Uncanny X-Periment # 158: Dark Reign

Uncanny X-Men # 504-505, Secret Invasion: Dark Reign, Uncanny X-Men Annual: Emma Frost, Uncanny X-Men # 506-507, Dark Avengers # 1, Wolverine: Origins # 33-40

Norman Osborne is running the show now.  As Emma begins to understand that Scott is keeping secrets, she goes off and joins the Cabal alongside the like of Namor, Doom, Osborne, Hood, and Loki.  It’s pretty cool to see them all together and certainly makes me wishes they had just gone off and fought the Illuminati.  Oh well.

While they’re in the city, she and Namor head off and snag Shaw for crimes Shaw helped commit to Atlantis back in the day.  Shaw is then taken prisoner by Emma Frost and is held in the X-Men’s basement/brig.  Meanwhile, word breaks that Cooperstown was wiped out due to a Mutant being born there.  Former Mutants show up at the compound looking for refuge.

Colossus, to help clear his head, goes off and joins a Russian mob and eventually finds some former mutants who had been brought to America illegally as slave labor and hookers.  Colossus takes them back to the compound, and then he and Emma stomp the mob.

Meanwhile, Maddie is gathering together a Sisterhood which includes Spiral and a being-repaired Lady Deathstrike. 

As this occurs, Beast and Archangel begin to assemble the X-Club, including Doctor Nemesis, Box, and Doctor Yurkio Takiguchi.  They fight Godzilla-lit.

Back in New York City, Osborne assembles his Avengers – Sentry, Ares, Spider-Man (Venom), Marvel Boy, Ms. Marvel (Moonstone), Hawkeye (Bullseye), Wolverine (Daken), and himself, the Iron Patriot.  Nick Fury goes to Logan in a bar about this.  In exchange for information about Daken, Fury promises information about the Weapon X Project.  Logan agrees.

Fury reveals that Logan’s mother was part of the Hudson family – a name that’s been haunting him for years (honestly, it’s insanely complicated – head over to UncannyXmen.net for a better and fuller review).  One of the Hudsons fathered three sons: the Weapon X Professor; Victor Hudson; and James Hudson, the Alpha Flight guy.  The Hudsons have been the pawns of Romulus for generations.  Weapon X was eventually built to control Wolverine and make him better.  Stronger.  And when Wolverine joined the X-Men, Romulus focused his attention on Daken.

Daken is looking to get a hold of the Muramasa Blade and use it become the next Weapon X.  Using his place as an Avenger, he draws Cyclops and the X-Men to New York.  Frost confronts Osborne about calling Daken off, but he claims to not know what he’s up to.  Daken fights the X-Men and (eventually) Wolverine and beats ‘em.  The swords breaks and Daken takes part of it.  Cyclops gives the sword back to Wolverine, damning his mission.

Fury tracks down the Tinkerer, who uses the sword to lace Daken’s claws ala Wolverine.  Wolverine goes after Daken, but is confronted by Victor Hudson.  They fight for a while and Wolverine tracks Hudson to a train.  This train leads him to Daken, who reveals that Romulus is on the train.  Wolverine tells Daken that he let Romulus go to save him.  Daken stabs Logan and leaves.

Wolverine tracks the train and Victor Hudson and he is eventually led to a prison in Russia, where he finds the recovered Carbonadium Synthesizer – and Omega Red.  They fight for a while before Omega Red gets taken down and Wolverine leaves.  Injured, Wild Child shows up to finish him off.   Wild Child tells Wolverine that the past few events have been a competition of sorts to find Romulus’ successor.  All that’s left are the two of them, Daken, Cyber, and Omega Red.  Wolverine, of course, gets the advantage of Wild Child and kills him.  Two days later, he gets a package from Black Widow: the Muramasa Blade.  He uses this to kill Omega Red and then finds himself face-to-face with Romulus himself.  They fight, Wolverine eventually loses, and Romulus leaves him to continue to be tested.

We’ll start with Wolverine Origins portion first.  I liked that Way has found a way to bring in the X-Men and the current state of the Marvel Universe that progresses the story.  While I’m not completely fond of the overall Origins story, I found this to be a nice step forward and it’s great to have some momentum going.  Romulus was a major disappointment overall and I’m actually wondering if he was supposed to be from the beginning.

The X-Men stuff . . . hmm . . . well, I liked the X-Club even though they’re pretty snotty.  I liked that Emma and Scott both have secrets and it’s creating tension between them.  I like that stuff.  But I’m not excited by any of the subplots.  The lack of focus and clarity on the characters harms the issues.  I’m not pleased with the way Cyclops just told Colossus to “hit something and get better.”  The scene where Nightcrawler and Colossus were going to sit down and talk was something I was anticipating – and then Cyclops walks in with Emma and they act like snobby assholes towards him.  Like I said, I’m not impressed.

The Uncanny Return

Those few that follow this blog should be interested in this bit of news -- the actual Uncanny X-Periment will be returning very shortly!

Basically, after the January 2008 release of "Messiah Complex," the X-Periment slowly began to come to a halt.  A lot of this had to do with needing to keep to up with current books.  As you can imagine, getting stories into chronological order as they're being released is very difficult.  Plus, family and financial demands had slowed my ability to get anything done.

So that being said, I feel I'm in a place where I can start up-dating again.   I still have some back-issue catching up to do, but my goal is to be done at AvsX by the end of the year.   I know this seems awfully silly, but I'm the sole provider for a family of four and I need to make sure that my money is going to my family first.   December 2013 seems like a solid goal for this.

Now, I want to lay down some ground rules.  First and foremost, some clarification.   In the beginning, the Uncanny X-Periment's goal was to focus only on the core X-Men titles -- Uncanny X-Men, Astonishing X-Men, X-Men (Legacy/New), and X-Treme X-Men (Volume One).  We would go and focus on the spin-off titles only when it's a critical story and/or would lead into or affect the core X-Men narrative.  A good example of this is the ramp-up to "Operation: Zero Tolerance."  Because of Jubilee getting kidnapped by Bastian and playing a semi-large role in the crossover, it was important to include issues of Generation X. 

Things have certainly changed in the past few years, as using the name "X-Men" to just about any X-related title seems to be the current trend.   I'm not saying this is a bad thing at all; it's just that we need to kinda determine which ones I'm  going to stick with and which I'm not.

To that end, here's what will be focused on, pre-AvsX:

- Wolverine and the X-Men
- Uncanny X-Men

Uncanny X-Force, X-Men Legacy, Astonishing X-Men, and, uh, other X-Men will receive some of the spotlight.   But these titles will mostly be regulated to the aforementioned, "spin-off" status that the actual spin-offs occupied before.  Don't worry -- key stories such as "The Dark Angel Saga" and "Age of X" will still be covered.  Just not every story will be covered.  This is mainly due to financial reasons, but also because I don't want to go insane from having to figure out how these all fit into the overall chronological narrative.

So, post-AvsX and NOW! titles will (tenatively) include:

- Wolverine and the X-Men
- Uncanny X-Men
- All-New X-Men
- Uncanny Avengers

Astonishing X-Men, X-Men Legacy,  X-Treme X-Men (Volume 2), Cable and X-Force, and Uncanny X-Force will not be included, unless we come across a critical event or storyline.  I will probably pick up some of the trades or back issues as time progresses, but we'll see.  This is another reason why I'm sticking with just getting to AvsX this year.  X-Men X-Men (the all girl team) hasn't come yet, but I haven't made up my mind about it.

My logic behind just picking those four title is pretty clear: Wolverine and the X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, and All-New X-Men focuses on the central X-Men team(s) and continues the core narrative of the X-Men's universe.   Uncanny Avengers is a pretty cool experiment unto itself - I like the idea of Xavier's dream in practice.  It feels like the "big story" title, which the biggest and hottest Marvel stories will be told.  It should be interesting.

With all this being  said, it's important to note that there will be, eventually, I hope, non-X-Periment X-Men posts made here.  Possibly.  If I have the time.

Suggestions, arguments, disagreements, complaints, thoughts, theories, criticisms, please feel free to share!

OOPS

Sorry things kinda fell apart.

Mrs W and I had a baby . . . about two months before she was supposed to be here.  So we're dealing with our new baby in the NICU and all that.  On top of that, my adapter died, so I couldn't access my laptop for a while.  Well, until last Friday.

All this being said, I will be up-dating this blog on as regular a basis as possible.  

I hope.

A Comic A Day # 10 -- Avengers Infinity # 1 - 4

Avengers Infinity # 1-4

Quasar discovers that a Rigillian colony has been destroyed – its population mysteriously wiped out.  He finds Jack O’Hearts in a coma state and then proceeds to contact the Avengers for help.  Instead of the team currently lead by Wasp, Quasar brings together Photon, Moondragon, Thor, Starfox, and Tigra.  They regroup on the Rigel colony and Moondragon scans Jack’s mind to discover who was behind the attack – creatures called Servitors, minions of the mysterious Infinities.

The Avengers battle the Servitors, but are forced to retreat when Photon discovers that they are breaking the world down.   The Avengers shove off at just the right second.  A much larger being appears and begins to reshape the planet into a cylinder.   The Avengers attempt to enter the being to understand what it’s doing, but Photon gets trapped.  The Avengers mount a rescue – but as they do, other beings with other worlds-turned-cylinders show up and link them forming a giant.

Then the hand of the true Infinite appears to grab hold the ring, to pull all of the stars of the galaxy away to form a weird wall.   To combat the Infinites, the Avengers contact Eternity and enlist him in stopping the Infinites.   Eternity channels the Avengers, proving to the Infinities that the universe contains worlds that rife with diverse and prominent life-forms.  The Infinities realize the error of their ways and stop what they’re doing.   The colony world is reformed and an Infinite dies to restore the world ecology.

I absolutely loved this mini-series.  It was more fun than I’ve had in some time with Avengers, to be honest.   The dialogue is snappy.   The themes of humanity vs cosmic beings is laid out well.  I love the idea of size being such a big selling point for this series – the comparison of ants that Thor goes on about.   It might be about the cosmic aspects of the Marvel Universe, but it illustrates the relationship with the tiny beings (we humans) with the amazing massive (the Infinites).   It works really well.

I also enjoyed Photon being in command.   The way she talks to Thor is amazing.   Her closeness with Tigra, the uneasiness with Moondragon, and her familiarity with Quasar and Jack all help Monica steal the show.

A Comic A Day # 9 -- Avengers/Thunderbolts

Avengers # 31

The Avengers are contacted by the Vision, who has learned that the crime organization the Maggia are meeting in Chicago.  Having completed some training and some inconclusive medical scans on Hank, the Avengers head out and meet with up with Vision.   They ambush the Maggia, whose ranks include Madame Masque, and find that the group is trying to be united by the Grim Reaper.   A battle ensues, with all but three of the crime bosses being captured.  Grim Reaper tries to use Madame Masque as a bargaining chip, but she explodes (!) and the Reaper escapes

I liked this issue a lot.  It was great to see Vision back in the saddle and I enjoyed his dialogue with Wanda.   The tension between Duane and Tony and the others is a little hard to deal with and I’m hoping to see a break-through soon.   While their first outing was unexciting, this new team really shined in this mission.  I’m actually excited to see what’s next!  But first, off to Thunderbolts # 42 to find out what happened to Simon . . .

Thunderbolts # 42

Atlas, wallowing in his misery, is suddenly attacked by Wonder Man.  The two of them duke it out.  Atlas tries to talk villain-in-hiding Man-killer into helping, but she laughs at him and runs away.  The other Thunderbolts get involved, but just as Wonder Man is taking Atlas away.  Hawkeye decides to contact the Avengers.

Also, a lot of other things are going that I don’t understand nor do I think matter.   These flashbacks hurt my head.

Um, well, this issue was fun.   Maybe it’s just my mood, but I enjoyed it.   Now, I did skip over all of the weird, confusing, inconclusive flashback stuff.   It just didn’t make any sense.  The Wonder Man vs Atlas fight, on the hand, was cool.  Bagley’s art is always a pleasure to look at it.

Avengers # 32

She-Hulk leaves the Avengers now that Vision is back.   On her way out, Black Widow shows up with a coin given to her a while ago by a robot kidnapping Masque, a Madame Masque clone-thing that joined the Avengers back in the crazy days of the mid-90s (but she doesn’t have a jacket, so she was spared that).   As Iron Man and Black Widow try and uncover Madame Masque’s location, Triathlon makes it clear to Jonathan Tremont that his Avengers responsibilities take precedence.  Eventually, the Avengers track down Grim Reaper, who is about to attack Madame Masque’s butte (not butt) and fisticuffs follow.   Madame Masque launches her own attack – but it’s all interrupted by the arrival of Count Nefaria, who has Wonder Man and Atlas in tow!

While the last issue was a breeze, this one stumbled.  She-Hulk, who had been such a fun character, leaves.  It’s disappointing.  I do like the arrival of Black Widow, though.  And there are some great scenes – like Vision’s awkwardly asking Carol out and Triathlon giving Tremont attitude.  But Madame Masque acts like a complete and total nutjob and the constant flashbacks are just out of control.  Sometimes, it’s okay to just tell a story without having to show us everything that’s come before.  On the other hand, maybe Madame Masque needed this issue to just help clarify her history.  I dunno.

Thunderbolts # 43

Black Widow goes to the Thunderbolts headquarters and recruits the Thunderbolts in sneaking into Baron Zemo Sr’s old base.  The Maggia are looking for information regarding Ionic Energy or some such.  They encounter Cyclone and fight it out.  They quickly learn that this is all moot; Count Nefaria has apparently used all of this information all ready and has used to take control of Wonder Man and Atlas.

Also, other things happen that don’t make sense.

Thunderbolts is a dense read.  Aside from the story that’s going on, there’s about five or six other subplots running around that just don’t have any interest or relevance for me.   It’s difficult to follow under the best of circumstances and I think read as part of an Avengers crossover, it becomes a chore.  So I skip that stuff.  Ultimately, though, this issue just feels pointless.  There was no real reason for it other than to crossover to Avengers.  The Thunderbolts did nothing important other than confirm that they were too late.  There’s very little to the Black Widow/Hawkeye meeting.   It’s a snooze-a-thon.

Avengers # 33

The Avengers, Count Nefaria, Grim Reaper, and Madame Masque’s forces all battle it out in front of Madame Masque’s butte.   Madame Masque believes it’s all a ruse to lure her out into the open, but as the battle because heated, she questions that scenario.  Egged on by Masque, she initiates an evacuation.  Count Nefaria has Atlas and Wonder Man destroy the butte and captures Madame Masque.  The Avengers interviene, and Count Nefaria eventually decides to book it with his ionically controlled minions in tow.  The Avengers regroup at the mansion with Grim Reaper in shackles and Madame Masque being interrogated.  She and Tony have a few moments where he tries to convince her to help them.  Soon after this, the Thunderbolts and Black Widow call in, claiming they’ve found evidence that Count Nefaria is out to build a huge Ionic Bomb!

I’ll say off the bat, I’m not a fan of Count Nefaria and Madame Masque.   I did like the appearance of Masque, as I never quite understood this character.  I did also like the moment between Tony and Madame Masque.  It wasn’t a terrible issue, but it wasn’t a homerun either.  

Busiek does a good job of making Count Nefaria into a dangerous threat.  Madame Masque, for all her paranoia and a little whacky for me, calms down as the issue goes on.  It was okay.

Thunderbolts # 44

The Avengers and the Thunderbolts meet up at the mansion and discuss their recent missions.  Captain America and She-Hulk rejoin them for this mission. Madame Masque, Doctor Malus (captured by the Thunderbolts), Goliath, and Iron Man proceed to build a weapon to stop the Ionic Bomb, called the Ionic Lock.  The two teams them locate Count Nefaria and engage Atlas and Wonder Man.   This eventually leads to Iron Man using the Ionic Lock on them and changing them back into their human forms.  Suddenly, though Count Nefaria shows up and activates his bomb.  The Ionic Lock, surprisingly, doesn’t work.

This felt like just another installment in this crossover.  I’m really clueless regarding the Thunderbolts, so that stuff is completely lost on me.   But I did enjoy the suggestion that Songbird and Mach-2 could be Avengers.  I also loved the scene where Cap tells Clint he’s proud of him for standing by the Thunderbolts and keeping with his convictions.  Beyond that, this was rather ho-hum.

I did want to comment on the rather pointless appearance by She-Hulk and, to a certain extent, Cap.  She-Hulk’s absence from the team lasted one full issue and now she’s back.  Cap, on the other hand, was back just a little bit ago and seems to really just pop in whenever he felt like it.  With the rigidity of the Avengers membership early in the series, things have certainly become more relaxed.

Avengers # 34

The Avengers and the Thunderbolts duke it out with Count Nefaria, trying to wear him out.   Masque then emerges, but is quickly killed by Count Nefaria.   Madame Masque, in shock over her father’s ruthless killing of a woman that she could have been, fires the Ionic Lock at the Count Nefaria.  It hurts him enough for him to leak Ionic energy and the Avengers and Thunderbolts pile it out.   Meanwhile, Wonder Man and Atlas wake up and have to race the bomb into space.  The bomb explodes and the pair have to absorb its energy.  Count Nefaria goes after them, but explodes with power and is defeated.  Madame Masque escapes, Count Nefaria has been defeated, the Ionic guys are safe, and the Avengers and the Thunderbolts leave on good terms.

Except Yellowjacket just spotted his wife on TV . . .

An excellent conclusion to an otherwise uneven story.  Busiek does an amazing job making Count Nefaria into a real, impossible to beat bad guy.  I loved seeing the good guys just pour it on him – and not take him down!  I also enjoyed the scenes with Madame Masque and it saved the character for me.

I Suck at Up-Dates

Sorry guys.  I'm having trouble getting this thing up-dated.  Friday night, we had no internet.  Saturday and today has been occupied by family things.  I will have a big up-date for you tomorrow, because even though I've been sucking at up-dates, I've been reading everyday.  Trust me.

A Comic A Day # 8 -- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe # 1

Meanwhile, in another He-Man canon . . .

Adam, a simple woodsman, has dreams of being a hero of good and fighting evil enemies.  Every morning, he wakes up to the same reality - his father is a dying, confused old man and Adam himself is a woodsman.   But after a few visits from a falcon who Adam realizes is named Zoar, he comes to terms with the fact that he must act on these dreams.  Leaving his father in the care of a neighbor, Adam leaves the woods.  He encounters Beast-Man, who tells him to return, but Adam scrapes with him and wins!  Beast-Man whimpers back to Skeletor, who wants everyone to know -- Adam must be stopped!

***

This issue is mainly just set-up for the first of the series.  It took me a few reads to enjoy it.  After the greatness of MVC comics in the early 2000s, I had some high expectations for this one.   I think once I got over the drastic changes, it made for a better read.

I'm curious to see how this saga unfolds.  I like that Adam is the central figure, not He-Man.   That this is a heroic quest to become He-Man again, not just an origin.  I like that Skeletor is clearly in charge.  There's a lot to like.

I'm not the biggest Phillip Tan fan, but the art isn't that bad.  Beast-Man looks different, but a far less departure than the '87 movie.   Skeletor is imposing.  Adam is scrawny, which I really like.   He looks like just a woodsman.  Nice and simple.

Eternia doesn't exactly pop for me.  The backgrounds lack the exotic texture of Eternia from all of its previous incarnations and I hope that changes.

Overall, not a bad start at all.

A Comic A -- WHOOPS!

Sorry everyone.   Didn't get a chance to write up my review blurp yesterday.   Mrs. W is preggers and some times, that takes precedence.    That being said, I'll hopefully have TWO reviews for y'all tonight!  Thanks!

A Comic A Day # 7 -- Avengers Annual 2000

Patsy Walker (aka Hellcat) goes on TV and talks about her experiences, including her recent return to life.  Her ol' pal Heddy then shows up and drags her back to Centerville, which we reveal has been turned into an amusement park -- being run by the Sons of the Serpent and the Salem Seven.   Hellcat reaches out to Moondragon, who assemebles the only available Avengers (Cap, Iron Man, and Scarlet Witch) along with Hawkeye and Songbird.   The team goes to Centerville, fight the bad guys, and then get captured.  Heddy saves the day and the Avengers depart, leaving Hellcat happily in Centerville.

***

This felt really pointless, other than to establish the Hellcat is back.  The bad guys were dull, the Avengers felt disposable (though I liked the nod to Avengers Forever) and the art was bad.

That's all I really have to say about that, I guess.

A Comic A Day # 6 -- Masters of the Univeser Minicomic # 2 of 3

Does a mini-comic count as a comic?  It does today!

In the previous issue, Adam/He-Man was taken back into the past by the Sorceress (whose role has been taken up by Teela).  His mission was to uncover the secret to defeating the Snake-Men.   Upon arriving (and being followed by Skeletor), He-Man took on a disguise and battled some Snake-Men.

In this issue, He-Man is recruited by He-Ro to join in the war with the Snake-Men.  Join by King Grayskull and a host of other Preternian heroes, He-Man and the gang engaged the Snake-Men at the Great Towers.  During this battle, Hordak arrives and threatens King Hsss with the Spell of Spereation.  The Snake-Men retreat and He-Man realizes that this is the key to defeating the Snake-Men.   Hordak proceeds to fight King Grayskull and He-Ro.  He-Ro dies and passes the uber powerful Sword of He to King Grayskull.  King Grayskull fights Hordak and lops off his hand.  Meanwhile, with He-Man fighting Skeletor, Eldor sinks the Great Towers, effectively ending the battle.  He-Ro is laid to rest and a castle is built in his honor.  He-Man then departs of the present with Skeletor in tow, saying "Good journey" to King Grayskull.

These mini-comics have been fun and nostalgic, but seriously lack the depth I would rather see.  It's need to see He-Ro, He-Man and King Grayskull in action.   Hordak and King Hsss add some fun to the mix.  Skeletor, as always, brings his own agenda and we see that get spoiled.   The art is excellent and the script conveys a lot.

But we get moments.  We don't get an all out, in-depth story.  It's just a quick flash of art and story points, with very few moments of characterization.   I understand the constraints, however, and for what it is, I can live with it.   I'll certainly looking forward to the next one, that's for sure!

A Comic A Day # 5 -- Legends of the Dark Knight # 1

Woo!  Batman!   Also, joining us today, is a guest reviewer, the lovely Mrs. W!  Her review will be after mine.   I thought it would be interesting to get an "outsiders" point of view every now and then.  So, without further ado . . .

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight # 1

We open up with a young Bruce Wayne teaming up with a bounty hunter to catch a criminal in the northern Alaska mountains.   However, the criminal gets the better of them, kills the bounty hunter, and attacks Bruce.  Bruce outsmarts him and fights back, but the criminal falls to his death and takes Bruce's coat and supplies with him.  Delusion, freezing, and exhausted, Bruce nearly dies, but is rescued by some Indians.  They tell him the story of healing and he eventually recovers.   He leaves Alaska and returns to Gotham to start his war on crime.  His first night goes wrong (as detailed "Batman: Year One"), but his second one goes well.  He attacks some thugs breaking into Leslie Thompkins clinic and proceed to try and kidnap a pregnant woman.  Batman stops them, but the women calls Batman "Chubala!" and kills herself.  But why?

***

My Review:

I really enjoyed the issue.   It serves as an excellent bridge between Wayne's pre-Batman days and his career as a crimefighter.  The story takes a moment to touch on the origins of Batman, and does the right thing by not pounding away at all the overly familar imagery (thanks in part to Frank Miller, whose "Year One" takes place within the general timeframe of this one).

This issue mainly serves as set-up.  We see Bruce's beginnings, his endeavors to be the Dark Knight.  We see him become the Batman, almost literally.  We, as the reader, are drawn the line between Bruce's time with the Indians, his transformation into Batman, and the possibility of a connection between the suicide and imagery of the bat.

The art fit well and provided plenty of detail and made it all look very grounded.  Looking forward to issue two!

***

Mrs W's Review:

 As far as Batman origins/early year stories go, this one is more of the same. All of the basics are covered; you’ve got Bruce somewhere exotic and dangerous, being mentored by some coot with wilderness or survival skills as they face up against an off brand of homicidal maniac.  The only real unique take I can see in this comic was the origin of the “bat” persona that Bruce adopts, giving it some ancient tribal flair rather than relating it to the bats beneath Wayne Manor. The mention of Selena Kyle as a hooker was amusing, but other than that you have the same old story that even casual Batman fans know so well. The ending of this comic, however, took a somewhat disturbing twist that perhaps can at least pique your interest long enough to see what the writers have in store for issue two.

A Comic A Day # 4 -- Avengers # 30 (Volume Two)

I did read the comic yesterday, but I wasn't able to write a review until now.  Sorry.  Extra blog post for this evening!

Avengers # 30

Kulan Gath prepares to sacrifice Pelali, the Avengers, and the whole damn village so that he can become a god.   Luckily, Iron Man figures out a way for the army to enter and remain normal.   Also, Giant-Man is able to break out and a battle ensues.  People are transformed into monsters and demons and other insanity ensues.   Ultimately, Silverclaw reaches out to her villagers and their faith weakens Kulan Gath.   Gath prepares to kill her, but our mystery man from last issue blasts him from the shadows.   Kulan Gath prepares the scarfice Pelali anyways and when he does, a portal opens.  The "dark ones" that granted him his power are pissed and drag him into it.  Pelali dies, regretting shunning her daughter, but knowing time is up.  Silverclaw goes back home with the Avengers, and is even granted a spot as a reservist.   Meanwhile, hiding out in the back of the Quinjet is none other than YELLOWJACKET?!  Say whaaaaa?!

***

The less said about Kulan Gath, the better.   I found this story to be way too long.  This could have been covered in two issues.   He's clearly a danger, but I just don't feel intimidated by him. 

We did some get some good characterization, though.   Silverclaw's come full circle with her origin and I'm glad to see her among the Avengers.  She should add some new drama to the gang.   Triathlon seems to have lost that chip on his shoulder and is showing signs of melding in with the rest of the team.  She-Hulk is as fun as ever.

The big twist with Yellowjacket suprised me when I read this years ago.  I remember wondering this had some sort of connection with Avengers Forever (like he had gotten time lost at some point).   I don't quite remember the hows and whys of this subplot, but it's a neat little wrinkle.

A Comic A Day # 3 - Avengers # 29 (Volume 3)

Avengers # 29 (Volume Three)

The Avengers are woken by a battle nearby.  They soon discover that the volcano goddess Peliali is being attacked by strange priests.  The Avengers intercede and become involved in a fight with Hawk-Riders, loyal to Kulan Gath.   As they wrap up their own battle, Pelali and the priests vanish.  Meanwhile, the military begins to move in!

The Avengers split off.   Wasp and Iron Man meet up with the military and agree to follow them back to the capital to figure the situation out.  The other Avengers (protected by Wanda's magic) enter the transformed city, followed by both a child (who turns out to by Kulan Gath) and a mysterious man.

The Avengers find themselves in a tavern after encountering parts of the real world entering the village.  Eventually, a bar fight breaks out.  Kulan Gath transforms the patrons into monster that manage to bring the Avengers down.   Kulan Gath also (in classic Busiek style) relates his brief history to a captured Pelali, and declares to change the world's reality into his own.

***

Out of all of Busiek's story arcs, this one might be the most lackluster.  While I certainly don't mind Silverclaw, her story here just doesn't work for me.  I have no feelings towards Kulan Gath, and my only memories are from the time he attacked the X-Men and Spider-Man defeated him or something.  Wasn't he in Conan the Barbarian?

After suffering world-bending realities in the very beginning of Busiek's run, revisiting it here just doesn't seem to click.

On the other hand, we get some good moments.  I did like Silverclaw's anger towards Pelali for making her father seem like a crackpot and herself like a freak.   Carol has a great moment in the tavern, having to resist booze -- and she really shines when she goes off on Triathilon for being a loud-mouthed punk.  I also really enjoyed Wasp's leadership ability and her dynamic with the rest of the team.

She-Hulk is just so much fun, from her flirtations with Triathilon to her leaping up and starting the bar fight.

Unfortunately, nothing else in this story arc really grabs me.

A Comic A Day # 2 -- Avengers # 28 (Volume Three)

I've actually been doing a full on review of Avengers Volume Three over at Avengers Assembled! boards, so if you're interested in my thoughts on those issues leading up to this one, you may want to give it a look.  The thread is here.

Avengers # 28 (Volume Three)

The Avengers do some PR work by smashing down some crappy old buildings in favor of a new, beautiful civic center.   They return to the Mansion to find that Silverclaw has received warning of an ancient prophecy in her homeland is about to come true.   The Avengers decide to accompany her to Costa Verde, but find that her small village has been replaced by a beautiful, ancient city.  The Avengers investigate and realize that reality has changed within the city walls.  Kulan Gath then manifests and warns them to go away.

***

Despite some strong moments, this issue really disappointed.   Silverclaw gets a full origin, which I liked.  I also enjoyed the PR work the Avengers did in the opening pages.

But just about everything else bothered me.  Kulan Gath's little world just reminds me too much of Morgan LeFaye's from issues 1-3.   The comments by Triathilon, who I liked a lot, seem very forced and out of place.   They just don't fit.

Here's hoping the next two parts of this story are better . . .

A Comic A Day # 1 -- AvsX # 9

Over the past seven months, I have taken it upon myself to have a monthly goal.  January was easy - no doughnuts.  February was no fast food.  March was writing everyday.  April was private.  May was walk everyday (at least a mile five days a week).  June was private.  July . . . well, July failed.

After much deliberation, I decided that in August, I would read a comic everyday and write a short blurb about it here.   So, without further ado, August 1st brings us . . .

AvsX # 9

You can assume, safely, that when I finally get the Uncanny X-Periment caught up, I will have a nice, big, fat review of all AvsX for you.  Until then, this small morsel will have to satisfy you.   On a larger scale this crossover has felt awkward.  Hope's ascension to the Phoenix has been building for a very long time.   This subplot, however, has been yanked into the story of Wanda's redemption and tied together with an excuse for super-hero fisticuffs.


This crossover seemed to want to mimic the events of Civil War.   Two allies, torn asunder by a big, life-changing issue, must now fight.  Characters must then chose sides and battles are fought.   The problem is, Civil War took the time to examine why each character has joined their respective side.   Cap believed that the Registration Act was a violation of civil liberties.  Iron Man believed it was the best way to keep super-heroes in business.   Everyone else fell in line - but we had reasons for those lines.   A timely, relevant, and moral question was put forward and we watched as Firestar, Luke Cage, the Thing, and everyone else stated a reason to side against each other.

AvsX, there's no real reasoning.   The Jean Grey School X-Men aside, all the X-Men follow Cyclops blindly.  The Avengers have no doubt that Cap is right and follow him just as blindly.  At times, it just doesn't feel right to not have them question this conflict.

However, with AvsX # 9, we see things begin change.   Suddenly, after the major disaster of last issue, loyalties begin to wane - at least in the case of Storm and Professor X turn on their teammates.  This isn't exactly a surprise, as Storm had been an Avenger recently and the Prof made his feelings known last issue.  For Storm, I want to believe that this will have a profound effect on her with Scott and the X-Men -- and will hopefully elevate her to higher level of super-hero.

The other big star of this issue is Spider-Man.   While I enjoyed Storm's role in this issue, Spider-Man proves himself through and through.   I've come to believe that Spider-Man is the quintessential Marvel super-hero.   He's down to Earth.  He's filled with guilt, but not enough to make him Batman.   He's governed by a passionate moral center.  And most of all, he never gives up.  I mean, who many times do we have to see him under that big machine and push it off of himself.

This issues features a pounding on Spider-Man by Colossus and Magik.  Spider-Man takes it.  He just takes it.   He keeps getting up, he keeps pressing their buttons, and cracking wise.  He just doesn't stop.

And in the end, despite being a bloody pulp on the ground, Spider-Man wins the day.  Against all odds, Spider-Man come through as a true Avenger - as a true hero - and wins.   Colossus and Magik are defeated and he gets carried back to Kun'Lun.

Of course, once there, the danger presents itself again.

The issue has some nice details, but lacks in areas.   Jason Aaron does an excellent job giving the issue a "Dark Phoenix Saga"-type vibe with Emma Frost and Illyana.   It's interesting to note that these two have become ruthless while Scott and Peter have become kinda crazy (whales with crab legs).  Kubert's pencils are excellent and he does a good job illustrating this story.

Overall, one of the best out of this rather, er, uncertain crossover.

A New X-Periment

After long consideration, I have officially decided to make some changes to this blog. Since 2006, the Uncanny X-Periment has been dedicated to blog posts about my chronological reading of the core X-Titles. As you can see, this has slowed down because of the current titles being released -- as well as my own on-again/off-again feelings for the X-Men franchise. That being said, I have a lot of other nerdy things to say. Some about comics, some about movies, some about comic book movies. With all that being said and done, the Uncanny X-Periment will grow and evolve to include non-X-Men related posts. You'll see some of these new features in the coming days, probably starting tomorrow. I plan on some more new changes to my beloved Uncanny X-Periment. And yes, you'll still see some more X-Men posts. No worries. Onward and upward, my friends! The Uncanny X-Periment is mutating!

Uncanny X-Periment # 157: Secret Invasion

Hey. So okay, where were we?


Oh yeah . . .


New Avengers: Illuminati # 1 and 5, Secret Invasion # 1-5, Secret Invasion: X-Men # 1-4, Secret Invasion # 6-8

Shortly after Kree/Skrull War and the first meeting of the Illuminati, Mr. Fantastic, Iron Man, Black Bolt, Namor, Dr. Strange, and Professor X went to the Skrull homeworld and had words with the emperor. After blowing up his ship, they were swiftly captured whilst trying to escape. They were tested and studied until Tony Stark started freeing them and they finally escaped.

Years later, Iron Man presents the dead body of a Skrull posing as Elektra to the Illuminati. While debating as to what to do, Black Bolt is revealed to be a Skrull and attacks. They subdue him and other in-coming Skrulls, then part ways, unable to trust each other.

Shortly thereafter, Tony brings together Mr. Fantastic and Doctor Pym in the hopes of using the Skrull/Elektra corpse to uncover a secret to detecting them. Meanwhile, a Skrull ship crashes in the Savage Land, near where the New Avengers had their first mission. The New Avengers find out from Spider-Woman and highjack a Quinjet to tackle the Skrulls first. The Mighty Avengers follow.

Once in the Savage Land, the ship opens up, revealing “prisoners” of the Skrulls, including Captain America, Mockingbird, Iron Man and others. At the same time, Jarvis launches a virus into all of Starktech, which cripples SHIELD, Stark Enterprises, and Iron Man himself. The Peak (SWORD’s base) is destroyed, the Baxter Building is thrown into the Negative Zone, the Cube shuts down, and Thunderbolt Mountain is attacked by Captain Mar-Vell. Agent Brand, in a bubble of atmosphere, watches as the Skrull armada shows up. Pym shots Mr. Fantastic, turning out to be a Skrull all along.

The battle in the Savage Land is interrupted by a T-Rex, sending everyone scattering. Ronin finds reason to believe that Mockingbird is who she says she is. Ms. Marvel heads to New York, the Sentry is dealt with, and Iron Man is dropped off at the remains of the Mutate citadel. In New York, the Young Avengers are faced with the arrival of Super-Skrull ground forces.

Jarvis demands Maria Hill’s surrender of SHIELD, but she escapes and blows up the Helicarrier. The Initiative joins the battle in New York, and eventually, so does Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos (later known as the Secret Warriors). Ms. Marvel shows up, but Fury shoots her, believing her to be a Skrull.

Back in the Savage Land, Spider-Woman approaches the ill Iron Man has him convinced he’s a Skrull. Black Widow shows up and guns for her, but she manages to escape in time. Wolverine then stops by, survives Black Widow’s gunshots and helps protect Tony.

As Fury’s forces regroup in his secret base, the Skrulls announce their intentions to the world: to rule them peacefully and help humanity move beyond it’s struggles. Norman Osborne is able to talk Captain Marvel into being Captain Marvel and the Skrull brainwashed to be a Kree heads into space.

Up in orbit, Agent Brand infiltrates the Skrull vessel holding Mr. Fantastic. As she frees him, Marvel attacks. In New York City, Thor and Captain America (Bucky) arrive on the scene.

In San Francisco, the invasion is just beginning. The X-Men launch attacks against the Skrulls, forcing them to stand-still before they themselves regroup. Cyclops, seeking an ace in hole, has X-Force recover a Skrull body for Hank. Nightcrawler, in the meantime, retrieves a orb from a Skrull priest, which speaks to him about the holiness of change and transformation. As the X-Men launch more attacks against the Skrull, Nightcrawler takes the Orb to Beast, which inspires Hank to use the Legacy Virus against the Skrulls. He talks to Cyclops about it, uncertain about whether or not he wants to use it. Meanwhile, the Skrulls load up buildings with civilians, willing and ready to wipe them out if the X-Men don’t surrender. The X-Men do and release an modified Legacy Virus against the Skrulls. Cyclops offers them the antidote if the Skrulls leave. The X-Men are released and the Skrulls blow themselves up instead.

Spider-Woman joins her fellow Skrulls at Camp Hammond, where the Skrulls are planning the next step in their plans. Meanwhile, back in the Savage Land, the rest of the fake hero Skrulls finally meet up with the New Avengers and Mighty Avengers at the Mutate Citadel. Just as another fight is about to break out, Mr. Fantastic and Agent Brand show up and reveal just who the Skrulls are – including Mockingbird. The Skrulls are finished off or chased off and the Avengers (along with Ka-Zar) head to New York City, while Shanna sticks around and hunts down the rest of the Skrulls.

Once in New York, Thor gathers the heroes in Central Park. Captain America, the Hood’s syndicate, the Thunderbolts, the Howling Commandos, the Avengers, and the Initiative all gather together and face off against Spider-Woman, Yellowjacket, and her Skrulls warriors. The battle is joined quickly and soon enough, Marvel Boy arrives, having been inspired by Captain Marvel.

Wolverine and Ronin take down Spider-Woman, leaving Yellowjacket with one option – he activates the Skrull’s last ditch plan. Wasp suddenly begins to grow wildly and releases a biological weapon. Dying, she tries to flee, but is unable to. Thor wipes out his hammer and sends her away. The heroes, pissed as all get out, charge the Skrulls. Spider-Woman gets back up, faced with a herd of rampaging super-heroes, and begins to pray. The heroes don’t reach her in time – Norman Osborne blows her head off.

The heroes begin to gather up the rest of the Skrulls as Iron Man leads everyone else in space. The armada, now in shambles, is starting to retreat. Iron Man locates a Skrull ship with the humans on board and brings it to Earth, bringing with it those that were replaced – including Mockingbird. As Mr. Fantastic is reunited with the Fantastic Four and Jessica Jones realizes that her baby has been kidnapped by a Jarvis Skrull, Thor, Cap, and Iron Man part ways.

In the aftermath, there’s a lot of chaos and a lot of blame falls on Iron Man for not doing a better job at protecting the world. SHIELD is dismantled and rebuilt as HAMMER, with Norman Osborne as its leader. Shortly after this and as New York begins to recover, Norman heads into an elevator, taking him into a sub-basement, where Emma Frost, Namor, the Hood, Loki, and Doctor Doom are waiting for him.

As a whole, I like “Secret Invasion.” The mini-series leaves something to be desired, however, as the issues of New Avengers and Mighty Avengers help add weight to it. But in it of itself, it’s pretty good. It’s very exciting, very energetic. Yu delivers with the line-work, giving us something so much better than what he was producing on New Avengers. The inker and the colorists also add quite a bit in that context.

The writing for the mini-series lacks in places, though most of it is forgivable . . . save for the Wasp. Bendis never really was able to get a good handle on Pym or Wasp. I don’t think he hated them, as many have claimed, but he just sucked at writing them. Pym, we can blame it on the Skrulls. Wasp, we can blame it on Bendis. Her death was so meaningless and flash-in-the-pan that I felt no emotion over it. As opposed to say, Kitty’s death, where I was punched in the stomach.

But there are a lot of little things that did come out of Bendis’ writing. His Iron Man/Thor/Cap dynamic was well done. The Skrulls attack was nicely portrayed. The final battle itself (while filled with far too many rallying calls and “let’s get ‘em!”s) was rather epic – especially the “Avengers Assemble!” scene. Marvel Boy’s “rise,” as it were, was great and another strong point of the event.

As for the X-Men’s side of things, it was pretty cool to see all of these X-Men in action. I was a little disenchanted to see more of Cyclops’ “I’m a badass” attitude, but his gambit paid off and was his plan was well-executed. Good characterization for Nightcrawler, I must say, and a lot of characters got nice little moments.

Now, as for Dark Reign . . .

~W~

Uncanny X-Periment # 156: Original Sin

Wolverine: Origins # 16 – 28, X-Men: Original Sin # 1, X-Men: Legacy # 217, Wolverine Origins # 29, X-Men: Legacy # 218, Wolverine Origins # 30-32 (Pages # 1-29)

Logan goes to visit Captain America’s exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum to drink to his friend’s memory. As he does, he recalls his first encounter with Cap in Madripoor, when he and Cap were assigned to keep the Hand out of Madripoor, away from Strucker, and to retrieve the young Black Widow. In that aftermath of that mission, Logan is ordered by Seraph (by way of Romulus) to determine is Cap is “one of them” and to either recruit him or kill him. Logan catches up with Cap in Africa and joined by Sergeant Fury. Cap’s mission to lead his unit against a Nazi force and take them down, thus solidifying himself as a leader and allowing rumor to spread about, well, how awesome he is. Bucky’s mission is kill Strucker, who is building his own power base and his own Nazi-like group called Hydra. Bucky’s orders are classified, though Logan believes that they came from Romulus as well.

Cap follows Bucky on his mission, who is then followed by Logan. Bucky kills Strucker, but after Fury and the unit arrive, it’s determined that Strucker was using a double. Logan and Bucky search the place, but Logan eventually stashes Bucky and confronts Strucker himself. Strucker and Seraph (and, by extension, Romulus) have apparently struck a deal. They want Strucker to go free and Logan to kill Cap. Logan agrees, gets Bucky and they escort Strucker out the Americans. Cap and Logan then fly towards south France, but are attacked on the way. The plane crashes and they are met by Baron Zemo. Logan had made arrangements via Strucker after getting his new orders – figuring that Cap would be able to escape someone like Zemo easier than he could escape actual Nazis. Logan reveals his betrayal to Cap, who thoroughly beats the shit out of. Bucky (after taking out Baron Zemo’s men – but still escaping) finally shoots him and Logan goes down. Logan wakes up and doesn’t remember anything that had happened.

Back in the present, Logan knows that Cap would want to let go of the guilt Logan now feels for betraying him. But Logan can’t, because that’s not how he is. After carving ‘Friend’ into the statue of Cap, Logan leaves.

Elsewhere, Deadpool is being hired to kill Logan. Wolverine goes through Deadpool’s over-the-top plan of death until eventually he has him in a position to actually kill Logan for good. Except, Daken shows up and proceeds to take down Deadpool and accidentally frees Wolverine. Daken is about battle his father when Bucky/Winter Soldier hits him a Carbonadium bullet. Logan takes his son away, revealing that he had set-up it all up to get Daken out in the open so he could do this.

Wolverine takes Daken to this lab inside an old lava tube. Back during World War Two, Logan took some Japanese men to this lab, where scientists basically turned them into cyborgs. Logan was given the order to kill them and the scientists, meaning that no one else knew where the lab was or that even still existed. However, Logan is ambushed by the cyborgs, who want to claim Daken as their families were killed by Logan to prevent them from asking questions. With no choice, Logan kills them, waking up Daken in process, who doesn’t remember anything about his past.

His past is revealed to us, however. He was found shortly after his mother was killed and was adopted by a kindly Japanese couple. While the father takes to him, his new mother rejects him. Nick-named Daken by the children of the village (which is Japanese for “mongrel”), he eventually learns that his mother is pregnant and doesn’t feel anything for Daken. Daken gets upset and a year later, kills the new baby. His mother goes after Daken, but he pops his claws for the first time and kills her. His father, unable to cope, kills himself. Romulus then arrives and offers Daken a place with him

Wolverine leaves Daken with an old monk friend in Chinatown. In the meantime, Wolverine goes off to find Emma Frost. At headquarters, he gets a whiff of Professor X, discovers he’s alive, and has it out with Scott and Emma, then goes after Charles. Meanwhile, the monk and his friends are killed by Hellfire Club and Daken is taken in by Mistress Sinister (Claudine Reniko – sounds familiar to me too). She takes him to Shaw’s house in Panama while Wolverine and Professor X go after the Hellfire Club. Wolverine wants Professor X to do to Daken what he did to Wolverine when joined the X-Men.

Years ago, Wolverine was ordered by Romulus to use his first mission against the Hulk as a way to draw the attention of Professor X. When he was recruited by Xavier, he was charged with killing him. Xavier struck back with a psi-blast and then broke down his memories and put them back together, causing Logan’s memory to be blocked out.

Back in the present, Wolverine attacks the Hellfire Club, leaving all but one dead. He and Xavier find out where Daken is and go after him. Wolverine battles Shaw and Xavier handles Mistress Sinister. Xavier the goes to Daken, springs a psychic trap (which his own scattered memories allows him to be spared from), which in turn allows Mistress Sinister to step in. Daken stabs her and then is confronted by Wolverine himself. Wolverine, Xavier and Daken are then joined in their minds to a critical moment – when Itsu was killed. Learning that it was in fact the Winter Soldier and not Wolverine, Daken let’s go of his revenge. He tosses Shaw out a window, and then decides to join Wolverine in a quest of vengeance against Romulus.

Daken and Wolverine head to Halwan while trying to track down Romulus. They instead meet up with Cyber, who is looking to join with them and then take Romulus’ place once they kill him. Wolverine doesn’t trust him and he and Daken plan to defeat Cyber. Wolverine pretends to fall for Cyber’s plan, and then Daken gains his confidence by faking to betray Wolverine. Cyber takes Daken to a lab where Cyber was created in exchange for the C-Synth synthesizer. Wolverine tracks them down, but only finds Cyber defeated and Daken gone – striking out on his own.

As a whole, this portion “Wolverine Origins” details his continuing quest for vengeance – but with the focus on being Daken. Each story arc (save for “Our War”) deals with Daken in some way or another. Right off that bat, I can that is a vast improvement. The previous installment we saw of this series here at the X-Periment, Daken was barely a character. He was Wolverine with a Mohawk and a big-ass tattoo.

Deadpool’s own comments regard Daken mirror ones I’ve seen elsewhere (and here, of course). I’m thankful we finally have a better understanding of this character. I don’t like him a whole lot, but I like him more than, say, X-23. His character has texture and a background and is more relatable than before. It’s the absolute key to selling this character off as Wolverine’s son.

On that same token, the fact that Romulus is still so mysterious is what kills that character for me. I can’t care about him. We still don’t know his agenda, what his motives are, why he’s such a mystery, why we haven’t heard anything about him before . . . I just can’t care. Revealing more about him can only help us out. My opinion of Romulus hasn’t changed. If Romulus shows up and is revealed to be Wolverine’s father or some bullshit like that, it’s over and whatever momentum this story had, it’s gone.

I want to see Romulus, at least. Get a better understanding of his character and his interests. I want explanations – that’s the whole reason why I’ve continued to buy this book.

Individually, each arc has its strengths. “Our War” was pretty good. Cap goes from super-dork to freakin’ awesome to super-dork a number of times, which really works for this time period. Bucky made for an interesting character, especially considering his connections to the future and his appearances throughout the next arc. I really wish we had been given a scene where we see Cap and Logan actually talk about his betrayal.

“The Deep End,” was ridiculous. It was just so over the top, but I guess it was on purpose. Logan’s planning seems to be really at the heart over this entire portion and is seems to pay off here as well as other places. Deadpool was funny . . . but not in the same way he’s been elsewhere.

“Son of X,” I pretty much covered. I’m happy to have seen it, as it did reveal more of Daken’s background and made him, again, into an actual character.

“Original Sin” in it of itself, was decent. More “Giant-Sized” revelations. Someday I’m going to sit down and read all through “Giant-Sized X-Men” flashbacks just to get a complete picture of this apparently dark day (!) in the X-Men’s history. It makes sense, I guess, and while this was one that moved Wolverine’s story forward, it didn’t do much for Professor X. I’m still trying to figure out what I think of Mistress Sinister. She-Sinister is a little weird, seeing as how she acts and dresses like my best friend Stephanie . . . except evil. I’d like to see her fleshed out a bit, because, uh, I actually like the character.

“Family Business” gives us a good stopping point (for now). While Daken and Wolverine have decided to go after Romulus, it does a good job of really showing Logan that he just can’t trust his son.

A better bout here – stronger and more interesting than “Origins and Endings” and light-years beyond “Evolution.” Honestly, I’d like to see a little more self-contained stories that only lightly tie in with the “Romulus” over-arc. We haven’t seen Lady Deathstrike in this book yet, nor have we seen much from the Silver Samurai. Maybe an annual or a one-shot? Please?

We're back!

Finally FINALLY getting caught on comics!

I'm missing bits and pieces of "Necrosha" and "Utopia," but other than that, the X-Periment is back! That being said . . .

After "The Reckoning" (Wolverine Origins) and "Second Coming," I'm done. After 18 years of reading and collecting X-Men, I've just lost interest. "Second Coming" hasn't been too bad thus far, but I'm just not as interested as I used to be. A lot of it has to do with the current marathon of events in the X-Titles. A lot has to do with Matt Fraction's boring-ass writing. So, when "Second Coming" comes to an end in August (right?), I'll be doing a review. A final review.

I may, as time permits, go back and clean up some of these reviews and/or revisit some stories. But we'll see. I have a little Mutant on the way now and that takes priority over everything.

If you've stuck around this long, then I certainly appreciate it. See you soon!

~W~

Uncanny X-Periment # 155: Manifest Destiny - SFX

Uncanny X-Men # 500 (Epilogue Two) -503, X-Men: Legacy # 215-216

The X-Men are still settling into the San Francisco scene. We’re given a little more detail as to how things operate out there. Warren is apparently footing a lot of the bill. Despite the peace Marin offers the X-Men, a gang called the Hellfire Cult has struck and attacked Pixie following a Dazzler concert. The X-Men track down the Hellfire Cult to a warehouse, where they find that Empath is controlling them. Wolverine and Nightcrawler are unable to stop him, but Pixie shows up (after previously running away) and nails Empath with her soul-dagger. While this was happening, Scott was having mind-sex with who he thought was Emma . . . but when he sees Madelyn in a club later, he realize that he had mind-sex with her . . . and that she’s alive!

Shortly after this, Professor X stops by and tries to find out if Scott has anything Sinister-related stuff left in his head. Scott rejects his help and Emma stops by to deep scan Professor X’s mind for Sinister. She finds none, but forces Professor X to confront the past mistakes he made and the mind-altering things he did to the X-Men. After all this and Xavier comes out clean (and is given back the memory of Moira dying), he tells Scott just how much he respects him and how glad he is that he’s running the X-Men.

The Hellfire Cult story is the stronger out of the two, though it certainly has it’s weaknesses. It’s way over-sexed. I really wish I could delete knowing that Empath is into hard-core S&M from my memory. Granted, I did like that he was an actually threat now instead “oh, now you feel tired” or whatever. The X-Men themselves come off a little off their game to me – almost like they’re still trying to find their way around the San Francisco and haven’t exactly figured out where all the cool bad guy hang outs are. Other than that, the X-Men spend a lot of time strutting around, acting rich and awesome.

I’m really not sure how I feel about Pixie. There’s a feeling I’m getting from the core X-titles that they’re trying to make her into Kitty 2.0 (or Jubilee 2.0 or Angel 2.0 or Armor 2.0). I’m not exactly convinced this is the best move for Pixie, as I would rather her break out of that mold.

As for the Xavier/Scott/Emma meeting, there’s much to be desired. That Charles is happy for Cyclops and glad to see the X-Men in his good hands is one thing; it’s just that the story itself is dry and lacking any real sort of emotional meat to it is another.