Writer Ray Fawkes
Artist Jonathan Marks
Colorist Lee Loughridge
Letterer VC’s Cory Petit
Issue opens with Junk and Shogun, back to back, as the Wolverines surround them. Mister Sinister actually refers to them as, my Wolverines. He is preparing to make one of his giant speeches when the Changling crashes into the lab, exploding all around it. Amazingly, no one dies in the explosion.
X23 starts attacking Shogun, he says her release word, Mangonel, and she is no longer under the threat of any control words. That doesn’t help much, as Sabretooth – in a blind rage – comes barreling down on them.
X23 wants Shogun to release Sabretooth but Shogun needs to release Lady Deathstrike first. She gets in a few swipes on him.
Shogun gets it together enough to say Lady Deathstrike’s release word, Flamberge. She snaps out of it, amazed that he went through with it.
Junk tries to help X23 with Sabretooth, which mostly translates as – giving Sabretooth another target to concentrate on.
Skel wakes up Endo, as he wonders where Sinister went off to.
Mystique is also alive and is upset that things have gone so wrong and off course.
Shogun says Sabretooth’s release word, Ulfberht, but Mystique has blocked Sabretooth’s ability to hear. I have to admit to being impress with the codewords, as clearly they never would have come across someone saying these words before.
X23 tries to get Sabretooth off of Junk but Sabretooth straight up rips off Junk’s head. That guy is dead. Skel and X23 starts wailing on Sabretooth.
I like Shogun telling Lady Deathstrike that Sabretooth’s release word is, Ulfberht. That way, if he dies, she can say it whenever Sabretooth can hear again. Lady Deathstrike is sort of falling in love with Shogun, as he could have made her into a puppet but chose to not do so.
Endo knocks Lady Deathsrike aside and confronts Shogun for leaving her behind with Sinister. He may have saved the three Paradise folks but he also made it impossible for them to die.
Sabretooth shoots Sabretooth in the head, putting him down. Well, as down as Sabretooth usually goes. Skel says Mystique killed Endo but I can’t tell whenever that happen besides seeing the BLAM on the previous page. Marks painted style is incredible but I can’t figure out when a quasi-important character has been killed.
Lady Deathstrike even kicks Endo’s body aside and Endo lets out an agh!
Lady Deathsrike is trying to help Shogun. He knows he is dying but Ogun will most likely just jump to another body. Lady Deathstrike loves both of them.
Mystique unloads her gun on Skel, but isn’t sure if the bullets are even having an effect on him. Mystique gives some orders but X23 is done listening to her.
They start bickering but Lady Deathstrike tells them to stop, as he wants to hear Shogun’s last words. She really doesn’t want to lose either of the men in her life.
He doesn’t look like a blond Logan there, right? It is hard to tell without the distinct mutton chops.
Shogun’s final words (of the issue, maybe ever?) are that Lady Deathsrike is the toughest person he has ever met and he is glad they got the time together that they had.
Lady Deathstrike pronounces him dead and Mystique wants to get the heck out of the lab – as the issue ends.
Shadow and Flame with Magik 