Shadow and Flame with Magik

Writer Chris Claremont

Artists John Romita Jr. and Dan Green

Colorist Glynis Wein

Letterer Tom Orzechowski

Reprint of Uncanny X-Men 188

Cover Dated February 1994

Believe it or not, I prefer this cover by Bart Sears and Mark Pennington over the original.

If this was a modern comic, it would be two issues.

First half is the conclusion of the Dire Wraiths in Dallas storyline.

The X-Men and Forge are losing big time.

Storm uses a gun to shoot a Dire Wraith.  Forge complains that she almost shot him, she lets him know that if she wanted to shoot him, he would be shot.  I like everything there is about 80s Storm.

Naze is trying to summon his god, it does not end well for him.

Kurt teleports to the airport where Amanda is and teleports her away.  Witnesses think a demon appeared and grabbef her.  She isn’t thrilled.  The X-Men need her to fight the Dire Wraiths.

Rogue absorbs the powers of a Dire Wraith and resembles one, as they are shape shifters.  Colossus tries to calm her.

Then Magik shows up, uses her soulsword and starts straight up killing Dire Wraiths.  Colossus finally sees what her time in Limbo as done to her.

Amanda tries to create a wall to hold back the aliens.

Kurt teleports himself and Forge to the roof.  Forge kills the Dire Wraith that Storm left up there.  This deals with all of them, he must have been their leader or something.

Colossus and Illyana have a nice moment.  I guess he hasn’t spent much time with her, as it has been twenty-eight issues since she spent seven years in Limbo.

Forge finds Naze’s dead body.  Storm shows up, threatening Forge if he were to pursue her.

In the heart of the Bermuda Triangle, Lee Forrester finds Magneto.

Back at the mansion, for the second half.

Storm offers Kurt to take a swim with her, he declines.  He wants to hold a meeting regarding the future of the X-Men.  Storm states she isn’t a mutant, so she is no longer a member of the X-Men.

Rachel, Illyana and Sunspot sit outside of the door where the meeting is taking place.  Xavier comes out to tell them to go to bed.  It was nice to see Rachel and Illyana interact.  Wolverine and Kitty are still living through the Kitty Pryde and Wolverine miniseries.

Kurt wonders if there is still a place for the X-Men in this world.  The school, should still exist, but a team of targets for the government?  Maybe not.

Kurt runs down all the bad things that has happened to them.  He ends with the death of Jean Grey.  Rachel stayed outside the room, shielding her thoughts from Xavier.  Once she hears her mother is dead in this timeline, she loses her mind.

She rushes into the room, mind blasting everyone.  Xavier tries to calm her.  Once she is calm again, she explains the origins of the Days of Future Past.

At the mansion, Kurt and Amanda, his wife, are walking a fourteen year old Illyana to the bus stop.  They are shot down.  The mansion is then destroyed.

There is an ad for the Scott and Jean wedding, for our wedding anniversary, I will be covering this come late November.

Xavier is also killed immediately.  Soldiers find a young Rachel and shot her full of drugs.  Next, they send her to a concentration camp.  From there, she recaps Days of Future Past.

This makes the X-Men sad.  Colossus is quasi-hopeful that he and Kitty might have a chance.  Rogue is upset that she didn’t make it to the story.  She wasn’t created then – one of the problems with future stories but with the present day still creating new characters.  Xavier is sad as his dream is never accomplished.

Rachel gives a speech where she explains the importance of the X-Men.  They decide to stay a team.

Issue ends with an epilogue setting up the Kulan Gath storyline.  I am not a fan.  Too mystical, I think.  Maybe this new read will change my opinion.