Cover by Tom Raney
This was a Hastings Exclusive Variant
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41 issues, all written by Brian Michael Bendis! It should be stated that Cory Petit lettered every issue as well, which is pretty impressive to keep the same letterer for an entire series.
The series ran from, cover dated, January 2013 to August 2015
Since this was the main flagship title, sharing the honor with Uncanny – a lot took place in this series. This is the series where the time misplaced Original Five X-Men starred. Crossover overs storylines were – Battle of the Atom / Trial of Jean Grey / Black Vortex. Other storylines include the much demanded sequel to Battle of the Atom, the Ultimate Adventure and the Utopians arc.
Art Teams were –
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 14, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29 – Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, Colorist Marte Gracia and VC’s Cory Petit
Issue five, Inker Von Grawbadger had help from Craig Yeung and Gracia had help from Jason Keith. Issues nine & ten, Gracia had help from Rain Beredo. Issue twenty-nine, Gracia had help from Jason Keith.
6, 7, 8 – David Marquez on both pencils and inks, Gracia and Petit
12, 13 – Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, Colorist Rain Beredo and VC’s Cory Petit
15 – David Lafuente on both pencils and inks, Colorist Jim Campbell and VC’s Cory Petit
19 – Brandon Peterson on both pencils and inks, Colorist Israel Silva and VC’s Cory Petit
20 – Brandon Peterson and Mahmud Asrar shared art duties, Colorist Gracia returned and helped Silva and VC’s Cory Petit stuck around as well
21 – Brandon Peterson and legend Brent Anderson (did a few pages on his own) Silva colored Petersn’s pages and Campbell did the Anderson pages, VC’s Cory Petit did all of his own lettering
25 – The All Star Jam Issue! Artists David Marquez with Justin Ponsor on colors for the Framing Device, VC’s Cory Petit on lettering duties – the other artistic talents of :
Bruce Timm & Laura Martin, Arthur Adams & Justin Ponsor, David Mack, Skottie Young & Jason Keith, Robbi Rodriquez & Justin Ponsor, Lee Bermejo & Marte Gracia, Kent Williams, JG Jones, Ronnie Del Carmen, J. Scott Campbell & Nei Ruffino, Maris Wicks, Jason Shiga, Dan Hipp, Max Wittert, Jake Parker & Matthew Wilson, Jill Thompson and Paul Smith & Bob Wiacek & Jordie Bellaire
30 – Sara Pichelli, Colorist Marte Gracia and VC’s Cory Petit
31, 32, 33, 34, 36 – Mahmud Asrar on both pencils and inks, Colorist Marte Gracia and Letterer VC’s Cory Petit
Issue 31 Gracia had helped from Jason Keith. Issue 34, Gracia received some support from Marcelo Maiolo.
35 – Mahmud Asrar on both pencils and inks, Colorist Marcelo Maiolo and Letterer VC’s Cory Petit
37 – Mike Del Mundo on pencils, inks and colors, though Marco D’Alfonso helped with the coloring and VC’s Cory Petit on lettering
38, 39 – Andrea Sorrentino on pencils and inks, Colorist Marcelo Maiolo and Letterer VC’s Cory Petit
40 – Mahmud Asrar on both pencils and inks, Colorist Rain Beredo and Letterer VC’s Cory Petit
41 – Mahmud Asrar on both pencils and inks, Colorist Marte Gracia and Letterer VC’s Cory Petit
There was a whole host of variant covers with this series so I’m not listing cover artists – not that I do but in case you were wondering.
Writer Brian Michael Bendis
Artist Mahmud Asrar
Colorist Marte Gracia
Letterer VC’s Cory Petit
Bendis’ final issue of All New X-Men and he doesn’t send them back in time. Also, this doesn’t feel like a final issue to an almost three year run.
The New Xavier School. Location : Secret. Today. The team, minus X23 and Angel, are just relaxing on the grass as Maria Hill’s SHIELD Hellcarrier approaches.
Magik teleports inf ront of the teenagers. She gets to say the classic, “To Me, My X-Men” which is awesome!
Maria Hill stops Magik before Magik can teleport everyone away. Hill wants the team to help her with a situation.
I like how Hill explains how she knew where to find them. It is the reason why cloaking never really works. Wouldn’t all you ever need to do is look for the absence inside an area? Sonar would be the anti-cloaking device.
Hill tells the team that there is an issue with the X-Men’s former home, Utopia.
A group of SHIELD agents went to Utopia and were confronted by a band of mutants. The agents have not been heard from since. Hill wants mutants to solve or investigate a mutant problem.
X23 and Angel fly back down and get a quick recap. Magik teleports the team.
Utopia Island. Former Home of the X-Men. San Francisco. Has Magik been back since losing her Phoenix portion, back in AvX? Has anyone?
I’m surprised Magik isn’t placing all of the blame on the Avengers, if they hadn’t gotten involved, the Phoenix Force’s return to Earth would have ended without much conflict.
The All New X-Men meet the Utopians – Random, Masque, Elixir, Boom, Karma and Madison Jeffries. I like how Karma is the leader of this group and she chooses to speak directly to Magik, who has to be the leader of this group. I would have loved a New Mutants reference between the two of them.
I do like Bobby and Hank enjoying saying, Boom Boom. Such a silly name, that’s what I always like to call Tabitha, Meltdown.
I like how Random is a realist and knew that they needed to have a policy about fools who would bother them.
Tensions are getting high so Jean shuts the Utopians down.
How great is that page above, great composition!
Jean really is tired of fighting mutants. Just then, Cyclops starts blasting dudes, Jean is taken down first. Magik dodges, for the most part. Cyclops starts shouting for someone to take him out and Beast is super glad to do so.
Then the worst case happens, X23 turns on the team.
The teenagers don’t really know to take down one of their own. Magik has to tell them that this is Karma who is up to no good.
Jean confronts Karma. I do like how X23 is willing to kill any and all who have tried to control her.
Meltdown starts throwing bombs.
Jean causes Karma to wake up in a mindscape. This is the first page that I notice that Asrar is still drawing boobs weirdly. Up to this point, Magik and the Utopians ladies’ costumes are more supportive to the gals so it isn’t noticeable at all but Jean’s costume is skin tight (or some nonsense) and her boobs just seem, I don’t know, artificially placed, isn’t the right word. Like he has to draw them and draws them to do it but they seem fake or some such thing.
Jean really wants to see life through Karma’s eyes.
We get that awesome effect seen in both All New X-Men issues 5 & 32, but with Karma!
We wish some of these panels were more specific. I like her origin and being part of the original line up of the New Mutants, the two Shadow King. Then we get four panels that are essentially pretty generic. Karma as a teacher, makes sense. Her training with Emma, did that happen? Is it crucial to her story? It is one of three panels featuring her robotic leg. One would think that one of these three panels would be during Second Coming but I don’t think that is represented. I was going to say her time on Astonishing X-Men isn’t but that’s what the panel with her hand is showing. Those are ice walls. Could that be Kitty Pryde in the dark shirt? I’m surprised there isn’t a panel showing her with a special lady friend. The bottom two are the formation of the Utopians.
Still, I do like the technique being used again.
The team goes to Maria Hill and they have brought the missing SHIELD agents. They do not sell out the Utopians. They call Hill on her nonsense about how she’s cool with the Avengers setting up base anywhere but apparently the X-Men need to be accounted for.
The team have brought the Utopians to the old New Xavier School, as no one is using it.
The Utopians are not thrilled about staying at a former Weapon X facility but it is abandoned and there some attempt to make it more of a home.
Issue ends setting up Teen Jean Grey’s portion of Uncanny X-Men 600 – Jean is going to try to figure out why the X-Men are always being persecuted and hated. I guess we will learn in twenty weeks.
Collecting Uncanny X-Men 162 – 179, plus Annual 6
So far, it is the only collection that has the entire Paul Smith run. There is the trade, From the Ashes, but it starts at 168 and ends at 175. It is in color, which is nice but it lacks the first three issues of Smith’s run.
Essential X-Men Volume Four is in black and white but the art really stands out.
This is Chris Claremont running on all cylinders and the stories are simply the best.
Whenever I can recommend a trade, this is always on the top of my list. I read somewhere that the Essential trades are going out of print so this may become an expensive trade but until Marvel releases a Paul Smith Visionaries, this is as good as it gets. And it is pretty grand.
Writer Brian Michael Bendis
Art Kris Anka
Color Art Marte Gracia
Lettering & Produciton VC’s Joe Caramagna
Delhi, India. Cyclops is confronting Mystique, who is on a bit of a vacation from herself. She is enjoying being a Bollywood star. Mystique starts playing mind games, to try to seduce him. She takes the forms of Emma, Dark Phoenix and Wolverine. Scott has had sex with two of those three.
Scott wants to know why Mystique has been so all over the place, since Xavier’s death. There was a time when she was the villain of four different titles – all at the same time. Get it together, Mystique! She would be committing minor crimes in one title and these massive month long plans.
SHIELD Hellicarrier. Maria Hill and Dazzler are having a nice chat. Dazzler never technically quit and Hill never technically fired Dazzler, so she is still a member of SHIELD in good standing.
The first of two pull out house ads for Secret Wars 2015 3 – of the titles featured, I’m only excited about Star Lord and AoA Kitty Pryde!
Dazzler wants help in seeking out Mystique. Dazzler will help but she wants full clean records for the New Xavier School students.
Mystique and Cyclops. Mystique asks Scott why he hasn’t brought up their affair together, which caused me to pause. He says it is because he wanted to keep this conversation on point but this is all she needed to know that this is not Cyclops.
Scott has been Dazzler, this entire issue! The New Xavier Students and Dazzler make short work of Mystique.
Mystique is pushed through the window and will surely die. Dazzler asks Magik to save the foe. Poor Magik, this is Bendis’ only role he uses her for.
The second pull out house ad for Secret Wars 3, has several more titles that I’m interested in – Giant Size Little Marvel : AvX, Years of Future Past and X-Tinction Agenda.
Magik keeps her word but makes sure that Mystique has a rough drop. Mystique recognizes that Dazzler is better than her as she would have let Dazzler die.
Dazzler gets on a stage, later, and sings. Maria Hill, after the show, admits to being a huge fan of hers. Dazzler needs to be the mutant liaison as she is better suited for it than anyone.
Greenvich Village, New York City. The former students of Cyclops are all outside. Celeste reads Hijack’s mind and wants him to reveal his thoughts to the group. He has an idea that they don’t need to be the X-Men but they need to do something.
The answer will be in Uncanny X-Men 600, which is strangely going to come out after Secret Wars 2015’s final issue instead of properly being done before the event. Which is so odd as Marvel should be going with a fresh start with the X-Titles instead, they are going to launch with the final issue of Bendis’ X-run and that is all he will be contributing to the line. Seems so dd to me.
Fair warning, this is a website that can suck all of your day away!
http://marvel-microheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Marvel-Microheroes_Wiki
The reason I looked them up was for how many different outfits Ultimate Shadowcat has had :
http://marvel-microheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Shadowcat_%28Ultimate%29
Which I do like how this site keeps track of even the slightest change.
Here is Lockheed’s Page :
http://marvel-microheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Lockheed
Shadowcat’s Page
http://marvel-microheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Shadowcat_%28Katherine_%22Kitty%22_Anne_Pryde%29
Ariel’s Page
http://marvel-microheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Ariel_%28Kitty_Pryde%29
Sprite’s Page
http://marvel-microheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Sprite_%28Kitty_Pryde%29
Magik’s Page
http://marvel-microheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Magik_%28Illyana_Nikolievna_Rasputina%29
Doing a search reveals that they have separate pages for alternate universe ones, which is pretty cool but ooof, that must be time consuming!
Darkchild’s Page
http://marvel-microheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Darkchild_%28Illyana_Rasputina%29
Phoenix Five Page
http://marvel-microheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Phoenix_%28Illyana_Nikolievna/Phoenix_Force%29
They even have the evil Ogun!
http://marvel-microheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Ogun_Ryu
I really do like looking at Magik’s page – for instance – how if they wore any different variation or plain clothes outfit – they have a Micro-version of it! That is commitment!
Writer Haden Blackman
Penciler Dalibor Talajic
Inker Goran Sudzuka
Colorist Miroslav Mrva
Letterer VC’s Travis Lanham
This series keeps getting better and better!
This issue opens with the origin of the name, Red Hand. As the Master of the Red Hand laid dying and the Iron Fist Master held her, her hand was red. The Master of the Red Hand clan, has never been the ruler of K’un Lun.
The story proper starts with Iron First, Laughing Skull and the third guy (Red Hood?) are interrogating a thug, Lester. Lester’s old job was to track Shang Chi, he wasn’t very good at it.
We see Shang Chi is with the X-Men, in their underground base. Which should make them Morlocks, especially with Callisto leading them – so I will try to call them that, going forward. Though the story does refer to them as, Outcasts – but that name isn’t so great.
Shang Chi is still super drunk but he takes out Caliban, Wolfsbane and Doug Ramsey.
Callisto, the best fighter of the bunch, gets a few hits off of Shang Chi – not like they even really connect – and is taken down.
Shang Chi is curious who trained these outcasts.
Callisto tells him that they don’t have a Master, they were hoping to have him train them.
Shadowcat, the ever introductory character, goes around explaining why the Morlocks are outcasts. Sarah needs to learn the Morrow technique, as her bones are just sticking out of her body. Caliban is an idiot but is great at trivial facts, an idiot savant – if you will.
Wolfsbane was part of the Wolf Clan but fell for Cypher before she can learn to shift to different forms. They are called, the Wolf Clan, so I wonder what other forms there would have been? I imagine reverting back to human, is one of them. Doug lost his left arm while defending Wolfsbane. I do like these two, finally having a chance at romance.
Kitty’s aliment is that she tried to master a skill that is way outside of her comfort level. Lockheed is next to her, but she doesn’t give any reasoning to why an awesome lengthy green dragon is with the team.
Callisto wants Shang Chi to train them, as he was his father’s greatest student. He has mastered nine of the ten techniques.
This may be the most brutal page of the issue, perhaps the series. Shang Chi straight up cuts the team up, with his words and they sting!
If Shang Chi was to teach the outcasts – like how his father, Zheng Zu, would – this is what he would do :
Zheng Zu would flay Sarah alive, making her look at her bones
Caliban would fight even simpler creatures, like donkeys, for Zu’s enjoyment
Wolfsbane and Cypher would be tortured, together, until one of them would denounce their love for the other. Shang Chi suspects it would be Doug.
Callisto, he would completely blind her – as if she can’t defend one eye, she doesn’t deserve either.
We see that Shadowcat is in permanent phase (of course) and she will be forced to watch her friends die
I like how he drops the bottle, like it was a microphone. Shang Chi out!
The Citadel of Emperor Zheng Zu. Zu punishes Razor Fist (the leader of the small gang from the first issue) by slicing off Razor Fist’s hands – intense!
Iron Fist, Laughing Skull and the still not renamed guy come before Zu. A guard, Norrin (who I imagine is Silver Surfer, with the silver word balloons. Norrin is about to express how much they failed at their task to find Shang Chi but Iron Fist wants to tell his own woes.
Iron Fist is going to challenge Zu in the Thirteen Chambers tournament. Laughing Skull reveals that Iron First is the sheriff of this region.
Callisto is brought before Zu, she is willing to reveal where Shang Chi is but she wants to become a member of the Ten Rings.
Shadowcat comes and wakes up a very drunk Shang Chi.
Iron Fist is leading the charge in the Morlock tunnel. He straights threatening Wolfsbane, Shang Chi knows that Iron First is a man of peace, so he is merely bluffing.
Cypher comes running at Iron First, as poor Doug doesn’t know that Iron Fist is bluffing.
Classic Doug, once again, dies trying to save Wolfsbane – bonus points for once again, that she wasn’t in any danger, this time either. Oh poor dead Doug.
Laughing Skull turns his attention to Caliban next.
Shang Chi prevents this attack and tells the Morlocks to escape.
Shang Chi uses the technique, Nightbringer, to cloud the room in mist and they all escape.
Later. Kitten is disappointed in Shang Chi’s lack of action earlier. Shang Chi is still broken from killing a master.
Shang Chi will become a master, he will make the Morlocks his students so that he can have his own school, that way he can enter the Thirteen Chambers.
I can only imagine the tournament issue is going to be pretty intense!
Brian Cronin compiled the Top 75 Captain America stories!
| 75 | Celluloid Heroes | Captain America 261 – 263 | |
| 74 | When Free Men Shall Stand | Captain America : Sentinel of Liberty 6 – 7 | |
| 73 | Super-Patriot is Here | Captain America 323 | 1 |
| 72 | Fear Grows in Brooklyn | Captain America 241 | |
| 71 | Power to the People | Captain America 143 | |
| 70 | I Am Legend | Captain America 383 | |
| 69 | Arnim Zola – The Bio-Fanatic! | Captain America 206 – 212 | |
| 68 | Cap’s Night Out | Captain America 371 | |
| 67 | When Wakes the Sleeper | Captain America 101 – 102 | |
| 66 | Someone Who Cares | Captain America 270 | |
| 65 | Reborn | Captain America 600, Reborn 1 – 6 | |
| 64 | By the Dawn’s Early Light | Captain America 247 – 248 | |
| 63 | Mean Stress | Captain America 272 | |
| 62 | What If the Invaders Had Stayed Together After World War II? | What If . . . ? 4 | |
| 61 | Tess-One | Captain America Annual 8 | |
| 60 | The Burden of Dreams | Captain America 31 – 36 | |
| 59 | The Adaptoid | Tales of Suspense 82 – 84 | |
| 58 | The Anti-Cap | Captain America and Falcon 1 – 14 | |
| 57 | Sanctuary | Captain America 454 | |
| 56 | If A Hostage Should Die | Tales of Suspense 77 | |
| 55 | Hero That Was | Captain America 109 | |
| 54 | Grand Director Saga | Captain America 231 – 236 | |
| 53 | Exiles | Captain America 103 – 105 | |
| 52 | Red Menance | Captain America Volume Five Issues 15 – 17 | |
| 51 | Truth | Red, White and Black 1 – 7 | |
| 50 | Gladiator, The Girl and The Glory | Tales of Suspense 75 – 76 | |
| 49 | Hope and Glory | Captain America 444 | |
| 48 | Man Who Bought America | Captain America Volume Five Issues 37 – 42 | |
| 47 | Madripoor Night | Uncanny X-Men 268 | 6 |
| 46 | Two Americas | Captain America 602 – 605 | |
| 45 | If this Be . . . MODOK! | Tales of Suspense 92 – 94 | |
| 44 | Streets of Poison | Captain America 372 – 378 | |
| 43 | Sentinel of Liberty | Adventures of Captain America 1 -4 | |
| 42 | Patriot | Captain America : Patriot 1 – 4 | |
| 41 | Now, By My Hand, Shall Die a Villain | Avengers Volume One Issues 15 – 16 | |
| 40 | Ultimatum | Captain America 321 – 322 | |
| 39 | Origin of the Red Skull | Tales of Suspense 66 | |
| 38 | Death Be Not Proud | Avengers Volume One Issue 56 | |
| 37 | America the Cursed | Captain America 281 – 283 | |
| 36 | Riddle of the Red Skull | Captain America Comics 1 | |
| 35 | Justice is Served | Captain America 318 – 320 | |
| 34 | What If Captain America Were Revivied Today | What If . . . ? 44 | |
| 33 | Serpents of the World Unite | Captain America 310 – 315 | |
| 32 | Return of Baron Zemo | Captain America 275 – 279 | 10 |
| 31 | God and Country | Daredevil 232 – 233 | |
| 30 | Mercenary and the Madman | Captain America 251 – 252 | |
| 29 | Castaway in Dimension Z | Captain America Volume Seven 1 – 10 | |
| 28 | Batman and Captain America | Batman and Captain America | |
| 27 | Red Glare | Captain America Volume Three Issues 14 – 19 | |
| 26 | Under Siege | Avengers 273 – 277 | 9 |
| 25 | Man Who Lived Twice | Tales of Suspense 97 – 99 / Captain America 100 | |
| 24 | Home Fires | Marvel Fanfare 18 | 4 |
| 23 | Bloodstone Hunt | Captain America 357 – 362 | |
| 22 | Armageddon 1983 | Captain America 286 – 288 | |
| 21 | Man Out of Time | Captain America : Man Out of Time 1 – 5 | |
| 20 | Sleeper Shall Awake | Tales of Suspense 72 – 74 | |
| 19 | Man Without a Country | Captain America 450 – 453 | |
| 18 | Bicentennial Battles | Marvel Treasury Special Featuring Captain America’s Bicentennial Battles | |
| 17 | Coming of the Falcon | Captain America 114 -119 | |
| 16 | Meet Captain America | Captain America Comics 1 | |
| 15 | Nomad | Captain America 176 – 183 | |
| 14 | Madbomb | Captain America 193 – 200 | 8 |
| 13 | Living Legend | Captain America 255 | |
| 12 | Cap for President | Captain America 250 | |
| 11 | Two Into One Won’t Go | Captain America 153 – 156 | |
| 10 | He Who Holds the Cosmic Cube! | Tales of Suspense 79 – 81 | |
| 9 | Death of a Dream | Captain America Volume Five Issues 25 – 30 | |
| 8 | Death of the Red Skull | Captain America 293 – 300 | |
| 7 | Blood on the Moors | Captain America 253 – 254 | |
| 6 | Captain America No More | Captain America 332 – 350 | |
| 5 | Project Rebirth | Captain America 445 – 448 | |
| 4 | Captain America Joins . . . The Avengers! | Avengers Volume One Issue 4 | 7 |
| 3 | Secret Empire | Captain America 169 – 175 | |
| 2 | Strange Death of Captain Ameirca | Captain America 110 – 111, 113 | |
| 1 | The Winter Soldier | Captain America Volume Five Issues 1 – 6, 8 – 9 & 11 – 14 | |
I really should check out those JM DeMatteis issues as he is, by far, my favorite Spider-Writer and clearly, he is also a legendary Captain America writer.
Only three of my votes didn’t make the list. Which makes sense, as I had a higher chance of getting more on the list with 75 options. Plus, I knew the three that didn’t make the list, wouldn’t make the list.
Cover by Skottie Young
Hastings is offering both the Skottie Young Baby Variants and the Action Figure Variants, so I’m hoping to get as many of these as possible.
Thanks to 20th Century Fox for hosting the video!
I’m super late on this but I figured better late than never.
This trailer actually looks pretty good, and I think Singer has a good grasp on Apocalypse.
Is it me or does Sophie Turner not look great as Jean Grey? I’m sure I’ll come around but those opening shots are not flattering to her.
Always great to see X-Men in live action.
So glad to see Rose Byrne back.
I didn’t recognize Lucas Till as Havok, for the longest time. I had to look at the cast list to figure it out. Its all that long hair he has! I can’t wait for the scene with him and Tye Sheridan, as Cyclops. I wonder if the two will have a quick fight or not.
Makes perfect sense that they would have Jennifer Lawrence not be Blue Mystique, as much as possible – with her Oscar and her hating the make up process. Perfectly understandable.
So thrilled to see Nightcrawler and Jubilee, again!
I really do need to see more Michael Fassbender films.
Alexandra Shipp, on the other had, looks incredible as 80s Mohawk Storm!
Strong hints that Storm, Magneto, Psylocke and a fourth person – are the Horsemen.
I wonder if we’ll get a bunch more Quicksilver in this? I know people loved his scenes from Days of Future Past.
Am I the only one who wasn’t expecting Archangel in this? All we are missing is Iceman and we can have the Original Five in a movie! I’m hoping they can sneak in him in there, but he’ll just be a baby but I want it so much!
I know people are not liking how Apocalypse is looking but he looks good to me, in those brief shots. That voice is dead on, though.
I’ll never stop being taken back by images of the Twin Towers still standing.
How great is that final shot sequence?
Pretty flipping great!
Thanks to Tumblr user, youncehaunted, for the two images!
Surprised they only went with showing us Olivia Munn’s beautiful face but they could have given us some extended scenes with her in the classic Psylocke ninja costume –
There is a special place in heaven for Louise Mingenbach, the costume designer for making the above possible!
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Shadow and Flame with Magik 