Cable # 6-8, Uncanny X-Men # 308-310, X-Men # 30, Excalibur # 75, The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix # 1-4, and X-Men # 35
Let's break it down.
Cable # 6-8 answers all the questions left over from the X-Cutioner's Song. As it turns out, Tyler sought to punish the two men who caused him pain in his own era. His adopted father, Cable; and the man that tormented and brainwashed him, Stryfe. It seems to get this revenge, he placed Stryfe's pysche into Cable's brain. Stryfe takes over, wrecks a little havoc, and then goes off and confronts Tyler. Meanwhile, a second Askani unit is sent back to prevent Tyler from doing this. She gets in touch with Scott and Jean and they - with Zero and Professor X - head off to get this all resolved. It is then finally revealed that when Nathan Christopher was sent forward in time, he was cloned by the leader of the Askani, Mother Askani. Stryfe grew up to be the clone under the careful gaze of Apocalypse. Nathan ended gaining the upper hand over the Techno-Organic Virus and grew up to become Cable. Stryfe then dies, as does the Askani unit. Tyler vanishes.
Uncanny X-Men # 308-310 and X-Men # 30 takes us with Scott and Jean's wedding. During a pre-Thanksgiving walk around the estate, Scott and Jean recall old times and we begin to understand their relationship. They've moved forward, putting everything else behind. Then, finally, Jean tells Scott she's ready to be married.
However, Professor X is uncertain. Scott and Jean's happiness causes him to come to term with a failed relationship from his own past. Shortly after the use of his legs and before the formation of the X-Men, Xavier falls in love with a fellow Mutant by the name of Amelia Vought. It falls apart, though, in the face of his dream for Mutants.
Then, on the night of Bachelor Party, Scott and Cable figure things out and take out the Executioner. Fences are mended and Scott arrives at his Bachelor Party a little late.
Finally, the big day comes. Scott and Jean get married. A ton of X-People guest star, including Rachel Summers, who (after a heart-to-heart with Jean), gets her future confirmed as pretty possible.
In Excalibur # 75, however, Rachel is dealt a blow when she learns that the only way to save the time-lost Captain Britain is to switch places with him. With herself pretty much in the cards for the future, Rachel vanishes into the timestream, restoring Captain Britain . . . pretty much.
Good for Rachel, though, she arrives in the far future (and in Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix). For a century, Rachel fights against Apocalypse and forms the Askani Clan, becoming the Mother Askani. She then sends for Nathan Christopher, who is dying the past from the Techno-Organic Virus. Yep. It all comes together when she brings into the present and clones him, creating Stryfe.
Except . . . her plans go hay-wire when Apocalypse attacks, steals Stryfe, and wipes out most of the Askani. Rachel summons her parents from the past (our present - during their honeymoon) and puts them into genetically engineered bodies. Here, they spend the next decade (!) raising Nathan Christopher as their so-called adopted son. It all concludes with a final battle with Apocalypse, in which the three of them are able to wipe out the big guy during a failed attempt to take control of Stryfe's body.
Immediately afterwards, Rachel "dies" and asks Jean to take the name "Phoenix" once more. Jean and Scott then return to the present - being X-Men # 35 (I know I skipped 31-34, but don't worry. I'll get to those next entry). They encounter a powful Mutant female after their return and allow him to know peace.
Let's give it up to Lobdell and Nicieza. Only these two have been able to take the entire Summers and Grey mythos - from early love to the Dark Phoenix to clones to the X-Cutioner's Song - and bring it all together in a neat little package that actually works. The thing that gets me about all of it, though, it that they are both able to take in a very massive, very complicated, and very messy past . . . and made it accessible and interesting.
Despite there being many more key moments for this family ("The Twelve," for example), this storyline is perhaps the best manifestation of the Summers/Grey clan. It feels very much like the emotional culmination of everything that's come before. The first hook-up, the Dark Phoenix Saga, From the Ashes, Nathan's birth, Rachel's arrival, Inferno, Days of Future Present, the X-Cutioner's Song - everything has been building up to this.
And there's more to it than just this. While in the future, we learn more about the time period after the X-Men. Apparently, after the Sentinels are overthrown, a century of peace prevails, lead by the XSE (Bishop's old pals) until Apocalypse returns 100 years after his greatest defeat and takes over. All of this, Cable was sent back to prevent.
In addition, we also get some insight into Xavier's past, which is always a treat. His relationship with Amelia is a trainwreck, but a good trainwreck. And having Magneto be the one in his dream bringing the flashbacks to life is a great choice.
There are tons of character moments in these issues that I could go on and on about. A good look at Scott and Jean's relationship. Great scenes with them and Xavier, with Rachel, and with Nathan that really make them jump off the page.
The story really spans X-Men history. From it's earliest incarnation through flashbacks provided by Jean and Xavier; to more recent history, with a look at the Dark Phoenix, Rachel, and Nathan Christopher; to the far future with the Askani stories -- all of this serves as a broad look at the X-Men from Day Zero all the way to Perhaps Day 5 Ka-Zillion.
Now, it's not all good. I, for one, would have rather seen the Cable/Stryfe/Askani revelation come out during the X-Cutioner's Song. It would have made so much more sense to do so and really would have made the crossover more complete. Instead, you practically have to read these three issues of Cable to know the hows and whys of that crossover.
Furthermore, I was disappointed with the wedding itself. The issue was told completely from Xavier's POV, which hurt the book. Not that it doesn't offer some nice insight, but I would have rather heard it from the prespective of the bride and groom.
But, the art is mostly on par. John Romita Jr.'s work is a mixed bag, but Gene Ha and Andy Kubert do a fine job with their issues, as does Dwayne Turner and Laim Sharpe.
Overall, perhaps one of my favorites stories throughout all the X-History.
(Granted, considering just how many stories I've been reading since I started this insanity and just how many more I have to go, that's may not be saying much)
~W~
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