Shadow and Flame with Magik

Writer Marguerite Bennett

Artist Mike Norton

Colorist Fco Plascencia

Letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna

Cover Art Adams and Peter Steigerwald

One of the better Secret Wars 2015 series, comes to an end.

The Ruins of New York City.  The issue opens, very intensely, Cameron looms over his sister, Christina.  These two will be at each other’s throats, for the issue.  Cameron wants to kill President Kelly, so that mutants will be even more persecuted and ideally, wiped off the planet.  Christina, being a Pryde, doesn’t want that – at all.

Cameron retells the story, of the tigers and how they outnumbered the humans.  Once they got out of the zoos, they started breeding like cats!  Giant orange cats.  Cameron also reminds us of his kill list – Magneto, Blob and Pyro.  Which is impressive for any one person.

Cameron and Christina have a quick sparing match and he takes off to meet up (and ideally) kill President Kelly.

The Skies Above the National Plaza.  Storm is guiding in Air Force One.  On the ground, is Angel, Colossus, Rachel and Wolverine.  Colossus is completely confused by the misinformation that Rachel is feeding him.  While Angel is checking in on Kelley’s PR goons, Cameron shows up.  Colossus tries to talk to him but Cameron doesn’t respect the guy he was spawn from.

Cameron takes President Kelly out of his plane.  Before he can make any moves, he hears his sister’s voice.

Christina has brought reinforcements – Kate Pryde and mother loving Lockheed!  He lives and I am so thrilled!  Glad he didn’t die, in issue three.

Pull out ad has – All New Wolverine and All New X-Men, both I’m sort of interested in.  Next, we have the Guardians of the Galaxy umbrella of titles – Drax, Venom Spaceknights and Star Lord.  I’m tracking Drax and Venom, as I still suspect there will be another space crossover.  Star Lord, is a retelling of Quill’s origins – so I’m skipping that one, until it catches up to the present.  It has to, right?  Then there are some odd titles – Black Knight, Hercules and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.  Finally, there is The Ultimates – which is mainly just Mighty Avengers, retitled.  I still think it is an odd use of the Ultimates name.  Agents of SHIELD, using comic art, but promoting the television series.  Remember how great that episode, 4,722 Episode, was?  So good!

Kate Pryde straight punches Rachel, to her traitorous dumb face.  Rachel tries to explain, just like how Magneto tried, that Christina needs to die, for the cause.  That dumb sentence, gets her a second punch to her silly hound face.

Christina, not missing an opportunity, introduces herself to President Kelly.  Lockheed allows the president to climb on top of them and the two escape.  See how Lockheed is making Christina’s metal arms, red hot?  That is going to make sense, in just one page turn.  But how did he know to do that?  They didn’t exchange a look, or anything.

Cameron is not happy that the president is escaping.  He turns his attention to his sister and she burns his legs.  Now he won’t be able to phase.  I do like how these two power sets are the opposite gender parent’s powers.  So Kitty’s phasing powers went to her son, Cameron.  Colossus’ metal powers, went to his daughter, Christina.  I also like how the children got a tad power upgrade.

I like how cynical Christina already is.  She’s heard about the legendary battles of Xavier and Magneto.  She already knows that Cameron is too small time, for that.

Cameron will never stop trying to eliminate the mutant race.  Poor Christina has to make a decision, and since she knows nothing but losing, she straight up SHKs her brother, killing him.

I do feel bad, that Kate has to witness the murder of her son, at the pointing arm of her daughter.  I do wish we got to see more of the combine family unit but I believe that is the point.  Cameron was never a Pride.

I also feel horrible for Christina, there are only a few hundred mutants and she just put one down, permanently.  Before him, three other mutant deaths had occurred.

Colossus pulls his wife away, so she never gets to give her murderous son, one last embrace.  Wolverine pulls Christina.

Two soldiers want to snipe the fleeing X-Men but President Kelly gives the order, to stand down.

Colossus is doing a poor job of consoling his grieving wife.  Everyone is headed to Kurt’s church.  Rachel keeps trying to apologize.  I guess if Rachel had her way, Kate would be grieving her other child instead.

Poor Kurt, instantly recognizing that Cameron is not around.  He only knew the child for a few brief hours.  Christina is still trying to justify her actions.

Wolverine, like a dick, tries to say that he lost a son today as well.  Even though we were shown that he barely paid Cameron, any mind.  Remember when Cameron kept saying “father” until he finally said “Wolverine” and got Logan to turn his head?  Imagine 18 years of that.

The X-Men hear helicopters and assume that the government is coming to finish the job of wiping an entire race off the map.  Which, as we all know, is always a great sign of a successful country.

The mutants from the nearby concentration camp, have join the X-Men, willing to fight due to Christina’s heroic freeing of them.

Kate wants to have a moment.  Which I can only imagine, they get outside and some government official, is there to bring the X-Men out of the shadows and into their rightful place, being one with the rest of society.

A tad weird to have Kate be the one to run into a tiger, as it was Christina who was told the tale from Cameron.

Pretty flipping fantastic series!  Also, grim as heck!