Writer Dennis Hopeless

Art Javier Garron

Color Art Chris Sotomayor

Letters VC’s Joe Sabino

Another terrific Secret Wars 2015 miniseries, comes to an end.

Inferno.  The Outer Boroughs.  Darkchild is eating hot dogs, watching her demons wreck havoc.  She’s pretty bored.  N’astirh arrives with news.

I adore how much Darkchild isn’t dismayed that N’astirh is holding his head in his hands.  He tells her that her brother is the one that beheaded him, and that he has her soulsword.  The only news that fazes her is that Madelyn Pryor has tamed Bamfy, the deformed Nightcrawler.

Darkchild does like knowing that all of her enemies are united and down in the sewers.

The Sewers Beneath NYC.  Sinister is trying to get people pumped.  He has been stuck, for five years, in the sewers and he will not let Darkchild stop him from enjoying the surface.  Sinister has faith in his clone army but Scott Summers points out how she defeated the vast number of X-Men, in minutes.  Sinister wants to use Colossus and the soulsword, against Darkchild – the combination is most likely, Illyana’s only weakness.

While Sinister goes on, Madelyn relives her origins.  Sinister and the X-Men will fight off the demons, as Colossus finds and fights his sister.  Madelyn, not listening to any of this, charges at Sinister.  She controls the Boom Boom Goblin hybrids and they start attacking Sinister.  One of them attacks Havok.

With Sinister out of commission, Colossus and Domino reach out to Tabitha.  Bamfy starts to take out the rest of the hybrids.

A giant battle occurs – X-Men v Demons v Goblins v Hybrids.  It is chaos.  Scott looks up, as things are about to get worst.

Darkchild has arrived to the battle.  She has brought along another army of demons.

Colossus starts slashing away at demons, trying to lead Domino and Meltdown to safety.

Colossus is about to come out of the sewer, and his sister brings him up, the rest of the way.  Darkchild really enjoys mocking her brother.  He has committed to the fact that she is pure evil.

I really like the color contrast between the Rasputin siblings, Sotomayor does a great job here and with the entire issue.

Colossus finally gets enough courage to try to fight slash save his sister.  He had to get angry enough but he is ready to attack her with her own sword.  She plays a sinfully delightful mind trick on him, making him see her as the sweet snowflake that she use to be.

As Charlton Heston taught us, so many years ago – on Space Ghost Coast to Coast – thou shall not hesitate!  As Colossus didn’t see that episode, Episode 53 – Dam – so he gets his chest ripped apart.

Domino isn’t going to just stand by and watch this happen.

Darkchild uses black magic, so she can make Colossus bleed.  As he has never bled before, in his armor form – he rightfully freaks out.

Darkchild trips over some rumble and has fallen before her brother.  He goes in for the killer strike, but she plays another mind trick on him.

Domino shouts to man up and slay the demon spawn.

Pretty great that Colossus even tries to go through with it, I’m sure it would be a moment that haunts him.

Darkchild parries and is straight prepared to murder her older brother.

Garron has really brought it this issue.  Look at Colossus’ innards!  This issue is pretty intense.

Domino is tired of watching her boyfriend get completely outmatched.  Her guns have no effect on Darkchild.  Domino gets to close and Darkchild is about to add two more dead X-Men, to her already impressive resume.

This is all the motivation Colossus needed and he cuts Darkchild straight down the middle!

Instead of seeing some innocent form, of Illyana, all that is on the ground is an empty husk.  Now that Colossus’ burden of his sister, has been lifted, he shifts back to boyfriend mode with Domino.  I really like these two together.

Tabitha breaks up the genuinely nice moment.  Tabitha informs the couple that most of the X-Men are dead and the sewers are being overrun with demons.

Colossus hears a voice in his head, telling him that he may be able to teleport with the soulsword – which actually works.  The trio are going to hop regions as they are okay with letting this region burn.  Which goes back to my theory about living in a world that knows about alternate universes.  If you have any slight thought that the world you live in, isn’t the real world – the stakes are always low.  Especially if you can hop to other universes.

Later.  Madelyn and her son, Nathan, arrive at Darkchild’s dead body.  Darkchld had so much power, that hours later, she is still bleeding power.  Nathan wonders where it is going.  Madelyn steps into the flames and comes out, looking even better!

Shame this won’t go anywhere, except that I do believe she did appear in Secret Wars 2015 6, but in a more traditional Goblin Queen outfit.

This series ended as dark as it could have had.

Writer Dennis Hopeless

Art Javier Garron

Colors Chris Sotomayor

Letters VC’s Joe Sabino

Hopeless makes the good call to have this issue open with a pleasant memory of Illyana, as she has nearly killed the X-Men last issue.

Limbo, Now.  Colossus is force to look outside of the barrier and see a destroyed New York City.

Darkchild is walking the streets, like the boss that she is!  Look at those goat legs!  She has nicknamed the deformed Nightcrawler, Bamfy.  Darkchild is growing stronger, as she stands on this side of the field.

Longshot is sneaking around, thinking he has a chance to take on Darkchild.  Which, with his luck powers, his chances may be pretty good.

The top panel confirms that this issue takes place before Secret Wars 2015 5.  Strange is here to offer Darkchild the position of Baron.  Scott Summers is no longer fit for the job, as the domain is clearly no longer under his control.

Meanwhile.  Jean seeks out Scott, as he is in his own head – making plans.  Longshot interrupts their conversation, to tell Scott that he is no longer Doom-chosen.  Even with this news, Scott doesn’t want to abandon the city.

Scott is tired, they allowed Illyana to take Limbo and now, after five years, she’s taking New York.  They shouldn’t allow this to progress, as there will be no place to hide.

Bamfy brings the demon horde to the remaining X-Men.

Elsewhere, In Limbo.  Colossus, Domino and their new alliance with Madelyn Pryor, Havok and young Nathan Summers.  They are trying to get to the end of Limbo, but in seven blocks, they have fought five groups of demons.  They are losing goblins (as Maddie is the Goblin Queen) but Maddie doesn’t seem to mind.  They get respawned after five days.  Sym is part of this traveling band, so he is going to try to undermine the team.  That’s what Sym do.  Havok is prepared to shut him down.  Maddie needs to take the fight to Illyana, as the alternative is to wait around until a super strong Illyana comes to rule the entire domain.

Meltdown comes out of the ground, to rejoin Colossus and Domino.  They are happy to see that she isn’t dead, like they thought.  Tabitha takes the Limbo folks into the sewers.  Maddie doesn’t really like the idea, but who would?

Madelyn is suspicious of why Boom Boom isn’t more hurt.  Tabitha had her guts hanging out of her, but she is ready for round two.

Colossus hears demons and knocks down a sewer wall, which I’m not sure if that was the best way to handle the situation.  Are sewer walls expendable?  I would imagine they are serving an important function.  Bamfy is leading the demons.  By knocking down the wall, Colossus’ side and Madelyn’s side have joined the X-Men.  Jean is overwhelmed by Bamfy, as she doesn’t want to hurt her friend.  Plus, she’s the weaker of the two, between her and Madelyn.  I do like how much Pryor has about how Kurt is dead as she tames Bamfy.

Colossus cuts down the head of Darkchild’s lieutenant, a horse heade red demon, with wings.  Once that is over, Colossus takes the time to apologize to Scott, as Scott was right about his sister.

Cyclops straights blasts the dude, as OF COURSE HE WAS RIGHT!!!   Darkchild has been tormenting peeps for years and they were losing people, trying to reach out to her.  Colossus feels like he has been blasted enough, so he clearly doesn’t know how much damage his little snowflake has truly caused.

Mister Sinister arrives, with his own demon horde.  He introduces himself, as he doesn’t believe he has met all of them.  I’m not sure how that lines up with the original timeline but I’ll take it for the truth.  Goblin Queen is surprised that Sinister lives, she thought Havok killed him.  Havok had that same thought.

Two page house ad for 50 Years of SHIELD, which is pretty amazing.  I do like how the characters of the Agents of SHIELD show are now proper Marvel characters.  Of the six issues spotlighted, I’ve bought SHIELD 10.

Tabitha vouches for Sinister, as he saved her.  She tells them that Sinister’s demon horde are actually clones of Tabitha, and I figure they must have demon blood in them.  Maybe it is goblin blood, now that I think of it.  They are definitely red.  Sinister explains that they are a mix of Tabitha’s blood and three succubus, and they are a mutant / demon hybrid clone army.  He also reveals that he has tinkered with Tabitha’s brain, to make her more subservient.  Explaining one of the bigger reasons why I don’t care for Sinister.

Issue ends with Sinister stating that he will be the heroes’ villain later, today, he is their savior.