Shadow and Flame with Magik

Writer Akira Yoshida

Penciler Chris Bachalo

Inkers Irwin, Leisten, Mendoza, Sowd & Vey

Colorist Studio F

Letterer Chris Eliopoulos

Cover Date May 2005

Storm doesn’t blink, she wants Charles back.  Husk is perfectly intent to rip out the X-Men’s heart so she’s going to keep Charles.

To make sure that nobody mistakes Husk for not being properly motivated, she retells her origins.  Generation Next risked their very lives in order to get Illyana and no one could be bothered to regroup and come back to the Core and make sure their families had bodies to be buried.

Her team – Chamber, Skin and Vincente – are all dead.  The goons in the Portland Core (I’m sure it switches back and forth from Portland to Seattle) didn’t know what to do with prisoners.

Once word came down that Apocalypse was defeated, everyone abandoned the Cores.  The Gurthries apparently heard a rumor where Paige’s body could be found and they followed it.  Her real family (who she turned her back on, so she could become an X-Man) found her when the X-Man abandoned her.

Storm tries to explain how Colossus (the worst) told the X-Men how only Illyana and Kate survived.

Husk doesn’t need excuses, the X-Men went to check on Bishop, they should have gone back for everyone.  Weapon X sneaks up to Husk but doesn’t get Charles.  In fact, everyone is standing pretty close to each other, not sure why no one just grabs Charles.  Kurt should just teleport in and out.  Dash and grab, as it were.

Silver Samurai tells Weapon X to stand down as help has finally arrived.  Psylocke has arrived and somehow, has become Asian in this timeline!  She hands Charles to Weapon X.

Weapon X tells Nightcrawler to teleport away with Charles, he takes offense to Weapon X giving out orders but he follows them.

The X-Men have a quick fight with the Guthries but then Magneto arrives.  Magneto has Sunfire burn the Guthries.  The two make short work of the youngsters.

Quicksilver is about to punch Husk but Rogue tells her son-in-law to stop.  Stepson, right?  Rogue tries to explain how, once Apocalypse was dead, the X-Men decided to start anew with the living and not worry about the dead.  I guess that is harsh but that’s a decision winners can make.

Rogue won’t kill Husk, just lock her away in a cell.  I guess for attempted child capture?  After giving that threat Kirika kills Husk, so that was a waste of a page.

With Paige’s dying words she reveals that Charles was bait and Sinister has larger plans for Magneto.  Rogue asks Magneto what he knows about Sinister being alive.  Magneto reveals that he didn’t save the day, when the bombs were dropping.  The issue ends with the reveal that Jean stopped the bombs, even though we saw her super die at the hands of Havok.  Also, Sinister has Jean.

I imagine the X-Men free Jean and Sinister gets his butt kicked.

. . .

With this, we end our visit to the Age of Apocalypse.