Writer Ralph Macchio

Penciler John Hebert

Inker Greg Adams

Letterer Michael Higgins

Colorist Carlos Lopez

Teleplay by Ted Peterson and Francis Moss

Cover Dated May 1994

This issue is titled, Red Death, and is the comic adaption of Red Dawn, the fourth episode of the season season.

Chris Sims, when he was covering every episode, wrote about it here :

http://comicsalliance.com/the-x-men-episode-guide-2×04-red-dawn/

I like it as there are screencaps from the episode, including this one –

I bought a Fair condition of this comic for Christmas 2014, through Mile High Comics.  In this instance, that means that the comic and the cover are barely holding onto each other via the smallest amount of the top staple.

Onto the comic.  Issue opens with Omega Red breaking out of his test tube chamber.

Moscow.  Some Russian government officials is excited to get the Soviet Union reunited again.  Darkstar is the hero on site to manage Omega Red.

Two Days Later, Westchester County.  Jubilee is skateboarding and gets hungry.  Some flastscans have spray painted anti-mutant hate speech on a wall next to the grocery store.  The grocery store is being vandalized for being pro-mutant.  Colossus happens to be near by and chases the vandals away.

He actually was on his way to Xavier’s, as the Soviet Union is being terrorized by Omega Red and Colossus wants to go home to protect his family.  Jubilee tells him that the X-Men are gone but she will leave a note and the two of them take off.

There is a two page ad celebrating the greatest combination of two things – The X-Mena nd Hi-C Fruit Punch,

They get to Colossus’ parents’ collective and it has been trashed.

Colossus recounts his origin and we get little girl Illyana.  In the FOX Cartoon universe, Colossus doesn’t get to Illyana, his father does and then Colossus saves his father.

Colossus takes the blame for the damage, and is labeled disloyal and leaves the country.

The best part of the issue is that Illyana is a teenager (minus the visit to Limbo, I hope) and they hug as it has been years.

Omega Red is killing the individual leaders of the broken countries.

The X-Men return home.  Rogue and Storm are laughing that Jubilee left a silly note and how goofy a guy named, Omega Red, could be.  Wolverine walks in, as he lost Morph (yet again) which the editor note states that it was in issue two.  He recognizes the name of the villain and knows that Jubilee is way over her head.

Former USSR.  Illyana has lead Colossus and Jubilee to where the Rasputins are being kept.  Colossus gets so enraged that he charges at the complex.

Then we get a seven page insert for the Marvel Mart, which is bookend with trading card inserts that make the comic a real pain to handle.  There are two pages of the trades that are out.  2099 / Spider-Man / Venom / Various Marvel sets.  X-Men trades are – Dark Phoenix Saga / 30th Anniversary Magazine / All New All Different Masterworks Vol 1 / From the Ashes (go buy this!) / Excalibur : Mojo Mayhem / X-Force Spider-Man Sabotage / Masterworks Vol 1 / Wolverine mini and X-Tincton Agenda.  Solo titles include – Gambit / Sabretooth / Fatal Attractions 1-3 / Fatal Attrations 4-6 / Wolverine and Punisher Damaging Evidence and Cable.  There is a comedian selection with Ren & Stimpy and Groo.

There are shirts, hats and buttons.

Back to the story.  Omega Red hands Colossus’ his arse.  Wolverine shows up and fights Omega Red.  This reminds me of how Omega Red kills Colossus’ parents in X-MEN 17 – 19 (they die in 18).

I do like how it is an actual fight between Wolverine and Omega Red, this Wolverine struggles.

Rogue takes out Omega Red.  Colossus thanks the X-Men for their help.  Omega Red gets back into the fight.  The whole team goes after him.

Bullpen Bulletins, Now on Sale.  Barbie hits issue 41, she wrangles up cattle.  Wolverine 81, Nightcrawler and Shadowcat help Wolverine track down his adopted daughter.  X-Factor 102, Random tries to kill Polaris.  X-Men Adventures Season 2 Issue 4, this very issue!  X-Men : Early Years 1, reprinting the very first issue.

There is an ad for USA’s Weird Science.  I really dug this lineup back in the day, along with Duckman.

Storm makes it snow and the cold freezes Omega Red in place.

The Soviet Union is saved!  Illyana is reunited with her parents.  Darkstar goes after the foolish Russian leaders who thought setting a homicidal sociopath loose, to fix the problem, was a smart idea.

Issue ends in the Savage Land, with Xavier walking and Magneto.  They outrun a T-Rex.

X-Animated Mail.  Letters are from – Samantha Minc of Hampstead, Quebec, Canada / Jondh Crismore of New Haven, IN / Elissa Dukes / Christopher Teare of Burlingame, CA / Jara B. Hullar of Richmond, BC, Canada, Becky Iles of Terryville, CT and Quenby Walls of Orlando, Florida.