Shadow and Flame with Magik

Writer Brian Michael Bendis

Artist Kris Anka

Letterer VC’s Joe Caramanga

Newberry, South Carolina.  Cyclops and Magik are trying to chat with Matthew Mallory.  Matty M is worried of killing them but Cyclops is confident that he won’t.  Which is pretty brave of him, as the guy has barely any control over his powers.  One stray thought and those two are no longer concepts.

Maria Hill is not happy with Cyclops making time with the most powerful mutant find of the week.

Cyclops offers Matthew breakfast, Magik has a place in mind.

How eye popping is that blue panel in a sea of brown?

Once again, SHIELD has no business being the leading anything in the Marvel Universe.

Over at the Jean Grey School.  Beast is losing his ever loving mind.  Cyclops Was Right, the humans want nothing to do with the mutants.  Beast can not find any human allies.  The Avengers are off Earth, yet again.  Storm also has to recognize that Cyclops Was Right.

At Monument Valley, Utah – that isn’t referenced, Cyclops is trying to get Matthew Malloy to join his side.  One of the perks of being a mutant, is that you get to go wherever you want.

Cyclops and Matthew are waiting for Magik to come back with breakfast.

Cyclops gives Matty M his origin story.  We get a pretty cool page of Cyclops leading three different teams of X-Men, Shadowcat nor Magik make this page.

Matthew suspects Cyclops has an ulterior motive but he just wants to keep Matt calm and relaxed.

Cyclops is willing to forgive Matty M for all of the people he killed in his quest to control his powers.

Cyclops references other mutants with high level power sets that all went mad and killed people – Apocalypse, Dark Phoenix OG, Franklin Richards / Onslaught / Maddie Pryor / Goblin Queen, Legion (who shouldn’t exist post X-Men Legacy 24), Magneto, Scarlet Witch and himself when he went Dark Phoenix.

Cyclops is trying to teach Matthew how to focus his powers.  Cyclops trying to align himself to Matthew with familiar words like friend and brother.

He has a codeword for instant teleportation, boomerang.  That’s Magik using her sweet magical skills.

Hopefully Mallory will put back Monument Valley so that Utah’s tourism doesn’t go way down.

Cyclops is really committed to saving Matthew.  Illyana is starting to have doubts.  He also wants to do it on his own.

Magik only wants to hear that Scott has a plan, and this isn’t a silly suicide attempt.

Is Cyclops jealous that Magik is making herself better with Doctor Strange’s assistance?  Like, Cyclops still isn’t at one hundred percent, so he likes to mention Strange as much as possible.

I really do enjoy how Illyana has naturally become Scott’s second in command.  She stands up for herself and he tells him what he needs to hear.  Also, her line about how he keeps saying, brother, reminds her of, Brotherhood, is dead on!

Scott, in a moment of levity, asks about breakfast.  She’s not a waitress.  I wonder where they go in New Orelans for thirty dollar pancakes and what is on those pancakes.

Magik recognizes how important it is for Cyclops to do this on his own and simply teleports him back on top of the mountain and leaves.

Cyclops promises to train and guide Matthew.  I also like how we get his mission statement, the poor guy hasn’t had to recruit a new mutant in several issues.

Issue ends with Magneto wanting his voice to be heard.