulk about the Initiative ending  :angry:

[murs47]

Now I'm going to go sulk about the Initiative ending  :angry:

The first thing that popped into my head after reading it was "Pod's gonna hate this."

[Podmark]

Now I'm going to go sulk about the Initiative ending  :angry:

The first thing that popped into my head after reading it was "Pod's gonna hate this."

I loved the issue up til those last few pages. Stupid 3D-Man.

[murs47]

Now I'm going to go sulk about the Initiative ending  :angry:

The first thing that popped into my head after reading it was "Pod's gonna hate this."

I loved the issue up til those last few pages. Stupid 3D-Man.

So I take it you aren't skinning him anymore?

[Podmark]

Oh I'll still get to him. One bad moment doesn't make him uncool, just slightly less cool.

[thanoson]

[spoiler]3D Man is still a skrull, right?[/spoiler]

[Podmark]

[spoiler]3D Man is still a skrull, right?[/spoiler]

[spoiler]He never was a skrull. He's Triathlon. He sees Skrulls and kills them.[/spoiler]