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Uncanny X-Men 139 by John Byrne
All New X-Men 32 by Sara Pichelli
Nice that Angel got to keep his placement!
Uncanny
All posts tagged Uncanny
Writer Chris Claremont
Plot – Penciler John Byrne
Inker Terry Austin
Letterer Tom Orzechowski
Colorist Glynis Wein
Cover Dated November 1980
The issue that gave the world – Welcome the X-Men, I hope you survive the experience! Such a great line!
This comic has a special place in history, as it is the first appearance of many a person and concept. Stevie Hunter and Heather Hudson make their first appearance here. Also, on the Wolverine side of things, he wears his Brown & Tan costume for the first time, and we learn his name is Logan for the first time.
Let’s see how and when we come across them and various other events!
Issue opens with Angel in the Danger Room.
Turns out, all of the X-Men (minus one), are in the Danger Room. Angel has just rejoined the team and has no fighting experience with the team. Hence, this latest session. Poor Angel is quite clumsy. He bumps into Kurt.
Storm and Wolverine notice this as stupid Colossus is too busy talking to the robot to notice anything else.
We see their other latest recruit’s legs as we also see Xavier in the Control Room.
That new recruit is, of course, Kitty Pryde! She showed up on the last page of issue 138 and now is seeing the Danger Room for the first time.
Kurt is falling towards some flames and Wolverine quickly cuts a hole in the wall and puts if over the fire. Kurt shakes it off and teleports away.
Kurt teleports right into Colossus’ path. Storm saves him. Storm makes a few quips, which I forget that she is funny. It seems so out of place now.
Wolverine refers to Xavier as Charley. Which prompts Xavier to enter the room and gives Wolverine a slew of options to call him by. Instead of taking any of those under concentration, he goes with Chuck. Oh that Wolverine, he’s such a bad boy.
Kitty is uneasy about entering the Danger Room.
Angel apologizes for being so reckless. He tells Xavier it shouldn’t happen again.
Wolverine tells Angel that he’s been a solo hero for too long and it takes a while to get back into the routine of a team environment.
Kurt comes back with some lemonade. Wolverine tells him, that he isn’t much of a lemonade man. Kurt, proving he’s such a good friend, tells Wolverine that is why he brought a beer as well. What a good guy!
Poor Kitty, she isn’t use to Kurt and his ways yet and flinches whenever he is near by. She knows it is wrong but she is working on it.
Kurt notices it but he also knows that he is a tad different and he will warm up to her in time.
Colossus is so horrible that the caption box incorrectly states that he is Cyclops. If only! Cyclops left the team last issue as Jean died on the Moon but he doesn’t know that she is really at the bottom of Jamaica Bay and only the Phoenix, temporarily, died on the Moon. shhhh, don’t tell him!
Kitty realizes that the Danger Room is appropriately named and is worried about getting work. Xavier tells her that she won’t officially train it until he has created a program for her. It will take one full issue before her official first session in Uncanny X-Men 141.
Xavier takes this opportunity to mention how Kitty needs a codename to protect her secret identity. He offers, Ariel, she doesn’t care for it. Storm offers, Sprite, and Kitty likes it, as long as no one tries to pull her Tab.
Xavier recognizes it for a horrible joke a 13 and a half year old will make up. He offers a toast to welcome their newest member to the team, Sprite! She will go by Ariel in the God Loves, Man Kills story.
Kurt takes this pause to ask Wolverine why he has a new costume. Wolverine’s response of, Why not? is so classic and awesome! Claremont / Byrne are slowly rolling out the legend that Wolverine will become.
Wolverine wants a moment with Xavier. He’s worried that Alpha Flight might come looking for him and he wants to make sure there isn’t any active warrants out for him. Xavier is fine with him taking the time off but if he is to run into some problems, he should take someone with him. Wolverine asks if Nightcrawler wants to tag along and Kurt does!
Xavier wants Kitty to go with Storm.
Later in Salem Center, Storm and Kitty are heading towards a Dance Studio. Kitty is so excited, she thought she would have to give up her dancing ways but Xavier – the nice guy he likes to think he is – has set up Kitty with some dance classes.
The door to the studio is locked, so Kitty – after checking both ways – phases through the door. The door is being blocked by all of the supplies from the closet spilling into the hallway.
Kitty clears the path and lets Storm in. I like how these two are already the fastest of friends – age difference and all! Good thing that Jean Grey died so that she wasn’t in the way of Kitty and Storm’s friendship – as we saw in that What If Volume One Issue 27.
Kitty explains why her passion for dance is so fierce! She couldn’t really relate, just like Blossom, to other kids her age as she is a genius. But with dancing, it was a shared skill and she got to interact with other ladies of her age. Though none of those other dancers must have been good friends with Kitty as they are never referenced or mention outside of this vague statement Kitty makes.
Another historic moment! The first appearance of Stevie Hunter!
Storm is almost immediately jealous of Stevie. Maybe not jealous but is cautious around her.
Kitty remembers Stevie from the time Stevie danced in Chicago. We will learn later that Stevie can no longer dance on a professional level.
From here, Wolverine and Kurt take over the issue with a back door pilot – of sorts – for Alpha Flight.
We get the first appearance of Heather Hudson, that I didn’t even know I owned! How crazy is that!
Heather comes home. She knows someone is in her house, with broom in hand, she barges into the kitchen. This scares Kurt but Wolverine keeps drinking his beer.
Heather is surprised to see Wolverine, Logan as she calls him.
Kurt asks about the name and Logan is so cool in his response. Did no one ask what his name was? I can only imagine in that long plane ride from Upstate New York to wherever Krakoa was, everyone would have shared such information.
Logan introduces Heather to Kurt.
Meanwhile, Guardian (Heather’s husband) joins Shaman and Snowbird at a cabin. The other half of the team – Aurora, Northstar and Sasquatch – are appearing in Machine Man 19.
Shaman detects intruders. Wolverine and Nightcrawler appear. Guardian and Wolverine still don’t get along. Snowbird, in a form of a,bear, spooks Nightcrawler. The way Kurt climbs on top of Wolverine is so funny!
Alpha Flight and the two X-Men are now looking for . . . The Wendigo! We are treated to a quick flashback to Hulk 162, 180 & 181.
Wolverine wants their gear and Kurt goes to get it. The issue ends with Kurt being ambushed by Wendigo!
Writer Brian Michael Bendis
Artist Kris Anka
Lettering and Produciton VC’s Joe Caramanga
Cover by Chris Bachalo and Tim Townsend
I like this cover very much.
SHIELD Helicarrier. Floating 1,000 miles south of Newberry, South Carolina. Maria Hill is watching Matthew Malloy and the crater he left. Hill shares that Tony Stark had five nightmares that kept him up at night. Hill only has the one and Malloy is it. Just a regular guy who woke up with the powers of a god. She wants the Avengers, but all of the good ones are off planet. The Fantastic Four are out of the question, for some odd reason. Hill wants the state to be evacuated.
The Jean Grey School.
Scott comes barging out of the office. Scott is done with all of this Xavier nonsense. Wolverine really wants to go on the mission, as it was Xavier’s last wish. Well, one of his last wishes, as it was implied that there was more to the message.
I like the team of Cyclops, Wolverine and Rachel. I know there was a theory that Wolverine could have been Rachel’s father from the Days of Future Past storyline, so that fanbase could be pleased that she gets to go on a mission with her two dads. I’m not one of those people, Cyclops is her father, as she has told us he is and we should be able to trust her own knowledge. One could say that Jean told her Scott is her father and she just never questioned it but that seems a bit out of character on Jean’s part.
I sort of like Iceman’s joke about Xavier’s last wish was probably – please Scott, don’t kill me. That’s awfully catty of him. Scott’s look of such displeasure really seals it too!
Storm and Wolverine want Cyclops on that plane. Scott turns to Emma, and she also wants him on the plane. The faster he is on it, the faster they can go home.
I love that shot of Kurt and Kitty. Anka really is a terrific artist! I wonder what the teams are going to do as they stay at the mansion. With all of the hugs last issue, I would have thought that the two teams would just go back to their respected schools.
Firestar feels bad for Cyclops. Iceman, like the dick that he is, is surprised by this.
Firestar gets it. Cyclops wasn’t in full control of his emotions, he had gone Dark Phoenix. No one gives Jean crap for how her personality that the Phoenix was using, was completely okay with destroying the D’Bari planet when she devoured their sun.
Why does Iceman keep calling him, Scott Summers. Is there another one? I mean, one that isn’t in space at the moment. There is only one Scott within a mile radius.
Kitty probably died a little having to actually talk to Bobby there.
Bobby is really upset that Xavier is dead. This from the guy who could barely care that he almost killed his actual father in that spectacular Astonishing X-Men Frozen storyline, otherwise known as the Dark Iceman Saga. People are still suffering the effects of lost limbs and ruined homes from all of the frostbite and snow.
Iceman wants Cyclops to die in battle. When no one else supports his desires, he just ice slides away like a big ol’ ice baby.
Newberry, South Carolina. Malloy is trying out his powers.
For some reason, SHIELD has X-Men villain, Exodus’ phone number. Not only that, but he actually took the call and is now on the Hellicarrier. Maybe he has a secret plan to take control? He reaches out and touches Malloy’s mind. Matty doesn’t care for that and kills Exodus. He did get to reveal that Malloy is a mutant. Hill wants the X-Men brought in.
Meanwhile, the Avengers are attacking the New Xavier School students. Triage doesn’t want to participate in this exercise. Goldballs is trying his codename as his catchphrase.
Bendis gets to comment on how many X-Fans feel with all of this Avengers vs X-Men nonsense. How the X-Men are put in the villain role by the virtue of the Avengers being placed in the hero / starring role.
Celeste makes a great joke about how Cyclops hates the Avengers like Wolverine hates showers.
Hijack is 30 years.
Cerebro. Beast has discovered that Matthew Malloy is above Omega-Level mutant.
Hill shows up to personally retrieve the X-Men, as the issue ends.
Writer Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils Chris Bachalo
Inks Tim Townsend, Mark Irwin, Jaime Mendoza, Victor Olazaba & Al Vey
Colors Chris Bachalo
Lettering & Production VC’s Joe Caramanga
Issue opens with Xavier beginning his story. The issue is essentially Storytime with Xavier, at least they can pause it. I can’t imagine when Xavier had the time to sit down and just tell this story but that’s the beauty of comics. Its been told thus, he can do it. Was it Bendis that had that great quote about complaints of characters being written out of character? Bendis’ response was that the character was written this way, thus that character has now been written in character.
This is the story of Matthew Malloy, an Omega level mutant. Xavier, back in the Original Five days, which is also awkward as those same kids are in the present right now. I wonder if that’s what he means by he couldn’t find them. I doubt it, but maybe.
Xavier has just finished building Cerebro, the big dome one from the first film – so maybe this story doesn’t take place during the Original Five days as Cerebro was just a fancy helmet at his office desk. Though I’m sure it is meant to be back in the original days as he mentions how Magneto may have recruited this new mutant before Xavier could. Though if the team was out on a mission, how did Xavier get there? They only had the one jet and the Rolls Royce, which would take Xavier forever to get anywhere from Upstate New York.
I wonder how he recruited the Original Five without the use of Cerebro. I know Jean’s father called him, so that’s how he found her. The others, I’m a little hazy on.
Xavier shows up, meets Matthew. He’s eight. I like that Matthew is playing with Devil Dinosaur and Fing Fang Foom toys. His parents are not around, it is highly implied that is due to Matthew. He gets annoyed with Xavier, mostly due to Stranger Danger and that he can feel Xavier in his mind, which is both rude and why his stranger danger sense went off.
Matthew’s power feels like the world turned inside out and pushed outwards.
Xavier continues, stating that this boy will become the poster child for what humans fear mutants are. Uncontrollable and highly dangerous. This kid just reminds me of Proteus and Legion, so I’m not sure why he’s a specialer case. It isn’t like once Xavier comes across those future two, that he’s more prepared for them.
I like how Cyclops wants a break and that there is a way to pause the message. If this was real life, it most likely would have reset the entire message and they would have to rehear everything again. For some reason Beast is the one that figures out that the one button the machine has is the pause button. I wonder why She-Hulk couldn’t have figured it out. She’s the official attorney.
Cyclops just wants a minute. Kitty is worried that Scott is just going to walk away and take his entire team with him but he just finds the situation unpleasant. He’s heard Xavier page long monologues before, he thought he was done with all of that.
I like Doop being at the desk. Fun now that All New Doop is an official adventure, he just looks at all of these gathered heroes and knows that they are not as privy to that story as he is.
Iceman is also freaked out, but that isn’t that unusual.
Firestar starts the first of many comments about how Xavier being married to Mystique is weird.
She-Hulk tells everyone to take a bathroom break and get something to drink – which I did and I recommend you do as well.
I like seeing Cyclops and Storm together again. The two real leaders of the sides having a nice chat.
Storm’s comment to Scott about how he wishing he hadn’t killed Xavier is too much. Did Wolverine get this much shit for killing Northstar while under the Hand’s influence? He didn’t.
Storm wonders if the reason why Mystique has been so off the rails was because she lost her husband. Scott wonders if Xavier left the school to Mystique. She’s going to feel pretty silly for taking that teaching job at the Hellfire Academy.
Probably my favorite page of the entire issue! The scene I’ve been looking to the most. I like how Kitty and Kurt are now just hugging friends. They hugged in Amazing X-Men 6 and are just continuing the good times.
Some people are making a big deal of Kurt calling her, Katya, which is what Colossus use to call her. I’m sure Kurt is just happy to see her, went with a more familiar name.
I’ve seen, also, people getting a tad out of sorts of how she didn’t call him, Fuzzy Elf, but just Elf. I’m just happy to get the characters back together so they call call each other, Fool and Dork, I don’t care.
Kurt wants to keep talking but all Kitty wants is some sweet hugging.
Beast sees Dazzler. She isn’t going to let the fact that Mystique is the current Mrs. Xavier stop her from killing her.
Beast makes the awesome comment about wanting to know when Cyclops’ revolution starts. Made even funnier as it is Bendis who wrote that. He has had 25 issues to start the revolution, he keeps getting distracted. Both of them.
Dazzler wonders if they have kids. They have the one who is born now. Oddly, Raze has been born for a while now.
She-Hulk tells Beast to restart the message.
Everyone wants to talk about Mystique. Probably as the Mollary story is boring and been there done that.
Kitty wants to continue the message. Kurt likes hearing Xavier’s voice again. Scott does to.
The message continues.
Xavier couldn’t bring himself to kill Matthew. So he created a kid, Charlie, to be Matty’s friend. By doing so, he was able to install mental blocks.
Next, he put Matty into an orphanage. That word must have brought a bunch of memories to Scott.
He essentially gave the boy a lobotomy.
We see Magik for the first time of the issue.
Xavier couldn’t limit Matthew’s power. He couldn’t trust the Avengers nor SHIELD.
I like how mad Scott is slowly getting.
Everyday Xavier would check on Matt via Cerebro. Once a year, he would make a trip to make sure the mental blocks were still in place.
Scott calls Xavier, a hypocrite.
Beast pauses the message.
Scott can’t believe what he is hearing. Though it really shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Iceman offers the unhelpful advice of killing Xavier again.
I do miss seeing Bachalo’s Krakoa.
Cyclops optic blasts Iceman, just ruining the school’s infrastructure.
Kitty tells Scott to settle down. Rachel tells him to settle down. Scott tells her to not to try to control him. Kitty defends Rachel. It is nice to see those two together, as well.
Iceman returns, he recognizes that Cyclops was not in control of his actions when he killed Xavier. So that is Rachel, and now Iceman, who are the first in years, to admit that.
Iceman threatens to freeze Scott’s colon if he were to get blasted again. To bad Warren isn’t in the room, then we could get the Original Four X-Men guys together again, in a while.
Message continues. One time, in college, Matt sees through Xavier’s illusion. I love seeing the 90s Xavier hoverchair. Matt remembers everything. Xavier puts up stronger mental blocks.
Xavier wants the X-Men to check in on Matt.
Xavier wants Cyclops and Wolverine to gather a small team. He recommends taking Rachel, unless there is a stronger psychic. Which is unlikely. Xavier wants to have the mission be one of stealth.
Xavier mentions this is the first task, there is more to his Will and Testament.
I do enjoy Xavier wanting to say “To Me, My X-Men”
The message is stopped so that a super team is made.
I love Kitty giving Kurt a big ol’ hug!
Writer Brian Michael Bendis
Artist Kris Anka
Lettering and Production VC’s Joe Caramanga
Jean Grey’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Iceman is depressed. I’m sure with the Jean Grey School, that it is all new materials. None of the old Xavier Mansions are present in ant of the new structures.
She-Hulk wants to know about Cyclops. Beast comes off, even more whiny about his hatred for Cyclops.
Firestar and Nightcrawler enter the office. I like the flirtation between Kurt and Jennifer.
Wolverine reveals that he doesn’t own the school, he gave the rights back to Xavier. Storm now worries that Cyclops owns the school. As if he would just shut it down once he got the lease.
She-Hulk pretends she didn’t know that Cyclops played a slight role in Xavier’s death. How could she not? Its the worst kept secret within the Avengers and SHIELD community.
I do enjoy Rachel standing up for her father, that he was possessed by the Phoenix at the time. Good for you Rachel AND Bendis! Good job!
At this point, Beast reveals that he always knew where Cyclops was, he just didn’t care to know. As once he knew, surely events would conspire that will force Beast to see his former friend.
Beast reveals that they are at the Weapon X facility where Logan got his adamantium skeleton. Wolverine gives Scott props for the move, it is the last pace he would look.
So the away team is – Storm, Wolverine, Beast and Iceman.
Newberry, South Carolina. So this new mutant that we never seen, is clearly what Xavier’s will is about. Just a matter of time before it is confirmed. We see that nothing around the man is left standing, there is a giant grater and then the rest of the still standing city.
Maria Hill uses an electronic means of communication to speak with him. She just assumes he is a mutant, even though the possibility of being one of those new Inhumans is out there. Probably because he wasn’t hatched out of an egg?
The guy’s name is, Matthew Malloy. Which I just like the alliterative name.
A squad of SHIELD agents show up to wrangle him in and he loses his mind again and explodes. So add another four people to the list that he has killed.
New Xavier School.
With the incoming X-Jet, both the All New and Uncanny teams are waiting outside. Jean and Emma exchange a few words and Hank gives us a classic, oh my stars and garters.
We see the back of both Kitty and Magik’s head. What is it they say about good character design, you should be ale to tell who they are from just a silhouette? Check!
I am curious who else is officially on the list for Xavier’s will reading. We know Cyclops but is Kitty? She ought to be!
We get Dazzler in her new uniform, completely skipping out on the whole reaction of the rest of the team to her new drastic look. I don’t care for it. Hopefully the rumored Anka Kitty revised uniform is a step beyond Dazzler’s new look. Does she have to cut up a new uniform every time an old one gets … more shredded?
They go wake up Cyclops and he sleeps in a ruby quartz sleeping mask. A little cute.
Iceman tries a joke about if Cyclops ironically put himself in a jail or was it only subconsciously. Not a good joke as it was a research facility and not a jail. Beast just goes with it as he is a fool. He also calls Cyclops, Slim, which also falls flat. These two don’t know how to do insults when they are actually facing the person.
Cool seeing the entire team together! I like how Magik has her sword drawn. Cyclops would like to pass on this little adventure. He doesn’t want anything that Xavier would inherit him with.
Magik confirms that She-Hulk is, in fact, at the Xavier School and bored out of her mind. Does Magik not like games on phones? She can’t be anti-fun, can she? I mean, of course, she can be but maybe it is due to her having no phone. Do the X-Men have phones? I know Wolverine does from Amazing X-Men 8.
Beast offers to give the others a lift. Which Cyclops turns down, which is smart as that would have been an awkward conversation. So they are in Northern Canada and have to go to Northern New York. That has to take at least thirty minutes for the Jean Grey School folks.
Magik can do that in just a second.
I didn’t even see that Wolverine wasn’t outside of the plane. He stayed inside like a scary cat.
So the Staffers leave. I wonder if Cyclops is thinking of getting a new base. It has to be not in America, is the old Outback base still not in use? Cyclops and none of his teams have any connection to it but I’m sure it would be one of the first places the Staffers check.
The students and All New team want to go. Only Scott, Emma, Kitty and Illyana will go. I can see two of them having their names on the will reading list.
Scott is worried that he was gifted the Jean Grey School, he doesn’t want it nor want to do anything with it.
Kitty and Illyana have a fun exchange! I like how heavy the comic tries to be and how light the characters make it.
Fun gag abot how Hijack thinks it may be a trap. Celeste offers that if it is, they will have to repopulate the mutant race – thus, they should get started soon. Goldballs gets scared at the possibility, which is odd but funny.
So the will reading begins. I like how She-Hulk just announces that Xavier is married to Raven Darkholme. Thus, he is Nightcrawler’s step father now. Also, She-Hulk doesn’t register the name right away. The gathered heroes do.
Emma’s smile and instant laughter makes the scene that must better.
Nightcrawler’s face is pretty classic too! I wish we got a moment of Kitty talking to Kurt, that would have been nice. Maybe next issue?
So that explains that Xavier Jr. wasn’t born out of wedlock, so that’s also a first for Mystique!
Issue ends with Xavier revealing that his darkest secret is that a lame mutant with exploding powers is out there in the world. It would have to be a lame secret as we pretty much know all of the lousy things Xavier has done.
Did Anka try to make Xavier look like Patrick Stewart, or am I reading into that?
Not much of a cliffhanger, as this was done in Ultimate X-Men once and Wolverine just gave the new teenage mutant a beer and killed him. Pretty easy solution and it should just be repeated here.
Bendis already did that back in 2004, with his second storyline in Ultimate X-Men, issue 41. It only has Wolverine and the kid in it. It is New Mutants, Part Two.
This website has the story for the most part :
http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/3897270.html
I won’t be reviewing that issue, ever, as it doesn’t have Kitty Pryde so I don’t own it.
168 – Paul Smith
5 – Jamie McKelvie and Matthew Wilson
Such great covers!
Writer Brian Michael Bendis
Artist Kris Anka
Lettering & Production VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist Chris Bachalo (possibly his easiest cover gig!)
Issue opens, last year. The Battery – Charleston, South Carolina. This married couple Matt and Julia are having a fight. They were on a trip and he brought his computer (work) with him. While fighting, Skrulls attack and kill her and destroy the bed and breakfast they were staying at, that most likely, their child was staying behind at. But did they bring a third adult to watch the kid or is the child back at home and safe?
Today. New York Law of Jennifer Walters. She is on the phone with someone. She stumbles on a website stating – She-Hulk and Hercules, Walk of Shame. Which I like how Marvel shows that she is a sexual woman, but they don’t need to harp on the negative side of effects of that, or make jokes about it. She’s single and in the city, let her be. She gets an envelope and is taken by surprise.
Madripoor.
Emma and Magik, with Magneto, are trying to help Dazzler deal with what has happened to her. They are certain that Mystique is in hiding. If they were sure that she was around, Magik is confident that she could create a spell to reveal her. Surprised it took someone this long to think of that.
The New Xavier School Secret Campus.
Sorry, couldn’t find one with the lettering but pretty much, if you read AvX 11, you know this scene.
See that tiny lady by the tunnel with her arms crossed? That’s Kitty! Looks like the All New X-Men are having a snowball fight.
Cyclops is looking at their Cerebra. He’s remembering his last exchange with Xavier, his last words to him were – You are not my father. Which I can only imagine he said as smugly as possible.
Tempus comes to him, to check on how he is doing. He still feels out of sorts from the Nano-Sentinels. He asks her what happened to her in Tabula Rasa. She still isn’t ready to talk to him about it.
Like a dick, he tells her that the Cuckoos already told him and he’s been waiting for her to confide in him. So maybe the Cuckoos are the dicks? But that’s sort of the line they walk, so I can’t say I’m surprised. So that’s Tempus, the Cuckoos (who she told them to keep quite about it) and Cyclops who know – but we don’t and I read that there is an annual that will come out, eventually, that explains it.
Tempus is older now. Though I can’t tell, except that her hair is longer.
Tempus is mad at Cyclops for knowing and for telling her the way that he did.
The Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Westchester County. The first panel is She-Hulk crash landing into the ground. Did she jump from a plane or something? Seems like she could have just walked out and gotten someone’s attention. Weird
She-Hulk has the Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier and needs the X-Men to gather.
Xavier School.
The away team comes back. I like how Triage’s first question is if anyone needs healing. He knows his role on the team.
Cyclops wants to know if Dazzler is joining the team, I guess he has a website he wants to update. He asks Emma and Magik if he should talk to Dazzler, both of them saying, No, is a fun moment. Scott Summers, not one to make a situation better.
Emma tells him that he wants to talk to someone, he should talk to Hijack.
Before he does, he asks Magneto if he is joining the team again. That website needs attention!
Cyclops and Hijack have a nice conversation.
Hijack is back on the team and may be the strongest member of the team. See that bottom panel? Goldballs is in his classic uniform, that’s pretty awesome!
Dazzler is in the bathroom. She sees a pair of scissors and her eye shadow is all over the place. Oh Dazzler, I’ve seen the cover to the next issue, don’t do that to yourself!
Newberry, South Carolina. Today. Matt runs into his sister-in-law, Alana. She wants to see how he is holding up but he doesn’t want to talk about it. He gets angry at her and explodes. So now his poor in-laws have two dead daughters. That guy needs to be put out of his misery!
Jean Grey’s School for Gifted Youngsters. In a terrific comic book scene, She-Hulk asks if Xavier is dead or dead dead. I can’t imagine superheroes even have wills, as they may come back in a year and would want their stuff back! The rule should be, if they are not back in five years, then read their will and hand out their stuff.
She-Hulk needs everyone named in the will needs to be present for the reading. Which means – Storm, Beast and Iceman, have to invite Cyclops to the reading. Which really, should not be a big deal. He was just there and they seem to have ended the story on a high point.
Also, don’t be babies about it. Jen needs to read the will to those present so just let her do her job!
Writer Brian Michael Bendis
Penciler Chris Bachalo
Inkers Tim Townsend, Marc Deering, Mark Irwin, Jaime Mendoza, Victor Olazaba & Al Vey
Colorists Chris Bachalo & Jose Villarrubia
Letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna
The Hidden New Xavier School. Emma and the students are watching a mysterious plane about to land. Emma tells the Cuckoos that they should diamond up. Which I like that that power is being remembered. Did I enjoy Phoenix : Warsong and like the reveal that the Cuckoos were five of possibly millions of clones of Emma Frost? No, no I did not. But I like how Bendis knows that the Cuckoos have that power, though it is never used, and it was a nice touch.
In the plane, is Magneto and real Dazzler. Poor Dazzler, Magneto didn’t stop anywhere to get her a proper outfit so she is still in her hospital gown.
I like how Dazzler wants a Walkman, she needs something with noise so she can power up. Also, that her insticts is to ask for a Walkman and not an iPod. Are iPods even a thing anymore or do people just listen to music on their tablets? Instead of listening to music on a mp3 player, I just pull up the music video on YouTube via the KindleFire and that’s how I listen to music these days. Plus, my mp3 player does not work. Or I listen to music on my new fancy phone.
When I worked at Hastings, we could not sell mp3 players or iPods but they were also being still priced at a hundred dollars or so which seems silly now that phones play music and are still phones.
Westchester, New York. Now. Hijack steals a car and takes off. I like the small talk from the locals, as they know that the X-Men live in their city.
Jean Grey School. Maria Hill is losing even more control of the situation as multiple Hellicarriers are laying waste to the school. She starts calling for the Avengers to assist. She informs the White House of the situation as well. Like either are going to do anything for the X-Men.
The art on this page of all of the characters trying to do anything and the bombs falling, it is chaotic like a real battlefield.
Beast is in his lab and he for sure knows who is behind the attack.
Hill asks Dazzlique to help out and Mystique just walks away. Without missing a beat, Hill gives the order that if anyone sees Dazzler, to shoot her on sight. Seems a bit extreme to me.
The MysteriX is ready for the final bravo and presses a button. Now the SHIELD created Sentinels and their nuclear bombs are deployed.
Which I can’t believe even after the X-Men handily defeated the SHIELD Sentinels during Battle of the Atom, that SHIELD didn’t decommission these killer robots as all their creation accomplish was to annoy Cyclops and make him target SHIELD in the first place. Cyclops is not a man one wants to make an enemy of.
Right when things look like they couldn’t get worst, all of the Sentinels and the attacks from the Hellicarriers stop. MysteriX is shocked by this.
The best part of it is the interaction from Hill and the crew that is left on the Hellicarrier. A bit of a comedy routine with the one blonde saying, “something has taken control over the Hellicarrier from the thing that took the Hellicarriers.” Which then Hill responds with another way of phasing it. “You mean that who took over the Hellicarrier has now lost control over the Hellicarriers.” Its pretty funny.
Cyclops wakes up and wants to start taking control over the situation. Beast tells him that Cyclops needs to confront the actual threat and not the noise outside. Magik is ready for the fight.
I like how instantly Cyclops recognizes that his former student, Hijack, is the one who is saving the day. In this technologically advanced world, he really is one of the strongest mutants now.
Hijack gets a great line about how he was hoping to enroll into this school. He hopes saving the day gets him a scholarship.
Beast explains to Cyclops that the reason his powers don’t work as well anymore is that he has Nanotech Sentinels in his bloodstream. Which explains that little subplot from the first issue. Though how those nanoSentinels got in their bloodstreams, I bet, is never explained. It doesn’t take much to just assume that they breathed it in at one point and that’s how it happened. Though how Magneto’s powers were affected by them, is beyond me. Wouldn’t he have noticed foreign metal in his body?
Beast also tells Cyclops that the side effect to getting rid of the nanoSentinels is some diarrhea. ha cha cha
On Cyclops’ order, Magik goes to the New Xavier School – picks up Emma, Magneto and the gang and brings them back to the Jean Grey School. I like how Magneto says “I shall come with you” and Emma’s response is “yes, you shall.” Which feels like a real thing someone would say after hearing the word, shall, in this modern time. I do like how Magneto still uses the word, shall.
Magik doesn’t get time to ask why Dazzler is there and in a night gown but there are bigger issues at the moment.
Once back at the Jean Grey School – Magik next teleports herself, Beast and Cyclops to the location of MysteriX. The villain of the day starts talking and Cyclops optic blasts him.
I like how Beast, being likeable for the first time in possibly half a decade, comments on the fact that Cyclops was right. A Beast was responsible for fouling up everything, but it wasn’t him, but Dark Beast.
I also like Cyclops’ little joke / comment about how there are far too many alternate versions of themselves running about the place.
Another fun moment, I’m now realizing how much I liked this issue, is that Cyclops calls him “Dark Beast from the Age of Apocalypse” as I do wonder how the characters themselves refer to things that we ourselves in RL call them. Like, do the New Mutants really call themselves that? They do from time to time. Did the X-Treme X-Men call themselves by that name? Do the mutants even refer to that timeline as the Age of Apocalypse timeline? Now that several of them have gone back to it and have encounter people from there, we know that they do now.
Beast reveals that Dark Beast is dying, from all of the experiments he has performed onto himself. Which the last time I saw him, was during the Frozen storyline towards the end of Astonishing X-Men – also called the Dark Iceman Saga, to some. He was funny there.
Of course, Dark Beast had a plan in case he was defeated and there is a bomb set to explode in 18 seconds. Magik teleports Hijack there and he is able to turn off the bomb. He has evolve from having to say actual commands like, stop. He can now just point at things and get them to do what he wants.
Back at the Jean Grey School, we start wrapping up the issue. Hill starts shouting that there will be an investigation regarding how Dark Beast was able to take over the Hellicarriers. Hill shouts that they are going to decommission the Hellicarrier program after this. Which should have happened years ago with how often those things crash into the ground.
Also, she tries to blame Cyclops and he quickly turns it onto her and how if it wasn’t for her bombs and Sentinels and floating death machines, none of today’s actions could have happened.
Hill then sees Dazzler and wants her arrested. Magneto has to inform Hill of how on stop of everything else today, that Mystique has infiltrated SHIELD and has been posing as Dazzler since day five. Dazzler shouts at Hill that she was abducted on the Hellicarrier.
Hill refers to Dazzler as an Agent of SHIELD and Dazzler tells her that joining the organization was a huge mistake as she is an X-Man first and quits.
Next issue, the Uncanny X-Men tie in to Original Sin with the Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier.
Writer Sean Ryan
Penciler Ron Ackins
Inkers Norman Lee, Roberto Poggi and Terry Pallot
Colorist Ruth Redmond
Letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles
No End in Sight Part One of Three
I really like this issue. There are some fun moments in it.
Redmond should get a bunch of credit for her coloring choices, especially the skin tone as everyone isn’t just the same shade of white. I really like how pale Magik is in this, as that choice seems right. Emma having bleach blonde hair is nice to see again. Her hair was usually the same shade of white that her outfits use to be. Now it seems a bit odd with her all black outfit but I like the throw back decision.
Issue opens with a guy who can’t wait to see this task come to an end.
The New Xavier School students are looking at old photos. Goldballs comes across a New Mutants photo. In the photo is Sunspot, Magma, Cannonball, Wolfsbane and Magik. They are surprised to see Magik so happy. The photo feels odd to me, like that line up doesn’t fit in my brain.
This is also the page that I first notice Redmond’s talents.
Magik hints that some of her old team were not so lucky. Tempus asks if they are dead and Magik confesses that she was talking about herself. It is this comment that makes me realize that she hasn’t had a team up with a New Mutant since she ditch them to join Cyclops’ Extinction Team.
Cyclops calls the students to him. He takes them into the Blackbird – if that is what Cyclops’ side calls their plane. He wants them to learn how to fly and control the jet. Which, the last time I know of a student being trained to fly the jet – was in Uncanny X-Men 143. Where Kitty fights the alien on Christmas Eve and becomes truly a legend.
We are treated to a double splash page and I really like the layout by Ackins. Upper right corner is Cyclops trying to brace for impact. Which leads directly into the plane crashing. It is a great transition.
Death’s Head II has shot the plane down, along with his cyborg assistants.
Cyclops wants the Cuckoos to tell him any intel they can gather. This is during the time when Phoebe was still a blonde – which hopefully there is a website that is keeping track of the time when she is a blonde and which stories take place after she is a red head as it comes and goes and is worthy of tracking!
There is an ad for Jason Aaron’s Original Sin – Thor & Loki : Tenth Realm. We already know that this is the miniseries that reveals that Angela, from the Image Universe, is actually a daughter of Odin – so she’s the new sister of Thor and Loki. I just don’t get the decision to do make her the sister of Thor? It seems like a lame and weak way to connect her to the Marvel Universe – even though that as readers, we know that she really doesn’t have a connection with the Marvel Universe prior to Age of Ultron 10.
My main question with this reveal is, and this won’t be covered in the miniseries – does this mean that Marvel has found a way to backdoor the Spawn portion of the Image Universe into the Marvel Universe? As of now, it was more like a tear in the realities that brought Angela here but if Odin went to the Image Universe and it isn’t that difficult to do so – then that should make Image the equivalent of the Ultimate Universe or the New Universe or even the Malibu Universe. All that, plus they don’t have to own Image in this instant – so bonus! Plus, Spawn has had guest appearances in his title, such as Cerebus, so does that go beyond just Spawn’s corner of Image? Dave Sim would hate that!
Cyclops goes full blast, attacking the cyborgs. The two cyborgs are meant to be funny and I did smile when reading their first exchanges. But then Ryan went back to the well and it just seems like they are meant to be funny.
Cyclops tells Tempus to signal Magik to bail them out. Which they have a handy button for that.
Death’s Head throws a contraption on Cyclops’ head, blocking his power and they fly away. Right as Magik shows up and sees that her fearless leader is gone.
Then comes the true gem of the issue. The guy from the beginning of the issue is talking with Death’s Head. He sees Cyclops with the contraption and doesn’t understand why this Summers has it on his head. He wants the one with the hand blasting and chest blasting powers. Death’s Head wasn’t going to get that one as he is an Avenger and the other is a Space Pirate (Corsair).
The man in charge didn’t realize there was more than one Summers option, and he didn’t know there were three Summers boys (four now that Teen Scott is in the present).
I really like how time is taken so these two could have the real conversation about expectations and how you can’t just ask a bounty hunter to retrieve a “Summers” you got to be very specific in these things! Bounty hunters will assume the simplest target and get that. That may be a true assumption of bounty hunters. I don’t really know.
Death’s Head takes his payment regardless and leaves. Now that other guy doesn’t know what to do.
Over at the New Xavier School. The way Ackins draws Emma’s boobs, I’m not sure how they stay in place. They defy gravity! Also, Magik shouldn’t be standing so close to Emma when she is drawn like that. It makes her sad Power Girl chest window look sad in comparsion. Also, is Magik really that much shorter than Emma? I guess it is a simple way to show their age difference.
The two ladies realize they have to go to SWORD, so they send Benjamin and Irma out. Good thing Irma got her brunette look so much earlier, so now it is easy to tell her from the other two. Thus, she gets to be volunteered for such missions.
On the mission, Irma gives Benjamin a great piece of advice – just look slightly annoyed, that always helps. Which puts a light bulb over his head as it explains so much! Such a great piece of characterization!
One guy on the plane to the Peak tries to make friends with Irma and she isn’t having it. I do like how another lady can be seen in Irma’s same pose – it must be something confident young women do.
The new batch of SWORD recruits get to the Peak. Benjamin asks where the bathrooms are and he is off on his mission. He gets to a bathroom and once he gets there, he sees a giant purple squid being. I’m not sure if he is the bathroom, as he is surrounded by drains or is he just blocking the urinals.
Benjamin gets to a computer and Iron Man sees over his shoulder and recognizes Death’s Head. Death’s Head II and Iron Man have history from the recent Revolutionary War crossover that I only have the Omega issue listed on my Wishlist.
While they talk, Benjamin instantly grows a goatee, which is a great reminder of how his powers work.
Issue ends with Iron Man agreeing to help Benjamin with tracking down Death’s Head. Benjamin is excited and Irma knows this is going to mean trouble!
The story continues into Iron Man Special and concludes in Nova Special. Here’s hoping Magik is in both of these!
I wonder if this storyline is a response to the All New X-Men getting to team up with Guardians of the Galaxy and so now the Uncanny X-Men get to have their own space quest.
Writer Kieron Gillen
Penciler Greg Land
Inker Jay Leisten
Colorists Guru Efx
Letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Dated April 2012
How great must it be for Gillen, that he can point to this second volume of Uncanny X-Men, and say that this was completely his.
Issue opens inside Tabula Rasa, which was a small fictional town in Montana. This all happened during Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force. Cyclops’ Extinction Team is here to investigate.
The roster is – Cyclops, Colossus (now with Juggernaut powers), Hope Summers, Namor, Magneto, Danger, Magik, Storm and Psylocke (filling in for Emma).
Psylocke actually knows about this place, as she was there when it happened. She is keeping that a serect as this version of X-Force is a secret.
Issue opens with the team broken into smaller groups. Cyclops is taken prisoner. Magik has been poisoned, and Colossus is watching over her. Hope and Namor are investigating the under water life. Magneto and Psylocke are a team. Danger and Storm are both solo at the moment.
Tabula Rasa is a city under a dome. One day passed for us, but inside the dome, a million years has passed. Now the dome has come down.
Magneto and Psylocke find some cave drawings of Archangel and Fantomex. Then the Immortal Man appears, from the cover. He kills a green creature and leaves the two X-Men alone. The man’s armor is not made out of metal so Magneto can’t stop him from leaving. Psylocke calls for reinforcements.
Colossus is losing a fight as some creatures are making off with Magik. Hope and Namor are shooting undersea creatures. Only Danger and Storm can come.
We see Cyclops is a prisoner with three humans. I like how one of them asks if he is Cyclops, the blasting guy. That is how I bet most citizens of the Marvel Universe see the heroes. They are being watched by a humanoid creature, who wants to keep them talking.
There is a special page remembering Joe Simon’s passing, December 14, 2011. Instead of a picture of him, we get Captain America and Bucky.
The humanoid creature wants them to keep speaking, as that is how he learns English. I really like the learning curve he displays.
Psylocke and Magneto are trying to fight the Immortal Man. In a panel where we are ‘treated’ to Psylocke’s left breast, Magneto confeses he is powerless to stop the threat. There is no metal around for him to manipulate.
In an awesome page turn, Magneto was only jesting. He uses the metal in his helmet to create shards and attacks the Immortal Man. Magneto then goes on to describe all the ways he could have obtained metal.
There is a two page spread celebrating that Mark Waid’s Daredevil has won Best New Series of 2011.
Immortal Man can teleport. Psylocke starts shouting for assistance. Danger states she will be there shortly. Betsy asks how shortly. Danger states now, and stomps on the foe from above. It is a very well paced sequence.
Storm arrives, blasts lightning. Immortal Man sinks into the ground. The four members regroup and we get a to see Psylocke from behind. It is amazing how long she stayed in that bathing suit costume. Now that she has a far superior new outfit, the old one is so silly.
There is an ad for AvX, Storm versus Thor. Which is an actual matchup that one would want to see.
Now that he is Juggerolossus, he goes down the hole after his sister. He doesn’t need backup.
Hope and Namor are making their way to the underwater base. She asks him why the water creatures are so upset. He explains that when time stood still, the river was a lake – the water had no current. Now that the dome is down, the river is moving, destroying their homes. She compliments him on not being a pretty face. I really like how this new character brings out a new side of a character who has been around since the 1940s. She asks if one of his powers is speaking tapeworm. He doesn’t, but does know one universal tongue. That pays off big time next issue.
Cyclops and the creature meet up with the X-Men. The creature explains their history. Their race was on the brink of destruction. He wanted to enter stasis but the Immortal Man wanted to escape. His people exiled him. Next, the Immortal Man’s attempt fails. Then the people tried the stasis idea but it was too late. Now the two are the last of their kind. Sort of like Superman, but with an extra one.
Issue ends with the threat of the Immortal Man going to try to restore their people, at all cost. The final panel is of a mushroom cloud, so that isn’t good.
There is an ad for the Avengers with Norman Osborn about to make his big move. So grand how he became a major threat and not just a girlfriend knocking up and then throwing off a bridge type of villain.
. . .
Big Brother 16 – Donnie took himself the block, and Caleb put Joey up as a replacement nominee. Hopefully Joey goes home, but I am okay if Pao Pao goes as well.
The Have Nots are – Hayden, Brittany, Joey and Cory. Poor Cory, I can’t seem to remember him. Also, poor Joey, not having a good week.
The Have Nots are in a room full of ice and they only have emergency ration blankets to keep them warm. Also, they all volunteered for it. I don’t care for when the HoH has to choose the Have Nots. Not this early, anyway. Later, it can be mean spirited, which makes for better television.
I also want to remember James Rebhorn, who played the Secretary of Defense in this movie. He passed away this pass year, such a great actor.
. . .
It was nice to watch the first third of Independence Day with my parents last night. Tonight is the fastest segment.
Shadow and Flame with Magik 