Writer Brian Michael Bendis
Artist Kris Anka
Lettering and Produciton VC’s Joe Caramanga
Cover by Chris Bachalo and Tim Townsend
I like this cover very much.
SHIELD Helicarrier. Floating 1,000 miles south of Newberry, South Carolina. Maria Hill is watching Matthew Malloy and the crater he left. Hill shares that Tony Stark had five nightmares that kept him up at night. Hill only has the one and Malloy is it. Just a regular guy who woke up with the powers of a god. She wants the Avengers, but all of the good ones are off planet. The Fantastic Four are out of the question, for some odd reason. Hill wants the state to be evacuated.
The Jean Grey School.
Scott comes barging out of the office. Scott is done with all of this Xavier nonsense. Wolverine really wants to go on the mission, as it was Xavier’s last wish. Well, one of his last wishes, as it was implied that there was more to the message.
I like the team of Cyclops, Wolverine and Rachel. I know there was a theory that Wolverine could have been Rachel’s father from the Days of Future Past storyline, so that fanbase could be pleased that she gets to go on a mission with her two dads. I’m not one of those people, Cyclops is her father, as she has told us he is and we should be able to trust her own knowledge. One could say that Jean told her Scott is her father and she just never questioned it but that seems a bit out of character on Jean’s part.
I sort of like Iceman’s joke about Xavier’s last wish was probably – please Scott, don’t kill me. That’s awfully catty of him. Scott’s look of such displeasure really seals it too!
Storm and Wolverine want Cyclops on that plane. Scott turns to Emma, and she also wants him on the plane. The faster he is on it, the faster they can go home.
I love that shot of Kurt and Kitty. Anka really is a terrific artist! I wonder what the teams are going to do as they stay at the mansion. With all of the hugs last issue, I would have thought that the two teams would just go back to their respected schools.
Firestar feels bad for Cyclops. Iceman, like the dick that he is, is surprised by this.
Firestar gets it. Cyclops wasn’t in full control of his emotions, he had gone Dark Phoenix. No one gives Jean crap for how her personality that the Phoenix was using, was completely okay with destroying the D’Bari planet when she devoured their sun.
Why does Iceman keep calling him, Scott Summers. Is there another one? I mean, one that isn’t in space at the moment. There is only one Scott within a mile radius.
Kitty probably died a little having to actually talk to Bobby there.
Bobby is really upset that Xavier is dead. This from the guy who could barely care that he almost killed his actual father in that spectacular Astonishing X-Men Frozen storyline, otherwise known as the Dark Iceman Saga. People are still suffering the effects of lost limbs and ruined homes from all of the frostbite and snow.
Iceman wants Cyclops to die in battle. When no one else supports his desires, he just ice slides away like a big ol’ ice baby.
Newberry, South Carolina. Malloy is trying out his powers.
For some reason, SHIELD has X-Men villain, Exodus’ phone number. Not only that, but he actually took the call and is now on the Hellicarrier. Maybe he has a secret plan to take control? He reaches out and touches Malloy’s mind. Matty doesn’t care for that and kills Exodus. He did get to reveal that Malloy is a mutant. Hill wants the X-Men brought in.
Meanwhile, the Avengers are attacking the New Xavier School students. Triage doesn’t want to participate in this exercise. Goldballs is trying his codename as his catchphrase.
Bendis gets to comment on how many X-Fans feel with all of this Avengers vs X-Men nonsense. How the X-Men are put in the villain role by the virtue of the Avengers being placed in the hero / starring role.
Celeste makes a great joke about how Cyclops hates the Avengers like Wolverine hates showers.
Hijack is 30 years.
Cerebro. Beast has discovered that Matthew Malloy is above Omega-Level mutant.
Hill shows up to personally retrieve the X-Men, as the issue ends.
Shadow and Flame with Magik 