Shadow and Flame with Magik

Writer Jeff Lemire

Penciler Humberto Ramos

Inker Victor Olazaba

Colorist Edgar Delgado

Letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna

Cover by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado

The second series that I’m committed to buying (unless Magik ditches it) begins!

We skip eight months, since the end of Secret Wars 2015 9 (or Uncanny X-Men 600).

The issue opens with Storm talking about how she isn’t quite making it, as X-Men leader.  She sees a vision of Xavier but (now gay) Iceman, doesn’t see him.  Is this just artistic license, or is Storm going a tad crazy?  Iceman is telling Storm that Magik is on another away message.  This time, she is in New Delhi.

The villagers (like Nightcrawler’s origins in Giant Size X-Men, which this issue has a lot of similarities with) are about to pounce on a poor little girl.  They believe she is (or could eventually be) affected with M-Pox, and get them sick.

Like a bad arse, Magik teleports in and takes control of the situation.  Thanks to a translation spell, Magik can speak their language.  I like her being even more skilled as a sorceress.  The villagers want to try to kill her now.

We get a more covered up version of Magik’s outfit, Actually, I’m not sure that is true, it might just be a color scheme changed or something is only slightly modified but I like it.

Magik, as she does make for a scary entrance – has to defend herself but also try to sooth over the girl’s parents.

The girl’s name is Sapna, and she agrees to be taken to safety.  Who would turn that offer down?

Magik gets shot at, and she quickly realizes how not armored, she is.  One can’t show that much flesh and go into situations where bullets may fly.

Magik, heroically, teleports the family out of there.

Iceman tells Storm how the students are starting to feel fatigue.  Storm needs them to keep pushing, as they are not out of the woods yet.  Bobby hints that there is further bad news.

Magik and family teleports back, Storm can tell that she is wounded.  Illyana puts on a brave face, and says it is only a flesh wound.  Which, from my experience, is always said to cover up, a more serious injury.

Magik is the first, in the comic, to state that the Inhumans’ Terrigen Mist, is messing with the mutant race.

These two pages (the above one and the one before that) look like two different artist did it. Would that be something, within, Olazaba or Delgado’s control?

Magik gets to tell Storm (and us) how bad the front line is.  The military is now getting involved in trying to stomp out the mutants.  Mutants are now being actively, outlawed.  Magik hints that Cyclops did something, that made things worst.  Which clearly isn’t a reference to Uncanny X-Men 600, as all he did was have a bunch of mutants stand around in America’s capital, doing nothing.

Glob Herman, is the only student that I can recognize, in the backgrounds.

Iceman gives me the impression that the X-Men may be down to these three.  Storm, running the school.  Iceman running around, doing whatever Storm needs.  Illayan doing search and rescue, as well as protection.

So I take it, that the X-Men have been licking their wounds, for eight months.

Hey, Anole is there too!

Storm announces, in classic Storm style – that the war for survival has begun!

Empire State University.  Manhattan.  Jean Grey is trying to live a normal life, which of course, is not allowed!  The X-Men can never just let go of someone, they will come and get you!  After class, she has a midterm due next Friday, she is invited to hang out with some classmates but she turns them down.  So, best case scenario, she may have had one full course load, for one semester – so four classes, five if she got a good adviser, who understood her situation.

It is raining but then it stops and Jean notices Storm.  Do the X-Men really need Jean, or do they just need to account for her?  Jean tries to leave, but since Iceman needs to still settle a score, blocks her path, with a wall of ice.

Jean left, also do to whatever Cyclops did.  Jean, for once, gets permission to read Storm’s mind.  Worldwide, mutants are being hunted.  The Terrigen Mists, is killing mutants.  Mutations, to make things worst, have stopped.  There have not been any additional mutants discovered.  Storm explains it further, mutants are sterile.

Lake Baikal, Russia.  Formerly the Ust-Ordyneski Collective Farm.  Did Colossus buy his family’s home?  Or did he inherit it after X-Men 18, when Omega Red killed his parents.  A bear tries to intimate Colossus but he doesn’t bow down to the beast.

Magik, coming to her brother (and her family home) just like Xavier did, in Giant Size X-Men 1.  Magik likes that her brother, has grown a beard.  It is a good look.  If my wife would let me grow a beard, I totally would.

I guess Colossus and Domino are not dating, what happened there?  Though, I do like that Colossus’ default mode, is to go back to farming.

Look how big Colossus’ smile is there!  So big!

Colossus is the first, in the issue, to name – X-Haven.  The secret location, of where mutants are going.  Colossus doesn’t feel like he should be involved, he brawls and does humanitarian tasks.  He must be forgetting the Lovelorn storyline of Uncanny X-Men (504 – 507), wherein he saves some Russian mutant prostitutes.  Or maybe they were just Russian mutants, who were about to be forced into prostitution?  I’m not sure, it had Emma so that was pretty good.  Colossus’ Katya tattoo, has magically disappeared.  In the world of the Marvel Universe, tattoo removal, must be super easy.

Colossus, there is a lot of world building in this issue, also reveals that Beast is working with the Inhumans, that lousy race traitor!  Illyana explains to her brother that they are all sterile now.   There will never be another new mutant.

These pages are amazing, like Ramos can’t tame all of his anime influence, but he is trying a new style and I’m totally digging it.

Great flashback (with new material) of Colossus, as a boy, first experiencing his powers.  His father shunned him and made him sleep in the barn.  Which is crazy aggressive and sad, but it was the 70s, a completely different time.  I have never imagine him as a scrawny little boy.  I’m pretty sure this information doesn’t contradict anything but it also doesn’t change anything, like it makes sense that he wouldn’t bring this up before.  When would he have?

Do you think it is hard for people to talk to Illyana?  Like, you try to maintain eye contact but then your eyes keep noticing those head garb thingies.  What is keeping those in there?  Have we seen her remove those?  Anyone know a cosplayer who has dressed in Magik’s current attire (or previous one).

Illyana tries to goad her brother into rejoining the cause, by calling him a coward.  Illyana teases the information, that they are trying to prove the world wrong.  Cyclops had people thinking mutants are murderers but Illyana wants to prove that they are warriors.

Illyana attempts to attack Colossus, with her soulsword.

Colossus catches the sword, and metals up.  Now that he is primed, they are going to go after Nightcrawler.

Nightcrawler is dodging attacks from would-be Asgardians, or some mystical folks.  They are quoting the Bible, and Kurt gets in on the action.  I’m sure answers will come next issue, and it is good for there to be additional mysteries with the title, but I feel like this one has a lot going for it, already, with it being the clear flagship title.

The big guy, with horns, is called Aries.  A mummy fellow and a broad.  The broad’s name is, Azimuth, as she can unhook her jaw, like a snake.  There is also, a second lady.  The mummy guy’s name is Coda.  Nightcrawler was trying to escape.

Jean is pretty sad, about all of this.  Beast is working with the Inhumans, to try to reverse what is happening.  Storm wants Jean, as she is a marquee name.  I do like how Jean is pretty up front about her reasons, she is going to die and not just once or twice maybe even not thrice times!

Storm understands and gives Jean a Cerebro.  Jean asks the question, where is X-Haven, but since she doesn’t want to join the cause, she doesn’t get to know.  Another mystery!  I read that over in Uncanny Avengers, volume three, we see what is happening to mutants and maybe a peak at X-Haven, I’m not sure.  I don’t have much interest in that title, at this moment.  I do like Human Torch being an Avenger, for the first time, in fifty years.  But Johnny Storm is also working with the Inhumans, and dating Medusa, so that isn’t cool.  Plus, he dated Crystal, her cousin, so that is super awkward.  Or is that old fashion of me?

After, whatever happened to Cyclops, Jean did a scan of who else was out there and found someone that Storm may want to check out.

So whatever happened to Cyclops, lots of people were able to see it and not have to be present – Is what I’m imagining.

That person that Storm and Iceman investigate?  Old Man Logan!  Also, they travel by giant Sentinel.

That is how the issue ends.  I can’t imagine a better first issue to launch the X-Men, in this All New All Different Marvel age we are in now.   I do want to know what happens next!