Wolverine #90

Wolverine #90
Writing: Larry Hama
Art: Adam Kubert

What Went Down: This issue isn’t directly tied into any of the current X-Men storylines, but it does have some major effects on Sabretooth, who is technically still a member of the X-Men at this time. Sabretooth starts out the issue sitting in his cell, watching a TV news broadcast of the police beating a homicidal serial killer. Wolverine is standing outside the cell, so Sabretooth gets angry and lunges at him; the cell’s containment field shocks Creed and keeps him contained. The TV discusses the depraved acts of the killer and mentions that he has a weird obsession with wolverines. Sabretooth taunts Wolverine about how much he wants to kill Sabretooth, but Wolverine doesn’t want to be drawn into a fight, since he promised the rest of the X-Men he wouldn’t.

Next we get a montage of Logan working out, complete with eighties headband; he’s trying to get his mind off of Sabretooth. Later, he watches a news report where Trish Tilby questions whether the police used excessive force in their apprehension of the killer; Wolverine believes she is being naive. Then a police officer comes on the news defending the actions of the officers, followed by a psychologist who mentions that the police’s earlier efforts were so ineffective because the killer had been hurting himself, thus conditioning his body and mind against pain.

Wolverine sleeps in a different bed that night, worried that Sabretooth might get out. He’s about to fall asleep when he realizes that Sabretooth has similarly been conditioning himself against the pain of the field in his cell. Down in his cell, Sabretooth is still watching TV when he decides to make his escape, by running full force into the field; the field shorts out, freeing Sabretooth, but Wolverine is right outside telling him to put on his restraints peacefully.

Predictably, a fight ensues. At first, Wolverine doesn’t use his claws because he is trying to prove to Sabretooth that he is not a savage, bloodthirsty killer. But when Sabretooth threatens the people in his life, including Jean Grey, Heather Hudson, and Jubilee, Wolverine loses it. After beating Sabretooth and pinning him, Wolverine extends two of his claws around the outside of Creed’s head. Sabretooth goads him into popping the third one, saying he’ll kill all the X-Men if Wolverine doesn’t. The issue ends with the sound effect of a claw popping, followed by the world turning into crystal, caused by the crystallization effect over in the Legion Quest storyline.

How it Was: In case you couldn’t tell by the cover, Wolverine and Sabretooth fight in this issue. There is a nice twist to the basic formula; instead of Sabretooth ambushing Wolverine or kidnapping someone in his life as bait, we have Wolverine in a position of power over Sabretooth, acting as an agent for his rehabilitation. There are some nice touches where we see how Wolverine’s new role affects him, like when he changes rooms because he’s worried Sabretooth will escape and kill him in his sleep (even though Sabretooth has the same tracking abilities and enhanced senses as Wolverine, so does it really matter?).

The biggest thing that stands out is the format of the comic; this issue contains numerous foldout pages to either fit more panels on a page for a given sequence or to make a large two page spread even larger. I absolutely hate this because it makes the comic impossible to read unless you’re reading on your bed or behind a very large table; the whole point of comic books as a format is that they are short and easy to read. Ignoring the severe impracticality of the comic, it’s actually kind of impressive on the pages with numerous panels (especially during the main fight), but on the pages with one continuous spread across it seems like a wasted effort. After all, how big do you need a panel of Sabretooth watching TV to be, and why is it so important to not break up the sequence with a page turn?

The narrative loses me with the very monotonous news reports that are meant to draw a very blatant parallel between Wolverine and his own prisoner. To me it comes off as preachy and over-the-top; there’s absolutely no subtlety whatsoever. Yes, there is an interesting social issue brought up over excessive force and police brutality vs. the restraint of police officers effectiveness, but the situation is so far-fetched that the police are completely justified making the argument completely one-sided. Of course, this is the Marvel Universe, so I guess nothing is really far-fetched.

I haven’t even gotten to the fight, which is actually pretty good. However I’m torn over the ethical dilemmas working within the story. I like that Wolverine is hesitant to attack full force because of his promise to the X-Men, but there’s no real reason why he shouldn’t use his claws since Sabretooth does have a healing factor of his own. Ultimately the end is pretty good, and it’s nice that it has some lasting effects on all of the titles, even though these effects are later retconned away. I like that this issue tries something new, although I’m also glad that the giant page gimmick never caught on.

B-

Cable #20

Cable #20
Writing: Jeph Loeb
Art: Ian Churchill

What Went Down: Legion Quest Interlude: This issue is a break in the Legion Quest story that takes place over the course of the end of Part 3 and the entirety of Part 4. We start off with Cyclops trying to wake Cable up after his time travel adventure in Uncanny #321. Cable wakes up and lashes out at Cyclops with his telekinesis. Xavier uses his powers to recap the events of #321 for the rest of the Blue Team, since Cable is confused about what happened. Everyone takes some comfort in the fact that the Gold Team is still alive, but Gambit becomes frustrated with the fact that Cable was their last hope, and nothing appears to have changed. Cable gets in Gambit’s face, causing Rogue and Domino to get in each other’s faces. Cyclops breaks up the arguments with a stern chastising.

Lilandra contacts the X-Men and bemuses their fate. Meanwhile Beast wonders whether he has wasted his life studying when he could’ve been living. Archangel and Beast comfort each other. Rogue tries to calm Gambit down, but he gets mad at her. Cable tries to profess his romantic feelings to Domino, but she mistakes it as an attempt to lighten the mood. Also Jean and Cyclops think about all the people they won’t be able to say goodbye to. Then they cheer up Xavier, who is wondering whether his efforts have been worth it.

Cyclops and Jean Grey decide to tell Cable that they were the people that raised him when he was a child in The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix. Cable surprises them by revealing that he already knew. Then Domino comes over and the two share a private moment and a kiss. The issue ends with Xavier thanking his X-Men and professing how proud he is of them. Then the world is engulfed with crystal and ends.

How It Was: First off, there are a number of details that don’t quite match up with the finale in X-Men #41. Archangel’s costume is the wrong color, and Gambit and Rogue don’t kiss at the end. It’s not that these nitpicks ruin the issue, but paying attention to them would have made this comic feel more like a part of the larger Legion Quest story, and it wouldn’t pull nitpicky readers, such as myself, out of the story.

As for the rest of the story, it is quite enjoyable. Basically, all of the characters have to come to terms with the fact that they are going to cease to exist in about an hour, so this becomes a quiet, contemplative issue. Since most of the X-Men did that already in the finale of the story, the majority of these moments revolve around Cable, since it is his book. Also, Beast didn’t really get a chance to express his thoughts in X-Men, so that gets to happen here.

Overall, it’s nothing to write home about, but it does have some logical emotional high points that would need to be hit before the end of the world. I like that Cyclops and Jean reveal that they raised Cable, and it is nice to see him finally admit his love for Domino. The fights at the beginning of the issue feel like a forced attempt to introduce conflict into the story, but other than that there is a nice tone of sentiment and love that courses through the whole issue. It’s nothing radical or revolutionary, it’s just giving Cable the end he would have deserved given this situation. Sure it’s a little mushy, but given the Age of Apocalypse’s dark, hopeless tone, this is a welcome lead-in to that story.

B

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+

Uncanny X-Men #319

Uncanny X-Men #319
Writing: Scott Lobdell
Art: Steve Epting


What Went Down: In spite of Iceman’s cruel swimming pool prank in X-Men #38, Rogue and Bobby have nevertheless bonded. Rogue has agreed to go along with Bobby to his parents’ house for dinner. We open on the two mutants staring in wonder at the impressive ice castle that Iceman has built on the beach. He then shares a depressing story about his father who disapproved of sandcastle building when Bobby was younger because he saw it as a form of dreaming. Then Bobby flips out about Emma Frost’s use of his body again.

Back at the mansion, Xavier is asleep. In his dream, he is sitting on a sand dune in Israel reflecting on how happy he was when he lived there. Magneto appears in the dream and asks Xavier what he thinks would have happened if Magneto wasn’t there to undermine his goals.

Iceman tries to change the subject by bringing up the fact that Gambit is a jerk for leading Rogue on. She doesn’t agree at first, but later relents in light of all of the evidence. As the two have a moment, Bobby’s rude and racist dad interrupts to complain that they’re late for dinner. Bobby’s mom, on the other hand, is incredibly nice and just ignores and represses everything about her husband.

Out in New York, Psylocke is singing at a fancy restaurant that Archangel owns. Warren congratulates her, and the two take the time to talk about their relationship. In a bit of retconning of a previous story, we learn that Cameron Hodge had taken over Worthington Enterprises, but not his personal family fortune. They also decide that they’re going to try to play their relationship straight, without all the melodrama and clichés of standard superhero relationships.

At the Drake’s, Bobby’s dad is convinced that he and Rogue are dating and brings up Bobby’s previous girlfriend, Opal, in a negative light. This sets Bobby off, and he uses his powers on his father’s newspaper. The two Drakes fight and Mr. Drake complains about his girlfriends being Japanese or mutants. Bobby storms off, and Rogue expresses her surprise that Bobby never mentioned his father was a bigot.

Over in Xavier’s dream, Magneto is showing Xavier a wasteland of bodies that represent the victims of their conflict. Xavier gets angry at Magneto, stating that there is no point in speculating on what might’ve been. The Magneto image reveals himself to be Legion, Xavier’s son from his relationship with Gabrielle Haller.

Back on Long Island, Bobby is making a sandcastle and talking with Rogue. She consoles him about his father, and they both come to the conclusion that dreaming is a beautiful thing.

At the mansion, Beast wakes up the Professor after being alerted by a psionic distress call. Xavier briefs Beast on the fact that Legion has returned, and that David’s multiple personalities have now fused into one single mind. All of this of course is setting up the Legion Quest next month.

How It Was: Another quiet, talky issue, but really this is the only one for a while that deals directly with actual subplots that will continue after Age of the Apocalypse. Also the end directly sets up Legion Quest, so realistically this story occurs after X-Men #39. If you think about it, the last couple of issues have been solely dealing with the Phalanx and the set up for Generation X, while the upcoming storyline deals solely with Legion and the Age of Apocalypse, so this is really the only glimpse of the greater picture of the X-Men for almost the whole year.

First up we have Rogue and Iceman, which actually sets up a series of stories after Legion Quest that involve the two driving around the country and helping each other deal with their issues. It also continues a storyline from Uncanny that involves Bobby’s dad being a huge bigot. It’s by the numbers and predictable, and it really is hard to imagine how Bobby and his mother could both be so oblivious to the fact that Mr. Drake is a racist up until this point. And there is some heavily forced symbolism involving sandcastles and hope/dreams, although it does give guest artist Steve Epting an excuse to draw a really beautiful ice castle. Of course the reader knows that the only place for Drake’s father to go is to redeem himself, or just fade to obscurity, but Lobdell manages to set up a good dynamic between Iceman and Rogue, two characters who on the surface seem completely different, but who both find common ground in this story.

The Psylocke/Archangel stuff is even less exciting. Basically it is the writers’ way of announcing that they are officially a couple. It is nice that Lobdell sets up the fact that they are going to play the relationship straight and try to avoid the melodrama of most comic book couples. Still, it’s two characters flying around and talking about their relationship, nothing really groundbreaking. The Xavier set up for Legion Quest works in the sense that it alerts the heroes to the conflict of the story, but doesn’t really serve any other purpose.

What really saves this issue is Steve Epting’s art, which is gorgeous. Yes Joe Mad is once again missing from his regular art duties, but in this instance I feel like it might have been a deliberate decision since Epting’s art fits a lot better with the low-key, talky tone of this story. Joe Mad’s action-flavored manga infused style wouldn’t have fit this story at all. This is really a gorgeous issue with the already mentioned ice castle, great depictions of the New York skyline at night, and even great panels of Rogue and Iceman sitting on the beach and looking at birds. All-in-all it’s an unexciting issue, but there is some great character definition and some dazzling visuals to behold.

B-