Writer Rick Remender
Artist John Cassaday
Color Art Laura Martin
Letterer VC’s Chris Eliopoulos
Cover Dated December 2012
This is the first I’ve ever seen Chris Eliopoulos associated with VC.
Issue opens with Avalanche’s brain being operated on.
We cut to Wolverine, he is going to give the eulogy at Professor Xavier’s funeral. In attendance is Kitty Pryde, hence why I bought this issue.
We cut to Captain America, wanting to do more to fix the tension with humans and mutants. We see him looking at Havok’s stats. Poor Captain America, it looks like he must be looking at the mutant version of himself. Blonde, 6′ foot, 175 lbs, with Blue Eyes.
Cyclops is still in prison at this point, surrendering at the end of AvX, he killed Xavier but while under the influence of Dark Phoenix. We see that Magneto is sadden at the loss of his friend.
Havok visits Cyclops in prison. He lets him know that they buried Xavier that day. We get Cassaday drawing the Original Five for a panel. Shame this is the first time we see the brothers together since poor Alex had to find his own way back to Earth after the Fall and Rise of the Shi’Ar Empire storyline.
Once Alex leaves Scott, we see Captain America approach Alex to lead his Unity Squad. A team of Avengers with X-Men to show the populace that mutants are okay. Never thinking the opposite will happen, instead of lifting mutants to the Avengers level, but this might bring the Avengers down to the mutant level. He offers Alex to get coffee with he and Thor, Thor offers Alex can get a latter if he prefers. The idea of Thor preferring a latte is interesting. He’s been on Earth too long.
We get a scene of why Avalanche was having his brain operated on. His powers have been increased and he has gone insane. He starts tearing up down town New York City. Thor shows up to save civilians. Captain America confronts Avalanche and Avalanche jumps off his self made cliff and dies. Havok destroys some debris to save some more folks. First mission out, and already some dead along with a dead villain.
Also on this team, Scarlet Witch and Rogue. They have a complicated relationship, not even including the time Wanda decimated the mutant race. What complicates their relationship is that Rogue has had two important relationships, Gambit and Magneto. Magneto is Wanda’s father. It isn’t cool. Rogue’s other two important relationships are with Carol Danvers and her first boyfriend, Cory but they are not romantic relationships.
I don’t care too much for Captain America’s new uniform costume, suppose to be more realistic but that chin strap is a little too Ultimate for my taste, plus it is a chin strap. Wanda’s outfit is pretty decent and simple, still has that weird M head piece. I really like Rogue’s outfit, seems like a more realized outfit, like this is what she has been leading up too. Also, it may have already been her established outfit, but now she actually wears the hood. While Rogue is confronting Wanda, there is a giant explosion. The S-Men confront these two, and they have shut down Rogue’s powers. We find out that when Rogue goes to grip Wanda’s face, she doesn’t absorb her powers (or her craziness).
We find out that these new foes are called S-Men because their boss is … The Red Skull – now with Xavier’s brain! It is completely bonkers!
Even more crazy, that they don’t protect Xavier’s body and Red Skull can just straight up walk up and snatch his body hours after the funeral. Surprised this hadn’t happen more with that giant grave site the X-Men have at the mansion. Like they didn’t learn anything from Fraction’s Sisterhood arc of Uncanny, when those dames went after Jean’s body.
. . .
With this, Thor Month comes to a close. Thanks everybody! This was S&FwM’s first theme month and hopefully the next one works out as well, if not better. December, I am going to try to do some Christmas reviews. We are expecting our first born hopefully on the 11th of December, so December might be a bit touch and go but bare with me and I will get back onto some sort of schedule. I have a couple Plan Bs ready, as it should be a fun and exciting month.
Shadow and Flame with Magik 