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

X-Men #72

X-Men #72
Writing: Joe Kelly

Art: Carlos Pacheco

What Went Down:  In the attic of the mansion, Storm is shown pruning a plant while Marrow discusses the finer points of darkness and control.  Wolverine explains to her that he wants to help her, but he won’t take any of her crap.  The two decide to battle it out. 

In Jerusalem, Israeli ambassador, and former Xavier love interest, Gabrielle Haller is composing a letter to Senator Kelly to convince him to have Charles released.  Side note: she was also the mother of Xavier’s son Legion.  She is about to go to bed when she is visited by Israeli super mutant Sabra, who is on a quest to find Magneto. 

Back at the mansion, Cannonball debates going down into the basement to try to befriend Marrow.  Storm tells him not to, claiming Marrow is a terrorist and attempted murderer, and she is undeserving of his compassion.  Cannonball gets angry and leaves. On the roof, Beast and Joseph are plugging the hole Cannonball made from issue #70, but Cannonball bursts through again.  Below, Cecilia Reyes is feeling sorry for herself after losing her job in Uncanny #351.  Maggott joins her and tries to make her feel better, but fails. 

In the basement, Wolverine holds the upper hand in the fight.  Marrow explains that her people were made to suffer for being different, but Wolverine explains about the Morlocks’ strength and dignity.  Back in Jerusalem, Sabra explains to Gabrielle Haller that she is looking for Georg Odekirk, a forger who was responsible for creating the identity of Erik Lensherr.  She is trying to discover Magneto’s true identity because…well we never really find out.

Back at the mansion grounds, Joseph observes Maggott and Cecilia.  He thinks back to their first meeting and remembers that Maggott recognized him as Magneto.  In the sky, Cannonball realizes that he has to stand up to Storm for what he thinks is right. 

In Romania, Georg Odekirk is visited by the real Magneto, who chastises him for betraying Magneto through his poor work.  Back at the brawl, Marrow discovers she can control the growth of her bones and makes her fingers grow into claws.  Wolverine takes her down and offers to help her become a hero.  She grasps his hand to get up, but then stabs him in the throat with a bone shard.

In Romania, Magneto kills Odekirk to preserve his secrets.  Sabra and Haller break in the door, but they are too late.  Magneto is gone and the forger is dead.  Meanwhile, Wolverine has gone into a berserker rage and is about to kill Marrow when Cannonball flies in and knocks him out.  Marrow runs away, and Sam chastises Storm for arranging this confrontation between Wolverine and a child.  Cannonball ignores Storm’s protests.  Marrow runs back to the sewers to visit the recuperating Calisto (see Uncanny #346).  Marrow lies about her experiences at the school.

We end on a scene featuring two cops discovering the murdered bum from last issue.  From their description, it looks like an animal tore him apart, and the trail stretches to the grounds of the Xavier Institute.

How It Was:  Ahhh, Joe Kelly’s characterization.  It’s just magical.  The battle between Marrow and Wolverine, both physically and verbally, is just magnificent.  We have Wolverine as the guy who’s seen everything telling Marrow how it is because he’s lived it, and we have Marrow who’s so damaged from being denied basic human rights all her life and so full of anger.  It’s great how Marrow points out the hypocrisy of Wolverine and Storm, and yet it never feels out of character for the heroes since Marrow presents herself as such a wild and unstable individual.  And the end where Kelly reverses your expectations and has Marrow stab Wolverine in the neck is just great.  There is some great humor and drama as this whole scene plays out. 

Cannonball’s scenes aren’t quite as interesting, mostly because he’s whining through most of them, but I like that Kelly is subtlely shifting his function on the team.  When he first joined he was cast as a nervous novice out of his depths, which was completely wrong.  Now he’s being put at odds with Storm, a clashing of the generations, and that’s a lot more satisfying.   The scene where Cannonball calls Storm out on her crap at the end is one of the best scenes he’s had since joining the team, even if the journey to that point is kind of slow and boring.

Like last issue, while the interactions with the characters are solid, the stuff with the villains is just not as enticing.  Again, it’s due mostly to the fact that this thread gets dropped and never seen again.  Instead of Shaw’s weird golden idol, now we’re setting up a Magneto story that goes nowhere.  This is a really odd one though.  There is no real reason for Sabra to be working with Gabrielle Haller, and while it’s an interesting choice to reveal the Erik Lensherr identity as a hoax, there is no reason given for why Sabra wants to find Magneto’s identity so badly.  After #73, this all goes away, so it’s not too important.  As for the other Magneto, it feels pretty off that Joseph would wait to gain life-altering news because he’s afraid of bothering Maggott.  Also, the fact that Magneto’s real name isn’t Erik is forgotten for a while, but then oddly brought back by Greg Pak in the awesome Magneto Testament.

Carlos Pacheco draws a pretty awesome fight, and unlike comics today, he had to work within the Comics Code, so he couldn’t  just float by on gratuitous violence.  The expressions really make the fight; Wolverine remains calm until the end while Marrow’s variety of expression tell the story of her own personal battle as she fights Wolverine.  Even with the dead end Magneto plotline, this is still really great reading.

A

X-Men #41

X-Men #41
Writing: Fabian Nicieza
Art: Andy Kubert and Ron Garney

What Went Down: Legion Quest Part 4: The book starts out in the middle of a huge battle between Magneto and Legion. The X-Men have just arrived and are wondering how to proceed. Down on the ground, Xavier fills Gabrielle in on the plot of the story and stresses the gravity of this situation. The X-Men contact Charles and ask for his help; Xavier recognizes Storm as the little girl he met in Cairo.

In the present, the universe is being engulfed by a crystal wave that is somehow related to the M’kraan Crystal. Charles and a hologram of Lilandra talk about the situation; Lilandra comforts Xavier and insists that he is not a failure. Gambit and Rogue comfort each other while Archangel flies around and contemplates his relationship with Psylocke. Warren flies to Scott and Jean, and the group waits for the world to end.

In the past, the battle between Magneto and Legion causes Apocalypse to awaken early, as opposed to waiting for his original first appearance in X-Factor. In the air, Legion and Magneto debate whether it is right to condemn someone for something that has not yet occurred. Legion knocks Magneto down, and the X-Men engage him. Iceman freezes every molecule in David’s body, but he is still able to survive. Unleashing a psychic wave, Legion knocks out all of the X-Men.

Then, the moment of truth: as Legion is about to kill Magneto, Xavier jumps in front of Legion’s psychic knife, sacrificing his own life. This of course causes a time paradox, so the X-Men and Legion all disappear. Because he is actually a time anomaly, Bishop doesn’t disappear, but the event does mess with his memories. Magnus cries over his fallen friend.

In the present, we see a number of scenes frozen by the crystal wave. Magneto and Exodus’ court on Avalon is shown and then disappears. Seeing the wave coming, Rogue decides to kiss Gambit since she figures that they are all going to die anyways. Other scenes frozen in crystal include Wolverine stabbing Sabretooth in the head, X-Force looking over Caliban, a ship crashing, Strong Guy of X-Factor having a heart attack, and the Generation X team standing around. Also there is a scene of X-Treme and Eric the Red fighting, but I have no idea what issue that comes from. The issue ends with the X-Men being turned into crystal and Xavier shattering, symbolizing his own death and the death of his dream.

How It Was: Every single page of this issue rocks. The writing is strong, the art is fairly seamless for having two artists on board, and there are a number of great character moments. First off, the fight with Legion and Magneto is a big improvement over the fight in Part 1. Legion demonstrates a number of different powers, making the fight more visually engaging. Plus, if not for the advertisements stating Xavier dies at the end that appear in this issue, there would actually be some tension over who was going to win. My favorite part of the debate is the subversion of Magneto’s core principles. Since Legion is attacking Magneto for something he has yet to do, Magneto questions David’s sense of justice, but we all know that in the future it will be Magneto trying to eliminate humanity for something that they have yet to do. It’s a great use of the traditional nature vs. nurture debate, and it fits perfectly into the themes of this story and the next. Absolute brilliance!

This issue has a bunch of little moments that add great touches of detail to the story. From Xavier recognizing Storm in the past to Apocalypse’s early rise, it is fantastic to see these bits of continuity not forgotten. It’s also great to see some other characters get the spotlight, such as when Iceman uses lethal force against Legion or when Rogue finally kisses Gambit.

And of course there is the final scene: the death of Xavier portrayed absolutely perfectly. From Legion’s horror at the act he’s committed to the tears running down Magneto’s face, it still manages to convey some emotion, despite being completely spoiled. And although it is a little random and contrived, the crystallization effect at the end serves as a perfect visual symbol for how fragile the ides of hope and peace are. My only complaint is that the moment could have carried even more weight if we all didn’t know it was coming, but in an industry where comic orders have to be made months in advance, I guess it can be excused. Still, this is a really great issue that is the perfect example of how to do a character death.

A

Uncanny X-Men #321

Uncanny X-Men #321
Writing: Scott Lobdell and Mark Waid
Art: Ron Garney

What Went Down: Legion Quest Part 3: In this issue, as indicated by the cover, Cable touches Bishop! We begin with a flashback of Magneto and Professor X talking in a bar; this flashback takes place before all of the flashbacks in previous issues of Legion Quest. The two friends are debating their respective philosophies, in a more friendly than usual manner, over drinks. In another corner of the bar, a big fat guy pours a drink on a blind, crippled beggar. Xavier decides to stand up for the beggar, and a huge bar fight ensues with Charles and Magnus fighting everyone in the bar. After beating up everyone, the two friends walk out together.

This flashback turns out to be a story that Xavier is relating to Cable during the construction of a very large alien machine. The machine’s purpose is to use Jean Grey and Xavier’s powers to somehow allow Cable’s astral form to travel back in time to tell the time-lost Gold Team what they need to do. The heroes are strapped in and the machine is activated.

Twenty years prior in Haifa, Israel, Iceman and Bishop are working as dockworkers. During their lunch break, they meet up with Storm and Psylocke to discuss their plight. We learn that Betsy has been using her powers to try to figure out who they are for three weeks now.

In another part of the city, Xavier and Magnus are discussing Charles’ relationship with Gabrielle Haller; for some reason, the flaming David Haller at the end of last issue has been completely forgotten about. Magnus encourages Charles to go for it with Gaby, and they go off to the hospital together.

Outside in a garden, Gaby is visited by Legion, her future son. Legion uses his powers to take the appearance of Charles. He grabs her and begins kissing her; it is strongly implied that they have sex together. Yep, David Haller sleeps with his mother in the past (Allegedly). Xavier senses that Gabrielle is in danger and hurries to her.

At the dock, Cable appears before Bishop; Bishop recognizes him, but before they can talk, the other X-Men attack Cable. Cable is able to touch Bishop, which somehow causes energy to flow through all the X-Men, letting them remember everything. Magneto and Charles find Gabrielle on the ground unconscious. It turns out that Legion has also regained his memory, and he now wants to kill the future Magneto.

How It Was: Well, if you read my review of last issue, you probably know what I’m going to say about this issue; the Xavier/Magneto content rocks and everything else doesn’t so much. Particularly of interest is the initial flashback at the beginning of the issue that shows off an interesting twist on the dynamic of the two friends’ relationship. While Magneto is usually thought of as the one must ready to use violence against humans to protect the weak, it is Xavier who jumps to the defense of the beggar and Magneto who tries to get the bullies to walk away by talking to them. This actually makes sense in the fact that the X-Men are as much about fighting, although with non-lethal violence, to achieve their goals; this scene is a perfect example of how both men’s methods are really more similar than different, and how their conflict is really defined more by their philosophies about human nature.

The other flashbacks with Xavier and Magneto are also good; I like how both characters are conflicted over Charles’ relationship with Gabrielle Haller, but for different reasons. The only problem is that neither one of them seems to acknowledge the fact that their John Doe patient burst into flames in the last issue, revealing himself to be a mutant. Since this was how the last issue left off, you’d think it would be more important then discussing the ethics of dating a patient. I don’t know, I guess there was a breakdown in communication somewhere between the two writers.

Once again the Blue Team doesn’t have a whole heck of a lot to do. Beast helps the Shi’ar build a big honking device to send Cable back in time, and that’s about it. As contrived as the Gold Team’s amnesia in the past is, I find it even more contrived that the cure for the amnesia is Cable’s touching Bishop. There are a number of other plot holes: how does the Blue Team figure out where and when the Gold Team is? How does Legion get his memory back? And why oh why does Legion have sex with his mother? The plot line is supposed to be that all of Legion’s personalities have merged, making him sane for the first time, but these aren't the actions of a sane individual. More importantly, this scene really doesn’t serve any purpose in the story other than to freak readers out. Also, how did Legion’s hair grow back since last issue?

Ron Garney is pitch hitting for Joe Mad this issue, and he does a pretty good job. I really like the fight scene at the beginning and the art sells me on the fact that Magneto and Xavier could beat up a bar full of bigots. If I had one complaint, I guess I would say that his Beast looks a little short and odd-shaped, but other than that, it is quite good.  Besides the fight at the beginning, this is probably the weakest of the issues in this story. I feel like they could have done the whole series in three issues if the first and last issues were kept the same, and the second issue was nothing but flashbacks of Magneto and Xavier setting up the arrival of Legion and the X-Men at the end. The stuff with the time lost Gold Team and the Blue Team sitting around really has no point.

C

X-Men #40

X-Men #40
Writing: Fabian Nicieza
Art: Andy Kubert

What Went Down: Legion Quest Part 2: This issue starts with an excellent misdirect that involves Xavier sitting in a wheelchair, but revealing that the scene is actually a flashback due to the fact that he can still walk. Xavier and Magneto, going by Magnus, are working together in a hospital in Israel; this is early in their relationship, so neither has revealed his powers to the other. Magneto is working as an orderly; after his conversation with Charles, he goes off to visit one of his newest patients, an amnesiac who happens to be Legion—the main villain of this storyline.

Back in the present, Archangel and Rogue are flying around looking for any sign of the Gold Team; Archangel is very upset because Psylocke was with the group, and he has just started a relationship with her. With Professor X’s help, Archangel is able to find Jean half-buried in the sand. After she regains consciousness, Jean tells the Blue Team what occurred, and tells them that she has no idea what happened to them.

Back in the past, Psylocke, Iceman, Bishop, and Storm are drinking coffee at an Israeli café. We learn that these X-Men have all come down with a case of plot-convenient amnesia; they remember their names and powers, but not who they are or what they need to do.

In an interlude, we find that Sabretooth has been left alone in his cell in the mansion; I wonder how he was being fed. Anyways, he is trying to escape, but he gets shocked by the wires he’s messing with. We also find out that Wolverine has stopped by to keep an eye on the villain.

Back at the hospital in the past, Magneto contemplates the relationship Charles has with his patient Gabrielle Haller. He chalks it up to jealousy over the loss of his own love Magda. While being assisted out of bed, one of Legion’s latent powers activates and allows him to read Magneto’s mind. David sees visions of the Holocaust as well as the death of Magneto’s daughter. Magneto flips out and runs away.

In downtown Israel, Psylocke passes Xavier and recognizes him psychically. Magnus runs up to Xavier and asks for his help with his patient. When both men return to the hospital, they find their patient on fire and having a psychic seizure.

In the here-and-now, the X-Men have contacted Cable and Domino to assist them in finding the time lost Gold Team. The Israeli army is not happy to see Cable because he is wanted in a number of countries, but Cable tries to explain that his clone Stryfe is responsible for all of the crimes. The debate is interrupted by a hologram of Lilandra warning the X-Men about the danger to reality. When asked how Lilandra knows about all of this, we see that she has been visited by not one, but numerous Watchers.

How It Was: This issue breaks the story into three separate threads: the interesting Xavier/Magneto flashbacks, the boring amnesiac Gold Team flashbacks, and the Blue Team standing around in the present with nothing to do. Even though he’s catatonic in regular continuity, it’s really awesome to have Magneto’s presence in the book again, especially with this take on him. His friendship with Charles is really the central theme behind both this story and the next one, and it is portrayed elegantly. This is a treat to see Magneto and Xavier both so optimistic and I also like seeing Magneto on the edge of deciding what kind of person he wants to become.

However, as good as the stuff with Xavier and Magneto is, I really dislike the Gold Team having amnesia. First of all, it slows down the story for two issues and serves as an unnecessary obstacle. Plus, we saw last issue that there were no side effects to time travel when Storm did it with Legion. Sure there is some muttering in the present about how their minds were probably taxed by the effort, but it feels like it only exists so the Blue Team and Cable have something to work on in this story.

As for the Blue Team, well they aren’t going to have a lot to do for the rest of this story. This sounds kind of boring, but really it works as an excuse to have the characters contemplate their own mortality and reflect on the choices they’ve made in their lives. Most of that comes later though; in this issue the goal is really to find Jean and then get Cable into the mix. I feel like the ending with all of the Watchers is kind of neat, although I can understand how a number of fans could see it as contrived; the Watcher is usually stuffed into big storylines to add an extra sense of gravity, but in a story where the world literally ends, I think that it’s appropriate.

The art is really good, again. Andy Kubert has definitely come into his own as an artist on this series. Unfortunately he doesn’t have a lot to draw except for a number of characters standing around and talking. The payoff of Legion’s powers activating is very cool, with Legion rolling around on fire and the flames portraying images of the present in them, but this sequence is seemingly forgotten next issue with no real explanation. Overall a much slower issue than the last one, but it’s great to be reminded of the foundational relationship between Magneto and Professor X that has driven the book for so many years.

B-

Uncanny X-Men #320

Uncanny X-Men #320
Writing: Scott Lobdell and Mark Waid
Art: Roger Cruz

What Went Down: Legion Quest Part 1: Storm opens the issue in the middle of a desert in Israel with wind and lightning whipping all around her. She and the Gold Team (minus Archangel, but plus Psylocke) are confronting Legion, aka David Haller aka Professor X’s son. Legion has found a way to integrate all of his multiple personalities, each with a separate power, making himself very powerful. The story then flashes back to the X-Men’s initial arrival in Israel where Gabrielle Haller meets them at the airport; Gabrielle is Legion’s mother, and Professor Xavier’s former lover.

Gabrielle fills the X-Men in on the situation. Legion has secluded himself behind a black energy dome in the middle of the desert; the threat of Legion is so great that it is has inspired Israelis and Palestinians to join forces to combat this threat.

Inside Israel’s fancy technological command center, Gabrielle debates with some of the officials about nuking the dome. One of the technicians accuses the X-Men of somehow being to blame for this incident on the sheer fact that they are also mutants.

Back in the present, Storm and Legion are locked in battle. Demonstrating his newfound powers, Legion takes Storm and travels back in time to the day her parents were killed. Right as Storm is about to save them, Legion sends them back to the present. The X-Men attack him again, but Legion again brushes them off; during the fight, Bishop is able to absorb some of his energy.

Then the story jumps back to the X-Men’s arrival for a couple of panels. Legion then creates a portal to travel back in time. Somehow Storm figures out that by having Psylocke stab Bishop with her psychic knife, the energy Bishop absorbed will somehow allow the team to follow Legion through time. Jean is able to use her powers to keep from being sucked in, but the rest of the team is lost.

All the way over in the Shi’ar Empire, Empress Lilandra is awoken by the head of her Imperial Guard, Gladiator, slamming through her chamber wall. The assailant turns out to be Jahf, an obscure character who I believe last appeared during the original Phoenix Saga in the seventies. He has traveled to warn Lilandra about the end of existence, which has something to do with the M’Kraan Crystal—the nexus of all realities—that he guards.

How It Was: It’s big event time. Legion Quest is a four part crossover that leads into an even bigger event, the Age of Apocalypse, which lasts for another four months and changes the titles of every X-Book. This is a fun little storyline because from a certain perspective, it’s basically the last X-Men story before the world of the Marvel Universe ends.

My biggest complaint about this issue is that the advertisements in the book ruin the end of the story: Legion tries to kill Magneto in the past, but ends up killing Xavier instead, thus altering the timestream as we know it. I can understand the reasoning behind this move from an editorial standpoint; with the events of this story kicking off the Age of Apocalypse, and the renaming of all of the X-Books, Marvel was probably worried about confusing fans who might not buy the new books during the crossover. Remember, this was before the Internet, so the only way you as a reader knew what was happening was by either reading Wizard Magazine or paying attention to the advertisements in various Marvel comics. At the same time these ads really ruin the tension of the entire story, and the emotional payoff at the end is extremely lessened by the knowledge of the story’s inevitable conclusion. I honestly feel like the advertising in this issue compromises the artistic integrity of the story, but then again, I just ruined it for all of you who haven’t read it, so what do I know?

As for the rest of the story, it’s mostly a lot of exposition and explanation. Gabrielle Haller is brought in to explain how Xavier has a son, since this son hasn’t been seen in almost a decade, and also because she will prove important in later flashback sequences. Legion’s history and powers are kind of explained, although without the gimmick of his split personalities he’s really a generic, all-powerful cosmic bad guy type. And Lilandra and the M’kraan Crystal are introduced into the story for arbitrary reasons; namely, they serve to set up one of the maguffins needed for the Age of Apocalypse storyline down the road.

The sequence that really stands out is when Legion and Storm travel back to the past so he can mess with her. Not only does it demonstrate the villain’s powers, it also sets up the premise for the story, while also showing an interesting side of Storm. It’s very interesting to see the normally peaceful and stoic Storm lose her cool and risk altering the space-time continuum for her own personal feelings. It’s a great human moment for her, although it does set up some contradictions for the next issue.

The art by Roger Cruz is gorgeous; lots of energy crackling and dust being kicked up, which makes sense since it is in a desert. The characters are very expressive, and you can see the fear in the team’s eyes as they fight a hopeless battle. Legion himself really just stands around and throws energy at people, but this works in the first chapters since it sets up the obstacle for the team to overcome. Plus I really like the symbolism in the panels with the portal right behind Legion’s head, making it appear as if it were a halo.

This is a pretty good setup issue for the story. The entire crossover itself kind of drags in the middle, but there is still something to recommend in every issue. As for this one, it does a good job defining the conflict and the threat, but I do wish that Marvel hadn’t made the decision to reveal the end of the story before it even came out.

B+