X-Men Unlimited #2

X-Men Unlimited #2

Writing: Fabian Nicieza

Art: Jan Duursema

Note: This story takes place between Uncanny#306 and X-Men #25

What Went Down:  Our giant-sized story starts on a flashback of Magneto fighting the East German army as the military tries to overtake Wundagore Mountain.  A soldier named Adrian Eiskalt and his brother Ute flee the battle, but Ute stumbles into and knocks over the tombstone of Magneto’s wife Magda.  Enraged, Magneto kills Ute and leaves Adrian…who swears revenge.

This flashback was actually a story Adrian was telling his psychiatrist.  The doctor tells Adrian he has to let go, even as he fantasizes about killing Magneto.  At Empire State University, Gabrielle Haller gives a lecture on the history of Magneto, and whether he should be labeled a dictator or a crusader.  On a plane to Manhattan, Adrian reads the book Fatal Attractions—a study on mutants and Magneto.  Adrian mistakes a passenger for Magneto and almost kills him with a poison needle disguised as a pen.

Once in Manhattan, Adrian watches an ABC News special where Ted Koppel interviews J.B. Chambers, the author of the Fatal Attractions book, and Graydon Creed.  The author offers that humans can live with mutants, and that there is merit to Magneto’s positions.  The next day Adrian has breakfast with Gabrielle Haller, asking for her help in apprehending Magneto, even though he means to kill the Master of Magnetism.  Gabrielle can sense Adrian’s personal stake, and tells him he will doom himself.

On a boat in the Atlantic, Exodus appears to the New Brotherhood of Mutants, but only tries to recruit Phantazia.  She refuses, and the other members are offended that they weren’t selected.  Later Adrian interviews the Toad about working with Magneto and listens to the tape.  We next see Gabrielle Haller talking to Moira MacTaggert about their previous relationships with Charles Xavier.  Gabrielle asks Moira about her studies of Magneto when he was regressed to a child, and also asks for her help neutralizing him.  Moira still blames herself for Magneto not turning out right, so she agrees. 

At a Genetech Bio lab, scientists show Adrian and Gabrielle the new armor that will hide Adrian from the magnetic spectrum (these are the suits that Storm stole the plans for in Uncanny #305).  He is also shown a plastic taser to be used to capture Magneto, but Adrian knows he can modify it to kill. 

In Washington, Peter Gyrich, Val Cooper, and Alexi Vazhin meet with Gabrielle and Adrian.  The first half of the Fatal Attractions crossover has occurred, so it is confirmed that Magneto is definitely alive.  The government agents debate the merits of attacking Magneto, while Adrian thinks he knows where the mutant will go.

At Wundagore Mountain, Magneto is once again visiting the grave of Magda.  Adrian sneaks up on him and has him targeted.  Suddenly Adrian returns to the flashback and reveals that Ute—his brother, pulled a gun on Magneto, and it was the ricochet off Magneto’s forcefield that killed him.  Adrian drops his gun, and the two men look at each other with understanding.  Adrian attempts to shoot himself in the head, but realizes he’s lost nothing except for the hatred he’s been carrying.

How It Was: Hard to believe that once upon a time you could get a sixty page comic in the nineties for the price of a twenty page comic today.  Then again, if this was the standard for content today, would you want to pay that at all?  This issue is a loose tie-in to the Fatal Attractions crossover.  It’s not part of the crossover, but it deals with its events and focuses on its main antagonist Magneto. Much as Magneto’s crusade against humanity is a response to the death of his family, we are given a new protagonist inspired by a dead brother to gain our new perspective on Magneto.

Although Adrian is very one note, there is something fascinating about the way he ignores his surroundings as he focuses on Magneto’s death.  This story works best when it does juxtapose Adrian’s quest with Magneto’s, and whether Magneto is motivated by compassion or vengeance or ego or guilt.  We see all these outsiders weigh in on Magneto, and the only hints we get from the actual man are when he visits his wife’s grave, which could lean toward any or all of the motivations.  The art is very nice looking as far as the characters go; in the first couple of pages, Magneto looks awe inspiring.  Unfortunately the backgrounds let down the image somewhat, as some of the tanks and soldiers don’t look like they’re drawn properly in the background, giving the impression that Magneto is just attacking tiny men.  Also, it seems unnecessary in the latter pages to draw Adrian exactly like Gambit from the neck up.  There’s also a tiny error with a word balloon that is pointing to Graydon Creed when it should be pointing off panel as the response from his opponent. 

The real problem with this issue is that there is far too much exposition.  Yes his history during the Holocaust is very important to our understanding of him here, but it just never ends.  Gabrielle’s history of him lasts for four pages!  Toad talks about resenting him as a member of the Brotherhood for another six!  With sixty pages to fill, it’s obvious that Nicieza is padding out this story as much as possible, but the story suffers because of this; we get away from Adrian and his perspective as all these other characters ramble on. 

And it’s not just Magneto exposition here.  There’s the TV debate that is three pages of summarizing the themes of the X-Men, and nine pages with a scientist explaining Adrian’s tech.  He repeats how it will make him invisible to Magneto like three times.  This writing just isn’t succinct or gripping and it really waters down the main conflict.

Worst of all, the end tries to create a twist, but really it isn’t a twist, it’s just that information has been withheld until the end.  Ute pulled a gun on Magneto, which Adrian decides makes his whole rationalization moot.  The problem is that this fact really weakens Adrian’s position throughout the book.  Adrian himself is a soldier, so he should understand the principles behind self-defense.  Also it cheapens the conflict within Magneto; I much prefer the idea of Magneto overreacting over a personal trespass directly after fighting a huge battle.  One of the great metaphors of Magneto, which is used this issue, is that in trying to prevent another Hitler he becomes more like the man.  It might be nice to see Magneto have to confront this aspect of his worldview and personality.  Also, it seems odd that Adrian would collect all this info on Magneto when he was just going to sneak up and shoot him in the back. 

This might’ve made an okay forty page story in an annual, or even a decent ten or twenty page story.  But there’s too much here that distracts from the main ideas this story is trying to get across.  I will admit as a comic fan it is neat to see all these nods to continuity, from the Silver Age to the Claremont/Jim Lee stuff, but ultimately it detracts from the story.  There is a lot of attention to detail, but most of it isn’t in service to the story.  Plus after going through all of that, it’s disappointing to see Adrian drop his gun without even a word exchanged by the two men.

Completists Only

Excalibur #71

Excalibur #71
Writing: Scott Lobdell
Art: Ken Lashley, Darick Roberson, and Matthew Ryan

What Went Down: Part 6 of Fatal Attractions: This issue opens with Nightcrawler fighting the Acolyte Spoor on Muir Island. Since the X-Factor part of this crossover depicted Spoor as a prisoner, he has been transferred to the Muir Isle, but he escaped. Spoor’s powers affect people’s emotions, so Nightcrawler almost kills the mutant. Luckily Kitty Pryde pops in and phases Spoor so he doesn’t get his skull bashed in. Moira thanks Rachel, Kitty, and Nightcrawler for bringing Spoor back, and then Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Professor X show up for a visit.

Xavier reveals that he has a plan get Colossus to return to the X-Men; he believes that Peter is suffering from the effects of his injuries from the X-Cutioner in Uncanny X-Men Annual #17. He wants Kitty to trick Peter into coming to Muir Isle so the X-Men can capture him and fix the trauma. Kitty is initially appalled, but eventually she reluctantly agrees.

Kitty sends a message to Avalon. Colossus is convinced that Kitty would never betray him, so he gets permission from Exodus, the new leader of the Acolytes, to journey down to Earth. Exodus tells Amelia Voght to give him an hour before bringing him back. Kitty lashes out at Cyclops and the Professor for forcing the deception. Rachel identifies that Kitty is really just scared that Colossus’ condition won’t affect his decision.

Cable’s computer the Professor identifies a signal from Avalon. Cable says that he has unfinished business with the Acolytes, and thinks it might be a trap for Xavier. Back on Muir Isle, Cyclops and Nightcrawler prepare the device to cure Colossus. Nightcrawler explains the state of Excalibur and the fact that most of its members have either left or been lost. Cyclops comforts him by comparing Excalibur to the original X-Men and showing that change can be good.

Outside, Jean Grey reconciles with Rachel Summers after freaking out on her when they first met. Jean reveals that she and Scott might be getting married soon and having a child. Rachel calls Jean “Mom” for the first time.

Colossus teleports down from space and the X-Men subdue him. On the other side of the island, Cable is climbing up the rock face looking to hunt the Acolytes. Phoenix intercepts him, and reveals her real name. Cable and the Professor both appear to recognize the name Rachel Summers—this is because in the future Rachel founds the Askani, the group that raises Cable. Cable and Rachel fight—at one point Rachel’s body turns into Captain Britain’s—a subplot from the regular series, I’m sure.

Colossus is strapped into a machine that utilizes Cyclops’ optic blasts to burn a hole in his head, somehow repairing the damage. Nightcrawler decides to respond to an intruder alert. Rachel tricks Cable into thinking she’s weakened, and then blindsides him with her telepathy. Nightcrawler confronts the Acolytes Voght, Katu, and Unuscione, and does a fair job of holding them off. Back in the lab, the trauma to Peter is fixed and he is finally able to return to human form. Cyclops and Phoenix (Rachel) join Nightcrawler outside in fighting the Acolytes. The fight ends when Colossus shows up and decides that he still wishes to remain with the Acolytes. The Acolytes teleport away, and the remaining three members of Excalibur decide to stay on Muir Isle to assist Moira in her work.

How It Was: Like the X-Factor issue of the crossover, this issue doesn’t have a whole lot to do with the return of Magneto. However it features characters from the X-Men guest starring, it deals with an important plot point from the crossover, and it has a hologram on the cover, so it’s still part of the crossover. While the Fatal Attractions story really ends in Wolverine #75, this issue serves the dual purposes of following up on Colossus’ defection and trying to lure in new readers by presenting a new status quo that is perfect for jumping on. Sneaky.

The good first. Nightcrawler, Kitty, and Rachel have always been fan favorite X-Men characters, and I always thought that it was a shame that they were condemned for so long on the British X-Men. Excalibur fans might argue with me, but I still think that they belong on the actual X-Men. Besides, nobody read Excalibur for Kylun or Megann, they read it for the big three, if you will. But Lobdell does a great job of bringing their personalities to life, bearing in mind that for a lot of X-Men fans, this is the first time we’ve seen these characters in a while. Nightcrawler’s humor really shines through in his fight scenes. Kitty’s internal conflict and angst over Colossus and her struggles to be seen as an adult fit right into where straight X-Men fans saw her last, but there are still signs of character growth as well. And Phoenix’s sensitivity is used to make peace with Jean, and drop some more hints about Cable’s past. All in all, these are three really likable, relatable characters, and I’m sure this issue succeeded in selling a few more later on.

Now for the bad. Filling a double-sized issue of Excalibur can’t be easy, especially since most of the team is gone. First off, the central plot of fixing Colossus kind of makes sense, but this is something that really should have been done way before Illyana died. And while it was nice of the X-Men to fix Peter so he could return to human form, couldn’t Jean and the Professor read his mind and figure out that it was his decision to be an Acolyte? The major problem is the Cable/Rachel fight, since Cable has absolutely no reason to be there. There’s some grumbling about wanting to confront the Acolytes, but really there is no reason for Cable to show up other than to talk to Rachel and reveal some clues that she is his foster mother/sister from another time stream. Then he gets knocked out... the end. The Acolytes finally get another chance to be in the forefront, and they get completely trounced. I guess there is no better way to build up a villain team than to have them easily dispatched with no tension built whatsoever.

As for Excalibur’s new status quo, it’s not exactly mind-blowing or exciting. They’re moving from England to Scotland—whopee. Part of the reason Excalibur never really took off as a book was that it was never really clarified why there needed to be an international team of mutants; plus this meant that the team was far removed from the other teams and the rest of the Marvel Universe, which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. And while Excalibur made it for another fifty-some issues, it was almost always the lowest selling of the X-books.

As far as being a finale to a major crossover, this story doesn’t really carry a lot of weight. As a whole, Fatal Attractions is one of the only crossovers I can think of that peaks in the middle and fizzles at the beginning and end; most major storylines save their biggest moment for the epic finale (see X-Cutioner’s Song, Onslaught, Messiah Complex, etc.). Overall the crossover works okay, but there are a lot of unnecessary issues attached; you could basically treat Uncanny X-Men #304-Wolverine #75 as the crossover in its entirety, with X-Force #25 acting as some kind of prelude. This crossover had its moments, almost none of them occur in this issue, and since nothing changes with Colossus, there’s really no need to dig this one up unless you’re a completist.

C-

Wolverine #75

Wolverine #75
Writing: Larry Hama
Art: Adam Kubert

What Went Down: Part 5 of Fatal Attractions: We begin already on the Blackbird, trying to make it back to Earth. Wolverine’s healing factor has been severely taxed from having the adamantium ripped out of his body, and the X-Men are trying to keep him from dying. Xavier and Jean go into his mind to try to repair the mental trauma of the event, and they are treated to a number of flashbacks of Wolverine’s past and villains. They also get a sneak peek of Wolverine’s experiences when he first received his adamantium in the Weapon X lab. Jean complains that they are violating Logan’s memories just like they were with Magneto’s.

Meanwhile, up in the cockpit, it turns out that the Blackbird isn’t really designed to be in space and lots of things are sparking and exploding on the console. The heat shield of the plane fails and everybody gets knocked around. Wolverine regains consciousness and forgoes morphine so that he can focus on healing better. At the mansion, Moira is giving instructions on how to save Wolverine while Jubilee looks very concerned behind her.

More instruments blow up—Quicksilver has to put in all of the commands manually at a very high speed. Wolverine makes Xavier promise to take care of Jubilee, while Jean tries to keep the Blackbird together in the atmosphere with her powers. The rest of the X-Men run in and question Moira. Cyclops has flashbacks to when Jean turned into Phoenix.

Xavier once again enters Wolverine’s mind to find a violent, savage red wasteland. Wolverine sees a light, and Xavier tries to prevent him from going in it. In the cockpit, it turns out that after surviving reentry into the atmosphere, the plane is heading straight for an electrical storm. In Wolverine’s mind, he sees Illyana as an angel. She pushes him away from the light. Jean struggles to keep the cabin closed, but she gets distracted when the plane is hit by lightning. Jean is stuck holding on to the edge of the hatch. As her grip slips, Wolverine regains consciousness, stands up, and saves her.

A couple of days pass, and the X-Men are training in the Danger Room. Wolverine decides that he has to prove that he deserves to be on the team by showing that he can still fight. So Wolverine gets to fight two robots. As the robots beat the tar out of him, Xavier insists that Wolverine must be the one to stop this. During the course of the fight, Logan pops his claws, and everyone discovers that the claws are now made out of bone. Also, Wolverine is bleeding pretty badly because his healing factor isn’t up to closing the wounds.

Later, Jubilee and Wolverine sit outside talking. Jubilee discusses her fears about her growing powers and excitement over her newfound sense of control from the last story arc. Wolverine comforts her, lights a cigar, and starts hacking uncontrollably, showing his weakened state. During the night, Logan leaves the X-Men and leaves a letter for Jubilee asking her to understand and telling her to stick with Xavier.

How It Was: Quite the mixed bag. The first half of the issue is fairly mediocre. Wolverine’s mental trauma is used as an excuse to rehash imagery of Wolverine flashbacks that every Wolverine fan is already familiar with. Wolverine is haunted by the Weapon X lab; he’s haunted by Sabretooth and Deathstrike. And the imagery from modern paintings (such as the fish and melted clock) really don’t belong at all; it’s like Hama asked Kubert to make the image surreal, and Kubert didn’t know what that meant, so he just borrowed images from a couple of surreal paintings. The second trip to Wolverine’s subconscious is a big improvement with a red and black palate and the black outlined enemies that Wolverine is facing. The scene really comes off as primal and animalistic—that is until a naked Illyana angel leads Logan towards and then away from the light.

As for the X-Men on the plane, is it really necessary for the flight home to turn into a comedy of errors? We’re to believe that the same team that owns a teleportation device can’t build a decent plane to go into space. What kind of super hero team is this? It might make a little more sense if the plane was attacked, but it wasn’t. It just starts falling apart. While this is meant to build tension, really it just becomes an exercise in melodrama and futility. When the team finally enters Earth’s atmosphere, they enter a lightning storm, and the moment is almost laughable. Furthermore, it really takes the spotlight away from the main focus, which is Wolverine and his well being. However, the scene does end with the awesome moment of Wolverine getting up in time to save Jean, despite being horribly injured.

The really interesting parts of the story begin after the team returns home. Here we get to explore how Wolverine has been affected by this trauma. In true Wolverine fashion, he refuses to be viewed as vulnerable and sets out to fight something to prove himself, leading to the discovery of the bone claws. Now initially the bone claws were a really neat story idea. They made Wolverine more vulnerable, less indestructible, and they gave him some much-needed adversity to overcome. The problem with the bone claws is that enemies can break them. At first it’s really shocking and dramatic, but the truth of the matter is that Wolverine, as an icon and a character, is pretty much defined by his claws. That’s the reason that everybody thinks he’s so cool. There are plenty of anti-heroes, numerous rough and tough heroes that are kind on the inside. There are even lots of near indestructible heroes. But there are very few characters with indestructible claws who fight ninjas and robots and super villains on a regular basis. This is the reason that none of the cartoons, non-canon comic books and prose books, or video games of the time tried to incorporate the bone claws. Wolverine’s claws are who he is; they’re what make him cool. Hence the adamantium claws are far superior.

But I digress. Hama does a great job of exploring the aftereffects of Wolverine’s loss. From the nice little moment he has with Jubilee, to the way he casually flicks away the cigar after hacking up a lung, it is apparent that Wolverine is a changed character. Of course this leads to him leaving the X-Men, which is a major deficit for the X-Men books, and leads to the attempted recruitment of Sabretooth down the line. Ignoring all of that, we’re left with an issue that is pretty weak and unengaging for the most part, but manages to pick up towards the end and allow for a subtle picture into the feelings and behaviors of the eponymous character.

C+

X-Men #25

X-Men #25
Writing: Fabian Nicieza
Art: Andy Kubert

What Went Down: Part 4 of Fatal Attractions: The U.N. votes to enact the Magneto Protocols, which involves using a series of satellites to surround the Earth in an energy field that prevents Magneto from using his powers within it. Magneto treats this act as a provocation and decides to teach the humans a lesson. Unfortunately for planet Earth, the satellites used in the field are made of metal, so Magneto is able to not only wreck them all with his powers, but he also uses them to create an EM blast that effectively turns off all of the electricity in the entire world. Nick Fury, Mr. Fantastic, the Thing, Sunfire, Nightcrawler, and Captain Britain (who is supposed to be trapped in Limbo) all appear in cameos to give a sense of gravity and show how this story is affecting the entire Marvel Universe.

Of course, the only place to not be stuck in permanent blackout is Xavier’s mansion, since they have Shi’ar technology integrated into their regular technology. Cyclops briefs the team on the situation and explains the worldwide blackout and the fact that millions of people are probably dead because of it. Xavier has taken the position that they are fighting for survival and must finish Magneto once and for all.

Later in the War Room, Beast, Jean, and Cyclops discuss whether the original non-lethal practices of the X-Men are outdated. Xavier walks in on them, sporting an exoskeleton that allows him to walk by using his mental powers. Xavier explains that the plan is to teleport a small team to Avalon and take out Magneto. Because he thinks it may be a suicide mission, Xavier refrains from bringing more of his original students with him. In the changing room, Rogue wonders whose side she will be on, but Gambit reassures her that she will make the right choice.

Xavier gives a rousing speech about the dream, and then the team proceeds to use a Shi’ar teleporter to teleport onto Avalon. It just so happens that Colossus is on security watch for the Acolytes, so he chooses not to alert the rest of the team to the presence of the X-Men.

As the team creeps through the station, they encounter Rusty and Skids. While Jean tries to reason with them, Xavier announces that they don’t have time and uses his powers to make them fall asleep. Then Quicksilver is given the task of uploading a disc into one of the base’s terminals, which tells the base’s computer to teleport the Acolytes off of the base. This leaves Magneto alone for them to deal with. Magneto discovers them and attacks first.

The plan goes that Jean and Xavier are to attack Magneto’s mind while the rest of the squad beats the crap out of him. The telepaths make him relive the horrors and failures of his life: his time in a Nazi concentration camp, the death of Douglas Ramsey, his wife and children abandoning him, and the betrayal of Fabian Cortez. Magneto decides he cannot allow his son to betray him, and is about to kill Quicksilver, when Wolverine jumps in. Unfortunately Jean breaks the connection because she cannot bear to torture Magneto. Wolverine injures Magneto, so in turn Magneto uses his powers to pull the adamantium from Wolverine’s bones. In a fit of rage, Professor X attacks Magneto and uses his powers to wipe the villain’s mind completely. Colossus appears and tells the X-Men that the teleporter is down, but he has sent word for Bishop to come in the Blackbird. Colossus decides to remain on Avalon and take care of Magneto while he is in his catatonic state because he feels guilty for allowing the X-Men to act unhindered. Jean does her best to stabilize Logan, and the squad leaves Peter to his charge.

How It Was: At the time, this was the issue everyone was talking about. Two unthinkable events in one issue: Wolverine loses his adamantium and Professor X uses his powers to destroy Magneto’s mind. The real question is, how has this comic aged?

Well let’s get the negative out of the way. The biggest criticism of this issue, as well as the most valid, is that the entire story is dependent on these deus ex machina style inventions that come out of nowhere. Apparently the X-Men happen to have a Star Trek teleportation device and a suit that can let Professor X walk just lying around, and these devices have never been used before or after this story. It would probably have made more sense if Forge had invented them and let the X-Men use them, or maybe if Nick Fury had let the team borrow them from a SHIELD armory. While it doesn’t ruin the issue, it is a fact that is difficult to reconcile with what we know about the X-Men. And while we’re on the subject of technology, whose idea was it to make a Magneto negating field out of metal satellites? Also, Captain Britain’s appearance is a continuity error; where was the editor on that one?

But the comic does have a lot going for it. There is a palpable sense of tension as Magneto leaves the entire world vulnerable to attack, and kills potentially millions in the process. This is a Magneto who is ready to end the conflict between man and mutant as quickly as possible, and it looks like he might have the upper hand. Also, the team Xavier picks to attack Avalon is pretty awesome. You have Jean and Xavier to attack him mentally, Rogue and Quicksilver because of their relationship towards him to throw him off guard, and Wolverine and Gambit because…well, because they are really popular characters. Honestly, I can’t think of why any great tactician would bring Wolverine to confront Magneto; we’ll call it a senior moment from Xavier. The final confrontation between Xavier and Magneto works really well and feels like a true culmination of all the encounters these two characters have had. It makes logical and emotional sense that Xavier would feel guilt for all of the people Magneto has killed since he has failed to stop Magneto time and time again. Magneto’s final words about underestimating his opponent punctuate the scene perfectly.

As for the loss of adamantium… well, it did happen. While it definitely felt like a stunt to make the crossover feel more epic, Marvel at least stuck to its guns and kept this as the status quo for a number of years. Still, it’s hard to get excited about this issue now, knowing that both Magneto and Wolverine’s adamantium eventually return, and this story has little to no impact on today’s X-Men. You just have to remind yourself that this did open up a number of legitimately good story ideas, and a couple of bad ones, for a character who was already pretty well defined (I’ll get more into my opinions of adamantium vs non-adamantium in the next review). Plus, the fight with Magneto is really good and it’s interesting to see Xavier attacking the villain’s insecurities while the rest of the team combats him with their powers; it’s just unfortunate that once again the Acolytes get pushed to the side so the writers don’t have to deal with them. Overall, this issue feels like a success since it does make long lasting, but not permanent, changes to the status quo and puts a decent cap on the Xavier/Magneto relationship, at least for the time.

B

Uncanny X-Men #304

Uncanny X-Men #304
Writing: Scott Lobdell
Art: John Romita Jr. 

What Went Down: Part 3 of Fatal Attraction: The Acolytes begin the issue by trying to kill their defacto leader Fabian Cortez. The reason for this is that Exodus has come down from Avalon to tell the Acolytes that Magneto is alive and Cortez tried to kill him. Amelia Voght is about to suffocate him, but Exodus spares Cortez’s life and teleports the team away. As he leaves, Exodus mentions that Cortez will be the victim of someone else’s legacy; this seems like a pretty obvious foreshadow of Cortez getting the Legacy Virus, but he never does.

Over at X-Men HQ, it’s the day of Illyana Rasputin’s funeral and Xavier is depressed that he couldn’t saver her. His girlfriend Lilandra beams a holographic message to him saying that she shares his pain and that it wasn’t his fault. Xavier wheels himself to his study and brings up a screen that says “The Magneto Protocols.”

Up on Avalon, Magneto gives a monologue about how he wishes that he could save every human, but now admits that the world is doomed. He flashes back to the death of his first daughter Anya. When humans attacked him and caused him to drop his daughter’s body, Magneto went crazy and killed them all.

Meanwhile Kitty Pryde is scouring the kitchen for something to eat. When Kitty questions the purpose of being a mutant, Storm flies her into the sky to cheer her up. Unfortunately they find Colossus burning all of his paintings as he grieves. Kitty tries to comfort him, but he is still emotionless.

Apparently there is a chapel on Xavier’s property, so Bishop and Banshee are setting up for the funeral there. Bishop doesn’t understand the purpose of a memorial service, and Banshee comments that he must come from a very horrible future indeed. Bishop drops an allusion that Banshee was said to lead the next generation—an obvious foreshadowing of the upcoming series, Generation X.

All of the X-Men, X-Factor, X-Force, and Excalibur attend the funeral, making this the only real part where all of the teams crossover. After the service, Colossus confronts Professor X and blames his dream for failing him and his sister. Before the discussion can continue, Magneto and the Acolytes show up. Using his powers, Magneto is able to prevent every hero from moving as he offers the X-teams salvation on his base Avalon.

Quicksilver brings up the massacre of innocent humans in X-Factor #92. To set an example, Magneto kills the Acolyte Senyaka, even though he claims that he would have sanctioned the attack if he had been available. Magneto then proceeds to bring Avalon down over New York and right above the mansion; Xavier notes that the base contains Shi’ar weaponry that Magneto took while he was headmaster.

The whole time Magneto has been talking, Bishop’s powers have been passively absorbing his magnetic energy. Bishop lets it go, staggering Magneto and destroying the chapel. Cyclops and the other energy-wielding mutants decide to charge up Bishop with as much energy as possible, while Rogue tries to absorb Magneto’s powers. Bishop attacks with all of his stored energy, backed up by the rest of the X-Men. As Magneto takes damage, his base tries to break up, since he is apparently holding it together by his will; Jean struggles to hold it up.

Colossus prevents Bishop from finishing Magneto and offers to join the Acolytes. Magneto accepts, much to the shock of everybody else. Xavier takes control of Magneto and uses his powers to push Avalon back into space. The result leaves him exhausted and hanging onto Magneto in space. Xavier begins to fall, but Archangel eventually catches him.

How It Was: Finally, the X-Teams actually crossover during the crossover. And for the most part, I think Lobdell makes this issue work pretty well. We are treated to some nice character moments from Professor X, Kitty, Colossus, and Bishop that explore each X-Man’s reaction to Illyana’s death. While there is a little bit of flowery narration, it still manages to fit the tone of the issue and doesn’t stand out too much. Unfortunately, with so many characters in one issue, a lot of them feel needlessly forced into the action; most characters have one line or fewer. Plus, with the inclusion of so many characters, it makes the absence of other characters readily apparent; for instance, how come Rachel Summers, Psylocke, and Moira MacTaggert don’t appear at all?

Although the funeral is important to the plot of this issue, the central focus is once again the appearance of Magneto. This is a very controversial take on the villain that tends to split fans. Many see Magneto as acting crazy in this issue by crashing a funeral, bringing his Acolytes with him, and killing one of them in front of everybody. It doesn’t lend much credibility to his followers that they don’t think twice after seeing Senyaka gutted. But I think what Lobdell and Nicieza are trying so hard to convey is Magneto’s frustration with the whole back and forth with the X-Men. For years he’s tried to conquer the world in an attempt to bring safety to mutants, but finally he’s fed up and realizes that he can’t save everyone. At the same time Cortez has betrayed him and he needs to make a statement of strength for all of those who do follow him. Why didn’t he use Cortez instead? Errr… well Cortez is needed for the Avengers/X-Men crossover Bloodties that takes place after Fatal Attractions.

The whole basis of Magneto’s character is that he believes he has to subvert humanity before they subvert mutants—by any means necessary, and this issue marks his realization that he can’t save all mutants (tying in quite well thematically to X-Force’s rejection of him in X-Force #25). As for Colossus’ decision to join Magneto, I think it has been set up very well for the last couple of months. Some people read Peter joining Magneto after seeing Senyaka murdered as stupid, but if you look at the dark place the character is in at this point, he really doesn’t have a lot to live for. He’s looking to lash out at the world, and he really doesn’t care about what happens to himself. So while many will argue with the directions certain characters take in this issue, I think that their actions are perfectly justified on the part of the writers.

On the other hand, I am less than impressed with the fight this issue. The Acolytes are wheeled out to give the impression of a potential battle royale, but then Magneto just shoves them back on Avalon. Even with all of his power, I find it hard to believe that Magneto can single handedly beat all four X-Teams by himself, and the fact that the heroes’ whole strategy relies on supercharging Bishop feels kind of gimmicky, especially when you take into consideration that Magneto is holding Avalon in the air while holding back the X-Men.

I think this issue does a great job with Magneto; people argue that the characterization isn’t true to Magneto, but what Lobdell set out to do was portray a Magneto on the brink, finally willing to begin his war on humanity after so many battles with the X-Men. The back and forth between Xavier and Magneto at the end of the issue shows that these are still the same characters, they are just more committed to their opposing philosophies than ever before. It may be a stretch for some readers, but you have to take into consideration that in the last Magneto story he was basically ready to retire, but he got pulled back into the conflict and it almost cost him his life. That’s enough to make anyone up the stakes. Plus the Magneto flashback sets up the fact that Magneto is both dangerously unstable and that he is tortured by the fact that he cannot control his fate and the fates of those he cares about. The end result is a more dangerous, more unpredictable Magneto, and that has to lead to nothing but good things for readers.

B+

X-Force #25

X-Force #25
Writing: Fabian Nicieza
Art: Greg Capullo

What Went Down: Part 2 of Fatal Attractions: A mysterious shadowed character is looking through files of various X-characters and mentions an interest in X-Force. It’s Magneto, in case you were wondering. At Camp Verde, home base of X-Force, a different shadowy figure holding a large gun is observing the team’s return from a mission. Feral smells an intruder, so Cannonball orders the team to break off into twos and search for him. Each group gets taken down in a non-lethal manner before the intruder is subdued by Cannonball. And surprise, surprise: the mysterious character is Cable, returning to the team for the first time since the X-Cutioner’s Song. In case you were wondering, Cable was off having his own adventures in the future in his solo title.

Most everybody is excited to see that Cable is still alive; Feral informs us that Cable’s scent is different, so she was not able to identify him earlier. On the other hand, Rictor and Sunspot are decidedly not happy to see Cable. That is until he informs them that they are both wrong about Cable being responsible for the deaths of their respective fathers; Stryfe killed Rictor’s father, and Gideon the External killed Sunpot’s dad. Cannonball and Cable share a hug over the burden of leadership.

While half of the team hangs outside, the other half fills Cable in on what has occurred in his absence. One new development is that X-Force has saved their brainwashed friends Rusty and Skids from the Mutant Liberation Front; however, the two mutants must be kept unconscious so that they don’t attack their friends. Cable also reveals his real name, Nathan Dayspring, and part of his history to the group as a sign of faith. Their conversation is interrupted by an intruder alert.

Outside, Exodus emerges and takes out three of the four X-Force members outside. The rest of the team arrives, but they are also defeated. Exodus requests the presence of the New Mutants on the Acolytes’ new spacestation base Avalon. Cannonball agrees as long as all of the New Mutants, plus Rusty and Skids, are allowed to come. While this initially appears to be a betrayal on his part, Cable reveals that Sam planted a tracking device so that the rest of the team could follow.

Up on Avalon, Exodus gives a tour, and it is revealed that part of the station is composed of Cable’s old ship Graymalkin, and from technology gleaned from his computer, the Professor. A mystery man in a purple robe appears. Since Exodus bows before him, it is safe to assume that it is Magneto. Magneto then proceeds to cure Rusty and Skids’ brainwashing, giving them back their freedom.

On the X-Force ship, Cable feels conflicted about Greymalkin being used, since it represents the only item Cable has left from his time. Magneto invites the rest of X-Force to join him, and the rest of the team lands on the station. Cable’s group has a fight with Exodus before teleporting to Sam’s team. Cable wants to blow up Avalon, but Rusty and Skids want to stay because they feel grateful to Magneto. Cannonball convinces Cable that everyone has a right to make their own decisions, just as they did when they left Xavier’s. Cable agrees with him, but then he teleports everybody back to the ship. He runs to the computers and extracts the Professor from them; happily, the Professor’s personality is more or less intact. Before Cable can arm the station’s self-destruct, Magneto finds him and they fight. The fight ends with Magneto disintegrating the parts of Cable’s body that are contaminated with the techno-organic virus. Cable teleports away, and Magneto talks with Exodus about how Cable is the true winner since he won the loyalty of X-Force.

How It Was: A nice step up from the previous issue of the crossover since Magneto actually appears in it. Actually, Nicieza has found a nice balance of series story threads versus crossover story threads with this one. Cable’s return is great to see, and it feels like a natural fit for this crossover issue since Cable’s disappearance occurred at the end of the last crossover. Also Magneto’s return doesn’t overshadow Cable’s reunion as Nicieza gives plenty of space to Cable as he tries to reconnect with his team and reveal some newly discovered facts about his past to X-Force and X-Men readers. Magneto’s plot actually ties in thematically to Cable’s return as this issue focuses on both characters vying for control over X-Force and the subtle similarities and differences between their respective philosophies. Instead of side stepping continuity, Niceza uses this opportunity to remind readers that Magneto used to be in charge of the New Mutants, and this is his first time seeing them since then. Cannonball especially gets some nice scenes where he gets to stand up to both leaders and show his progress as a character and leader. Unfortunately, Rusty and Skids deprogramming does get lost in all the action happening, and their whole purpose for being on Avalon rings a little close to nothing but plot convenience. After all, why would Cannonball bring two mutants brainwashed to kill him as back up in an unknown situation.

So from a character standpoint, this issue hits a home run. As for the action, well…most of it feels a little forced at times. The introduction of Exodus is rather lackluster—he’s just your traditional one-dimensional Acolyte who worships the ground Magneto walks on and can’t be bothered with a personality for himself. He beats up all of X-Force by himself, so he is definitely established as powerful, but his rationale for initially attacking the team seems rather forced. The scenes in the beginning foreshadowing Cable’s return are much better, even if the identity of Cable is rather obvious to just about every reader. As for the climactic battle between Cable and Magneto, it’s nicely drawn, but when somebody attacks Magneto with guns, is there any question about the outcome? Side note: if Magneto dissolves Cable’s limbs that are infected with the techno-organic virus, shouldn’t they be gone for good? I don’t know since I never read the next issue, but Cable does get better in time to appear in Excalibur #75, the final part of this crossover.

On the art front, this is Greg Capullo’s last issue. All told, it’s a pretty good issue to end on as part of a major crossover, and one that sold particularly well. Everything is big and bright as it should be, and as mentioned before, Cable vs. Magneto is pretty awesome looking for the three pages that it lasts. You could probably ignore the X-Factor issue and start reading the crossover from this issue with nothing lost. The reintroduction of Magneto succeeds at bringing back all of the complexity of emotion that the character is known for as well as demonstrates how fierce and unpredictable he can be.

B+

X-Factor #92

X-Factor #92
Writing: Scott Lobdell and J.M. De Matteis
Art: Joe Quesada

What Went Down: Part 1 of Fatal Attractions: This issue opens with a nurse being interviewed by members of X-Factor about the Acolytes’ attack at a hospice that she worked at. Basically the Acolytes slaughtered everybody just for being human. Shortly after completing the interview, the nurse’s heart stops beating; X-Factor leaves as doctors file into the room to save her.

Unbeknownst to X-Factor, the Acolyte Scanner is using her power of astral projection to monitor the team. She reports to Fabian Cortez, who is insistent that he will soon have X-Factor member Quicksilver. He also abuses the girl when she questions the necessity of attacking harmless dying humans.

The rest of X-Factor meets up in a secure location where the Acolyte Spoor has been captured. The team wants to make him pay for the murders he’s committed, but their liaison Val Cooper stops them. Spoor acts defiant until Quicksilver walks in, after which the villain acts like he is in the presence of a god, since Quicksilver is the son of Magneto. Val decides to take Quicksilver and Random with her in case the Acolytes attack Project Wideawake, assuming that Quicksilver will have the same effect on the other Acolytes. The rest of the team decides to follow in a stealth craft powered by Polaris’ magnetic powers.

Along the way to the base, X-Factor glimpses Exodus in the villain’s first appearance; this is little more than a cameo, and we won’t learn his true purpose until the next issue of the crossover. At the military base, armed guards draw weapons on Val and company, but Quicksilver steals all of their guns. Inside, Random and Quicksilver discover that Project Wideawake is the codename for a new Sentinel project. The rest of X-Factor arrives just in time to be angry with Val. Surprisingly, Pietro sides with the humans, saying that the Acolytes justify the humans’ fear and caution.

Before the debate can get very far, the Acolytes do attack, and a fight ensues. Highlights include Multiple Man being forced to kill the Acolyte Mellencamp by creating a double inside of the villain, and Wolfsbane rescuing Senator Kelly. Fabian Cortez tries to convince Quicksilver to join them, but he refuses. Amelia Voght teleports all of the Acolytes away, and it is revealed that Val was being mind controlled by some green gunk in her stomach, explaining why she brought Quicksilver into a trap. Unfortunately for her, X-Factor is still angry that she hid the Sentinels’ existence from them prior to being controlled.

How It Was: This issue marks the beginning of Fatal Attractions, a very odd crossover where the issues involved don’t make up parts of a story; they just share a common story theme or villain. Apparently this was in response to some fans complaining about how much crossovers like the X-Cutioner’s Song set them back money-wise. The idea is that every issue in the series can be enjoyed independently of each other while still telling a fraction of the story of Magneto’s resurrection and attempt at domination. Of course, this meant that some of the issues only loosely connected to the other ones. And since the crossover is made up of six issues priced at $3.50, most fans ended up spending more money for half as many issues as the previous crossover. Oh well, at least the covers are cardstock and each contains a cool hologram on them. Those holograms are really fun to look at.

As for the story, this issue has probably the loosest association to the rest of the crossover. All that happens is that Cortez has the Acolytes attack sick people at a hospice because he is a jerk, and then X-Factor fights the Acolytes because… well the only reason I can think of is so that the other X-teams don’t feel the necessity to fight them later, and they don’t. The dialogue is still quite good despite the absence of series visionary Peter David. The comedic tone and emotional beats of the heroes feel just like David might have written them. Unfortunately, the Acolytes don’t fair as well, when all of their members either act like homicidal maniacs or idiots too stupid to question the tactical advantage of fighting dying hospital patients.

Overall, this issue just doesn’t contribute that much to the overall narrative of the crossover. The only moments to really take away from it are the brief appearance by Exodus, which gets fleshed out in X-Force #25, and the fact that Cortez identifies Quicksilver as the son of Magneto, which comes into play in the Bloodties crossover that takes place right after Fatal Attractions. So we have a bunch of plot elements that get resolved in other books. Like I said it’s missable, but the writing and art make this an enjoyable issue nonetheless.

B-