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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 10, 2017 3:45:04 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #219"Where Duty Lies" Cover Date: July, 1987 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Bret Blevins Team: Storm, Wolverine, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue (Magneto) Villain/s: Emma Frost/The Hellfire Club, The Marauders: Scalphunter, Archlight, Sabretooth, and Malice Guest Stars: Polaris, Callisto Official Plot: Continued from last issue... It's the same dream as before: Alex Summers resumes his guise of Havok and returns to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, even though he doesn't want to he has important information to share with the X-Men. He finds the facility deserted, with no sign of life and no sign of struggle except for the fact that Cerebro has been seriously damaged. However when he goes to leave he is confronted by the X-Men who are now led by their age old nemesis Magneto. Suddenly he is attacked by Rogue who absorbs his power and he passes out as he is being surrounded by the various X-Men making him believe that they have been made evil by their old foe. Waking up from his dream, Alex loses control of his powers and runs out of the home he shares with Lorna Dane. Once safely outside he lets loose a powerful plasma blast into the sky so powerful that it fuses the dirt under him to glass. Worried about her lover, Lorna brings him back inside and begins making him some tea. She asks him what's wrong and he says that even though when he went to Xavier's Mansion days earlier and everything seemed all right, he still can't shake the feeling that something is terribly wrong. He decides to go back to Xavier's school and find out the truth, and when Lorna tries to convince him to let her come along, he tells her to stay behind. He however cannot talk him out of letting her take him to the airport and uses her magnetic powers to carry their jeep there. As they leave they are unaware that their home is being staked out by the Marauders Sabertooth, Scalphunter and Arclight. Some hours later, Alex arrives at Xavier's school and finds the place deserted, checking Magneto's scheduler he finds that he has an appointment with the Hellfire Club. Not understanding what Magneto would be doing meeting with some of the X-Men's deadliest enemies, Alex decides to go and investigate. While back in New Mexico, Lorna tries to focus on her studies but cannot take her mind off Alex, when suddenly she is attacked by the three Marauders. With Scalphunter and Arclight trashing the house, Sabretooth rushes in to go and collect and kill her. In New York, Alex is allowed entrance into the Hellfire Club where he is surprised to see Magneto in a meeting with the White Queen. When Alex demands answers, he is shocked to learn that the X-Men have forged an alliance with the Hellfire Club in light of a war being waged between mutants. Alex finds it hard to believe and demands answers, however Magneto tells him to leave. When Alex is gone, Magneto once more curses his checkered past in preventing him from moving forward in his life. Alex meanwhile decides to try to find help elsewhere. He first tries to seek the help of the Avengers but finds their mansion in ruins. Running to a pay phone he calls Muir Island. There Callisto answers the phone and tells him the X-Men are in the states and to contact them through Magneto. When Alex asks where his brother Scott is, she tells him to check the phone book and hangs up on him. With nowhere else to turn, Alex feels very much alone and wishes that Lorna had come with him after all. Lorna has troubles of her own, having fled the ruins of her home she realizes that without shelter or proper clothing there is no way she can survive in the winter weather. Worse, Sabretooth manages to track her with his enhanced senses. However, Lorna is far from helpless, as she soon demonstrates to Sabretooth: Using her magnetic powers to manipulate the iron ore in the area to bind Sabretooth, she tells him that her and Alex picked this location due to it's high iron content so that she could better utilize her powers. Sabretooth manages to break free and as Lorna tries to fly away he manages to clip her with his claws, leaving her open to be blasted by Scalphunter sending her crashing to the ground. Back in New York, Alex has changed into his Havok costume and has been staking out the Hellfire Club waiting for Magneto to leave. When the Master of Magnetism does, Havok follows him down into the subway tunnels and through an emergency exit that leads him into the Morlock Tunnels. Seeing that the place was recently razzed with powerful energies leaving Havok to wonder what happened to the many Morlocks that used to live down in these sewers. He instead finds the X-Men, who are hiding down in the sewers. He overhears as Storm tells her teammates that in order to deal with the threat of the Marauders they cannot worry over those that they have associated with over the years and strike back at the Marauders at full force. In order to facilitate this, Storm suggests that the X-Men fake their down deaths so that the Marauders will leave the X-Men's allies alone. Over hearing this Alex finds it hard to believe and he is distracted when Rogue sneaks up behind him that he lashes out without thinking. Realizing what he's done and in an utter panic, Havok flees the scene while the other X-Men chase after him. In New Mexico, Scalphunter and Arclight try to find Lorna in the dust raised by their battle and are shocked when Sabretooth is tossed back at them. Lorna's magnetic powers then fell Arclight, trapping her in the ground and Scalphunter is beat into submission with the pieces of his own weapons. While in New York, the X-Men easily subdue Havok before he can harm anyone. Alex learns to his shock that when he first came to the X-Mansion, Psylocke had altered his memories, however due to the extensive psi-shielding taught to him by Professor Xavier he was not fully effected by them. With no means of doing so again without permanently harming Alex, the X-Men have to decide what to do with him. Unable to kill one of their own, Havok instead offers to join up with the X-Men instead, and when Magneto reminds him of the war going on between mutants, he still joins up, taking Magneto's hand in doing so. While back in New Mexico, the three Marauders are surprised to find that Malice has possessed Lorna Dane, as per the orders of their leader Mr. Sinister. Malice explains that she had possessed Lorna just after Havok left for New York and wanted to test and see if she had what it took to go up against the Marauders. With the test a complete success, Malice uses Lorna's powers to create a new costume and forces her to join the Marauders as Polaris Brodie's View:On one level, this story is "How Havok rejoins the X-Men," but in many ways, this story is a tragedy, and has some tragic consequences, due to Havok's actions. Previous to the direct events of this story (but taking place after the events of last issue), Havok had come to the X-Mansion to warn the X-Men of the Acanti corpse he and Lorna (Polaris) found at the end of last issue, only to have his memories of going there erased by Psylocke. You see, the X-Men, on the defensive from the MUTANT MASSACRE and events after that period, had decided that they needed to go into hiding, and were trying to separate themselves from their friends and allies, in order to save them from any possible retaliation by their enemies, particularly The Marauders, who were still very much on the loose after the events of the MM. However, due to Xaiver's training for psychic attack, the memories of Havok going to find the X-Men weren't completely erased, causing Alex to go back to find out what had happened. The tragic mistake was leaving Lorna behind, as she was the next target for the Marauders, we (and they) think to kill, but the reality of what happens is more....Sinister, as the goal of going after Lorna was to weaken her mentally, allowing the body jumper, Malice, to possess her, making her the new leader of the group, as she answers only to Sinister himself (who we'll meet in a few issues finally). This is after an all out assault on Alex and Lorna's house in New Mexico, which Polaris only survives by fighting for her life, a last heroic stand for someone who will be manipulated into doing some not very heroic things for the next period (Until Post INFERNO) of the story. But that's all Lorna's story, on Alex's end, he goes back to X-Mansion to find it empty, but he ends up spotting Magneto's schedule book, which has him meeting some of the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club on that day, which Magneto has joined recently. Havok ends up going to the Hellfire Club and confronting Magneto and the White Queen, who try to explain to Alex the new reality of things, but Havok won't listen due to both party's villainous pasts (and maybe rightfully so, at least where Emma Frost is concerned). However, he waits for Magneto to leave, and follows him into the Morlock Tunnels, where he sees evidence that something bad had happened, and he happens across the X-Men, who are discussing the idea of faking their deaths, which would allow them to strike back at enemies like The Marauders without endangering friends, allies, and families. Havok is discovered, and tries to fight back, but he is soon stopped by the X-Men and Magneto, who explain to him how things have changed Post MM, and describing the Massacre itself. Finally, they convince him to join them, and he does, not realizing what has happened to his girlfriend back in New Mexico (Isn't that just like the Summers boys? To abandon their women to go play hero? ). He will soon enough. However, not for the next few reviews. Tomorrow's will deal with the next Annual, and one of my favorite stories of this whole period. After that is a 4 Part Crossover with a very Fantastic team, which will reveal the fate of one of the X-Men that fell during the Mutant Massacre, and that is a pretty kick ass story as well. When we finally return to our actual issues, we'll be officially moving into our new Status Quo, and towards our next Crossover Event: THE FALL OF THE MUTANTS. GRADE: A-
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 11, 2017 0:35:16 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men Annual #11 "Lost in the Funhouse" Cover Date: November, 1987 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Alan Davis Team: Storm, Wolverine, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue (Magneto) Villain/s: Horde Guest Stars: Captain Britain, Meggan Official Plot: Wolverine is stumbling back to the X-Mansion blind stinking drunk, singing at the top of his lungs. His voice rouses all of the members of the X-Men and their guests, Brian Braddock (Betsy's brother, Captain Britain) and his girlfriend Meggan. When Alex Summers points out that Logan is drunk, Logan denies this, telling him them that his healing factor makes it impossible to be so and stumbles into the mansion. When the others ask Storm if they should do anything, Storm tells them that it is a private matter that Logan must deal with alone. Going back inside, Betsy begins making tea for her guests. While Meggan occupies herself with American television Brian asks his twin sister if she has found the sanctuary she sought at Xavier's school. Betsy tells him that all she has found is that this place is as unsafe as anywhere else and that most of the X-Men are warriors by design, choice, or have been forced into the position due to circumstance. Betsy confides in her brother, telling him that she is not sure what her role among this eclectic group should be. While upstairs, Logan comes out of the shower mostly sober and begins to meditate before a picture of him and Mariko Yashida. His previous display outside was an expression of his sorrow due to the fact that it has been one year since he and Mariko were supposed to have been married before she called the wedding off to straighten out her clans criminal affairs. Talking to himself, he wishes he could give into the animal and give up on the rules, but Logan -- the man in him, tells him that he must wait. Storm meanwhile has returned to her room to prepare to relax when she is attacked by a strange being. This attack is detected by Psylocke who calls the other X-Men to help. Rogue, Brian and Meggan arrive first and are easily defeated. When Logan runs up to greet their foe he blind sides Dazzler and is knocked back and Longshot and Psylocke are also easily felled. With the X-Men all in stasis their foe reveals himself, a supremely powerful being called Horde. Teleporting them all away from the X-Mansion and putting them in their uniforms, Horde explains that he is an alien being that is also a mutant of his race and that he seeks to rule all. With his supreme power he shows that the X-Men and their allies abilities have no effect on him and that they must concede to do his bidding or he will destroy their world. When the full measure of their powers prove unable to even scratch their foe, the X-Men surrender and agree to help Horde. Horde tells the X-Men that he has studied them for some time and he finds that their skills should prove sufficient to breach the Citadel of Light and Shadow and steal for him the Crystal of Ultimate Vision. Showing them where the Citadel is, the X-Men agree to go, as they walk off Wolverine and Storm agree to follow Horde's orders for now hoping that they can find some means of defeating him within the Citadel. Before they go inside, Longshot becomes too frightened to enter, however when Dazzler insists that he should come (secretly wanting him to come) he decides to go along with them. When he crosses into the citadel the door slams shut and none of their powers are strong enough to smash through it. With no other options, Storm sends Wolverine ahead to track their way to the Crystal and has Betsy psi-link everyone. As they begin their trek Rogue is distracted by a strange glow and finds that one of the walls is really a window into her ideal world: the old South as it was years ago. She is surprised when her ideal of the plantation princess is herself, her double comes to the window and tells Rogue that this can be her reality if she wishes it to be. When Rogue admits she wants it, she is sucked into this perfect world of her desire her body becomes inert and crumbles before the X-Men when they realize what has happened. With the threat the Citadel poses apparent, Storm advises the other X-Men to stick close together. As they continue on, Longshot notices that his hand is starting to fade away, however he fights it off and follows after his comrades, not wishing to abandon them. When Captain Britain begins cautioning Dazzler and Havok about their powers ricocheting off the crystalline walls of the citadel, Alex loses his temper. This causes him to wish that he no longer had to keep his powers in check, causing him to enter a fantasy world where he no longer has to do so, and becomes a star, destroying everyone around him. Coming to terms with losing Havok, the group presses on, continuing to follow Logan's trail when suddenly Dazzler notices that Longshot is fading away. Despite her pleas to her friends to make it stop, nobody can prevent Longshot from fading away. Alison is distraught that Longshot has also perished as it was her who wanted him to come along and she runs off on her own. When Captain Britain tries to go after her, Storm orders him to stay with the group and tells Betsy to psi-link, hoping that Dazzler will catch up to them when she comes to her senses. Psylocke manages to calm Dazzler down and convince her to come back, however her doubts send her into her own fantasy world. At first she is given a glimpse of the fate her father had for her: becoming an attorney like him, and saw that she would have brought the Kingpin to justice and eventually become the Chief of Justice to the United States, the first woman to hold the position. However, she wonders about her own dream of being a musician, and is shown a glimpse of the fame that she so desperately sought out. She is shown a last vision, where she is a homeless loser, when she wonders which one of these cross roads she truly wants her own personal doubt lands her into a fantasy world of a homeless destitute. When Betsy reports to the others that she lost Dazzler she becomes angry and strikes one of the citadel walls, causing it to shatter. While the others examine the damage Betsy notices that some of her skin has ripped and beneath is solid metal. She decides to hide this from the others when they decide to press onward. Becoming tired of t his constant travel, Captain Britain uses his strength to smash through the various floors of the Citadel while Meggan carries Storm and Betsy down. When they reach the bottom floor, they are about to move on when Brain notices something in a mount of rubble and smashes it. On the other side is a doorway to his and Meggan's ideal world: where they are married and have a child and live happily with Brian's sister Betsy. When they decide to go to that world they beckon Betsy to join them. Betsy refuses, ripping off her skin revealing a metal form underneath telling them her true desire is to protect her friends. Not accepting Betsy's new form the frightened Brian and Meggan flee into their ideal fantasy world. When Storm offers her condolences Betsy tells Storm that she has realized the steel she longed to have inside her as one of the X-Men was in her all along. She decides that Horde deserves to die for what he has done to the X-Men and her brother and leaves Storm to go after the crystal alone. Not far ahead, Logan is nearing the Crystal when he is sucked into a fantasy world where he finally has his hearts desire: marriage to Mariko. However, his dual nature causes this fantasy to change to a loud punk rock show and Mariko into Yukio. This shocks Logan enough to realize that it's an illusion and smashes free. He arrives to see Psylocke fighting Horde as he falls, but he cannot come to her aid and smashes through the part of the citadel where Storm just recently entered. As Storm approaches the crystal she is about to grasp it when something grabs her and pulls her through the crystalline walls. Storm finds herself in her ideal fantasy: adventuring through Tokyo with Yukio. However she manages to resist this desire to fulfill the X-Men's mission and leaves. As she exits Logan crash lands next to her. As they are about to go to the crystal Horde arrives, tossing Betsy's severed head toward them. Seeing to save Ororo, Logan pushes her back into her fantasy world and rushes for the crystal. Horde manages to stop him by throwing a javelin impaling Logan through the back. Horde then kills Logan, however a single drop of Logan's blood lands on the Crystal of Ultimate Vision. Much to Horde's horror, Logan is resurrected from this single drop of blood and endowed with the power of the crystal -- absolute omniscience. Knowing that the crystal that Horde wears on his brow is part of the crystal, Logan reclaims it causing Horde -- already many centuries old -- to rapidly age and die. With Horde defeated Logan realizes that he is one with the universe and has the power of a god, however his joy is short lived as he comes to the realization that he isn't a god and doesn't deserve the power endowed to him and that as long as the crystal exists, it will always be a threat. Logan then uses his claws to destroy it causing the palace to explode as well. The X-Men, Captain Britain and Meggan all find themselves restored and back at the X-Mansion alive and well. Happy to be back, the X-Men go to check on Wolverine and find him in his room bowing over his picture of Mariko. Storm tells the curious Longshot that Logan is standing guard over their bodies. That night, Storm spends the somber evening staring out at the stars. While back in the dimension where the ruins of the Citadel of Light and Shadow, the citadel rebuilds itself and waits for those who come to seek the coveted prize within, and test to see if they, like the X-Men are worthy. The X-Men scored a victory for the human race, for those who failed to pass would have their races genetically frozen and unable to evolve for the rest of their natural existence. Brodie's View:Wow! What a gem we have here today, as this is, bar none, probably both the best story of this Post MUTANT MASSACRE period, and the best Annual story of this entire run. In it, the X-Men are recruited by a super powerful alien named Horde to retrieve The Crystal of Ultimate Vision, which transforms its owner into a God. However, there is a catch, as the Citadel they must travel through to get to the Crystal has a very particular defense, one that seduces those that enter with their ultimate desire, and defeats/destroys them when they give in to that desire. We see the X-Men and their special guests, Captain Britain and his shape changing girlfriend, Meggan (Which is no surprise, as the guest artist for this one, Alan Davis, pretty much made his career drawing these characters, and will draw them, and other X-Characters later in the EXCALIBUR series), taken out one by one, as the Crystal makes each one's hidden desire as real as it can be, at least to them (with the exception of Longshot, who the Citadel takes out instantly, as he has no hidden desire to exploit). For example, Rogue's is to have a life where she can touch (and love) without fear, while Havok's is to completely cut loose with his powers, no matter what the cost. More telling ones are Dazzler, who winds up being given the option of living up to her potential, or completely giving up and becoming a loser (which, wallowing in self pity, she chooses the second option), and Psylocke, who becomes the rock hard (or Crystal hard) warrior she's always envied her brother (Captain Britain) for being. Finally, we come down to Wolverine and Storm, both of which are confronted with their true desire (Wolverine's is Mariko, but one that fully accepts him for his wild nature, while Storm's is a carefree life with Yuiko), which Wolverine is able to resist, while Storm eventually has to give in to hers. He gets to the Crystal, but is fatally attacked by Horde, who makes the mistake of shedding Logan's blood on the Crystal. This causes the Crystal to bond with Logan, and Wolverine becomes a God, instantly destroying Horde. He is then tempted to use his powers to fulfill his desires, but realizes that this was where beings like Phoenix passed the point of no return, and ends up destroying the Crystal. This takes the X-Men and the others back to the X-Mansion, where this all started, and the team realizes what a sacrifice Logan had made for them, and what a true hero he really is. Right? Great story, made even better by the fantastic Alan Davis art illustrating it. It kind of sucks that Davis didn't become a regular artist for the main X-Book during this period (although, Marc Silvestri doesn't do too shabby of a job either), as his art is just f**king gorgeous. However, the X-Men's loss is EXCALIBUR's gain, as Davis' love of drawing very light hearted stuff definitely fits the tone of that book better than it would have the dark direction the X-Men were going in by that point. However, before we go further down that dark path, we have one more lighter (well, in the sense of more caring, and more reminiscent of the book pre MUTANT MASSACRE) story to get to; one that reveals what happened to Kitty Pryde, and her inability to unphase (and the breaking apart of her molecules, causing her to totally fade away). It's a story that involves not only the X-Men, but a very Fantastic team that has some ties to the mutant team, and that team's greatest enemy, who ends up potentially being Kitty's only hope. That's tomorrow, though. In the meantime, seek out this Annual, as it really is one of the hidden gems of not only this period of Claremont's run, but of the run itself. It really is that good. GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 11, 2017 0:47:33 GMT -5
Fantastic Four vs. The X-Men #1 "Are You Sure?!" Cover Date: February, 1987 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Jon Bogdanove Team(s): (Fantastic Four) Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, The Thing, and She Hulk (X-Men) Storm, Wolverine, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue (Magneto) Villain/s: Dr. Doom Guest Stars: Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat, Franklin Richards, Moria MacTaggert, Colossus/Nightcrawler (Both in comas) Official Plot: Franklin Richards is having a nightmare wherein his father Reed Richards has killed his mother Sue. Reed tells young Franklin to go away, that it was necessary. To Franklin's continued horror, the other members of the Fantastic Four are dead as well. Not only that, but Wolverine appears carrying the dead body of Shadowcat and tells young Franklin that his father not only killed the Fantastic Four but his allies in the X-Men as well. When Wolverine attempts to kill Reed Richards, he collapses due to his own wounds and dies, missing the chance to land a fatal blow on Reed. As Reed carries the lifeless body of his wife up a flight of stairs, Franklin tries to follow begging his father to turn back and go with him. However, he continues to ignore the boys pleas and puts her body on an altar. There he finds a book labeled "Reed Richards Journal, State University". Franklin begs his father not to open the book, but his cries go unheard as Reed opens the book and it transforms him, making him evil. Tearing off his Fantastic Four costume Reed reveals that he is wearing the garb of Dr. Doom underneath and places a red-hot mask over his face. He tells his son that his father and his father's greatest enemy are one. With this Franklin wakes up with a scream. Going to check on his father, Franklin finds him working in his lab. When Franklin tries to tell his father about his dream, he ignores the boy and calls Sue who pulls the boy into another room where she is busy unpacking crates of items moved from Avengers Mansion to the Fantastic Four's new headquarters the Four Freedoms Plaza. When Sue learns that Franklin is up past his bedtime due to one of his special dreams, she comforts the boy and then resumes unpacking crates. When she finds one containing items that have been in storage since before Sue and Reed were married, Sue goes digging through and finds the notebook from Franklin's dream inside. Recognizing it Franklin is frightened by it and tells her not to give it to his father. Meanwhile, on Muir Island, Alex Summers goes to see if Rogue needs a hand working maintenance on the Blackbird. When Rogue snubs him, Alex tries to pull seniority on her and she tells him that the X-Men have changed since he was last a member and tells him that he has to earn his place with the team. While elsewhere on the facility Colossus, and Nightcrawler are still recovering from injuries sustained during the Mutant Massacre. While Shadowcat is not getting any better, her disrupted molecules are drifting further and further apart to the point where it will be only a matter of days before it causes irreparable brain damage. Kitty is so far gone at this point that she can only communicate telepathically with Psylocke. While Moira MacTaggert is telling Storm and Wolverine the prognosis Magneto contacts them from the States to tell them that he has learned that Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four has come up with a device that might be able reverse Kitty's condition and that he will attempt to contact the Fantastic Four, even though Storm is concerned that the group may still consider Magneto a villain. While out at sea near Muir Island, Dazzler and Longshot are spending the day tooling around the waters by boat. As they motor along Longshot detects something in the water and dives in, much to Alison's shock. Because it is dark out, she uses her powers to illuminate the area and is surprised to find that Longshot found someone who was lost out at sea. They pull him aboard, and when they tell him the man that they are taking him back to Muir Island, the man smiles. Back at the Four Freedoms Plaza, Sue has put Franklin to bed and has begun browsing Reed's old journal, and she has become terribly upset by what she has read. Franklin's dream self appears in the room to watch as Reed enters the room to and tries to surprise his wife. However, she has a surprise for him: She read a passage in his book where it appears that Reed stated that he purposely neglected to shield the rocket ship before the accident that turned them into the Fantastic Four. This revelation shocks both Reed and young Franklin as well. In Greenwich Village, at Raglan's Coffee House, She-Hulk is spending her evening studying over law books when she sniffs the reek of cigar smoke. Looking around the corner she is surprised to find Ben Grimm reading over Federal aviation manuals. Ben learns that Jennifer has gone back to lawyering on weekends, and Ben tells her that he has to get re-certified by the FAA. Ben brings up the recent trail on Magneto, and opinions that he'd rather quit than defend the mutant terrorist. She-Hulk however doesn't feel so strongly, telling Ben that she believes that everyone deserves a fair trail. Just then there is an explosion and the two look out the window to see that the source is at a nearby construction site. Springing into action, the two heroes brace the collapsing girders however it is not until the timely arrival of Magneto does the disaster get averted when the Master of Magnetism uses his powers to righten the building. When the Human Torch arrives, Magneto tells the young FF member to use his flame powers to weld the girders back in place. Johnny goes about doing so although he is shocked to believe that Magneto is giving him orders to help people. With the crisis averted, Magneto accompanies the other members back to the Four Freedoms Plaza where he requests audience from Reed Richards. Confined to an invisible force field, Magneto pleads his case, telling him about Shadowcat's plight. Reed, shaken by the finding of his old journal doesn't think it's the right time, but Johnny presses him into going. When he tries to explain it to Sue, Sue angrily tells him that there is always a life at stake when they are having problems and tells him to go, that she will still be at headquarters when he gets back. Although deep down she wonders what will become of their family. Later, Reed, Ben, Johnny and She-Hulk (who has tagged along out of curiosity even though she left the FF to rejoin the Avengers)take the Fantastic Four's super-sonic jet to Muir Island with Magneto to see what they can do about Kitty Pryde. On the flight over, the deeply troubled Richards asks Ben if he thinks that he is reckless or ruthless. Ben doesn't think so and reassures Reed that he handles every problem from every conceivable angle. He affirms to Reed that he is always right, but jests that the only time he made a mistake was the day they all got their powers and wonders how someone as smart as Reed could have overlooked the risk Cosmic Rays played in their space trip. This off the cuff remark worries Reed even deeper. Soon, when the Fantastic Four arrive on Muir Island, Magneto is reunited with his X-Men comrades while She-Hulk and Thing unload Reed's device off the ship. Inside, Reed considers what Ben said, and Sue's anger and wonders if he did purposely mutate his comrades in the name of science. Wondering if perhaps he is reckless, and soon begins to doubt himself. As Reed exits the ship, Franklin's dream form appears and begins watching the proceeding events. As Reed walks by, he wonders how the X-Men can have faith in him when he has no faith in himself. As he walks by, Johnny, Magneto, Storm and Wolverine all notice something wrong with Reed. When Reed meets with Moira MacTaggert, he tells her there is nothing he can do. This angers Magneto who challenges Richard's claim saying that he papers released on his molecular bonding process were a success. However Reed tells Magneto that it has never been tested on a living being and isn't sure if it will work. Realizing that Richards is afraid, Magneto uses his powers to snatch the device out of the Thing and She-Hulk's hands, but the She-Hulk pinches his hand breaking his concentration causing the device to drop back in the Thing's arms. With a fight about to break out, the Human Torch tries to flame on into action and is sucker punched by Wolverine who knocks the wind out of him. Wolverine then extracts his claws and charge at Mr. Fantastic he comes up close and tells Richards that they count on him to save Shadowcat's life, and orders him to save her life... Or die. This story is continued next issue.... Brodie's View:This is an interesting Crossover on many different levels. As previously stated, it's an important story, as it kind of closes the book on the whole story of Kitty Pryde being in a permanent state of phasing, with her molecules slowly drifting apart. It really also ends the era (and the status quo) of the book that existed up until the event that left Kitty in such a state (and also injured Nightcrawler and Colossus, who, at this point, are still comatose from their injuries), and in a way, this Crossover is the transition that kind of changes the team from what they were before the Crossover, into the team that goes into FALL OF THE MUTANTS and beyond, as there will be a few changes that will affect the team that goes into effect after this Crossover, which I get into in the last issue of it. In many ways, this is just as much of a transition event for the other super hero team involved in the whole deal, The Fantastic Four, as this was coming in at a very important time in that team's history as well. John Byrne's run on the book had recently ended (And don't think this wasn't a factor in Claremont being able to do this Crossover in the first place, as I doubt this would have been allowed, had Byrne still been in charge on the book), and the team was in the process of changing from Byrne's status quo at the end of this run, into the status quo the incoming creative team were wanting, which was a return to the Pre SECRET WARS FF of the four original members, returning She Hulk, who had joined the FF during the time Ben Grimm had stayed on the Battleworld planet (and beyond that, when he came back to find things had changed with the relationships with the team.....mostly that his long time girlfriend, Alicia Masters, had shacked up with Johnny Storm in his absence, which caused Ben to not return to the team upon his return from Battleworld. However, he would rejoin the team like two issues after Byrne left), to the Avengers, which she had been a member of going into SECRET WARS. But being as this story kind of takes place during that changeover, both She Hulk and The Thing are members of the Fantastic Four going into this. The story itself, as previously stated, concerns Kitty Pryde, whose worsening condition, and Moria MacTaggert's inability to help her, makes the X-Men desperate for help in saving her, and they (well, Magneto, which is an interesting swerve, as the FF are questioning whether to trust the former villain or not) end up going to Reed Richards with their proverbial hat in their hands, asking his assistance, as he's one of the few minds on Earth that could conceivably be able to help her. However, there is another pair of eyes watching this series of events taking place; eyes belonging to one of the other 3-4 minds that might be able to help Kitty, and it's (and as we see most poignantly in Reed and Susan's son, Franklin's (who is also a mutant with the ability to astrally project as he is sleeping, as well as often having prophetic dreams, depicting future events in some form or fashion) dream, which depicts the X-Men and The Fantastic Four all dead at the hands (or doings) of Reed, who reads a journal, and transforms into the person who is really representative of the dark side of his scientific brilliance, Doctor Doom. This journal, which was supposedly written by Reed in the past, suggests that he purposely neglected to shield the spacecraft that ended up giving the 4 their fantastic powers. This ends up creating a crisis of confidence within Reed, as he really starts to doubt himself and his intentions, and he, we, and later the rest of the team wonder whether he actually wrote this book, or whether the book was planted to do exactly what it was intended to do, weaken the bond within the team, which was more of a family by this point. On the other end of things, we have the X-Men, who as I said before, are desperate to save the life of the person who not only was severely injured on their watch, but in many ways was the heart and soul of the team, the loss of which would kind of damn them forever, as she had kind of been a daughter in many ways to a few of the longer term members of the team (Storm & Wolverine). They really don't get the struggles that Reed and the FF are going through behind the scenes, so, they take Reed's reluctance to help as his not giving a shit, and this is where the conflict between the two teams is really born, and it ends up exploding in violence at the end of this issue (and into the next), which ends up making things worse, and opens the door for Doom to make his major move. GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 11, 2017 3:08:27 GMT -5
Fantastic Four vs. The X-Men #2 "Truth and Consequences" Cover Date: March, 1987 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Jon Bogdanove Team(s): (Fantastic Four) Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, The Thing, and She Hulk (X-Men) Storm, Wolverine, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue (Magneto) Villain/s: Dr. Doom Guest Stars: Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat, Franklin Richards, Moria MacTaggert, & Sharon Friedlander Official Plot: Continued from last issue... Shaken by doubt in light of finding an old journal that suggests that he purposely caused the accident that created the Fantastic Four, Reed Richards has declined to use his molecular bonder device to attempt to save the life of the X-Man Shadowcat as it has not been tested on a living being before. This has led to irking the X-Men and Wolverine attacking Mr. Fantastic and demanding that he save Kitty's life or die. When Storm and Magneto attempt to stop Wolverine, the Thing believes that this is an attack and claps his hands together. This doesn't stop Storm from getting too close and the Human Torch lashes out, accidentally burning Storm. This escalates things with Rogue rushing onto the scene and using her powers to absorb the powers of the Thing. However, upon stealing his memories she begins to cry from the sorrow she experiences. Johnny meanwhile is felled by Psylocke's telepathic powers, but before she goes after the other members of the Fantastic Four, she realizes that Wolverine is the one that started things. When She-Hulk manages to pull Wolverine off Reed, he still manages to kick Reed in the face as he is pulled away. Watching this in his dream form is Reed's son Franklin who reaches out asking Wolverine not to hurt his father. However, he is unseen or heard and wakes up and falls out of bed. Hearing her son fall out of bed, Sue Richards comes to his aid and she tells him everything he saw in his dream. When she tries to assure Franklin that his father is all right, Franklin tells her nothing will be the same again and cries himself to sleep. Putting the boy back in bed, Sue goes back out into the living room and looks once more at Reed's old diary, wishing she had listened to Franklin and never opened it because it could destroy the Fantastic Four. Throwing it against the window, Sue wonders if her son was right and lashes out with her powers screaming out to her husband's name and how much she hates him. Back on Muir Island, Havok, Longshot and Dazzler have placed the strange man Dazzler and Longshot pulled out of the water into a hospital bed and notices that there is a battle going on outside. The three mutants rush out to help their comrades, leaving the man alone. However, this is more than just a mere man, but a robot, that starts revealing it's true nature unaware that it has been spotted by Sharon Freelander. While outside, Moira MacTaggert gets between Wolverine and Mr. Fantastic and gets Wolverine to stand down. Storm, with her burned arm bandaged, apologizes for the fight that has broken out and asks Richards one more time if he can help, but Richards once more refuses. Rogue steps in and says they can get Psylocke to pull the information they need out of Reed's mind, however, Storm decides not to. Richards apologizes once again, however Storm finds this a cold comfort. As the Fantastic Four are gathering up to leave, the robot comes outside, melting off all its fake flesh it shifts into a hologram projector and projects an image of Dr. Doom. Doom greets the X-Men and tells them that he has heard of their recent plight and tells them that he can duplicate Richard's molecular bonding research and use it to save Kitty's life. Storm wonders at what price such service, Doom tells them that his aid will come free, for reasons that he shall keep as his own. Hearing this, Richards begs Storm and the X-Men that allowing Doom to aid them is akin to making a deal with the devil. Storm refuses to listen to Reed and asks him to please leave. When Reed continues to push the issue Moira pipes in warning Richards if he doesn't leave she will have him arrested for trespassing and assault. She-Hulk finally convinces Reed to go and she and the rest of the Fantastic Four pack up into their ship and leave. Doom meanwhile tells the X-Men that when they make up their minds they know where to contact him. After the Fantastic Four have left, Storm remarks at how strange Richards was acting until she enters a state of shock from her wounds and passes out. The X-Men rush her into the infirmary where they begin giving her medical attention. Watching this from out of site, Kitty blames herself for this turn of events and as much as she wants to live, she does not want it to come at the price of the X-Men's souls. Later at the Four Freedoms Plaza, Reed Richards wonders what he has done and begins going over his molecular re-integrator designs wondering if he was wrong in his judgement. He is interrupted when Ben suddenly comes into the room and throws Reed into the wall. Grabbing Reed he furiously confronts him about the information contained in his old journal, which Sue has given to Ben and Johnny to read. Pushing Reed into the living room he demands that Reed answer to the others about the information in the book. While Reed feels as though the jury has already made up their mind, he reads his own apparent writing, that suggests that mutation is the only means of the human race protecting themselves. An opinion that Reed had formed after his encounter with the alien being known as Gormuu. As the X-Men try to make up their mind on if they want deal with Dr. Doom in saving Kitty's life, the Fantastic Four demand to know if what is said in the journal is true. While Reed admits that he remembers some of what he written in there, and some of his thoughts are true, it doesn't suggest that the entire book is true. Reed defends himself maintaining that his rushed and unplanned rocket flight was to make the voyage before the government scrapped the project and not to mutate himself and the others into the Fantastic Four. As the X-Men ask the question what matters most, tarnishing themselves making a deal with Doom, or saving Kitty's life -- Reed reads the final passage in his diary. One that reads about how he realized that super-humans would be feared and persecuted by normal humans and how he apparently orchestrated to mutate his comrades as the "first family" a "fantastic foursome" to give a human face to super-humans to win public support. When he finishes reading the passage, Ben remarks how it makes sense and how he always wondered why they were the only ones to travel into space and be mutated and so many other astronauts did not. When Reed tries to talk sense into Ben, Ben reiterates that Reed always knew doing whatever it took and after Sue apologizes for finding the book, Ben walks out. He is soon followed by Johnny and She-Hulk who need to think things over. Reed then turns to his wife and asks her if she intends on staying or going as well. While back on Muir, Storm decides that she will go to Doom alone if need be to save Kitty's life, not wishing to make the other X-Men indebted to Doom either. However, the other X-Men rally beside her agreeing to follow her as a team. This story is continued next issue... Brodie's View:Despite the title of this Crossover, the two teams only have two altercations over the four issues of the mini series, and this is the first, and the most consequential fight, as tiring of Reed Richard's hesitation in his ability to potentially cure Kitty Pryde of an injury (causing her to slowly phase apart, eventually becoming nothing at all) suffered during the MUTANT MASSACRE, Wolverine snaps and jumps Richards. This is where this issue starts, as the other members of the FF and the X-Men, in trying to break the two up, begin fighting each other. The two to suffer the most during this attack are Richards (who gets his face stomped in by an almost berserk Logan), and Storm, who accidentally is severely burned by the Human Torch, who is trying to hit Wolverine. Finally, the fight is broken up, with the two teams still at each other's throats. This is surprisingly (or maybe not that surprisingly) broken up by a holographic message from Doctor Doom, who offers to help Kitty for his own reasons. After a bit of argument, the FF are forced to leave Muir Island, and the rest of this issue is dedicated to the interpersonal conflicts within the two teams. For the FF, it's the discovery of what appears to be a long, lost journal written by Reed; one that basically suggests that he purposely let the four of them be exposed to Cosmic Rays in order to turn them into super humans. Of course, this doesn't sit well with the team, particularly The Thing, who storms off, as Reed tries in vain to convince them that he didn't write that. Eventually, the four realize that despite whether he did or not (and Susan starts to doubt, as she observes her husband playing with their son, realizing that someone so kind couldn't have done something so cold and calculating), the fact that they do have superpowers allows them to protect those that don't have any powers, and the group comes together to try again to help Kitty, and also to prevent Doom from taking advantage of Kitty's condition to gain a potential hold over the X-Men, due to him being able to save Kitty when Reed couldn't/wouldn't. On the other end, the X-Men struggle with taking Doom's offer to help Kitty, as they get that he isn't offering his help for free, and that owing a villain like that any kind of favor could be disastrous for both them and the world. However, they finally come to the decision that saving Kitty's (who realizes what a dilemma she has put the team in, and is considering suicide of a sort in order to prevent them from having to rely on a monster like Doom) life is the most important thing, and that they will cross the bridge of Doom's price when it comes, and deal with it as the team/family they have become. In a way, this dilemma, and both team's reaction to it, is the core of this entire story, as both teams have been established, in contrast to teams like The Avengers or The Defenders, as being as much of a family as it is a team, and although this New X-Men team are less of a long term family than the Pre MM team had grown into, that connection, even if it's circumstance created, still exists, and like the FF, they will do anything to protect one of their own. In the next couple of issues, we'll see just how far these two teams will go to do exactly that, especially in the face of being both, in their own ways, manipulated by the evil version of everything Reed Richards represents, Doctor Doom. GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 12, 2017 1:14:10 GMT -5
Fantastic Four vs. The X-Men #3"By the Soul's Darkest Light" Cover Date: April, 1987 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Jon Bogdanove Team(s): (Fantastic Four) Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, The Thing, and She Hulk (X-Men) Storm, Wolverine, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue (Magneto) Villain/s: Dr. Doom Guest Stars: Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat, Franklin Richards, Lockheed, "Alicia Masters" AKA Lyja the Skrull Official Plot: Continued from last issue... Having accepted Dr. Doom's offer to heal their wounded teammate Shadowcat, the X-Men have come to Latveria where Doom first uses his amazing technology to heal the severe burns on Storm's arm caused by the Human Torch. As his machines heal the damage done, Doom gloats over his intelligence, as Wolverine, Magneto and Psylocke watch. Psylocke is impressed by the technology but is angry that Doom seeks to hoard it for himself when it could use to help heal so many. While outside Doom's castle, Havok, Dazzler and Longshot are enjoying the view when suddenly Doom's robotic guards spring to life and fly off to attack a would-be intruder. It happens to be Rogue, who against Doom's orders sneaked out of the castle to experience Latverian culture and shop for some clothing. Seeing that he robots are attacking their teammate, Havok, and the others come to her aid, using their mutant powers to destroy the robots. This counterattack causes the guards still at the castle to turn on the three X-Men there until Storm (now fully healed) and Doom to order both to stand down. When Rogue angrily tells off Doom for allowing his robots to attack her Doom dismisses it as a misunderstanding between both parties. While upstairs, Shadowcat is in a special cylinder that tries to slow the process of her eventually molecular disbursement. Although she does not want to die, she does not wish it to be at the cost of the X-Men being in debt to Dr. Doom, possibly one of the worst villains in the world. She decides it would be better to commit suicide than have her friends do that. As she leaves the safety of her cylinder, she is witnessed by her pet dragon Lockheed and Franklin Richards (who is watching in his dream form). As Kitty watches the sunset and prepares to let go and disburse, Franklin desperately tries to convince Kitty not to let go, promising that his father Reed Richards can save her life. Unfortunately, Kitty cannot see Franklin and the X-Men are only alerted when Lockheed lets out a roar. When Psylocke establishes a psi-link with Kitty she tries to talk her out of it, but Kitty refuses. However, before Kitty can discorporate she finally hears Franklin's cries not to let go and she decides to return to her container. When the X-Men arrive they see her back there with Franklin and Lockheed and are relieved that the worst is over. When Doom comes to check on them, Franklin hides and overhears Doom say that tomorrow he will be able to restore Kitty to her normal health. On the other side of the world at the Four Freedoms Plaza, the Manhattan headquarters of the Fantastic Four, Reed Richards is walking wounded through the halls of their headquarters. Carrying what is supposedly a journal where he writes about purposely plotting to mutate his comrades, a revelation that has shaken the team to the core and has caused Reed much doubt about his abilities as a scientist. Walking past the room that he shares with is wife Sue, Reed sees her sleeping and tries to reach out and comfort her but finds that he cannot and leaves. Noticing this, Sue begins to cry. Reed goes back to pacing the halls, cursing himself and continuing to doubt the possibility that he might have subconsciously caused the accident that created the Fantastic Four on purpose. Passing by Franklin's room he finds that boy struggling in his sleep and decides to go to him. When Franklin wakes up he crawls into his caring fathers hand and tells him he loves him, causing Reed to cry. When Franklin wakes up, he tells his father that he had a bad dream and Reed cheers the boy up by telling him his favorite bedtime story. Unknown to Reed, Sue has been watching him invisibly and she is brought to tears because she has not heard her husband nor her son laugh like this in ages.While back in Latveria, Storm is in a combat session with Longshot to test his fighting prowess and to make sure that her recently healed arm is at full fighting order. With the session over the X-Men decide to go back and see how Kitty is fairing. In Manhattan, the Thing has been wandering the streets in deep thought and has made his way to the Lower East Side to Yancy Street. He ends up at the Yancy Street Bar where he begins to pound back the drinks and think about how his life has changed since he became the Thing. He remarks about how he once loved Sue and lost her to Reed, and loved Alicia and lost her to Johnny. He experiences more sorry when he realizes that Reed and Sue were able to have a child, and that Johnny and Alicia might have one of their own someday. He reflects on how he would not be able to provide a child, and that the Grimm family ends with him. He then thinks about the possibility that his friend Reed Richards may have done this on purpose and becomes even more depressed. When it's closing time, Ben leaves without issue much to the relief of the bar staff. As Ben walks the streets again he is upset that he can't even get drunk and wonders what good he is. As he rounds the corner he sees an accident on the street involving a car and a fuel truck on the FDR Drive. Seeing a frantic woman being pulled away from the blaze, Ben overhears that the woman's baby is still trapped inside. Without a second thought, Ben picks up the flaming fuel truck and throws it into East River and rescues the baby from the flaming car. Upon doing so, Ben is hailed as a hero by rescue crews and the baby's mother even kisses him. Even though he is being praised, Ben tells them that it was nothing and anyone of them could have done what he did. While at a derelict peer off the Hudson River, Johnny pushes himself to make sure he can still use his flame powers flawlessly, still wracked with guilt over accidentally burning Storm. However, when he doesn't work perfectly enough he goes back to the apartment he shares with Alicia even harder on himself than ever before. When Alicia hears him come in, she tries to comfort him by telling him that people make mistakes and that his flame powers are a tool that can be used for good or to destroy, it's all in how they are used. She also tells him that as a blind woman she fell in love with who he is on the inside, that he is a good person. While back at the Four Freedoms Plaza, Reed tucks young Franklin into bed, and is surprised when Sue comes to him and tells him that she had been watching. Together in the living room, Sue tells her husband that the man she was interacting with their son is a caring man who would never manipulate others, and could not possibly be the man who wrote in that old journal. The two reconcile with a kiss as the morning sun begins to rise. In Latveria, Dr. Doom prepares the devices that are needed to restore Kitty to full health, while Besty warns Doom that while she is doing her best to keep Kitty's mind intact time is running out. Morning in New York: Reed and Sue are talking about Reed's doubts and his mind once again goes back to the X-Men's plight. He realizes that his initial doubt was that despite his calculations being perfect regarding molecular cohesion, he knows that he was sure of the safety of the rocket flight that turned them into the Fantastic Four. Although he is frustrated with his uncertainty, he still wishes to go to Latveria and save Kitty's life. To his surprise Johnny and Ben have returned and have decided to help out, because they are a team and a family. Franklin, awake to hear this is glad to hear it and rushes to his father to give him a hug. This story is concluded next issue... Brodie's View:I kind of jumped the gun in the last review, as I forgot that the FF's realizations about the things they heard from "Reed Richard's journal," and whether or not they were true, or if even mattered if it was, happened in this issue; Not last issue. However, the point still stands that each member of the team goes through their interior crisis due to what Reed had supposedly written in that journal (that he purposely neglected to shield the rocket from the Cosmic Rays that ended up turning them into the FF), the one taking it the worst (well, other than Reed himself, who is plagued with doubt over whether or not he really did write that journal) being the Thing, who wallows in the self pity he hadn't let himself fall into since the early days of the team, as he had kind of settled into that lovable uncle/superhero role since then. However, he quickly realizes, after saving a child from a burning building, that whether it was purposely done or by fate, his being transformed into The Thing allowed him to be the hero that few others could be. The Human Torch, on the other hand, is wrecked will guilt over accidentally burning Storm. However, he is made to realize, due to some real talk from Alicia Masters (or Lyja the Skrull, who has been posing as Alicia since the heroes were gone in SECRET WARS, although, we don't find out about that piece of retconning until much later), who makes Johnny realize that his burning Storm was entirely an accident. We then come to Sue Storm, who believes that Reed did indeed write that journal, until she sees him with his son, Franklin (who also plays a big role in this story, as he is a mutant as well, with powers not limited to astral projection and prophetic dreams), and she ceases to believe that someone who could be so kind could also be the cold, calculating person that would purposely risk himself and his friends to Cosmic Radiation in order to turn them into super humans. Finally, the four (along with She Hulk, who is still kind of hanging around, at least until the end of this Crossover) reunite, and decide to head over to Castle Doom, in order to try to do what they can to help Kitty Pryde (who is slowly phasing apart). Speaking of Kitty Pryde, this brings us to the other team involved in this Crossover (thought I forgot about them, didn't you? ), we also see the X-Men, who are trying their best to deal with the fact that they're having to rely on the help and hospitality of one of mankind's greatest enemies, Doctor Doom, who is actually trying his damnedest to cure Kitty, but for his own selfish reasons. Realizing all of this, Kitty makes a decision to try and commit suicide in a way (she goes out on the ledge of Doom's castle, to basically let whatever is going to happen to her, happen, so, she doesn't have to allow Doom to hold sway over her friends by curing her), but is broken out of her suicidal thoughts by the pleading astral form of Franklin Richards, who is begging her not to kill herself. It's probably the most emotional scene of this whole story. This kind of creates a bond between the two that kind of stretches way into the future (as we remember that in the DAYS OF FUTURE PAST storyline, that a grown up Franklin had been in a relationship with one of Kitty's best friends from this time, Rachel Summers), and definitely is the heart of this whole story. In the next review, we'll finish up with this Crossover, as we will see the FF and the X-Men clash one more time, and then we'll see if either Reed Richards or Doctor Doom will be able to save Kitty, or if her not committing suicide in this issue was only delaying the inevitable. GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 12, 2017 1:20:54 GMT -5
Fantastic Four vs. The X-Men #4"A Matter of Faith" Cover Date: June, 1987 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Jon Bogdanove Team(s): (Fantastic Four) Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, The Thing, and She Hulk (X-Men) Storm, Wolverine, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue (Magneto) Villain/s: Dr. Doom Guest Stars: Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat, Franklin Richards, Lockheed Official Plot: Continued from last issue... Despite Dr. Doom's promises, Shadowcat has not been cured of her molecular disbursement, and on the eve of her 15th birthday Kitty has decided to give up on the idea that she will survive the ordeal. While she accepts her possible death she wants to get the waiting over with. As she gives into despair the dream-form of Franklin Richards appears before her life support cylinder. After Lockheed determines that Franklin is no threat, the young Richards child tells Kitty that his parents are coming to help save her life. However, he explains about the visions of the future he gets in his sleep and warns Kitty about the dream that he had where the X-Men and Fantastic Four fight each other to the death. When this upsets Kitty, Franklin tries to cheer her up by telling her the same story his father told him the night before. Aboard the Fantastic Four's super-sonic jet, the team (joined by the She-Hulk who wishes to see their mission through and the sleeping Franklin) are heading toward Latveria so that Reed can try and help Kitty Pride's life. As they fly toward the country ruled by their arch nemesis, Sue Richards begins thinking about how well Doom knows her husband and wonders if he had something to do with the old diary that she found amongst their possessions. When Ben enters the passenger area to leave Reed with his thoughts he begins repairing a chair in the room and talking to Sue. The two of them begin talking about Dr. Doom's long standing hatred of Reed. Ben believes that because Reed has always surpassed Doom in intelligence that Doom has forever wanted to prove Richards wrong. When they consider Reed's current bout of doubt in his own abilities, Ben tells her that Reed needs to sort through it himself and the best they can do is to stand by and support him through this difficult time. Meanwhile, Johnny is thinking about how in his last encounter with the X-Men he accidentally burned Storm and wonders how he can face them again so soon afterward and make atonement for the accident. When She-Hulk asks Johnny to share his thoughts, he tells her that his friend Spider-Man's motto "With great power comes great responsibility" is something that he has recently learned himself, if only a little too late. She-Hulk tries to cheer him up by telling him that learning from your mistakes is the best way to make it up to yourself. When She-Hulk asks about the rivalry between Reed and Dr. Doom, Johnny fills her in on how Doom always though Reed to be his rivalry in university, and explains the events that led up to Doom's face being scarred. An event that Doom blamed Reed for due to the fact that Reed had pointed out miscalculations in his experiment that Doom was too proud to look into. While in the cockpit of their craft, Reed once more looks at his old journal and begins to doubt his ability that if he fails in saving Kitty's life he isn't sure if he can take it. He also wonders if he has been lying to himself about accidentally mutating his teammates. He is visited by the dream form of his son, who tells him that Kitty knows they are coming and that they will save her. Reed tries to tell his son that he doesn't know if he can anymore, but the boy's dream form dissipates before he can. While in Latveria, Wolverine is putting Havok, Dazzler, Rogue and Longshot through a training session as they await results from Dr. Doom. However, when the session is ended by Rogue, she expresses her frustration that nothing has been done by now and wonders what is making Doom stall. While upstairs, the dream form of Franklin continues to try and entertain Kitty with the story his father told him, but has difficulties because his skin is not pliant. Thanks to a psi-link established by Betsy, the two tell each other that they are only children and bond. When Doom enters the room, Franklin hides. Doom tells Psylocke that he is ready to begin the procedure to save Kitty's life. A fair distance away from the castle Magneto stands solemnly looking off into the distance when he is greeted by Storm who wishes to know Magneto's thoughts. Magneto explains to Ororo that he is thinking about how five hundred miles in one direction is Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp he and his family was interred in and he was the sole survivor of, and due west of Latveria the Soviet city of Vinnitsa. There, Magneto explains, his daughter Anya died in a fire and when he used his mutant powers to save his wife Magda, she fled from him in fear and the villagers were so afraid they attempted to push him into the flames that claimed the daughter he was attempting to save. In his anger, he uses his magnetic powers to pull one of Doom's robotic guards from the castle to him and reshapes it into a statue of his wife and late daughter. Doom sends out a holographic image to scold Magneto for such use of his powers as his magnetic abilities effect the very computers that are needed to save Kitty's life and warns the Master of Magnetism against using them again. As Storm tries to comfort Magneto, they notice the Fantastic Four's jet flying by and Magneto uses his powers to force it to land, Storm scolds him for using his powers after Doom warned him against it. While at Doom's castle, the delicate computers are disrupted by Magneto's powers infuriating Doom. However, when he realizes he did so to stop his foes the Fantastic Four, he tells Logan and Rogue who go off to see what they can do. At the landing site, Johnny Storm is happy to see that Storm's arm is heeled, but quickly goes on the defensive when Magneto chastises the young hero for his fault in her injuries. When Reed explains he wants to help them save Kitty, Magneto tells him to leave and their help is not needed. As Sue is trying to convince Storm to let them help, Rogue and Wolverine arrive and attack. With Rogue taking out the Human Torch, and Wolverine being clobbered by the Thing. When Longshot, Havok and Dazzler try to ram She-Hulk with a jeep she attempts to throw a boulder at it but has it destroyed. Rogue, absorbing Johnny's flame powers attempts to attack the Invisible Woman, but she cuts off her air (snuffing out the flame powers) with an invisible force field and sends her crashing into the jeep driven by the other X-Men. Faced with Storm, She-Hulk feels bad to be attacking Storm when she no longer has her powers, but is surprised when there is a sudden bolt of lightning giving her pause for a moment. As the battle rages, Magneto uses his powers to lift up the Fantastic Four's craft to use as a weapon, horrifying Reed and Sue as Franklin -- to their knowledge is still aboard. However, Franklin is safe, having been pulled out of the craft by Lockheed and he scolds the heroes for fighting among each other when Kitty needs to be saved. The heroes are shamed into stopping their battle and agree to work together. This is all watched from Doom's castle by Doom, while Psylocke focuses on keeping Kitty's mind in one piece, a task that is becoming more and more difficult. Seeing a difference in his old foe, Doom zooms in and sees Richards clutching his old journal and realizes that Reed is bothered by it, which brings him great pleasure and leaves him to suspect that his old foe is doomed. Inside, Doom explains that time is of the essence if the X-Men wish to save their comrade and Storm tells Doom to do what he can. Doom begins to work, however as Reed looks over the calculations he sees a problem and tells Doom to stop the process. When Doom falters, Reed stops it himself leading to an argument between the two over who is right. Suddenly, Franklin yells at them to stop and asks Doom if he and his father are the smartest men on the planet, why don't they work together to solve the problem instead of fighting. Doom and Reed agree to work together. As Reed goes over the data he realizes that Magneto's powers damaged some of the computers important functions leaving Richards to come up with the complex equations on his own as the process goes. As Reed begins to doubt himself, Doom tries to tempt him to either give in to his doubt or have Psylocke probe his mind to learn the truth about his troubles. Sue realizes what Doom is doing, that either way Reed will always doubt himself. However, Reed gathers the strength to overcome his doubts from the love of his wife and son and completes the process to save Kitty's life. In the aftermath, the two teams and Doom celebrate, and Reed explains that the primary problem was that an instantaneous restoration of Kitty would have caused a discrepancy that would have advanced the problem instead of fixing it. In changing the perimeters to jump-start Kitty's natural healing processes, they saved her life. They key to success was a gradual instead of instantaneous healing process. During the celebrations the X-Men and Fantastic Four make peace, and Reed accepts that Magneto has turned over a new leaf and the two shake their hands. Sue meanwhile confronts Doom about the possibility that he planted the fake journal in their possessions some years ago to attack her family at a later time. When Doom skirts around answering her questions, she cautions him about crossing her and that she could easily kill him if she played by his rules. When Doom asks if she is challenging him, Sue walks away telling him that she is not, that she is telling him that they won their battle against him this day. As the Fantastic Four have been brought closer together as a family, young Franklin has fallen asleep. Upstairs, his dream form is dancing with the slowly healing Kitty Pride, who promises to dance with him for real once she is all better. Brodie's View: It makes me a bit sad having to write this review, as in addition to being the end of this particular story/crossover, it's also the end of an era in quite a few ways. When I started the reviews for this Crossover, I said this story was kind of a transition story for both teams, and as it comes to its end, we realize that things will never be like they were for the two teams going into the story again. As stated in #1's review, this was the official end of the John Byrne era of the Fantastic Four, which began shortly after Byrne left the X-Men, and lasted until shortly before this Crossover took place. By the midpoint of the run, SECRET WARS had happened, and Byrne decided to change the status quo by removing The Thing from the team, and put the Sensational She Hulk in his place. However, the second Byrne left, steps were made to bring The Thing back to the team, which left She Hulk no choice but to return to the team she had been part of going into SECRET WARS, The Mighty Avengers. This story is basically THE end of her time with the FF, as she would rejoin the Avengers shortly after. However, for the X-Men, it would mean an even greater departure, as it's basically the end of Kitty Pryde's involvement in the main X-Men book for the remainder of Claremont's run. From the time she was injured in UXM #211, it was made clear pretty quickly that the status quo of the team would change greatly in her absence, as a brand new team would spring up around the losses suffered both right before the MUTANT MASSACRE (Rachel Summers), and during it (Kitty, Nightcrawler, and Colossus---the last of whom would eventually return, but Kitty and Kurt wouldn't until over ten years later) forced the team to take a darker turn that a character like Kitty would have seemed really out of place in. Luckily, Chris Claremont and Alan Davis would create a lighter X-Book for Kitty, Kurt, Rachel, and others to populate, and EXCALIBUR, for most of its run, would be a pretty fun book. However, the loss of characters like Kitty and Kurt would be a huge hole that the main X-Men book would never truly recover from, at least character/story-wise. This issue also marks the end of Magneto's run with the team, as he and the X-Men would slowly go their separate ways after this period, and the next time we see him (Post INFERNO), he's kind of back to being a Tweener, and eventually he will be back to his villainous ways by the time Claremont's run ended. As for the story, we do get to see the X-Men and Fantastic Four (who fly to Castle Doom in order to see if Reed Richards can help cure Kitty Pryde, who is still drifting apart, and is nearing the end) fight one more time, briefly, before being broken up by Reed and Susan's son, Franklin (and Lockheed), who chides the adults for acting worse than children, fighting each other, when they should be teaming up to help Kitty. In a way, Franklin and Kitty are the main points of this story, as the little boy also shames Doom into stopping his vendetta with Richards at least long enough to save Ms. Pryde, as if there were two minds that could do such a thing, it would be Reed Richards and Victor Von Doom. Finally, they do, and when the adults finally put their various beef aside, they are able to cure Kitty, and we get a decently happy ending to end this, as bonds between the teams are re-strengthened, and Susan Richards kind of gets the affirmative answer that it was indeed Doctor Doom that was behind the infamous "journal" that caused so much strife between the team, thereby keeping the animosity between the FF and their oldest (well, one of their oldest) enemies going for future confrontations, once again, bringing things back to the status quo for the FF in the Post Byrne period. As for the X-Men, they'll move on from this, and we'll see this new team build towards their next major threat, one that will, in many ways, definite be a FALL OF THE MUTANTS. GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 12, 2017 2:58:24 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #220"Unfinished Business" Cover Date: August, 1987 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Marc Silvestri Team: Storm, Wolverine, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue Villain/s: The Adversary (Posing as Naze) Guest Stars: Forge (or illusions of him) Official Plot: A vision: a beautiful blue-eyed hawk with a white plume of feathers finds its perfect mate in the mountains. The two lock in love and pull away in joy before hitting the ground. However, the female hawk's joy is soon ended when her lover becomes a metal mockery of the beauty it once held and attacks her, and cripples her sending her falling to the ground to die. In the mountains, Wolverine has come to find solitude in the seclusion, having come to doubt his own senses. When Storm manages to track him down, he demands to know what she wants. She tells him that she is going to go back to Forge and demand that he restore her lost powers, telling him that she is more use to the X-Men now if her mutant abilities were restored. In her absence, she wants him to lead the X-Men. Logan tells her that he doesn't have it in him and suggests one of the other X-Men. She tells him the fact that she is here with him must tell her opinion of choosing one of the others, and Logan decides to agree with her wishes -- for better or for worse. Four days later, Storm finds herself standing in the pouring rain outside Eagle Plaza in Dallas Texas. The scene reminds her so much of when she first left. Going inside however she is surprised to find the power out and the security down and the building utterly deserted. Searching the security desk she finds a condemnation notice and the phone dead. Unable to walk away without satisfying her curiosity about the state of the place, Storm begins travelling the stairs to the penthouse where Forge used to live. High above, the strange being posing as Forge's old shaman Naze detects Storm's presence in the building, having known she would come. He begins preparing his welcome for her. Reaching Forge's "Eagle's Nest" she finds the shattered window from her last encounter here has not been repaired and the place is also deserted. Hearing a voice outside, she goes out and finds that it's nothing more than a holographic recreation of her confrontation with Forge when she learned that he invented the weapon that stole her powers. Returning back into the Eagle's Nest she is shocked when the holographic simulators recreate another scene from Vietnam. However this time Storm is surprised to see demons in this simulation and wonders if she can remember seeing them the last time she saw this simulation or if they are a new addition. Suddenly the simulation disappears and the platforms turn invisible. The security system is activated and using her keen memory to remember where the various platforms where located, Storm manages to slip away momentarily. As she is distracted by recreations of the events surrounding her recent de-powering she is suddenly struck by a stun beam, but manages to slip into the safety of the kitchen. There, she is presented with another recreation of the night she and Forge shared a romantic dinner and notes that the kitchen is a complete mess. Continuing on through the house, she finds more of these recreations as well as images of her in all her incarnations with the X-Men and a mishmash of reality and Forge's deepest fantasies of her. Disgusted by this display, Storm turns off the projection and is startled by someone's scream. Turning she sees what she believes is Forge, hooked into a large machine, however when she approaches him she finds that he is yet another hologram. It is then that she is confronted by "Naze". The old shaman tells Storm that Forge turned his back on the Cheyenne people and his duty to battle the Adversary, an ancient evil that plots to take over universe and fill it with utter chaos. However, Naze intends to stop the Adversary and has been waiting for Storm to come so that he might recruit her to his cause. Storm is hostile at first and does not wish to save Forge's life or get involved in his madness, however Naze does not let up. When she asks about the holograms and defenses, Naze tells her that it was all his doing, as he wanted to be sure she still had fight in her. Continuing to refuse Naze she rushes outside into the storm which buffets her and tries to force her back inside. However as she resists the storm suddenly stops. Finally Naze manages to convince her to join him on his quest to save, or destroy Forge -- whom he claims is under the Adversary's thrall. When Storm agrees to follow him until the end, he tells her that she made the right choice and Forge does not stand a chance. As Storm walks away, Naze puts on a sinister grin. This story is continued next issue... Brodie's View:Back to business after 5 reviews of side trips, and we're now 100% into the new era of the X-Men with this issue, although, we're kind of going back, storyline-wise, to the mid 180's, and back to various future plots that were teased during that whole run. Other than the beginning of the issue, where Storm basically forces Wolverine to take over leadership of the team while she goes off in search of Forge (in order to get her powers back), the rest of the issue deals with Storm going back to Forge's domicile, and thanks to the holographs within, she (and we) are reminded of the events that happened during those issues. She doesn't find Forge (although, she does find a holograph of him wired up to various computers, and driven insane by the loss of Storm), but instead finds his former teacher, the Native American, Naze (who little does Storm know has been taken over first by a Dire Wrath, and then even more importantly by an ancient demonic entity called The Adversary), who tells Storm that Forge has been taken over by The Adversary, and that they need to team up to try to find him and save him, and if they can't save him, to kill him (Of course, being that Forge is the one person who can defeat The Adversary, we can definitely tell which one he's/it's going to push Storm to try and do). This is basically the beginning of the series of events leading up to the next X-Crossover (well, at least as it relates to the main X-Men team), THE FALL OF THE MUTANTS, which will deal entirely with The Adversary making his/its big play (that starts to cause all of time to kind of collapse on itself), and this new team of X-Men having to come together (with Forge, and a hopefully re-powered Storm) to stop him. However, there will be a few twists and turns for both the X-Men and Storm/Forge before that all comes to pass. The next issue will bring about a return of the Marauders (and we'll finally be introduced to their true leader, Mr. Sinister, to boot), as they'll try to swing back around and take out a target they failed to 100% take out the first time, which will lead to the X-Men finally facing them somewhat on their own terms (although, the group of assassins will have a few surprises for our mutants that they couldn't possibly expect). It's the X-Men Vs. Marauders: ROUND TWO....be there, or be square. GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 12, 2017 23:51:19 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #221 "Death by Drowning" Cover Date: September, 1987 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Marc Silvestri Team: Storm, Wolverine, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue Villain/s: Mr. Sinister, The Marauders (Polaris/Malice, Scalphunter, Archlight, Sabretooth, Scrambler, Harpoon, Vertigo), Maze/The Adversary Guest Stars: Madelyne Pryor-Summers Official Plot: Mister Sinister, the leader of the Marauders, is furious at his mercenaries over their failure to eliminate Madelyne Pryor, who survived their assassination attempt, jeopardizing his attempts to eliminate all traces of her existence. When Sabretooth tries to lash out at his master, he learns that Sinister is not so easily defeated. Sinister then sends Scrambler, Arclight, Sabretooth, Polaris, Scalphunter, Vertigo, and Harpoon to San Francisco to the hospital where Madelyne has been recovering to kill her. While at Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, the X-Men have returned home. Dazzler is spending time honing her skills in the Danger Room, where she uses it's holographic system to create Rogue as her opponent. When Rogue learns of this she is upset that Dazzler cannot look past her criminal past and their previous clashes and demands to know what it takes to make her new teammate trust her. The two women almost come to blows when Psylocke telepathically interrupts and tells them that Wolverine is calling an emergency. While in the Grand Canyon, the being posing as Naze has brought Storm here to the site of a recent battle between Dr. Strange and Dormammu. Here he hopes to use both Storm and Forge as his pawns to do his bidding and muses how easily he will trick Storm into destroying her only savior and truest love. Returning to Storm who is waiting by their jeep, "Naze" tells her that he was making prayers for their journey and tells her that they must begin their quest on foot, telling them that that they are taking a Spiritpath. He tells her that it is her last chance to back out, however Storm decides to continue along. When Naze flirts with her telling her that Forge was a fool for losing her, she is visibly flattered -- further playing into this impostors sinister plans. In San Francisco, the X-Men have gathered on the rooftop across the street of the Memorial Hospital. There Logan explains that Madelyne Pryor gave them a call frightened and angry that her entire identity has seemingly been erased and she's been trying to find trace of her husband Scott and her son. While Alex balks at the idea that Scott ran off with his nephew, Wolverine tells him it's a moot point as her attackers were the Marauders. Betsy has detected them around the hospital, making her their target still and warns the X-Men that two have already entered the hospital. Wolverine orders Rogue to go in first and she easily knocks out Sabretooth. Entering Maddy's roomshe finds that Scalphunter is about to shoot her but turns his gun on Rogue instead. This gives Madelyne enough time to grab a food tray and smash him in the face with it to get free. When Scalphunter tries to go after her he is taken out by a laser blast from Dazzler fired from across the street. She is still on the roof top with Psylocke and Longshot when they are attacked by Vertigo, who uses her powers to disorientate them. Longshot grabs the two women and dives off the building, his luck powers landing them safely into the back of a dump truck. However before the vehicle can drive away, Psylock is struck by one of Harpoon's energy weapons, her pain being transmitted to the other X-Men -- including Wolverine and Havok who have entered the hospital. While they are disorientated, Scramble manages to sneak up and use his powers on Havok causing his abilities to flare out of control causing massive structural damage to the building and stunning Wolverine. Believing Wolverine dead, Scrambler then tries to throw Havok down a hole in the floor to his death, but he only falls a few floor. Before he can go down and kill him, Madelyne gets the drop on him knocking. However, when Arclight causes the building to shake up, he manages to escape from her. When Rogue arrives, Wolverine tells her to take Madelyne away from the scene so that the Marauders don't damage the hospital anymore. As she flies Maddy away, she asks Rogue why the Marauders are targeting her, other than her association with the X-Men, Rogue isn't sure. As they fly by a nearby construction site they are attacked by Polaris who uses her powers to bind the two women in it's exposed steel girders. Rogue is shocked to see a former X-Man leading the Marauders, but before she can get any answers, Polaris uses her powers to pull the girders out of their foundation and throw it into San Francisco Bay. Before she can do so, Dazzler grabs Longshot's grappling hook and uses it to grab hold, holding on for dear life. In the water below, Dazzler frees Madelyne first and she swims to freedom, and despite Rogue's urging to leave her behind, Dazzler risks drowning to save her life. Bringing Dazzler to the surface, Rogue is touched to learn that Dazzler has dropped her grudge against Rogue upon realizing how important it is they act as a team. This moment is interrupted however when Polaris arrives to make sure that she kills them this time. This story is continued next issue... Brodie's View:While we get a little more on the whole Storm/Naze/Adversary/Forge story-line, most of this issue concerns one of the X-Men's greatest recent threats, The Marauders, and as a bonus, we begin the issue being introduced to the true boss and mastermind behind the group of assassins (and therefore, the MUTANT MASSACRE), Mister Sinister (Who eventually dropped the "Mister," which I approved of, as it was never needed. Sinister just kind of says it all), who instantly shows his Pimp Hand by owning on Sabretooth like Galactus owned Ultron in the first issue of SECRET WARS (OK, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but Sabretooth is owned pretty hard here). Point is, Sinister discovers that the Marauders failed in their mission to eliminate Madelyne Pryor-Summers (somewhere around #206, as that is where she was discovered, barely alive and comatose), and he sends pretty much the entire group back to finish the job (We'll find out why he wants Maddie dead so much in the lead in to INFERNO). However, luckily for Maddie, she called the X-Men shortly after waking up, and realizing that someone (sinister) has been erasing her entire existence. Wolverine assembles the group, and they fly out to San Fran to ready for the Marauders. Of course, the group doesn't disappoint, and the battle is on. However, the X-Men (and especially Havok) have a surprise waiting on them, as one of their former members has been possessed by Malice, and is now leading the Marauders into battle. This ends up causing Havok (and others in the group) to hesitate at times that they shouldn't have, which almost costs them big time. To make things worse, we establish early on that there is a bit of strife within the X-Men team itself, especially concerning Dazzler and Rogue, who were enemies when Rogue was a Baddie and part of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. It seems that Dazzler still hasn't gotten over hating Rogue, even though she had proven to the rest of the X-Men that she had changed her ways over and over. However, in a cool swerve during the battle with the Marauders, when Rogue is saved from being trapped under steel girders in the San Fran Bay by Dazzler, the two come to an understanding that their past dislikes must be put aside for the good of the team. However, just at that moment, Polaris/Malice attacks them as they are floating in the Bay. This is where our issue ends, as the next issue will conclude this battle between the two teams, and we'll see if Maddie ends up making it out of San Francisco alive. Oh, yeah....and we'll have more build up for Storm vs. Forge, manipulated into happening by Naze/The Adversary. GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 12, 2017 23:59:57 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #222 "Heartbreak!" Cover Date: October, 1987 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Marc Silvestri Team: Storm, Wolverine, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue Villain/s: The Marauders (Polaris/Malice, Scalphunter, Archlight, Sabretooth, Scrambler, Harpoon, Vertigo), Maze/The Adversary, The Eye Killers Guest Stars: Madelyne Pryor-Summers Official Plot: Continued from last issue... While coming to the rescue of Madelyne Pryor in San Francisco, the X-Men have been ambushed by the Marauders who are seeking to kill Madelyne. During the course of the battle, Rogue and Dazzler have been dumped into the San Francisco Bay where they are confronted by the Marauders leader, Polaris -- whom they do not know has been possessed by Malice. Before she can attack the two she is blasted from behind by Havok. Rogue recovers her body and flies it back to shore, wondering what Havok will think when he finds out his girlfriend is a member of their worst enemies. However, Rogue is still weak after Dazzler saved her from the bottom of the bay and the best she can do is skip across the water crashing all three women on the beach. Meanwhile, Havok and Psylocke have been picked up by the X-Men's ally SFPD detective Bree Morrell, who the two new X-Men thank for assisting in their battle with the Marauders. When Bree wants to know why the Marauders want to kill Madelyne, Psylocke doesn't know and telepathically contacts Rogue to find out. Rogue tells Psylocke that she has one of the Marauders prisoner and leaves Dazzler with Polaris while she goes to look for Madelyne in the Bay. Dazzler deciding to not be caught off guard uses her powers to absorb all the sound in the area to convert into light, and leeches out all the sound, causing a panic on the beach until Havok and Psylocke arrive to stop her. When Alex turns over the Marauder to see who it is, he is shocked to see that it's Lorna. Polaris has revived by this point and blasts Havok with her magnetic powers. Meanwhile, in the Rockies, Storm and Naze continue their trek to find Forge, whom Naze says has been manipulated into working for the Adversary an ancient god that seeks to unleash chaos throughout the universe. As they take a pause on their vision quest to camp for the night and cook a meal they are interrupted by a woman who comes running for her life. When Storm tries to bring her close to the fire, the woman is hesitant and when she asks who is after her they get their answer in the form of a large boulder being hurled at them. While Storm is distracted, the woman suddenly grabs her and lifts her off her feet, and tosses Storm away. As Storm rolls with the throw to avoid injury, she is told that the "attacker" is her brother. Storm meets the "woman's" "brother" who manifests the ability to fire black lightning bolts from his eyes, which Ororo barely manages to dodge. The woman meanwhile has grabbed Naze and began draining his life force. However, deducing the woman's weakness Storm pushes her into the fire, forcing the creature to reveal it's true form: The owl-headed reptilian form of one of the demonic Eye Killers. With an assist from Naze, Storm manages to force the two into their fire until the two Eye Killers are engulfed with flames and killed. Although they are victorious, both are injured and have the Eye Killer's poison running in their veins. Gathering up and leaving camp, Naze tells her that the gates that keep these demons off Earth is wearing thing and when Storm considers the idea that Forge might be responsible tells Naze that she will do whatever it takes to stop him, a response that pleases the old shaman. Back in San Francisco, Havok is taken off guard by being attacked by his lover. When Psylocke scans Lorna's mind she learns that she has been possessed by Malice allowing Lorna to be temporarily free. This momentary freedom ends when Alex, Alison, and Betsy are attacked by Harpoon and Vertigo, allowing Malice to reassert control. A brief battle breaks out between the three X-Men and three Marauders until Arclight arrives to shake things up a little, causing the beach to sink in. As Polaris attempts to escape, Alex jumps up and grabs her leg, refusing to let her go begging her to fight Malice's control. While out on the Bay, Rogue continues her search for Madelyne unaware that Scalphunter his hiding out on the Golden Gate Bridge and has her lined in his sights. His shot is ruined by the arrival of Longshot and Wolverine. When Scalphunter fires at both of them, Longshot drops down to the water below, leaving Wolverine alone. Wolverine believes he is more than a match for Scalphunter, however, Scrambler gets the drop on him and nullifies his healing factor and enhanced senses. Sabretooth takes this moment to dive into the fight, however he does not account for Wolverine's Adamantium laced bones and claws, and Logan makes short work of him by impaling him through the heart and tossing him at his fellow Marauders. When Scalphunter begins firing again, Logan jumps off the bridge on a hunch and is right when Rogue manages to rescue him before he hits the water. The Marauders, deciding that Madelyne must be dead consider their mission accomplished and retreat, so when Rogue and Logan get back on the bridge they are nowhere to be found. Rushing back down to the water to see if Longshot is okay, Logan is surprised to see that Longshot's luck power not only saved him, but also allowed him to find and rescue Madelyne as well. While over Alcatraz, Havok continues to try and convince Lorna to fight Malices control when she sees the signal from Scalphunter. She kicks him loose, however uses her magnetic powers to allow him a safe landing on the ground, finding his continued living with the fact his lover is enslaved by the enemy to torment him. As she flees she goads him into firing at her, telling him that if he lets her go he will be partially responsible for anyone whom she might kill in the future. Realizing that she is right, Alex unleashes the best plasma blast he can muster, however Polaris manages to block it, mocking him as she flees the scene. Brodie's View:We get two halves of a story in this issue, as on one hand, we continue with the X-Men (or most of them) Vs. The Marauders in this issue. The Marauders, of course, have been sent by their Boss, (Mister) Sinister, to kill Madelyne Pryor-Summers, who barely escaped her last encounter with the mutant assassins. For reasons still left unexplained, Sinister wants Maddie gone, but luckily, she had got an inkling something was coming, and alerted the X-Men, who were there to meet the Marauders head on. However, it still ended up being a back and forth fight between the two groups, with things being made worse due to the Marauders' newest member, the Malice possessed Polaris, which, of course, is majorly messing with the X-Men's newest member, and Polaris' boyfriend, Havok. In fact, his inability to do what has to be done, and take Polaris out when he has the shot is the major story of this side of things. At the end of the issue, he finally realizes he has no choice but to take her out, which she is able to deflect. However, it is the fact that he was able to come to the point where he took the shot is the turning point, and we'll see how that plays on Havok in upcoming issues. Trust me, it won't be how one expects.....at least at this point. The other half of the story concerns Storm and Naze (who little does Storm know, has been taken over by an ancient demonic presence known only as The Adversary, who is trying to goad Storm into the killing the man that helped take her powers from her some time ago, Forge, who is also the only man who can defeat The Adversary, as it is what he had been trained all his life for), and their fighting for their lives against a duo of shape changing demons known as the Eye Killers (a really dumb ass name, but, whatever....I guess it fits, as they fire shit/suck life essences out through their victim's eyes). However, little does Storm know, once again, but these are just more games by The Adversary, building her up to the point that she thinks a Adversary possessed Forge is behind these attacks, and will kill him on sight. We'll see another couple issues of this build up before things finally come to a head between the two mutants, leading us directly to the FALL OF THE MUTANTS story-line. We'll see more build up on both sides of things as we get closer to this big happening. GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 13, 2017 1:39:51 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #223"Omens & Portents" Cover Date: November, 1987 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Kerry Gammill Team: Storm, Wolverine, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue Villain/s: Maze/The Adversary, Freedom Force (Mystique, Destiny, The Blob, Spiral, Pyro, Avalanche, Crimson Commando, Super Sabre, Stonewall---the last three joining in this issue) Guest Stars: Madelyne Pryor-Summers Official Plot: Following their convictions, the former World War II super-heroes Crimson Commando and Stonewall have been drafted into the government controlled Freedom Force, much to the chagrin of Mystique who is still weary of Valerie Cooper's selection following the troubles the team had with the new Spider-Woman. Mystique warns the two veteran heroes not to step out of line as she will kill them if they ruin her chances at a government pardon. Pyro and Blob are smug about the new recruits, and when Blob tries to put his might up against Stonewall, he ends up toppling himself over. The introductions are suddenly interrupted when Spiral detects a coming intruder and teleports out of the room. This intruder turns out to be the Commando and Stonewall's ally Super Sabre, having survived their encounter with Storm he has come looking to either rescue or join his comrades. He slips past Avalanche who is doing yard work outside, but is easily tripped up by the teleporting Spiral who threatens to kill him until Commando confirms who he is. When Mystique tries to refuse him membership in the Freedom Force, they are all alerted to the sound of Destiny screaming. Rushing back inside, Mystique is told by Destiny that while checking on her step-daughter Rogue's future she sees nothing but death for her and the X-Men. While in the Rocky Mountains, Storm continues her vision quest with Naze, and the two have stopped to go fishing. However, after Storm catches a fish, Naze suddenly passes out. Taking him back to the line shack they found in their travels she learns that he is still weak from the Eye Killer's poison and that despite his efforts to use his magic to fight them out of his system, he fears that Forge might be affecting his magical abilities. He tells Storm that from here on out, she must travel alone. In New York City, a reporter named Mr. B listens to the opinions of some regular laborers opinions on mutants. One man, who stresses that he isn't racist because he has African-American friends says mutants are different because they don't look human or have powers that might put a hard working man out of work. He expresses the rage he would feel if he ever knew of his children associating with mutants, or worse -- having a child that is a mutant -- which he tells the reporter he would unquestionably kill the child. While back in San Francisco, Rogue is returning to Alcatraz -- the X-Men's temporary headquarters on the west coast following an unsuccessful run to find a sign of the Marauders. She arrives just as Dazzler and Longshot are in a training session in which Dazzler narrowly avoids getting fatally hit by one of Longshot's daggers. Logan warns her about showing off and make up her mind if she's an X-Man or a singer because it could mean life or death to her, telling her to always be ready. With that, Logan springs and attack, but Rogue easily subdues him, he manages to reverse the tables when she lets her guard down and she wisely calls uncle. When Rogue expresses her desire to tackle the Marauders again, she wonders where Alex and Madelyne are. Madylne is standing on one of the cliff sides that rings Alcatraz and thinks about where her life has gone. She went from an idealistic wedding with her husband Scott Summers to having a child. Then things went downhill, starting with Scott walking out on her. Then she was attacked by the Marauders who took her child and left her for dead until she was rescued by the X-Men. Left with nothing, not even her wedding ring, she begins to contemplate committing suicide. Down below, Alex is jogging thinking about if he and Lorna Dane will ever be reunited to live happily ever after again. Seeing Madelyne standing over the cliff edge above, he rushes to stop her. In the Rockies, Storm has put Naze in his bed and prepared a medicine for him to counteract the poison. He tells her to drink it as well just in case the poison effects her later on. Suddenly the hut they are in is ripped open and she is attacked by a demonic bear, although the creature manages to slash her badly, she gets away when she falls out of the hut. She is shocked to find that despite the fact it's the middle of summer, there is a full blown blizzard going on outside. Breaking through a frozen lake, she struggles to get out when she is attacked by a demonic snake. Stabbing the creature in the eye she pulls herself out of the water and has to climb up a steep slope. When the wounded snake recovers and comes after her it is suddenly felled by an explosion. Looking over her shoulder, Storm is surprised to see that the Rockies have given way to the jungles of Vietnam where she sees that Forge has summoned demons to slay a number of the Viet Cong army. Realizing that this must be what weakened the barriers to allow the Adversary access to Earth, Storm confronts Forge and asks him what he is doing. He tells her that he is remaking the world and reaches out to her. As he does, his mechanical hand transforms into a claw which starts transforming Storm upon a touch. As he pushes her close for a kiss, Storm does not hesitate to pull out her knife and fatally stab him. With Forge seemingly dead the battle ground disappears and Storm realizes she was in the hut the whole time and her ordeal was nothing more than a vision. Explaining to Naze what happened, she confides in the old man that although she truly does love Forge, she must destroy him. In saying this, she doesn't see the devilish grin that crosses Naze's face or the evil glint in his eyes, while outside the freak snowstorm continues to rage. Back in Alcatraz, Alex manages to convince Madelyne not to jump, if not for herself but for the sake of her son Nathan whom is still out there somewhere. Alex tells her of the struggle he had to deal when learning Lorna was a member of the Marauders, but also having to deal with her taunting him to attack. Telling her the X-Men are her family he tells her that no matter what they will win. This convinces her to walk away from the edge and return back to base with him. When she asks him if he's sure they'll win, Alex best his life on it, and Madelyne decides to match him on that promise. Brodie's View:As Storm undergoes a "Vision Quest," which, of course, is being manipulated by Naze/The Adversary, continuing the build up to her killing Forge, who is the one person that can stop The Adversary from breaking down/controlling all of reality, hence all this build up. We check in on various other things in this issue as well. The first is Mystique's former Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (AKA Freedom Force), who is gifted with three new members, but three we've seen very recently: Crimson Commando, Super Sabre, and Stonewall, the three older superhumans, who until recently, we're acting as vigilantes/hunters, offing criminals that they felt had escaped justice. Of course, having three new people just suddenly put in her group doesn't sit very well with Mystique, but she doesn't have enough time to really throw a fit about it, as she is summoned by her precog fellow FF member/lover, Destiny, who has a vision of the X-Men (Including Mystique's foster daughter, Rogue) dying in Dallas. (Ruh Roh, Raggie ) We then have a brief interlude of a random mutant hating human being interviewed, showing that mutant hatred has very much not gone away, although, we haven't really focused on it in a while. We then see the X-Men training at Alcatraz (where they're temporarily hiding out), and under the leadership of Wolverine, who Storm had placed in charge in her absence. It's clear from this little training session that this group of new X-Men hasn't really gelled as much as a team as they probably should have, leading into what they're about to face. However, as events will move very quickly in the next couple of issues, they'll have to put their differences/sloppiness aside, as they will be fighting multiple foes. One of the main story-lines I haven't mentioned so far is one that starts out small for now, but will build and build past FALL OF THE MUTANTS, and will come to a head in the next Crossover, INFERNO, and that is the relationship that will form and grown between Madelyne Pryor-Summers (who has come to join the group after last issue's events) and Havok (Alex Summers)(AKA, the brother of Madelyne's estranged husband, Cyclops, AKA Scott Summers). We see the fall out from both characters from having the people they love leave them behind (at least in Havok's case, it wasn't really Polaris' fault, as she was possessed by the Marauder known as Malice), as Havok talks Madelyne from potentially jumping to her death. Of course, it would be easy to say later that he probably should have let her jump, as it would have saved a lot of suffering (including hers), but certain events that happened would have happened anyways, through Illyana Rasputin. Anyways, as I said previously, we will see the two grow closer over the next 20 issues, and eventually turn romantic....and then turn very dark. However, in the near future, that will take a backseat to the threats in front of the X-Men: Freedom Force, The Marauders, The Adversary, and threats that have yet to come. Next issue, we will see the final bit of build, and then....THE FALL OF THE MUTANTS. GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 13, 2017 20:01:06 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #224"The Dark Before the Dawn" Cover Date: December, 1987 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Marc Silvestri Team: Storm, Wolverine, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue Villain/s: Maze/The Adversary, Freedom Force (Mystique, Destiny, The Blob, Spiral, Pyro, Avalanche, Crimson Commando, Super Sabre, Stonewall) Guest Stars: Madelyne Pryor-Summers, Forge, & Val Cooper Official Plot: Continued from last issue... In the unseasonal cold weather near Yellowstone, Wyoming, Storm has been given some traditional Cheyenne clothing to combat the cold. When Storm asks how there could be snow in the middle of the summer, Naze points out that it's the doing of the Adversary. When she asks why the Adversary seeks to cause utter chaos, Naze can only say that the creature thrives on causing the entire universe to fall apart all at once, causing universal entropy so that it can recreate all existence and start his game all over again. When Ororo asks why, Naze cannot answer for the gods, and admits he admires the Adversary's "brass", much like he does that of Storm. When he tries to liken the Adversary to a weaver who pulls apart it's threading, Storm considers this abominable due to the fact that the "strands" that the Adversary is playing with are people's lives. They finally reach the point where they must part as they approach the summit of the mountain that Forge is at the top of. Naze says Storm has to go alone, as Forge has undoubtedly set up traps for him, and she could slip by undetected and take him off guard due to Forge's feelings for her. Storm thanks Naze for his help and hugs him and he gives her a kiss in return, one that Storm warmly accepts. She tells him that she will cherish that kiss until she returns. When Storm is out of earshot, Naze doubts she will and remarks that no matter what Ororo's fate, he will win one way or the other. While in San Francisco, Valerie Cooper is holding a press conference with Freedom Force members Crimson Commando and Destiny. She calls for an end to mutant violence and applauds the up soon to be tabled Mutant Special Powers Registration Act. This act, she explains, will require all superhumans to register with the government. When the press asks about the civil liberties of those who would be forced to register, Valerie points out that the rights of the many outweigh the needs of the few. However, one reporter finds that discriminating the minority to "protect" the majority goes against the ideals of a democracy and criticizes her selecting former criminals to be members of the Freedom Force. Cooper, however, states that in order to catch a fox, you get other foxes. While at a local gym, Rogue practices with a special weight lifting machine that the owner purchased off the Fantastic Four during a period they were short on money hoping to use it as a marketing gimmick when she is approached by Mystique. Rogue is happy to see her adopted mother again, however the happy reunion shifts in tone when Mystique warns Rogue about Destiny's vision that the X-Men -- Rogue included -- are fated to die in Dallas, Texas in the near future. She begs Rogue to leave the X-Men and come back to her where it's safe. However, Rogue refuses to tell her that the X-Men are family and she can't abandon them. Mystique is hurt by this, seeing that she will stick by the X-Men but not the woman who saved her and leaves in tears. While at Club DV8, Dazzler puts on an impromptu show, thanks to a connection made by Lila Cheney. However, when a drunk knocks out the lights, Dazzler uses her mutant powers to illuminate the bar, and the audience eats it up. Walking off stage, she finds Logan waiting who tells her that he liked the show. However, he cautions her about using her powers so openly because it will make her a potential target. Upset that she screwed up again Dazzler apologizes, but Logan tells her to think harder in the future. Rogue arrives to tell Logan that the X-Men may not have a future at all. While, near Union Square, Alex and Longshot are getting out of the theater after seeing Raiders of the Lost Temple, with Longshot not remembering that he had acted in that movie himself. When they see some thugs shoot some cops and kidnap a girl, speeding off in their car, Longshot springs into action. His luck powers and daggers incapacitate the car allowing him to rescue the girl -- who is instantly smitten by Longshot -- leaving Alex to deal with the thugs. Using his mutant powers to turn their car into slag, Alex warns them about continuing their criminal careers. When Detective Morelli arrives the gang is eager to allow themselves to be arrested. Morelli warns Alex that the Freedom Force is back in town and will be gunning for the X-Men if they are not careful, Alex thanks her for the warning. When the X-Men reunite at their temporary headquarters within Alcatraz, Rogue tells her teammates about the warning Mystique gave her. Logan, knowing that Destiny has been wrong before, still thinks they can't afford to take the chance. Since Ororo is unreachable due to her private mission Logan decides that the safe bet is to stay away from Dallas, however, he has no intention of staying away. He tells the X-Men that hey do not have to accompany him, however, the team is united in going, and Madelyne also offers to tag along. Logan initially refuses, however when she points out she may be killed at the hands of the Marauders if they leave her alone, so why bother staying behind if her fate is the same, Logan agrees to let her go. As the X-Men board the Blackbird to go and investigate, Psylocke decides to try and call Storm telepathically. In Wyoming, Storm faintly hears Betsy's call but dismisses it as the wind as she scales the mountain side. Suddenly, she is ambushed by a horde of demons, however they prove to be immaterial. As a powerful storm hurling black lightning bolts fills the sky, Storm reaches the top and finds Forge at the mountains apex which has a huge mystical portal open in the very fabric of reality and within: nothing but darkness. Before Ororo can run to Forge she is attacked by a demon whom she easily kills. More appear and tell her to surrender to their master and he will restore her powers however Storm -- thinking they mean Forge -- denies this offer and fights her way through the demon horde. She is soon overwhelmed, however remembering everything Naze told her and everything that is at stake she refuses to give up and miraculously manages to slay all the demons and reach Forge. When Forge notices her presence he is surprised to see her and before he can get any answers from her she stabs him. When she tells him she had to stop him from opening the gate, he tells her that he was really trying to close the gate and prevent the destruction of the world. Seeing the truth in his eyes, Storm realizes that she was tricked, and as a demon horde swarms up the top of the mountain, Storm embraces Forge and they both jump off the ledge. However before they can fall to their deaths they suddenly turn into energy and flair up into the void above. Watching this, "Naze" laughs at his victory, using his eldrich powers to destroy the Aerie that Forge used as a base for closing the spell. He remarks at a job well done and that when all is said and done the entire world will be his. This story is continued next issue... Brodie's View:Well, here we are, at the last stop before the FALL OF THE MUTANTS story-line, or at least the X-Men's part in it (as the Crossover goes through all three X-Books, and don't worry, I'll sum up what happens in the other two in the last part of the X-Men's part of it), begins. In many ways, it begins at the end of this issue, as we finally get the big confrontation Naze/The Adversary has been building to for the last five issues, and like The Adversary was hoping for. Storm reacts just as he hoped she would, and stabs Forge instantly. However, Storm quickly realizes that she's been played for a dupe, as Forge tells her he was trying to close the gate that The Adversary was using to take control of all time and space, and the two jump from the cliff Forge was standing on, turning into energy and flaring up as they "die." Taking that as a win, The Adversary destroys the cliff, and celebrates his victory, basically stating that there was no one that can stop him now, and that the world would be his. ( ) Of course, this isn't the end for Storm and Forge, but it'll be a couple of issues before we see them again, and in the case of one of them, things will be very different. However, let's leave the main players in this Crossover for now, and let's check in on how things are going for the rest of the X-Men. We see Mystique, who is worried over Destiny's premonition that the X-Men would meet their deaths in Dallas, goes to Rogue (her adopted daughter), and tries to warn her that staying with the team will result in her death. However, Rogue proves what a hero she's become since joining, and basically says that if that's her fate, as a hero, she'll face it with no regrets. We also see some of the other team members enjoying their "last night," with Dazzler entertaining people at a club, and Havok and Longshot going to the movies, and then getting to act as heroes by stopping a robbery getaway. Finally, we check in at Alcatraz, where Wolverine, even when confronted with Rogue's news of Destiny's premonition, decides to go to Dallas to take on the big bad that is brewing there, and the rest of the team (Including Madelyne Pryor-Summers, who has been hanging with the team for the last couple of issues) join him. Of course, this all continues in the next issue, which officially starts our Crossover by showing the last joining (Or re-joining) member of the team, who has been out of commission since the MUTANT MASSACRE, but has recovered about as much as he can. We'll also see the X-Men fight Mystique's Freedom Force group, and then reality itself goes pear shaped. PS....Not directly related, but a cool side story to all of this is what happens in the INCREDIBLE HULK #340, where on the way to Dallas, the X-Men, and more specifically Wolverine, are side tracked by a storm, and end up encountering the newly (at that time) grey Hulk, and one of their ultimate fights against each other takes place. Did I happen to mention the art was done by a young Todd McFarland? Once again, it doesn't directly relate to the FALL OF THE MUTANTS, but it is a fun side trip. GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 13, 2017 21:47:58 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #225"False Dawn" Cover Date: January, 1988 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Marc Silvestri Team: Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue (Madelyne Pryor-Summers) Villain/s: Maze/The Adversary, Freedom Force (Mystique, Destiny, The Blob, Spiral, Pyro, Avalanche, Crimson Commando, Super Sabre, Stonewall) Guest Stars: Roma, Magik Official Plot: Edinburgh, Scotland: Colossus has mostly recovered from his injuries battling the Marauders and has taken the time to come to the village where the X-Men most recently fought the Juggernaut to relax and spend some time sketching. When his artwork attracts the attention of some children they begin play-acting in front of him. When they ask why he is sweating he tells them that he hasn't fully recovered from his injuries. When the children complain about the X-Men being mostly girls now, Peter draws a picture of his Colossus form which impresses the children until one named Lewis makes fun of them. Saying the X-Men are just muties and that X-Factor are the real heroes. When a fight almost breaks out, Piotr breaks it up and tells the children that they should live peacefully, however half their number are not sold after the damage done by the X-Men's battle previously that year. When the children are gone, Peter is visited by a young woman who asks to commission a sketch of herself in exchange for reading his fortune. Peter is more than happy to oblige and she tells him that he is a being of courage and that he has a choice to make soon and that the fate of everything will depend on it. Surprised by these words Peter demands some answers and is shocked to find the woman is no longer there and in her place a statue of himself in his Colossus form. When he looks at the sketch of the girl she looks radically different on paper than she did in person. As Peter's thoughts are distracted when some of the children try to startle him with a firecracker. It succeeds, and he loses control of his concentration, transforming to his organic steel form. Seeing one of the boys who idolized the X-Men earlier visibly frightened by Colossus, he tries to appeal to the boy that he is no monster. However when he sees that when confronted with a mutant in real life the boy is scared, Colossus decides to leave the scene. Meanwhile, in a place beyond the reaches of existence -- the Adversary (the being who has for months been waring the form of Naze, Forge's teacher) appears in the court of the omniversal guardian Roma, whom now is trapped now that the Adversary is free to do as he pleases. He gloats over how he has removed both Storm and Forge from the battle and thus ensure his victory and that the universe will soon be destroyed by total chaos. Roma, the woman who had visited Colossus earlier smiles to herself, hoping that the events she has put in motion will be the final jest on the Adversary. Back in Scotland, among the ruins of the X-Men's battle with the Juggernaut, Colossus finds a "wanted" poster of the X-Men put up by a group called the Human Rights League. Seeing how despite the fact the X-Men have saved the world countless times they are still hounded he lets his anger get the better of him, smashing the dilapidated wall the poster hangs on demanding to know why people still fear them. When considering the sacrifices he himself made, he recalls the injuries he sustained protecting the Morlocks. Realizing he is still in his organic metal form he tries to change back to flesh and blood and despite his effort he finds that he is trapped in his alternate form. Looking at the statue of himself, he recalls how life was so simple when he first joined the X-Men, but now everyone even other superheroes look at them with mistrust. Deciding that he must still fight to make the world a better place, he goes to a payphone and accidentally wrecks its booth while trying to squeeze in. He places a call to Xavier's school in the United States and asks to speak to his sister. Happy to hear from her brother, Illyana teleports to his location. She tells him that she is glad to see he's recovered but can't stay long as the New Mutants are going on a mission and asks how she can help. Peter tells his sister that he would like to be reunited with his fellow X-Men, a request his sister is more than happy to comply with and teleports the two of them away. The X-Men are in Dallas, Texas, to determine why Destiny's visions of their future are of their deaths in this city. They first decide to check out Eagle Plaza, the former home of Forge. After Rogue does a flyby and reports to Wolverine that the place looks deserted, Logan decides to go inside and investigate. As soon as he does, the security systems go off and begin firing lasers at him, mowing him down. The other X-Men come to his rescue, with Longshot going to recover Logan, but his luck powers don't make him totally immune as one of the lasers strikes him before Havok blasts the cannons away and Rogue pulls her two teammates out of the room before debris can fall on them. Flying them back outside, Rogue flies directly into Stonewall and bounces back, and the X-Men soon find that the Freedom Force are now before them. The Blob is quickly launched in the air by Avalanche and he lands on the incapacitated Wolverine to take him out of the fight. When Longshot sees Spiral among their number, he finds the woman familiar but can't remember from where -- this vague recollection troubles Spiral. Mystique orders the X-Men to stand down and be taken into custody. However Rogue refuses, even though Mystique warns her that staying in Dallas will mean her and the X-Men's death. When Havok calls Mystique on her support of the Mutant Registration Act, she defends it, but Alex isn't sold so easily by the woman who once led the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. When Psylocke orders Dazzler to blind them with a light blast, this surprise attack is spoiled by Destiny who warns the others and Dazzler is soon knocked out by Super Saber. This leads to a full out battle between the X-Men and Freedom Force. In the ensuing chaos, Mystique asks Destiny for guidance, however, the elderly precog -- tossing off her mask -- tells her long time friend that she sees nothing but death for all those who remain here. Meanwhile, Psylocke is attempting to use her mental powers to force the Blob to move. This doesn't work and when Super Saber attempts to take her down, she redirects him into Stonewall causing him to bounce off his comrade and take out Avalanche. However, she is left open for attack by the Crimson Commando who takes her down with a single blow. The Blob gloats however, this is short lived when the fat mutant is not so easily moved until Wolverine extracts his claws, poking him in the ass hard enough to make him leap into the air. As he begins to land, Colossus materializes and lands a powerful blow sending the Blob smashing into Eagle Plaza. Mystique attempts to trick the X-Men into ceasing their battle by assuming the form of Storm, but Rogue sees through it and attempts to tackle her when they are both blasted by Spiral. The X-Men regroup and Wolverine orders that them into Eagle Plaza for cover. Destiny warns the Freedom Force to not let the X-Men do this because it will spell doom for them all, however they are too late and as the X-Men cross into the building a giant rift in the fabric of existence opens in the sky flooding downtown Dallas with light. As the Freedom Force wonder what this powerful light could be, Destiny tells them that this could be the beginning of the end for the entire world. This story is continued next issue... Brodie's View:The FALL OF THE MUTANTS is here, and in the first chapter, we are re-introduced to an X-Man that's been out with an injury (and comatose) since #211-212, and that's the metal Russian, Colossus. He sits drawing in the Scottish village that a few issues ago, Rogue/Psylocke/Dazzler/Longshot fought the Juggernaut in, and little by little, he gets the feeling that something is happening with the X-Men, and that he needs to return to action and be a part of whatever it is. This is mainly spurned on by the appearance of a young woman who asks for Colossus to draw her, while making vague, but important statements about who Pitor is and what part he has to play in some sort of a future conflict. When Pitor looks up from the picture, the woman is gone, but the picture he drew didn't look exactly like the woman who only moments before stood before him, it looks like the woman we (and readers of EXCALIBUR) will come to know as Roma, the daughter of a man theorized to be the ancient wizard named Merlin, both of whom play their own game of chess with various heroes and villains (Of course, the readers of Alan Moore/Jamie Delano's run on CAPTAIN BRITAIN already knew who Roma was, but somewhere in the previous couple of years, Chris Claremont would become obsessed with the world Moore/Delano really created during their late 70's/mid 80's run, and would continue that in both EXCALIBUR and various X-Men stories down the line). Of course we find that Roma's chess game has been brought to a halt by The Adversary, who has taken her out (or so he believes) of the game, in order to keep her from him taking what he feels is his. Anyways, back to Scotland and Colossus, who summons his teleporter sister, Magik, to him, and asks her to bring him to the X-Men, which she does (but probably regrets doing so after this story is done ). However, this takes place after the action has already started in Dallas, as the X-Men have arrived to Forge's former HQ, and are instantly put under attack by his building's defenses (which I'm sure were kicked into action by a certain demonic entity posing as a dead Native American), with some of the X-Men taking instant damage. Things are made worse when Freedom Force arrive, and the two groups, of course, get into a major fight, which Colossus arrives in the midst of, punching The Blob practically into the building itself. However, as the X-Men decide to take cover on the ground floor of Forge's ex-building, things start getting crazy, and we end with Destiny (Freedom Force's precog) freaking out, as her premonition of the X-Men dying in Dallas is one step closer to coming true, and to make things worse, it might end up taking the former Brotherhood of Evil Mutants out as well. In other words, all the lead ups to this event are over, and the main event has begun. In the next issue, we'll see enemies have to become allies in the face of an even greater threat, and two lover-enemies get their shit together, and prepare to enter the fray. Things are about to go crazy in the Lone Star State. GRADE: A-
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 13, 2017 23:31:01 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #226"Go Tell the Spartans" Cover Date: February, 1988 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Marc Silvestri Team: Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue (Madelyne Pryor-Summers) Villain/s: Maze/The Adversary Guest Stars: Freedom Force (Mystique, Destiny, The Blob, Spiral, Pyro, Avalanche, Crimson Commando, Super Sabre, Stonewall), Forge Official Plot: Continues from last issue... Going to Dallas, Texas to learn what force there might bring about their deaths, the X-Men have clashed with the Freedom Force outside Forge's old home Eagle Plaza. They had retreated inside the building to regroup unaware of the fact that in doing so, they had completed a spell by the Adversary that tore a hole in the fabric of reality over the city. Inside the ruins of Eagle Plaza, Wolverine recovers from his injuries sustained battling the Freedom Force, knowing that his teammates need him since Storm designated him, leader of the X-Men while she pursued her own private mission. With Mystique as a hostage, the X-Men prepare to for a counter attack while Havok stands watch. Havok is surprised to see that Mystiques comrades are only standing about. As he thinks about how mad the world has become -- a world where the X-Men are treated like outlaws and their old foes the former Brotherhood of Evil Mutants are heroes. Looking outside he sees that the force has Psylocke Dazzler and Rogue hostage and wonders if they can trade Mystique for them before noticing that something has Destiny upset. Destiny is in a panic due to the fact that the sudden appearance of the tear in time and space has negated her mutant powers, making her truly blind and believe that her prophetic vision of the of their and X-Men's impending doom is close as neigh, that the entire planet will soon all be destroyed. When Havok notices Super Saber running off, possibly to find a back door into the building, Havok notices falling debris and blasts it away. By this point, Wolverine has almost completely recovered and tells Madelyne, Colossus, Havok that they have to retreat before Eagle Tower falls on their heads, even if it means leaving their comrades with the Freedom Force. When Mystique tells them to surrender, they balk at the idea. It's then that Longshot notices and points out to his comrades that there appears to be sunlight outside even though it's the middle of the night, turning the free X-Men's attention to the rift in the sky. Elsewhere in the city, NPR reporters Manoli Wethere and Neal Conan are rushing through the sudden freak snow to get the story of the weird happening in Dallas when their car skids out. When they come to the border of the shining light and notice it is summer on the light side and "winter" outside, they decide to cross over to investigate further, even though they might die. While outside, on the Eagle Plaza, Dazzler revives from being knocked out during the initial assault, having absorbed the brunt of Super Saber's sonic assault and decides to make a move to try and pull Psylocke and Rogue out of the battle. Blasting their opponents with a blast of light, Dazzler begins trying to pick up Psylocke when Spiral -- unaffected by the light -- casts a spell using Destiny's mask and one of her swords to fuse the mask to Dazzler's face effectively and painfully blinding her. Psylocke, having revived herself tries to attack Spiral physically and psychically however neither works and easily subdues Betsy warning her that she can remove the eyes that Mojo gave her. Rogue, having also awoken, attacks Spiral, but before she can land a blow Spiral teleports behind her. But before the spell-spinner can attack something catches her by surprise. Elsewhere, Storm and Forge have found themselves transported to another Earth -- one where human beings never existed and nature grows in beautiful splendor. Since realizing that she had been tricked into attempting to slay Forge by the Adversary (posing as Forge's deceased shaman Naze), she has been nursing Forge back to health. When Forge awakens, Storm apologizes for being tricked so easily, but Forge not only forgives her but understands how she could have been so easily tricked. Storm, however, does not feel the same way. When coming to terms with their situation and considering the scope of the Adversary's powers, Storm wonders why when they were at his mercy that the Adversary let them live. Her thoughts are cut short when Forge screams out in pain from moving, Storm goes to his side and promises to stay by his side that night. This request puts a smile on her face. While back in Dallas, the rift over the city has also caused time to go crazy. Some parts of the city there are dinosaurs while others futuristic cities and primitive barbarians stand side by side as the fabric of reality begins to unravel. Witnessing this, Logan realizes that whatever they are facing is bigger than both the X-Men and the Freedom Force and frees Mystique suggesting that the two teams work together until the crisis has been sorted out. Mystique agrees, but when she asks Wolverine for ideas, he has none. Colossus left to his thoughts considers how he had a desire to be reunited with his fellow X-Men after meeting the strange woman in Edinburgh. Remembering her fortune that the fate of everything rests on him makes him wonder if coming here was really his choice. When Madelyne asks him if he sees something, Colossus tells her he sees nothing and suggests they go back to help the others save the world. When she wonders how he can joke instead of wanting to run away and tells her that he stands by those he loves, much like she is. While nearby, Manoli and Conan find a crashed futuristic news van and decide to try to use it to record the events happening in the area. They are then attacked by a barbarian which nearly takes Neal's head clean off until it's shot dead by Manoli. Shocked by the encounter, Neal tells his partner to get her camera feed set up so they can get rolling. Meanwhile, the X-Men and Freedom Force begin working together to help those caught in the chaos. In the Galleria, Pyro and Longshot save a crowd from a Tyrannosaurus Rex. When Pyro introduces them, some children are shocked that "Muties" would save them, leaving Longshot to question them if being a mutant doesn't mean they can't be human beings or heroes. While on I-35 the police are trying their best to hold back an invading army of barbarians when they are lent a helping hand by Super Saber and Wolverine who fight their way through the horde. Their fight is being televised by Manoli and Neal. Watching Wolverine as he slaughters the warriors, Manoli wonders aloud what difference there is between Wolverine and the barbarians. Neal points out that Wolverine is on their side and asks her why he should be treated as an outlaw or different from others solely because he is a mutant. When he questions how the whole world could persecute mutants, Manoli -- noticing that their camera is piping into every major television network tells Neal that at least this time the whole world is watching and will see the truth. While on the other world that Storm and Forge have been transported too, it has been many months that have passed and they have traveled to the location that would be Yellowstone Wyoming on their world. There they find a large patch of black earth where Forge's Aerie would have been. Taking a flower and tossing it on the charred ground it is instantly incinerated leaving Forge to properly deduce that the Aerie has been destroyed and the ground tainted by the Adversary, the magical powers in the location twisted by their foe. When once more considering the scope of their situation, Forge seems content to stay on this world even though their home world stands to be destroyed. When Storm asks him about the fate of their native home. Forge tells her home is where the heart is and his heart is with her. When he asks her where hers is, she tells him that she doesn't know and walks off, confused after all the manipulation she went through with "Naze". Forge smiles, understanding full that this "sanctuary" may be a trap by the Adversary. However in this game of "chess" these two mere "pawns" may become queens. Back in Dallas, the X-Men and Freedom Force have gathered all the humans trapped in the location to Eagle Plaza which has been converted into a refugee area. There Manoli begins interviewing Mystique about the situation. When Manoli begins asking Mystique what it's like working with the outlaw X-Men, Havok pipes up and tells Havok that if the X-Men were the villains humans paint them to be they wouldn't be here and that they have been heroes since the days of their foundations. He tells the camera that every day they have spent risking their lives but too often paid the ultimate price for saving the world. He tells the camera that he is glad that this time around there is a camera to catch the truth and hopes that the people at home can enjoy the show. This statement earns Neal's respect. While elsewhere, Spiral tries to undo the spell that has bound Destiny's mask to Dazzler's face so that she can help with the relief efforts, however, some outside force is affecting her magics and she cannot reverse the spell due to the growing chaos. Colossus angrily grabs her by the throat and demands her to try harder until Psylcoke tells him to stand down, pointing out that she is as shocked as they are. When Colossus warns her against threatening another X-Man, she teleports away telling him that one day they will test each others powers against one another. Colossus, looking at the small statuette given to him by the strange girl in Scotland wonders if that won't happen sooner than either any of them suspect. While back on the world created by the Adversary, Storm has traveled to this worlds version of Africa to call upon the Bright Lady for guidance much like she did as a child. However when her pleas are unheard, she realizes the horrible truth about this world: as idealistic as it is meant to be it has no soul and wonders if she is meant to be this worlds version of the Bright Lady. Back on Earth, the Crimson Commando and Stonewall are leading officers to Eagle Plaza when they spot an party of Native Americans riding towards them in traditional Cheyenne outfits and on horseback. Approaching them the Commando is told by their chief that the chaos has been created by the Adversary and that only Forge -- who has been trained his entire life to face the old trickster -- can stop the creature. The Commando is inclined to agree, however before any more information can be gleaned, one trigger happy police officer shoots the chief, thinking him a threat. This causes his fellow officers to react in kind gunning down the Native Americans in cold blood, despite the Commando's orders to stop firing. In the aftermath of the senseless slaughter, Commando mourns the dead telling his comrade that these people came as friends and were murdered, making him wonder if the world even deserves to be saved. On the other world, an entire year has passed and Storm has returned to where she has left Forge. She is surprised to see that he has not only built a home, but found a means to create a solar power system. When she greets him, she sees that he had cannibalized much of his bionic leg. The two are reunited and share a kiss and the two begin considering their options on what to do about their situation. Forge tells them that it is their job to decide what their nature is on this world. While back in Dallas, barbarians are attacking the sanctuary leading to a full out battle. When Wolverine asks Neal what is going on outside, Neal tells him that there is a massive battle happening in New York involving X-Factor and that the Avengers and Fantastic Four are being held in reserve there. Wolverine is hardly surprised that they are left to fend for themselves. As Logan and Mystique consider what to do next, Colossus takes notice of Destiny and goes to her side, asking the precognitive what she can see. Destiny tells him that all she sees is an ultimate void of oblivion and unending chaos.. But now sees a faint glimmer, for Freedom Force and the rest of the world. But breaks into tears and tells Colossus that this comes at the cost of the lives of the X-Men, who's fate she says are sealed. A fate that will happen if the X-Men enter Eagle Plaza again. When Colossus walks towards the plaza, Madelyne asks Colossus what he is doing. Colossus tells her that if salvation is within Eagle Plaza, then sacrificing himself to save the entire world is a fair exchange. As he does so reality continues to warp and when Psylocke sees him heading toward the building she stops him. When he cannot explain to her his plan in words, Psylocke scans his mind and recognizes the woman who told his fortune in Scotland was Roma the Omniversal Guardian. Realizing that they need to get up to Forge's penthouse, Wolverine sends Rouge to fly out and investigate first. As she does, Spiral is blasted from the roof and is sent falling down. She crashes into Rogue and their fall is blunted by the Blob. While Rogue is no worse for wear, Spiral has been knocked out. This makes up Logan's mind that the penthouse is just where they need to go, and they will have to go up the stairs. Havok tells them they're going to have some more problems as the lobby of Eagle Plaza has been transformed into a jungle. Taking a closer look, Logan recognizes it very well, it resembles Vietnam. While back on the world that Forge and Storm have been sent to, the two realize that they have a choice: Either they stay and foster the human race on this empty world, being it's gods and let their home world perish, or return home and let this nubile world end before it could truly begin. Forge tells Storm that if they stay they will be spared the fate of everyone back home, but if they go back they will share the same fate as the world. Storm questions if Forge has a way they could get back home. Forge explains that while she was gone seeking answers, he was working to accomplish that possibility and shows her the new Aerie that he has created. Back in Dallas, the X-Men and Freedom Force -- accompanied by a State Trooper -- enter the jungle that appeared inside Eagle Plaza. To their surprise, they are attacked by a Viet Cong soldier which the trooper easily dispatches. Logan's enhanced senses detect something wrong with the man, and when he begins spouting anti-mutant rhetoric, Mystique reminds him that mutants are the ones trying to save the world. When Mystique decides to have Freedom Force press on, Logan disagrees. He tells her to keep Freedom Force back so that if it's a trap not all of them are captured and tells her (while being filmed by Neal) that the X-Men are outlaws that nobody will miss if they sacrifice their lives to save the world. He then turns to his fellow X-Men and tells them that it's a volunteer mission and any one of them can back out. The X-Men all agree to tag along, even the blinded Dazzler and Madelyine Pryor who refuse to stay behind when Logan suggests it. When all is said and done, Neal Conan approaches Logan and shakes his hand. Logan turns and tells all gathered that no matter what happens, to always remember them. As the X-Men venture into the forest a universe away Storm and Forge are atop the new Aerie. Here Forge has created a ring that can channel the mystic energies needed to send them back home. He explains that it will require the use of Storm's powers, telling her that while she was gone he built a device that -- he hopes -- will restore her lost mutant powers. Storm agrees to test the weapon out and when Forge blasts her with the newly created device he tells Storm to summon the elements. At first it doesn't work but after some concentration Storm is delighted to see that her powers have returned. Calling lightning, the restored wind-rider blasts the mystical posts creating the elemental pentagram needed for Forge to cast his spell to send them back home. Back in Dallas, the Freedom Force and the state trooper flee from the lobby of Eagle Plaza as the weather takes a turn for the worse. The trooper stops and reveals his true form: that of the Adversary, who is surprised to sense that Storm and Forge are returning to Earth. Finding them worthy adversaries, he calls out to them telling all that he welcomes their sacrifice and will enjoy bringing the world into chaos. Seeing this transformation, the Blob freaks out and grabs Mystique and flees. Just then, the top floor of Eagle Plaza suddenly explodes... This story is concluded next issue... Brodie's View:Holy crap! There's a LOT that ends up happening in this, the second part of the X-Men's part of this whole FALL OF THE MUTANTS Crossover, and I'll do my best to try and talk about all of it. When we last left off, the X-Men and Freedom Force (The Former Brotherhood of Evil Mutants plus a few off beat members like Spiral, The Crimson Commando, Super Sabre, and Stonewall) had been fighting in front of the building that up until recently had been the HQ of Forge, who up until this point, is thought to have been killed (along with Storm) by the machinations of our Big Bad for this storyline, the demonic entity known as The Adversary. As the X-Men run for cover (with Mystique as their prisoner) in the first floor of Forge's building, things start to go crazy, and Destiny (Precog and member of FF) starts to freak out, as her premonition of the X-Men dying in Dallas has taken its first steps towards coming true. We start off with different fights still happening with the two groups, most notably Spiral using magic to bond one of Destiny's masks and her swords to Dazzler's face, effectively blinding her. Finally, Wolverine talks sense to Mystique, and the two teams call a truce, as time starts to break down around them. Suddenly, the two mutant teams and various law enforcement (captured by two newscasters, who are recording the whole event) are having to fight off dinosaurs, futuristic warriors, barbarians, and other crazy shit. Wolverine is told that something crazy is also going on in New York (We'll talk about that when we talk about what happened in X-Factor's part of this crossover), and that The Avengers and The Fantastic Four are otherwise occupied, which means the X-Men are, as almost always, on their own with this. However, this is for the best, as Wolverine and the rest of the X-Men (Including the blinded Dazzler and Madelyne Pryor) decide to finally enter the building, which they realize the Adversary is mainly operating on the roof of, and face the demonic entity directly (However, little do they know that the Adversary is also amongst them, disguised as a state trooper, who only reveals himself after the X-Men have entered the building), and for once, all this is being captured and broadcast, which is great for the team, as it makes them look like the true blue heroes they haven't been allowed to look like for a long time, and indeed, this is one of the team's greatest "heroic" moments, which kind of sets up where they'll be after this whole storyline comes to its close after next issue. Of course, there's another side to this whole story, and that involves two of the main players in this whole drama: Forge and Storm, who we reveal have been hiding out in an alternate, but barren world, as Forge recovers from the stab wound given to him by Storm a couple of issues ago. Time passes (at least for them, long enough for Storm to have grown her long hair back), and finally, Forge is recovered enough to talk about what to do next: Stay on this world, safe from whatever The Adversary is going to do their home world, or go back and risk the death and destruction that the demon will bring. Finally, they decide to go back, but before doing that, Forge ends up giving her her powers back, and the two of them use Forge's magic to bring them back home, just in time for the big final fight in the next issue. In the next review, which as I stated just a second ago, will be the big fight against The Adversary to end this whole deal, Destiny's premonition about The X-Men meeting their deaths in Dallas WILL come true. However, this won't be the end of the story, not by a long shot (no pun intended), but instead will lead to a brand new beginning (and a new status quo) for our mutant group. "The Australian Period." GRADE: A-
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 14, 2017 1:18:52 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #227"The Belly of the Beast" Cover Date: March, 1988 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Marc Silvestri Team: Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue (Madelyne Pryor-Summers) Villain/s: Maze/The Adversary Guest Stars: Freedom Force (Mystique, Destiny, The Blob, Spiral, Pyro, Avalanche, Crimson Commando, Super Sabre, Stonewall) , Forge. Roma, Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde, Lockheed, Nightcrawler, and Moria MacTaggert Official Plot: Continued from last issue... As the X-Men and reporter Neal Conan venture into Eagle Plaza to try and free Roma and face the Adversary, the building suddenly explodes, leaving the Freedom Force and Manoli Wetherell to wonder if anyone inside survived. They are happily surprised and horrified to see that they indeed did and that Neal is filming the X-Men as are in what appears to be the Vietnam jungle where Viet Cong soldiers appear to be fighting demons. As the X-Men battle the creatures, Madelyne Pryor runs for cover and stumbles upon Forge's past self. She watches in horror as he casts a spell that takes the spirits of his fellow wounded American soldiers and opens a portal that unleashes a torrent of beasts. Horrified by what he has done, Forge then calls for a B-52 bomber to raze the area, destroying the demons. When the other X-Men find Madelyne, they ask her if she's okay she is frightened and points out what Forge had done many years ago. While high above the heroes inside Roma's starlight citadel, the Adversary gloats to his three prisoners, Roma, Storm, and Forge. He mocks them for attempting to stop him from throwing the entire universe into chaos, and laughs at his coming victory. While Forge and Storm struggle to free themselves, Roma has secret set things in motion to stop the Adversary once and for all. Back in the war zone, Neal Conan begins to get on Logan's nerves with his questions and Logan tells him to get the camera out of his face. Neal tells Wolverine that if the X-Men want to paint a better picture of mutants there isn't going to be a better time than now. Telling them that he has to show them mutants at their best and their worst to show that they too are human beings. He says that forcing him to shut off his camera will allow people to continue believing the worst about mutants, winning over the X-Men to allow him to keep filming their ordeal. Wondering where to go next, Psylocke mind scans and detects the mental traces of Storm, Forge and Roma directly above them. Logan sends Rogue to fly up and investigate. As Rogue approaches the Starlight Citadel a powerful wind picks up that sends her crashing back down to the ground. As the X-Men begin to consider what to do next and how to get at their enemy, Dazzler suggests sending Longshot up first, as his luck powers might give them the edge to get in. As the X-Men rope each other together, Neal asks Madelyne why a normal human would be helping the X-Men. She tells him that she believes what the X-Men in what they stand for and that mutants shouldn't be maligned by people because they are different. Telling the camera that she wants to help build a better world, for everyone, however, isn't optimistic about the current situation where anyone will live to see it. But she hopes for it one day, for her husband and child. Ready to go, Rogue flies up with Longshot and tosses him into the wind. With Colossus working as an anchor until all the X-Men are pulled up into the air. Colossus then exerts an extreme effort to turn off his powers and be pulled toward the citadel as well. Arriving there through sheer luck, Longshot attacks the Adversary with his throwing daggers, learning that the villain has a weakness to steel. After Rogue absorbs some of the Adversary's powers and Wolverine slashes him with his claws, Colossus comes in -- converting into his organic steel form and plows through the Adversary's human form, shredding it and revealing his demonic form to them all. Rogue, having absorbed the magical talents of the Adversary, opens a portal to banish the Adversary and tries to blast him through, but lacks the strength to do so. As Storm and Forge break free of their bonds, the energy projecting X-Men all lay on their full powers however none are strong enough to knock the Adversary through the portal. When Psylocke picks up a through in Forge's mind on how to defeat the Adversary, he refuses to do what is required, which leads to the Adversary mocking him for his inaction. Forge explains that in order to defeat the Adversary enough people would have to sacrifice their life forces in order to knock the Adversary back into his prison and seal it off. Storm offers up her life force, and so do all the X-Men -- including Madelyne -- who, after saying goodbye to her husband Cyclops and her son on camera steps up willing to sacrifice her life to save the world. Forge then casts the spell converting the X-Men into pure energy, and tosses it at the Adversary, knocking him into his extra-dimensional prison and sealing it off. On Muir Island, Shadowcat and Lockheed have been watching the battle on television and she is saddened that her best friends sacrificed their lives. However, there is some bright news from Moira -- Nightcrawler has awoken from his coma. Going to her old friend, Shadowcat has the unfortunate task of telling him the tragic news. While back in Dallas, Forge and Neal Conan are transported back to the lobby of Eagle Plaza. Emerging from the building Mystique demands to know why Forge sacrificed the souls of the X-Men and not his own. Forge tells her that someone needed to cast the spell, and he walks away as the Freedom Force's leader calls him a murderer. However, within the Starlight Citadel, the now free Roma pulls the life forces of the X-Men out of the barrier trapping the Adversary and resurrects the entire team. She tells the X-Men that the Adversary cannot be locked away forever as the universe has a need for him, as a world without chaos is one without change or growth. Roma tells the group that what they have gone through is a rebirth. Logan remarks that Storm's plan of faking the X-Men's deaths worked out after all and thinks they should capitalize on it before Roma sends them back. While Dazzler is upset at the prospect of letting the world think she is dead, the other X-Men have unity in the fact that it provides their loved ones with protection as their many enemies won't go after them to get to the X-Men now. Havok suggests that they use this opportunity to strike back at their enemies with interest and the rest of the group agrees. Roma congratulates the X-Men and tells them that they are true heroes and that this day they have inspired people and become legends in their minds. Brodie's View:Here we are at the final part of the X-Men portion of the FALL OF THE MUTANTS X-Crossover, and after a bit of build, we finally get the big fight that we've been building to since #220 (and in truth, it's been building since Forge and Naze were introduced back in #184). However, before that, we see the X-Men (save for Storm, who along with Forge and Roma, have been captured by The Adversary, who is too busy gloating about his victory to realize that the seeds of his defeat have already been planted) fighting their way through a demonic version of Vietnam (where tag-along, Madelyne Pryor-Summers sees a reenactment of Forge accidentally opening the same portal that the Adversary has opened up over Dallas, and ordering the area destroyed by napalm to close it), and finally realizing where The Adversary is, and planning their final attack. This is all being captured by news reporter, Neal Conan, who justifies his being there as giving his viewers actual proof of what heroes the X-Men are, and what heroes mutants can be. Not that this will really change the shitty opinion of mutants in the mind of your average bigot (their minds rarely change, once they have a preconceived perception of a certain group of people, in all reality), but for your average person, it might, and this was a very cool point in this story, to show the X-Men's finest hour before their "death." And a finest hour they do have, attacking The Adversary, and actually managing to wound him with a combination of Longshot's razor blade things (as like many magic based creatures, The Adversary has an aversion to metal), Rogue's siphoning some of his power, and the Colossus slamming through him like a missile, destroying his Naze form, and showing The Adversary in its true form, a demon made up of energy. However, the heroes quickly realize that it's going to take something more to actually defeat this creature, and we/they come to understand that it's going to take the deaths that Destiny foresaw. For their merit, it doesn't take them long to decide that if their lives are what they have to give to stop this evil, then it's a sacrifice worth making, and they do, including Maddie. Forge casts the spell, and the X-Men are transformed into beams of energy, which ends up knocking the demon through his open portal, and trapping him in his inter-dimensional prison. With the battle over, there is nothing left but the aftermath. We see a recovered Kitty and Lockheed sadly watching on Muir Island. However, Kitty's mood is somewhat lightened by Moria MacTaggert's news that Nightcrawler has finally awakened from his coma, to which Kitty goes and tells him the bad news. Even sadder, this is the last time we'll see these two characters in the book during Claremont's run, but that's because they'll soon be having new adventures in the soon to come (well, during this time) book, EXCALIBUR, which I know I've mentioned a lot, but, trust me, it's worth reading. We then see Forge departing the building, as Mystique blames him for living when the real heroes of the day (Including her foster daughter, Rogue) have died, and calls him a murderer. Colossus' sister, Magik, would also blame Forge for her brother's death, and try to off him in a subsequent issue of THE NEW MUTANTS, but she'll come to realize that Forge/the X-Men did what they had to do to stop The Adversary, and she'll let him live. This, however, will be the last we see of Forge in the book for a while, as his main story is really over. As I said in another post, this doesn't make me that sad, as I never really liked the character that much, so...... Anyways, we finally come back to Roma, who ends up resurrecting the X-Men. The team then end up deciding to have the world keep thinking that they're dead (which they discussed as an idea in #219), as it would allow them to act against their enemies without the fear of reprisal to their loved ones, at least for a while. Roma agrees to this, and gives them the extra bonus of not being detectable/record-able in any kind of way during this time, and we end off with the whole point of this story, that the X-Men, in their deaths, have become more than heroes, they've become Legends. Of course, this begins a new status quo and a new era for the team, as they will soon have a new base of operations, and a new mode of travel, as they will become more stealthy in this period (Hey, might as well take advantage of the "being dead" thing for as long as possible. It worked for the grey Hulk after being blown up by the Leader, after all). In the next issue, we'll see quite a bit of a "cool down" story after the dizzying heights of the last few. It's pretty skippable, but I'll review it all the same, as I'm in this run for the long haul (and I'm over halfway done), good or bad. BTW, here's what, in brief, happened in the other two X-Books during this Crossover: THE NEW MUTANTS......went to a strange island of human/animal hybrids, which eventually is invaded by Cameron Hodge's (X-Factor villain) Anti-Mutant group, The Right. Along the way, Cypher (Doug Ramsey) is shot and killed, thus ending the life of one of the most worthless mutants ever (it's true). Finally, Magik gets pissed, and sends The Right into her demonic Limbo dimension, where they become part of the demon landscape. This isn't the last we see of them. X-FACTOR.......Apocalypse finally makes his big play, and attacks New York with his 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse, including the former Angel, who has become the Death of the group. They battle X-Factor, who Apocalypse tries to talk into joining his cause, but, of course, they refuse, until Death/Angel (who will eventually become known as Archangel) accidentally "kills" what he thinks is Iceman, snapping him out of Apocalypse's brainwashing, and he winds up turning on the Immortal mutant, turning the tide. Finally, Apocalypse retreats with what's left of his Horsemen (and taking Calliban, who agrees to become the new "Death" in order to get revenge on the Marauders, with him), and X-Factor work to repair the damage caused to New York. GRADE: A-
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 14, 2017 22:19:34 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #228"Deadly Games!" Cover Date: April, 1988 Writer: Tom DeFalco (Plot) Chris Claremont (Script) Artist: Rick Leonardi Team: Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue (Madelyne Pryor-Summers) Villain/s: Vladimir Semyanovitch Zaitsev Guest Stars: Henry Peter Gyrich Official Plot: When hearing the news about the recent death of the X-Men, O.Z. Chase goes to a bar to drink while he goes over the last letter he received from his friend Alison Blaire. The letter tells of her experiences since joining the X-Men and it causes O.Z. to think back to the last time he saw Dazzler... Back then the X-Men were still living at Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and Dazzler was in the middle of a training session that is interrupted by Wolverine. Logan puts himself in the line of battle and does not help, leading to Dazzler failing her training session. When she asks why he didn't help, he tells her that she has to learn to stand on her own before she can rely on her teammates. This makes her angry, and she reminds him that she acted solo long before she joined the X-Men and can look after herself. After a show, Dazzler vents her frustrations to Rogue and Psylocke, when Psylocke finds a story that Dazzler would find interesting. How a suspect in a series of "werewolf murders" had been recently arrested, and Dazzler is shocked to see that it is her old friend O.Z. Chase. Knowing that Chase could not be responsible for the slaying she decides to head down to Florida and try to help her friend. When Logan learns of it, she tells her not to go off half-cocked and by herself. However, Ali doesn't want to leave her friend and rejects Logan's offer for the X-Men to accompany her as backup, telling him that this is a personal affair that she can handle alone. Meanwhile up on the Florida Panhandle, a farmer is about to go into town to meet with his daughter when he spots someone getting into his truck. When he approaches the would be thief, the man kills him with an energy blast and drives off. When Dazzler arrives in the town where O.Z. is being held, she is surprised to see that Wolverine has followed her there. Logan tells her that he doesn't listen to what he's told and figured she needed the help as he got the feeling that she wasn't entirely sure that O.Z. was entirely innocent. Admitting this, she tells Logan about O.Z.'s dog, Cerberus and thinks the dog might have had something to do with the murders. As Dazzler goes to the police station and tries in vein to see O.Z., Logan notices that someone is following them and when the man doesn't provide any answers he knocks him out. Later, Dazzler breaks into the impound yard to try and find O.Z.'s truck and when she does she is surprised to find Cerberus there. She takes the dog back to the hotel room she and Logan are staying at and figures that Chase is the key but doesn't know how to get to him. Logan however has a plan: after downing an entire bottle of Whiskey, Logan acts trunk and disorderly so that he gets arrested and placed in a cell near O.Z. As Logan pretends to "sleep it off", some men come into the cell block and begin demanding information on O.Z.'s most recent bounty, and tell him one of their men is missing. O.Z. tells them that all the information he has is on the police report. Realizing that something is up, Logan breaks out of his cell and knocks the two men out. Busting Chase out of jail, the two return to the hotel where Dazzler demands to know what O.Z. got himself into. He tells her he was hired to go after what he thought was your basic skip and trace. He was hired to hunt down Columbian drug dealer Vladimir Zaitsev, who was arrested in a drug bust in L.A. who vanished when he was released on bail. Tracking him down to Florida he tracked the man down and fought through his security and confronted Zaitsev. Zaitsev blasted him, knocking him out and left him to be arrested by the police, who believed he was responsible for Vladimir's murders. When Logan asks to see a picture, he is shown one and remembers Vladimir a man who Logan tussled with years ago when Zaitsev was a member of the KGB. This leaves them to wonder who was after Zaitsev. When there is a knock at the door, Logan recognizes the scent and opens it to find Henry Gyrich on the other side, a man that Logan knew when he was working with Canadian intelligence. Gyrich tells Logan that he now works for the NSA and his area of expertise is with mutants and asks if he can talk to the trio. Logan agrees and learns that Zaitsev was hired by the NSA to be a spy to leak information on the Soviet's mutant training programs so that the United States could prepare the proper defense. However, Zaitsev not only double crossed the NSA, but the KGB as well and ran off to Columbia where he set himself up as a drug lord. He explains that Zaitsev is on the run and that the Russians have sent spies to the States to eliminate him before he can give any information the US authorities. Gyrich asks Logan to help track down and capture Zaitsev -- alive -- telling him that it could help the X-Men's reputation. Logan doesn't like the idea of letting Zaitsev go unpunished for his crimes but he agrees to work alone and capture the spy. When Logan beings tracking him he is surprised to find that both Dazzler and O.Z. have come along and decided to help out. Seeing no choice the trio work together to track down Zaitsev. They find him at the same time as the Russian agents sent to kill him and witness as Zaitsev kills them with his mutant powers. When Logan approaches him, a battle breaks out. When Dazzler attempts to Dazzle him, one of the surviving assassins tries to shoot her and she manages to dodge his shots and Zaitsev's attacks and take the shooter out. While Logan and O.Z. attempt to stop Zaitsev, but he flees the scene. However, he is attacked by Cerberus who savagely mauls him to death. When the trio return to Gyrich to tell him what happened, the NSA agent is furious however the two X-Men and their friend are not that concerned considering that Zaitsev was a drug dealer. The entire experience leaves Dazzler to feel sorry for Gyrich, a man she feels is so caught up in his work that he cannot see the good that they did.... As O.Z. finishes reading the letter, he overhears one of the bar patrons speaking ill of the X-Men's sacrifice, angering him. Pulling out his shotgun he gets everyone in the bar to raise their glasses to Dazzler and the X-Men. Leaving the bar, O.Z. and Cerberus go back to his truck where he pulls down his sun visor revealing a photograph of Dazzler and raises one more drink in her memory. Brodie's View:No, this "Deadly Games" isn't the 1998 Survivor Series, arguably the high point of the Attitude Era (or at least Vince Russo's part of it). We couldn't be that lucky. No, this is both a "cool down issue" after the delirious heights of the last few issues, and the epitome of a Filler Issue. How much of a filler issue is it? Well, I can honestly say unless you're a hard core fan of the Dazzler comic, and were dying to know what happened to short term regular character, Bounty Hunter, O.Z Chase (and his dog, Cerberus), then this issue is entirely skippable. Yeah, it does give a bit of character time to Wolverine and Dazzler, who haven't really got along the best since she joined the group, but, once again, if none of this is important to you, then there's really not much of a reason to read this issue, unless you're a big Rick Leonardi (who does fill in art on this fill in issue) fan, but then again, he does quite a few fill in issues during this period, so, you're better off picking a subsequent issue that he does art chores on to read. Once again, this is an entirely forgettable issue with a forgettable story. (Chase, Dazzler, and Wolverine team up to take down a drug dealer guy, which is recounted in flashback form, as O.Z Chase is getting drunk in a bar after learning of the X-Men's death in Dallas) There....that's pretty much it. Saved you 5-15 minutes, depending on how fast you read. All I can think of is that the guy who came up with this plot, newly appointed Marvel Editor in Chief, Tom DeFalco, must have pestered Chris Claremont (or used his influence to force Claremont to do this story) until he did this issue, and Claremont just kind of threw it in as a Filler issue after shooting his wad with FOTM. One can tell it's pretty much Claremont going through the motions. Ah well. Tomorrow's review will get us back into the mix of things, as we start to see what the new Post FOTM Status Quo is going to be for our mutant team, and a group of villains are introduced that will eventually become much bigger threats to the group down the road. Plus, speaking of "Oz," the X-Men find a new base of operations that will make one think of Paul Hogan and Outback Jack. GRADE: C+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 15, 2017 0:56:44 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #229 "Down Under" Cover Date: May, 1988 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Marc Silvestri Team: Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue (Madelyne Pryor-Summers) Villain/s: The Reavers (Bonebreaker, Pretty Boy, Skullbuster) Guest Stars: Roma, Gateway Official Plot: Singapore: It's a typical day of business at the Hoan International Bank as Jessan Hoan shows Mrs. Pei and her two children around the bank. This tranquility is ruined when the bank is suddenly sieged by the Reavers, a group of cyborg mercenaries who teleport in with guns blazing. When the Reaver known as Skullbuster grabs the owner and demands that he provide the combination -- he cannot talk because the cyborg is choking him too hard. Jessan pipes up and tell the mercenary that there is no combination, that the vault automatically locks for 24 hours during an emergency and to leave her uncle alone. Skullbuster instead breaks the mans neck instead and has his colleague Bonebreaker use a laser cannon to blast through the vault. As the Reavers begin looting the facility, Pretty Boy decides to take Jessan as their hostage and they all teleport away. They come out of the other side of the teleportal in Australia, where they once more threaten the Aboriginal mutant teleporter Gateway that they will desecrate the land if he refuses to continue helping them pull their heists. The group then begins to party hard, like they usually do. Pretty Boy takes Jessan down to the room where the Reavers keep all their stolen loot and tells her that he is going to make her one of them so that they can use her financial skills to properly manage their soils. When Hoan tries to run, Pretty Boy grabs her and then ejects his eye filaments and begins reprogramming her brain to be like them, ruthless with no sense of morality. Suddenly, an unexpected sandstorm blows up into the Reavers hideout and begins to trip them up before they can act. This has been caused by Storm who has come with her fellow X-Men to break up the Reaver's operation. While the others attack the main party, Dazzler and Longshot go to rescue Jessan. Furious at seeing Hoan being reprogrammed, Longshot cuts the filaments and saves her while Dazzler attacks and overpowers him. While in the hideout's saloon, Colossus and Rogue attack the gathered Reavers, with an assist from Havok. When Bonebreaker grabs Rogue's bare arm, her powers absorb his memories, thoroughly disgusting her with how vile they are. In the confusion, Bonebreaker, Skullbuster and Pretty Boy manage to get away and order Gateway to teleport them away, telling the Aboriginal that if he does so then his debt to them is paid. When Gateway complies and the three senior Reavers manage to escape, Wolverine considers killing him, but Storm orders him to stand down, telling Logan that she thinks Gateway was forced into doing their bidding. In the aftermath of the battle, the X-Men have gathered up the Reavers and bound them. With their mission accomplished they begin to wonder what to do with the captured Reavers, as letting them loose to the authorities would blow their cover of supposedly being dead. Roma appears before them and thanks the X-Men for completing the mission that she tasked them with. She then gives them the Siege Perilous, telling them that whoever passes through its gates is judged by the highest powers and is reborn into a new life where they can get a second chance. After some discussion, Storm gives the Reavers a choice: Go through the Siege, or be killed by Wolverine. The cowardly remains of the Reavers choose the Siege and soon traverse into it. Jessan cries against being forced through the Siege telling them that she was the Reaver's prisoner. The X-Men decide to leave her be and ask Roma to teleport her back home, something that Roma does thankfully. Before departing, she tells the X-Men that they now have a bold new direction to go into, and leaves the Siege Perilous in their care. Telling them that they can choose to use it themselves should they desire to take on new lives. However, the X-Men all unanimously agree that they will stay together and go after their enemies before they consider doing this. As a final word, Roma tells the X-Men that she has caused them to be invisible to any scanning or detection method, be it technological, magic or biological in fashion -- save for the devices within the Reavers base. With that, she departs and tells the X-Men that they have the opportunity to lead the world and that the future rests in their hands. Brodie's View:We go from the completely forgettable, to a story that really sets up quite a bit for the near future (at least until the early 250's), as we basically get the lay out for what the status quo for the X-Men is going to be POST FOTM. In this issue, the X-Men, by thrashing a trio of cyborgs known as The Reavers (as a favor to Roma), and saving the hostage they took while robbing a bank in Singapore, end up getting the Reavers' former base of operations in Australia (complete with a mutant named Gateway, who is a mute Aborigine man that can create portals to transport the mutants where they need to go). In addition, Roma makes them guardians of a mysterious portal called the Siege Perilous, which judges any who pass through it, and either destroys them, or sends them to a brand new life. The X-Men give the Reavers the choice of going through the Perilous or being killed by Wolverine, which they take the first option (probably a mistake on the X-Men's part, as this isn't the last we'll see of The Reavers.....not by a long shot, and when they come back, they won't be alone ), leaving the mutants their place to crash for the next 20 some issues. The era began here later became known by many as the "Australian Period," as the X-Men will do most of their fighting either there, or by being teleported to other threats by Gateway. Some love this period, while others hated it for taking the team away from all of the trappings they had up until then (The X-Mansion, Blackbird, ect.). Whatever one thinks of it, it is definitely the most extreme change the team has gone through (From the MUTANT MASSACRE up until this point) since Claremont began writing it, and the crazy changes aren't done yet, as eventually even that team would be torn apart, and put back together with even more new faces. However, that's a ways down the road. In the next issue, we'll see the fall out from what happened in this issue, as the mutants explore their new home/base, and realize that such a gift can often come with a pretty steep price, and after that, we get the return of a threat teased in #218. GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 15, 2017 2:19:26 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #230"Twas the Night...." Cover Date: June, 1988 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Marc Silvestri Team: Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue (Madelyne Pryor-Summers) Villain/s: None Guest Stars: Gateway, Magneto, and the New Mutants Official Plot: At their new secret headquarters located in the Australian outback, Storm takes the opportunity to enjoy her recently returned powers, while Madelyne Pryor uses the systems created by the Reavers to track her progress. While elsewhere on the property, the other X-Men are engaged in a training session to try and take down Rogue. While Havok and Dazzler fail, Psylocke's mental powers take her down and Logan pins her until she surrenders. When the session is over, Madelyne marvels at how advanced the systems are and hopes to use the Reaver's devices to help track down the Marauders and take back her son. As the X-Men wind down from their training session Dazzler notices that Longshot is missing and wonder where he has gone. Below their bsae, Longshot is searching the tunnels, having heard voices he goes to see if there are any prisoners of the Reavers that they might have missed when they forced the cyborgs out. What he finds is the stolen loot that they had amassed over the years. Longshot's psychometric powers are extremely sensitive to these stolen goods and they cry out to be returned to their rightful owners. Longshot is soon overwhelmed by all the phantom voices and passes out. Later, Dazzler begins the process of cleaning out the Reavers former possessions out of the living house and is disgusted by the amount of filth the cyborgs lived in. The final straw is when Dazzler finds screams when she sees something moving, prompting Colossus to smash into the room and investigate. She is disgusted to find a mound of animal feces under the bed. Going out side she has a temper tantrum from being so far away from civilization, it prompts Storm to use her powers to create a rainstorm that literally washes out the filth, which Havok promptly incinerates with his plasma powers. When the X-Men begin to consider Gateway, the silent Aboriginal mutant teleporter who quietly sits on the hill outside their base, Logan surmises that this is his land. Rogue makes an effort to communicate and be friendly with him, however her attempts to get him to socialize are met with silence. After a much needed shower, Dazzler finds that Longshot has awoken from the coma they found him in and he tells them what he had gleaned from the treasure room. The X-Men confirm what Longshot had experienced, he convinces them to return everything to their rightful owners. Wolverine is the only one who has issue with this task, although the other X-Men find it quite daunting. When Storm decides to carry out Longshot's wishes the X-Men work out a plan: Sifting through each item, they have Longshot divine it's location and then they will have Gateway teleport them around the world to drop the items off to their rightful owners. As they are going through the items, Dazzler falls completely in love with a motorcycle which is among the loot, envying the original owner. Eventually, the X-Men manage to find the homes for the majority of items and go to see Gateway. After Rogue explains what the X-Men intend to do, Psylocke telepathically gives him the locations they need to get to and to their delight Gateway opens a portal for them to travel through. The X-Men then travel around the world dropping off all the stolen items to those who had their belongings stolen by the Reavers. Lastly, Storm makes a trip to Salem Center to look in on the New Mutants. She finds them out with their leader Magneto caroling in a snowstorm. They are not in the mood since the death of their teammate Cypher and the "death" of the X-Men. Unable to reveal herself in order to maintain the X-Men's cover, Storm instead uses her powers to divert the snowstorm, making the Mutants decide to keep on caroling. When the X-Men return to their new home, they realize that it's Christmas Day and celebrate. Dazzler gets a surprise when Logan and Storm reveal that they kept the motorcycle with her. She is happy and pulls Longshot on for a ride. Lastly, Rogue pays a visit to Gateway and gives him a gift: a wood carved flute. Gateway is visibly touched by this and invites Rogue to sit next to him as he plays the musical instrument for her. Brodie's View:I have mixed feelings about this issue. On one hand, like #228, it's pretty skippable, other than the fact that we get to see The X-Men exploring their new HQ and home, left over by the group of cyborgs they defeated last issue, The Reavers. There is some character stuff that does happen, and we get to see Gateway (their kind of personal portal creator; an old Aborigine man who sits on the cliff overlooking their new base) a bit more, and we see Rogue starting to form a friendship with the silent old man. Plus, I'll add to it that this is a Christmas issue, so, spreading good cheer among the group and to others is kind of the main point of this whole story, as Longshot discovers a cavern filled with the various things The Reavers ripped off of their victims, and the X-Men act as almost Secret Santas, returning the treasure to either the people that the stuff was stolen from, or their surviving relatives. This is able to be done by Longshot suddenly having the ability to sense the remnants of the memory of the people the stuff was stolen from, from the stuff itself. Plus, along the way, they see Magneto and The New Miutants out trying to sing Christmas Carols (however, they are all down in the dumps from the deaths of both Cypher and the X-Men), and Storm secretly diverts the worst of a snow storm away from them, allowing them to enjoy the holidays a little more. (Awwwww ) On the other hand, unless this sounds like it would be the type of story that would interest you, it's pretty skippable, as I said at the beginning of this review. Not as skippable as #228, but unless you want a case of the warm and fuzzies by seeing X-Men deliver the holiday spirit, it's an issue you're not going to miss very much by skipping. However, I will say that the next issue, while basically being more of a character issue for Colossus and Magik (his sister, Illyana), is actually much better at delivering emotion than this one was. Plus, it does definitely drops some hints on what the next major storyline is going to concern, as we're going to see some long time subplots finally come to a head for certain characters, which will not only directly affect them and the X-Men, but an entire city as well. This won't fully come to pass for several issues, but when it does, Hoo Boy! GRADE: B
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 15, 2017 21:35:42 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #231"Dressed for Dinner" Cover Date: July, 1988 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Rick Leonardi Team: Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue (Madelyne Pryor-Summers) Villain/s: S'ym, "Baba Yaga," Right Demon Guest Stars: The New Mutants, Magik, Gateway Official Plot: Colossus is plagued with nightmares about his sister Illyana being dressed for a regal event before being pushed into a massive oven to be cooked alive, leaving him to wonder if his sister is in trouble. Going into the Outback to let off some steam, Colossus becomes red hot under the Australian sun and when Rogue comes to check on him she burns her hand on his armored form. She cautions him to be careful as he could possibly burn someone if he's not careful. When he goes to look at his sketch book of his sister, his worries increase when suddenly to his horror his super-hot body causes the sketchbook to go up in flames. He rages, and when he sees Gateway watching him, he wonders if the mute Aboriginal is mocking him. He is soon cooled off by Storm who summons a rain cloud to lower his temperature. After discussing his apparent increases in power, Peter expresses his concern for Illyana's well being. Storm denies his request to go and see her, telling him that in order for the X-Men to protect their loved ones and be able to strike at their enemies, they must continue the illusion that they are deceased. Upset by this, Colossus pushes aside his worries telling her that she is probably find, but can't help but wonder for certain. Later, as the X-Men wash up after supper, the team notes how miserable Colossus has been and convince Storm that they should let him go and check on Illyana. As soon as Storm agrees to allow this, Gateway appears as if he read their minds and leads the X-Men to the hill where he meditates. There he opens a portal to send Colossus to check on his sister. Peter goes alone, with his comrades wishing him luck. Colossus appears in Limbo, the demonic realm ruled by Illyana. There Illyana is attempting to cast a necromantic spell to summon her brothers supposedly dead soul to help her with her current crisis. While she is doing so, S'ym mocks her telling the young Darkchylde that he will soon usurp control of Limbo from her and rule it over her. When Peter appears, Illyana believes that her spell has worked, little realizing that Peter is not really dead. Colossus, seeing this as an ideal opportunity to maintain the X-Men's cover, decides to use this as a ruse. When S'ym once more mocks her, Colossus goes into a fury and jumps down to attack him, smashing his technorganic form to bits. Illyana is surprised that a "necromantic shade" could act so independently, however Colossus covers for this telling her that he is the "essence" of her brother, so why wouldn't he act as he would. He then asks why he was summoned to her, and she tells him that he needs his strength to help save the New Mutants. Teleporting them both to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Colossus sees that it is slowly going through some kind of transformation. Illyana explains that one day she was struggling to study and write a paper on Mikhail Bulgakov's story the Master and Margarita when she was suddenly attacked by the characters from the book. Namely Azazello, Hehemoth and Koroviev. Easily captured, she was taken to their leader, the witch known as Baba Yaga who had all the other New Mutants captured and bound. She explains that she intends to cook them and eat them. When Illyana attempted to summon her Soul Sword, she found her magics block and so she teleported away to Limbo, but was unable to rescue her friends. It was at this point she thought to summon Peter's "spirit" to help, as mystical beings have a natural weakness to iron his armored form would be an ideal weapon to use. Soon, Colossus is teleported above the school and he smashes through the schools roof and into the lap of his enemies who are working on fattening up the captured New Mutants. Baba Yaga sends her minions on Peter while she absconds with the children so that she can toss them in her oven. Colossus easily over powers his attackers and follows after Baba Yaga. When a pathway to her kitchen is too small for his Colossus form, Peter forces himself to revert back to his human form to fit through. In his vulnerable state, Yaga is able to easily over power him, however before she can rip out his throat Peter returns to his organic steel form. Contact with the steel of his body causes Baba Yaga to seemingly explode, ending her threat. After Illyana uses her powers to restore the mansion, she teleports the Colossus and the New Mutants back to Limbo to reverse the spells Baba Yaga cast on the Mutants. There Illyana acts ashamed of her demonic nature, telling him her brother that the only reason why she is good is because she chooses to be. Peter tells his sister that's the point, and that he is proud of her, and that with work she can become something greater than a demon sorcerer and that he will always love her. When she remarks that he is "dead", he tells her that nobody is ever truly dead as long as they are remembered. When Gateway's portal opens up again Peter leaves his sister telling her to remember him. Not willing to let her brother go, Illyana considers casting the spell again, but considers that she was lucky as the spell should have made her Darkchilde side take full control, and dares not risk it again. She instead frees her friends from Baba Yaga's magics and return the Mutants home so that they can follow her brothers example. Down below, one of the Right soldiers banished to Limbo earlier believes S'ym to be dead and decides to take over as leader of the demon hordes. However, S'ym has managed to reconstitute himself and kill the soldier. He laughs about how the barrier between Earth and Limbo are growing thinner and that "Baba Yaga" was really a Limbo demon who broke through, and soon they all will and take over the Earth. Brodie's View:We go from the kind of smaltziness of last issue to this issue, which also deals with emotional issues, but this definitely felt more genuine and real than last issue. We basically deal with Colossus and his sister, Illyana, who is also the magic/portal creating member of the New Mutants, Magik. Up until recently, Illyana has been kind of in charge of the demonic Limbo created and then left to her by Belasco (who had kidnapped her in #160, which created this whole situation to begin with), after she defeated him. However, the magic/position she gained, while allowing her to do quite a bit of good, is also slowly corrupting her, transforming her into an evil version of herself known as the Darkchilde. To make things worse, knowing that this is happening, demons like S'ym (who was Belasco's right hand until he was defeated, and then kind of became Illyana's defacto right hand demon, although, not willingly) are using it as a way to eventually cross over into the "real world," and corrupt it into being like Limbo. The main crux of this plot concerns that, as a demon escapes Limbo and assumes the form of the Russian fairy tale character, Baba Yaga (who, I think is meant to be the Russian version of the evil witch in Hansel and Gretel, who basically kidnaps children and fattens them up, so she can eat them), and kidnaps the rest of the New Mutants, meaning to do what the witch in Hansel and Gretel meant to do to those two characters. In desperation, Illyana summons what she thinks is a construct of the one person she feels could help her, her brother, Pitor. Luckily, this coincides with Colossus saying "F**k it," and having Gateway teleport him to her side, so, he could check up on her (As family has always been the most important thing to Pitor), and Colossus uses the idea that he's merely something created by his sister's magic to keep the idea that the X-Men had died alive. However, at times, he can't help but break that idea, and by the end of the story (As the two are easily able to defeat the demonic Baba), Illyana realizes that maybe this Colossus isn't her real brother, but he's the closest thing to being that, and she confides in him that she's losing the battle to keep her humanity, but she's still fighting. The two leave Limbo (With Colossus going back to Australia), and we see S'ym telling the other demons that the walls between Limbo and Marvel's reality are breaking down, and soon they will weaken enough to allow demons like S'ym to travel through and take over. Of course, this is all leading to something; something Illyana is going to play a major role in (At least in the New Mutants book), but there's another character that will play an equally important role in things, and we'll definitely start to see that take shape over the next several issues. However, this was definitely a good indicator of where things are going, and teasing that this longstanding story-line for Illyana (that has been building since #160), is about to come to a head. Beyond all that, though, this was a great little issue, as it explored the relationship between these two characters, especially given the fall out of what happened in FOTM. The next time these two see each other, it will be in the midst of INFERNO, and there won't really be the time for the heart to heart that happens at the end of this issue, which is exactly why Claremont knew he had to have it happen here. It was a great moment that added a lot of gravitas to what will end up happening in the next X-Crossover, which is, of course, INFERNO. However, that's still several issues away, so, while I will talk about building moments as they happen (and they definitely will, although, not really on Illyana's end), for now, I'll talk about the major focus of issues as they happen. The next issue, however, will deal with a threat more extraterrestrial than inter-dimensional, as we'll go back to a threat teased in #218, which we saw part of the story to, but in the next issue, we'll get, as the late Paul Harvey used to say, the rest of the story. GRADE: A-
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 15, 2017 23:54:17 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #232"Earthfall" Cover Date: August, 1988 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Marc Silvestri Team: Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue (Madelyne Pryor-Summers) Villain/s: The Brood (Harry Palmer, Temptress, Brickbat, Dive-Bomber, Lockup, Tension, Spitball, Whiphand, Blindside) Guest Stars: Gateway Official Plot: Not too long ago, while Storm and Wolverine were battling the Crimson Commando and Stonewall and the other X-Men were battling the Juggernaut in Scotland the tranquility of the Diablo Rio Mountains were interrupted when something fell from the sky and crash landed near some campers. Going to investigate, they find a Brood Starshark craft, and they are soon all slaughtered by the surviving Brood warriors inside, except for one: paramedic Harry Palmer who is infected with a Brood queen embryo. Today: Palmer is making his usual rounds on the site of a heart attack victim who's episode was triggered by the activation of his latent mutant powers: the ability to breath fire. As Harry examines the man and when he is left alone with him, his Brood personality takes over and infects the man with a Brood embryo. Meanwhile, in Australia, Madelyne Pryor is teleported back to the X-Men's secret outback headquarters by Gateway after a shopping trip. She finds that there is nobody around to comment on her new outfit and haircut, and is particularly disappointed to see that her brother-in-law Alex is not around either. She goes down to the monitoring equipment after finding a note from the X-Men telling her they are on a mission and begins sketching designs for a logo so that the X-Men can be remembered by their activities and fulfill Roma's request that they become legends in the minds of the human race. Her attention is turned to one of the monitors when it picks up a news feed from New York City, where she is shocked to see her husband Cyclops and Jean Grey being interviewed by reporter Trish Tilby. Coming to the conclusion that Scott left her for Jean Grey -- who is alive and well after all she angrily punches the screen causing it to explode, knocking her out. Denver: Palmer is returning to his apartment after his shift is over feeling particularly drained after the days work, and realizes that it only happens when he comes to the aid of mutants and wonders if that has anything to do with it. When he goes into his apartment he finds Psylocke and Colossus waiting for him. When the two try to warn him of the Brood embryo inside of him, Palmer surprises them with feats of super-human strength. He manages to toss Colossus through the wall of his apartment and make an escape. When he tries to make a break for his car, he is attacked by Havok, Longshot and Dazzler. When he tosses his car door at them, he misses (thanks to Longshot's luck powers) and takes down a hydro pole. While Rogue fixes the damage and eliminates the danger of the live wires, Palmer manages to escape on foot. The X-Men regroup and with Storm creating a mist around the area, she sends Wolverine off to try and track Palmer down. Palmer meanwhile manages to board a city bus in an attempt to escape when he is attacked by Rogue. During the fight he easily over powers her and is about to infect her with a Brood embryo when Wolverine smashes the passenger window of the bus and throws him out of the bus, causing the bus to crash. While Rogue pulls herself out of the rubble, Wolverine chases Palmer to an alley that ends in a dead end. When Rogue catches up with Logan, the two have the infected man cornered when the police arrives. Detecting they too are infected by Brood, Wolverine kills the two officers. Not realizing the truth, Rogue believes Logan has gone berserk and stop him, when the other X-Men arrive and Betsy confirms Logan's actions. Just then, the X-Men soon find themselves surrounded by an army of partially transformed Brood all summoned by Palmer to kill the X-Men. This story is continued next issue.... Brodie's View:Aw yeah, Baby! The Brood are indeed back. This issue begins with a group of friends investigating the crashed Acanti (The whale-like alien beings the Brood were using as slave ships), and are quickly taken out by a Brood warrior, other than Harry Palmer, who was unknowingly infected by a Queen Brood egg as he was trying to escape. We see the other half of his almost running Havok/Psylocke off the road (which is how they ended up discovering the ship in #218, although, circumstances kept them from really exploring the matter up until now), and then we flash forward as he has gone back to his life as a paramedic, his Brood persona only taking over whenever his patients would be mutants, as he would infect them with Brood eggs. It's after seeing him doing this, that he goes home to find he's being trailed by The X-Men, which causes his Brood self to fully take over, and he battles them as he tries to escape. Finally, he is trapped in an alley by Wolverine and Rogue, and then is seemingly saved by cops, who are then quickly slaughtered (and revealed to be Brood) by Wolverine. Just as the team come together, they are surrounded by various Brood mutants that Palmer has infected along the way, and the fight is on. I really dug this storyline, as I've always loved The Brood as villains. Yes, they are kind of rip offs of the Aliens from that series (although, I would argue that James Cameron ripped off aspects of The Brood for his follow up, Aliens; the whole Queen Mother idea definitely), but by making them intelligent, and by making the transformation of one into a Brood actually WORSE than the person housing an Alien egg, I think Claremont and company made them into one of the X-Men's greatest alien threats. This story, while not quite up to the standard of #162-167's awesomeness, I would say comes in just under that, and the different direction Claremont takes with this one, particularly starting in the next part of it, really makes this great in its own right. In addition, we will start to see the direction of where Madelyne Pryor-Summers is going, which feeds into the upcoming INFERNO storyline as much as the plight of Illyana Rasputin. The next few issues are going to be pretty kick ass, folks, but first things first, as the X-Men are going to battle Brood infected mutants, and one of them is going to be implanted with a Brood egg (and unfortunately, it isn't Longshot ). GRADE: A-
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Mar 16, 2017 3:03:44 GMT -5
Uncanny X-Men #233"Dawn of Blood" Cover Date: Early September (for brief spurts during this period, the comic is running Bi-Monthly), 1988 Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Marc Silvestri Team: Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Psylocke, Dazzler, Longshot, Havok, & Rogue (Madelyne Pryor-Summers) Villain/s: The Brood (Harry Palmer, Temptress, Brickbat, Dive-Bomber, Lockup, Tension, Spitball, Whiphand, Blindside) Guest Stars: Gateway Official Plot: Continued from last issue... The X-Men have tracked Harry Palmer -- a man infected with a Brood queen embryo -- to Denver, Colorado where they have been tricked into being ambushed by all those he has since changed over to Brood. In a dead end alleyway, the X-Men are surrounded by partially transformed humans whom to their surprise all turn out to be mutants, all part of the Brood's plot to take over the world. Palmer sends his minions on the X-Men to capture or kill them. Colossus squares off against a super-strong Brood known as Brickbat. While Storm is attacked by a Brood who can extend its limbs named Tension, and then has he will submitted by a pheromone emitting Brood named Temptress. In a panic, Storm uses her powers to escape before she is completely enthralled, but she is soon chased after by a flying Brood named Dive-Bomber. Havok is about to blast the Brood, but stops short of doing so when he wonders if blasting the creature would kill the innocent person whom is the vessel for the Brood creature. Meanwhile, Rogue tussles with Temptress and when the Brood touches her bare skin, Rogue absorbs her psyche and powers and is under Brood's control, using Temptress's stolen powers to ensnare Psylocke as well. As Colossus continues to battle Brickbat, Wolverine finds himself easily bested in battle by the possessed Rogue and Psylocke thanks to an assist by paralyzing Brood known as Lockup. This leaves Logan open to being infected with an embryo by Palmer, who hopes to track down their leader Storm and infect her with a Brood Queen. As the battle rages, at the Red Rock's amphitheater, construction is underway for Reverend William Conover's Glory Day Crusade that is scheduled to occur that night. Among those in attendance is Josey Thomas -- Harry Palmer's partner, who ignores calls from her ambulance radio to go to the site of the X-Men's battle against the Brood. Meanwhile, William Conover spends the time before his show gazing at the stars and taking in the beauty of God's creation. When he is joined by his wife Hannah, they talk about the battle that is happening in downtown Denver and rumors that it's caused by mutants. Conover feels bad for mutants, who are like any minority group and that they should not be persecuted and be allowed to live as free as anyone. When he notices his wife struggling to pour them tea due to her arthritic hands he wishes that he had some power to heal her affliction. While back in Denver, news crews have arrived on the scene and begin filming the battle between Colossus and Brickbat. To their surprise, their cameras only pick up images of the Brood warrior and not Colossus. However, they continue filming until the battle trashes the news van, cutting off the video feed of the battle. While high above, Storm tries to get away from Fly-Boy, who decides to change his tactics: He attacks a passing commercial airliner, prompting Storm to knock him out of the sky and then use her powers to save the plane from a disastrous crash, making it land safely at Denver airport. This leaves her open for an attack from Flyboy, who knocks her out. While elsewhere, Madelyne Pryor is caught in a vision where she lives as an angelic free spirit with her husband Scott and their son Nathan. When Gateway (having come to investigate the explosion inside the X-Men's base) invades her dream, "Scott" changes into costume and blasts him causing him to disappear in a burst of flames. In his place is a featureless woman. Scott goes to this woman and kisses her, then removes Madelyne's wings and facial features to recreate the featureless woman into Jean Grey. He apologizes to his wife, tellig her that he loves Jean and the two take her son and leave, leaving the featureless Madelyne in a vast desert alone and abandoned. While back in Denver, Fly-Boy and Storm's battle takes them back to the main conflict downtown. When Havok realizes Storm's in danger of losing the fight he is forced to use his powers to slay Fly-Boy. At this point, Colossus has just succeeded in beating Brickbat to death as well. With these casualties, Palmer orders his Brood minions to pull back, ordering Psylock and Rogue to protect Wolverine while he undergoes his transformation into Brood, but vows to pay the X-Men back in blood. In the battle's aftermath, Havok watches in horror as the partially transformed Fly-Boy returns to his human form. Mortified that he killed an innocent man, Storm tells Alex that the human side of Fly-Boy was murdered the moment that Palmer infected him with a Brood embryo and what he did was a mercy killing. She tells her fellow X-Men that they have to destroy the Brood no matter what otherwise the Earth is doomed. This story is continued next issue... Brodie's View:It's X-Men vs. Brood Mutants in this, the second part of this three part storyline, and to makes things instantly shitty for our mutant pals, Rogue and Psylocke fall under the alien's control (due to Rogue touching one of the Brood, and instead of weakening them, they end up taking her over, ala Spiral in #206, which allows her to also snare Psylocke, who Rogue is in psychic rapport with), and they team up with the Brood to take out Wolverine (and almost Storm, but she is able to snap out of it by freaking and flying into the air, although, she instantly is attacked by a flying Brood), taking out three of their heavy hitters within a page or so. This leaves the rest of the X-Men fighting various mutant Brood members throughout the city, as Wolverine is infected with another Brood egg (although, being that Palmer, at least, has memory of the last time the Brood fought the X-Men, you would think they would know better than to implant the egg into Wolverine, but ah well....). To add to all of this, you have X-Men like Havok hesitating when it comes to taking these infected mutants out, which is also giving our heroes the disadvantage, as the Brood mutants have no qualms about offing them. Finally, Storm basically informs Havok that these people are basically dead anyways, which somewhat alleviates Havok's guilt about blasting one of them out of the sky. It'll be interesting to see how Havok's qualms about killing will change by the time we get to INFERNO, but that's another story, and one we'll get back to in a bit. First, on the Brood story-line end of things, I wanted to bring up the side plot of a religious revival going on in the same city that this war between the X-Men and the Brood is going on in, and I will say that Claremont does present the husband and wife team in charge of this revival as being far more sympathetic and likable than he presented William Stryker and his followers in the GOD LOVES, MAN KILLS story, and that's most likely purely intentional, as I think Claremont wanted to say that not all religious people were hateful douchebags like Stryker and the people who would follow him to the point of killing in his name. It's definitely an interesting twist, and adds a sense of gravitas (yes, I'm getting quite a bit of usage out of this word over the past few issues) to this whole Brood story, particularly when it comes to our climax in the next issue, so, I'll pick up more on it there. The last thing I want to talk about with this issue, and I neglected to mention it last issue, where it really started, was the story development where it concerns Madelyne Pryor-Summers, who was helping to set up the X-Men's new HQ, when she saw footage of her husband, Scott Summers, with his first love (and Madelyne's doppelganger), Jean Grey, which sends Madelyne into a rage. She punches the monitor screen, causing it to explode, and it knocks her unconscious. In this issue, we get the follow up to this, as Madelyne has a vision of herself with Scott Summers, happy and content, as she was before Cyclops left in #198 (Which was kind of the beginning of the end for them). They come across a featureless figure, who takes all of Madelyne's physical features, until she is revealed to be Jean, and she and Scott leave Madelyne in the desert to die. Very much symbolism, and important to seeing how Madelyne really sees the situation on a subconscious level. Of course, we will follow up with this in the next issue, and we'll start to see the build, at least on the X-Men's end of things, towards the events that lead to the next Crossover, INFERNO. In addition, we'll end off the whole story-line between the X-Men and the Brood come to its conclusion, but one that will end up setting up a story that Claremont never follows up on, but does get followed up on in a story that happens years after Chris leaves the book. GRADE: A-
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