Uncanny X-Men #526 - Marvel

In this issue the X-Men begin watching 'the Five Lights'. They're the new gen-actives that Cerebro picked up shortly after Hope arrived. Well . . I guess I should say, shortly after the X-Men defeated Bastion and they could finally return to Utopia and call it home. Anyways, the problem they're having is . . nothing is really happening. Sure there's some physical things that are happening to them . . hair falling out, different sensations throughout the body, and general confusion over what is happening to them. But overall, the X-Men don't really want to get involved, other that making sure they're safe and waiting to see what happens. They are confused though because most of these people are in their late teens. Most of the X-Men's powers activated shortly after adolescence. So Scott feels that the mutant race is still . . mutating. Anyways, while they're keeping an eye on the kids around the world, Hope has gone to Alaska in search of her parents . . her biological parents. There's no clue as to her father, but she finds her mother, and that she died in the fire at the hospital. The X-Men help her find extended family . . a grandmother. And they arrange a meeting between them at her mother's grave. They end up talking and she finds out who her mother really was . . a person who wanted to help people, a fire-fighter, and overall a pretty good person to be around. Hope returns from Alaska in a much better mood, and feeling a lot better about Scott. On their way back, Bobby calls from Vancouver. The girl they're watching is starting to lose it. She's on top of a building getting ready to jump off because she's confused about what's happening to her. So Hope and her entourage go over to offer back-up. Here's what happens. The girl freaks out and decides to jump off the roof. Hope, probably from her recent enthusiasm, decides to jump after her. When they connect, Hope's arms start to glow. It appears that this activates the girl's powers. She begins to fly. When they land back on the roof, she has a completely different attitude. "It was . . it feel good. Because I feel . . I feel . . I feel brand new. From the inside out. I feel brand new. My life is a disaster . . as of this exact second. Okay? A total disaster. I have, like, six finals and . . and I swear to god I'll follow you wherever you go. Whenever you go there. I'm Laurie. Thank you for saving me.' Hope turns to Rogue and says, 'Who's next?' Overall I thought it was a pretty cool story by Matt Fraction and Whilce Portacio. Hope definitely got to feel some 'highs' on this day. Oh yeah, also Dr Rao, Piotr and Madison Jeffries are trying to figure out how to cure Kitty. They think that she stayed in her altered state for so long . . she simply forgot how to turn back. So now it's just a waiting game. In the backup story, by Allan Heinberg and Olivier Coipel we see the X-Men rebuilding Utopia. Magneto wants to help, but Nemesis suggests against it. And then he tells him about the Young Avengers. Specifically, Wiccan and Speed. They think that they may be his grand-kids. Their names are William and Thomas, just like Wanda's boys. But the problem is, Wanda's boys were made up magically. While the resemblance is uncanny, nobody else believes that it's really them. Magneto decides to help in the rebuilding effort . . to try to get his mind off of things. But in the process, he finds a picture of Wanda's boys. No matter what anybody else says, I don't think he's going to give up on this. This story is continues in Avengers: the Children's Crusade #1, but . . I won't be buying that one. I've got enough books in my pile. I'm sure we'll hear about what happens back here in the X-Men books. Anyways, overall I thought it was a really good book. I enjoyed it. Terry Dodson does the cover.

Uncanny X-Men: the Heroic Age #1 - Marvel

Like some of the previous X-Men mini-series . . this issue gives us the story of 3 different X-Men. Specifically . . Cyclops, Beast and Hope. But rather than have 3 separate stories . . they have these 3 intertwined throughout the book. All stories are written by Matt Fraction, but . . the Cyclops story is drawn by Whilce Portacio. First of all I want to say . . Whilce's artwork looks fantastic on this story. Probably the best I've seen from him in quite a while. Anyways, the story starts out with he and Beast fighting over the semantics of what Scott has done to win this current struggle. Afterwards, he heads off to the Savage Land to blow off a little steam. Surprisingly, Steve Rogers finds him there. Steve wants Scott to take the positive press . . the images of the X-Men saving San Francisco, and use them as a launching pad to put the X-Men back in the spotlight . . the positive spotlight. Although Scott is a little reluctant, Steve is nothing if not persuasive. And he starts out with a very public viewing of the President giving Scott the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In Beast's story, drawn by Steve Sanders, while waiting for his new girlfriend, he comes across a rather inquisitive young mutant . . Molly Hayes . . Bruiser, or Princess Power. The interaction between these two is fantastic. And I think they've both given each other something to think about. Finally, in Hope's story . . drawn by Jamie McKelvie, Hope goes to Manhattan to undergo some testing by Mr Fantastic. At Scott's request, Reed is running a full diagnostic on Hope to make sure that she's prepared for her life in the 21st century. The best part of this story though is her interaction with Franklin. Franklin relates to her. Like her, he is someone that everybody is always looking at and expecting great things from. It's a little disconcerting, and daunting. And in Hope I think he sees someone he can relate to on a level playing field. Well . . there is the age difference, but . . I think he's thinking as far as expectations and potential. Anyways, their little encounter prods Hope to think about her parents . . her actual parents. She was afterall born in a hospital in Cooperstown Alaska. There should have been a birth-mother, and father, somewhere in the vicinity. So . . she's decided she's going to go looking for them. Overall I thought it was a good issue. I think it's main purpose was to show that the X-Men are indeed trying to move forward in a positive direction. They've had to do some things in their recent struggle that they wouldn't normally do, but . . everybody is allowed a new start. Right? So they've decided that they're going to put all of that behind them and move forward in a more positive, 'heroic' direction. All I can say is . . good luck with that. Unfortunately bad things always seem to have a way of finding the X-Men. And most of the situations they find themselves in . . aren't always black & white. I hope the best for them, but . . it's going to be a serious struggle.They're setting out to change the opinion of . . well, the entire world. They've definitely got their work cut out for them.

Uncanny X-Men #525 - Marvel

Things are heating up on a lot of different fronts here. First of all, last issue, Scott sent X-Force and Nathan into the future. Their mission is to stop these Sentinels from returning to the past. The problem is . . Nate's only got one more time jump left in him. So he's probably not going to be able to return to the past . . or any of his teammates, for that matter. But . . they are in the future. And, obviously . . time travel devices do exist. Hence the returning Sentinels that are wreaking havoc on the X-Men's present. So, I'm thinking they're probably going to be able to figure their way out of this. But, in the meantime, Hope is seriously pissed at Scott for sending her 'father' on this suicide mission. What Hope doesn't understand though, is that Nate knew. He knew he only had one jump left. So it was actually his decision to accept the mission. Anyways, outside of the dome, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers have joined the X-Club in their endeavor to penetrate this sphere. Meanwhile, the X-Men are fighting for their lives. They seem to be sending these Sentinels in 5 at a time. But even just one is hard to bring down. And Namor is fighting just as hard as the X-Men. In the future, X-Force has entered a time when all mutants have been massacred. So their plan is . . 'We kill our way from here to there. We kill our way inside. And we don't come out until the future is razed and the past is saved. No matter what.' And finally Scott is trying to get things in order. He's asked Charles to watch, and work with David Haller. It is his son after all. He's also asked the same of Rogue with Hope. Hope trusts her. And since she's not talking to Scott . . he wants someone with her that he can trust. There are many pieces to this puzzle presented here. But we still don't have any clearer picture of what the future holds. There's only 4 more chapters left in this story-line . . about 6 or 7 more books. So hopefully things should start looking up for the X-Men here . . pretty soon. As always Matt Fraction did a tremendous job with the story. I think he's got a great handle on these character . . and this title. And Terry Dodson turns in another terrific pencilling job. I'm really enjoying this book. It finally feels like things are coming to a head.

Uncanny X-Men #524 - Marvel

This issue is spent mostly with the X-Men trying to come to grips with the loss of Kurt. Bastion fatally wounded him last issue as Kurt grabbed Hope and made one last leap for Utopia. My only question is . . I assume that every part of Bastion contains his techno-organic virus. Right? Even his arm. So, if that's what Bastion left him with, doesn't it make sense that he could manipulate the virus to bring Kurt back to life and control him? But the part of the story I liked was the way that Hope is dealing with everybody else's expectations of her. At one point one of the X-Men even ask her to bring him back. As if she could just resurrect him. I know she's supposed to be the X-Men's savior, but . . we don't' know exactly, yet, how she's supposed to do that. Maybe it's not with powers. Maybe she saves the X-Men by sacrificing herself. The point is . . we don't know yet. And neither do the X-Men. But Logan tells her in no uncertain terms . . 'You better be worth this. I swear to god!' Anyways, now that Bastion has crippled the X-Men with communications, now he's going after their transportation. He's starting out with the teleporters, and then he's moving on to hardware such as planes and boats. All so he can kill them in one swift stroke . . now that he's got them corralled onto a small island. Also Donald Pierce has fooled Damage into thinking that he's still under restraints. While he's actually running about the island mucking with the X-Men. Scott has put the X-Club onto the mystery of Bastion's towers. And he's got Sam putting together a team to head into Limbo to get Illyana back. Meanwhile, Magneto and Kitty are back. And the X-Men hold a funeral for Kurt. All in all, Matt Fraction made this a pretty full issue. Yes everything is revolving around Hope right now, but . . he still has the time to perpetuate the rest of the plot-threads floating around out there. This issue was both entertaining and informational. And Terry Dodson, as usual, did a terrific job with the art.

Uncanny X-Men #523 - Marvel

I don't usually put the pictures of the Marvel variants in here. Mostly because . . well, there's just so many of them. However, with David Finch doing the variant cover here . . I just couldn't resist. It's beautiful . . isn't it? Anyways, since we haven't a clue as to what Hope's powers are going to be . . or even if or when they're going to manifest themselves, I'm starting to think that Hope's biggest influence on the X-Men is going to be her potential . . her 'hope' for change . . for a better world. We already see her influencing the teams indirectly. But right now . . that's not all a positive influence. First of all, I have to say that it can't be coincidental how much Hope looks like Jean. I have a feeling that it's going to set Scott and Emma both back when they finally see her. But what's happened so far is that her, and Cable's return have brought to light Scott's decision to sanction a 'wet' team of X-Men. Right now Scott's 'Alpha' team consists of some of the most powerful, and dangerous of the X-Men. That includes some of the members of X-Force . . and some who are not. However when they see Logan and Laura in action . . especially Kurt, they're definitely put back by what the X-Men have been turned in to. But right now Scott's using thier battle training to hold things together. 'If you've got an issue with my leadership, do not bring it up when you're in the field. Get the girl and get her here now. You can tear my head off once you're all home safe and sound.' Meanwhile, on the other side of the fence Bastion is also rallying his forces. He's already sent the Purifiers and the Sapien League after our duo in Westchester. Now, as they stop for a little respite along I-80, he's sent the Reverend and his Purifiers out to 'crush them'. But he's got other things in the works also. He's holding Hodge and his people as a back-up, should Stryker fail. And he's also got them building some towers of some sort for him. But the part that really gets me is the way that Scott is running the X-Men like a guerrilla outfit. Obviously all of the teams are aware of each other, but . . they aren't aware of what each other is doing. I think only Scott and Emma have the complete picture. When they discover that Stryker is going after Cable and Hope at the hotel they're resting at, Scott sends in the Alpha team as a ground assault. However, he also has the New Mutants cloaked in a blackbird over Hodge's facility where he manufactures anti-mutant personnel weaponry. That may be where they're constructing the towers also. Anyways, as the Alpha team is attacking Stryker, so to are the New Mutants going after Hodge. And who knows what else Scott has going on out there. I know we've had different 'war' scenario's before, but . . this one seems more like one than any other. And Scott has assumed the role of General. Unfortunately, the General usually gets all the praise . . or all the blame. I think Matt Fraction is doing a terrific job with this story. And I enjoyed Terry Dodson's art, although it did seem a little more rushed than usual. Anyways, it was a great issue and I can't wait to see what happens next in New Mutants #12. By the way . . I'm only buying variants of these issues if I can find them on E-bay. Cheap!!

Uncanny X-Men #522 - Marvel

Well . . we all saw this one coming, but . . it didn't turn out exactly the way we thought it would. Magneto's exodus to the mountain top was actually to get him a little closer to the atmosphere so that he could reach out and grab the spaceship in which Kitty Pryde is trapped. However, since she's keeping it intangible, I guess he couldn't really grab onto anything in it, so . . he's using the inherent metals in the human body to drag her back home. At least that's my understanding. Which really raises a whole lot of questions as to the viability of this plan, but . . it's a comic book. The science and reality of these situations are always stretched a bit. Right? I've enjoyed Matt Fractions stint on this book. I think he's introduced some fantastic ideas, and taken us in directions that other writers may not have thought of. However, the actions that occurred here may be pushing even the believability of a comic book to it's limit. I actually think he did his best to explain all of this. Scott's X-Club plays a pretty big role in these events . . second to Magneto, of course. But, believable or not . . it's the X-Men, and . . Kitty's back . . so we'll let it slide. Anyways, the problem that occurs here is that Magneto has put such a strain on himself, trying to accomplish this, that he may be seriously hurt. Secondly . . Kitty has remained intangible for so long . . she seems to be having trouble reverting back to solid form. So . . even though it's technically a 'win', it really just seems like two more problems that Scott has to deal with. It's not like his plate isn't already full. And then, next week . . Hope returns. This issue was beautifully drawn by Whilce Portacio. There's a back-up story, also by Matt, with art by Phil Jimenez. First of all, I'm a huge fan of Phil's so I was thrilled to see it. But I didn't really know how it was related to the X-Men . . at first. It's a view of a planet, and it's people, as it's in it's final clutches of existence. There's a meteor heading towards their planet and there's nothing they can do to stop it. But they do know the exact time and date of it's collision. They've known for 5 years. So for 5 years they've lived knowing that their world is doomed. However, on the day of impact . . as the meteor approaches . . they watch as it passes right through their planet. It's actually the bullet that Kitty is holding intangible. They don't know why it's happened, but . . thier world has been spared. I thought it was a great tale. And a terrific point of view from the peripheral vision on the X-Men's actions. By far this was the best back-up story that I've read in any comic book in months. After the mixed emotions in the X-Men tale, I thought it was a story from a different perspective. Matt and Phil . . thanks for that!

Uncanny X-Men #521 - Marvel

Magneto has gone to the top of Mt Tamalpais in San Francisco. He appears to be meditating, and . . reaching out. But we don't know, yet, what for. However, Scott and Emma go up to see what's going on. However, they find him in pretty much a catatonic state. He's focusing so much energy on his task that he's essentially shut off everything else. His body has kind of gone into auto-defense mode. Emma can't even get a psychic reading off of him. Anyways, while this is going on, Wolverine and company have gone to New York City to confront the group that sent the Predators out to Utopia after them. But it's a pretty one sided fight. As we learned, the Predators were actually a delivery system for a swarm of nano-bots. Basically they were there to gather information. They recorded everything about the X-Men . . thier genomes, how their powers work, and how they fight. So they can counter their every attack. That is until Fantomex shows up. He's the X-factor here. Without their computer feeds on their attacker . . they don't know how to fight him. So he makes pretty short work of them. And then . . then EVA, his pet alien/tech takes out their computer systems. Leaving them completely blank. It isn't long before the X-Men mop them up. They do learn a few things though. First of all this has all been put together by John Sublime. He's the sentient bacterium that's assimilated himself into this John Sublime identity because he's looking for a way to exterminate mutants . . the only real threat to his plans for world domination. It always comes down to that . . doesn't it? Secondly . . in an act of desperation, the guy leading this group lets out a deadly plague . . 'HX-N1, the mutant plague. Mutagenic biological warfare, tailor-made to affect at least 134 known mutants with a power-dampening influenza super-strain.' Fantomex uses EVA to protect the X-Men. And when the group finds out that the bacteria won't affect Fantomex, they take their leave. Luckily, EVA retains an active sample so they can take it back to Utopia and have the X-Club hack in to it. Also while this is going on, the X-Club has sent a couple scientists down to help the Atlanteans build that pillar that will be holding up the island. I'm not sure why this is important, but there appears to be a confrontation with Namor coming up. Anyways, back to Magneto. After figuring out the trajectories of his powers, the X-Club have come to the conclusion that Magneto is attempting to grab on to the rocket that Kitty Pryde is trapped in. Apparently he senses that there's something missing in the X-Men, and Kitty will help fill that void. The problem is . . remember . . that rocket that Kitty is trapped in is actually a planet-killing starship. So if Magneto brings it back, he's also putting the rest of the world in danger. I thought this was a great issue. Matt Fraction is doing a fantastic job here. I dare say I'd put his talent right up there with Grant, Warren and Joss. Yes I think he's that good. And if he's not right now . . he's well on his way to being there. Once again Greg Land does the art this issue, and once again it's incredible. It's hard to believe that a book can remain this strong for this long. But it has . . and I love it.

Uncanny X-Men #520 - Marvel

Well . . it seems that Magneto . . Erik, has saved the day. He hatched a plan, with the help of Namor and his people, to build a pillar under the island to help hold it up. They then plan on building a city around the pillar, New Atlantis, . . to protect the pillar, and give their people a new home. The result . . everybody wins. At least that's what you'd think. Until Erik decides to tell Scott what he's done . . afterwards. However, the pillar isn't done yet, so . . anything could happen. Anyways, Scott isn't mad about what he's done. Scott is mad because he hasn't followed the chain of command. Erik has come to the island spouting 'peace' and 'trust', but then he goes off and does something like this without telling anyone. So he's gone off to Mr. Tamalpais in Marin County, and is sitting Buddha style on it's peak. 'This will do nicely. A lot of blood on your hands, old man. A lot of mistakes in this life of yours. Time to do something good with it . .' More on that, next issue. Meanwhile, after the Predator X invasion, and then the nanite scourge, Scott has sent a team to NYC after the final Predator. He wants that one taken out, and then he wants to find the source of the nanite. However, by the time they find the Predator, Fantomex has already killed it. Also, in the process, his robot helper, Eva took care of all the nanites. Logan asks him to help with the source, but Fantomex replies, 'Not my problem, Logan. I'm 'mercenary' . . there's a difference.' But afterwards, Fantomex is talking to some kid about what he's done. I'm thinking this kid is going to talk him into helping. Anyways . . of course Wolverine finds the building where the Predator X's came from. And they enter with style. But the guy who did all this is prepared. 'I'm loading their vitals and fighting styles into your virtual cortex's now. Upgrade yourselves to Wolverine-class warriors and get ready to break their bloody necks.' I'm enjoying what Matt Fraction is doing with this book. He seems to be approaching this series much in the way that Chris Claremont did . . several story-lines going on simultaneously. It makes things very interesting. Greg Land is back this issue for the pencils. Next issue should be very interesting.

Uncanny X-Men First Class #7 - Marvel

I'm still not thrilled with this book. This issue wraps up the Knights of Hykon story-line, so . . I think I'll call it quits after this one. I know this is basically just a rehashing of the stories from the original Uncanny X-Men title, but . . I guess I just don't see the reason, or need for the rehashing. Most of the major story-lines are out in TPB form now, so . . what's the point. I appreciate that Scott Gray is trying bring the story-lines up to date . . give them more of a 'current' feel, but . . it's all ancient history. I'm sorry. I don't want to just sit here and keep ragging on the book. I think that Scott is trying his best, as is Scott Koblish and Nelson DeCastro. But . . they can only have so much artistic license in interpreting these stories. They can put little nuances and things into it, but . . at the same time they have to stay pretty true to the original. So I imagine they don't have a lot of freedom. And that's got to be torture to a creator. Anyways, my freedom as a consumer is to pick the items I wish to spend my money on. I think I've given this title more than a fair shake, so . . it's time to cut my losses. I'd hate to overlook a book that I may enjoy simply because I'm spending my money on something I don't.

Uncanny X-Men #519 - Marvel

Wow! Matt Fraction has things happening fast and furious in this book. The X-Men are on the heels of the attack by the Predator-X beasts. They won that attack, but . . there appears to be one that has escaped. He seems to be living in the sewers of San Francisco, and it looks like Fantomex will be having an encounter with it . . sooner or later. Meanwhile, Hank's science-squad is attacking 2 different problems. We discovered last issue how the engines that were attached to this chunk of rock they call home were only temporary. And it appears that they're going to fail . . within a day. The science-squad is trying to figure out what to do, but it may be Magneto that saves their home. He's not going to save it with his powers, but rather through a truce, and plan, that he's approached Namor with. 'A tower. A pillar. Around which your people will have their home and my people will find support.' Interesting! If it works. Anyways, the science-squad's other dilemma is that the Predator-X attacks were just a ruse. The bodies were loaded with nanobots that have invaded their island and are studying everything about them. Now they have to figure out what their goal is, and who they're reporting to. Meanwhile, when Scott went into Emma's head to try to fight the Void . . he's in need of her psychic powers which she can't access in diamond form . . he found himself instead the target of it's machinations. So now Emma, Charles and Psylocke are trying to save Scott. Or . . at least trying to stop the Void from taking him over. In the end though it's Scott and his own willpower that ends up beating it. He uses a trick that Jean taught him, and he locks it away in a trap in his own mind. He comes out of it just in time to deal with all of these other problems, plus . . Hank has decided that it's time for him to take a leave of absence. Whatever the Dark Beast did to him with that machine . . it's got his mind in a whole 'nother place. I've said it before, but I think Matt is doing a fantastic job with this book. The book has been good over the years. However, in my opinion, never as good as when Chris was at the helm. But . . that reign may be in question now. Matt is doing some truly amazing stuff with these characters, and if his previous track record is any indication . . it's only going to get better. Also I love the work that Terry Dodson is doing with the art here. By the way, Greg Land does the cover. I think this book is in the best place it's been in a long time.

Uncanny X-Men First Class #6 - Marvel

This book is frustrating me, but . . I'm not really sure why. It's actually just another version of the stories we've already read in Uncanny X-Men . . way back when. But most people . . I would assume the audience that this book is targeted at . . most people won't remember, or haven't read the original stories. And that's fine. It's a good outlet to show the younger, or newer, X-Men follower some of the history of this group. However, the title before this one, X-Men First Class, seemed to be a lot more upbeat and 'fun' than this title. And I know . . that's the point. The X-Men changed after Giant Sized #1, and X-Men #94. Everything became different. So this book reflects a similar change between X-Men First Class and Uncanny X-Men First Class. I think the problem I'm having is that I'm already buying so many X-Men titles that I can't see spending the money on another. Especially one that's really just retelling stories from the first series. Although there are some variances in this one. But I don't really want to get in to all of that. The book is ok. For what it is. Scott Gray is doing a decent job of keeping true to the X-Men continuity, while still using a bit of artistic license. I just think this title is a little to 'serious' to be aimed at a teen-aged audience. Also with the art . . I'm not sure if it's because there's 2 different artists on this book . . Scott Koblish and Nelson DeCastro, but . . some of the pages aren't very consistent. I think what it comes down to is . . I'm trying to talk myself into dropping this title off my monthly list. So I guess I'll just have to decide. It just frustrates me when I don't like a comic. I know it happens. But I don't like it.

Uncanny X-Men #518 - Marvel

There's a lot of stuff going on this issue, but . . the majority of it is spent trying to cure Emma. Well . . maybe not so much 'cure', as perform psychic surgery. Scott is worried about Emma's well being, but in order to get her back to her physical self they need to remove the shard of the Void that stayed inside of her when she was trying to help Bob Reynolds, the Sentry. Anyways, he gets inside her head and is attacked by more Emma's . . supposedly different facets of her personality. They claim that they're trying to protect her . . that being human means feelings, and feelings mean pain. So they're trying to push Scott out. Kind of like anti-bodies fighting an infection. But the phrasing and speech tells Scott that this isn't actually the woman he loves, but rather the Void trying to trick him. Together Scott and Emma fight back, and eventually get her back to her human form. But in the process . . the Void has switched tactics and has moved into Scott's head. 'I think the Void has wanted Scott all along. The Void is inside Scott Summers . . .!' Meanwhile we find out that there's still a Predator X alive and it's living in the sewers of NYC. Also Hank and the Science-squad have gone to Magneto for help. Apparently the generators that they built to keep the island afloat aren't sufficient for the job. They're hoping that since this was once Magneto's home, and he's intimately familiar with the island, that he'll use his powers to help keep them afloat until they can fix the situation. He appears to be wanting to be helpful . . for now. Also Hank is having a crisis of conscious. He's not happy with what the X-Men, or Scott have become. He's feeling like anything he may do to help the team is only stop-gap measures until a greater more immediate threat appears. He's getting tired of banging his head against the wall. All of this, plus Necrosha, spells even more change for the X-Men in the near future. I know Scott's trying to create Nation X here, but . . I have a feeling that we're only starting to feel the growing pains. There's going to be a lot more to come. Matt Fraction is doing a great job with this book. Like Chris Claremont, he's got a lot of various story-lines working their way through each issue. However, he doesn't drag them out for months, or years at a time. When things pop up they're handled pretty directly, and then we move on to the next crisis. The problem is . . the waves of crisis that have been breaking Scott's back don't seem to have any end in sight. 'What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.' Well . . in that case Scott should be a superman by now. I love this book, and I love these characters. Also Terry and Rachel Dodson are doing a terrific job with the art.

Uncanny X-Men #517 - Marvel

Last issue we saw that Scalphunter was bearing down on the island in a plane loaded with . . not one, but 5 Predator X. Kurt did a little reconnaissance and gave the team a warning, but . . it wasn't much of one. By the time Scott takes the plane down, it only kills one of the beasts . . and the rest are left close enough to swim to shore. The ensuing battle went pretty much as expected. One by one the X-Men take down the animals, with various tactics and the military like leadership of Scott. As far as that goes . . it was all rather predictable. But I'm guessing that was the point behind the whole thing. Whomever sent these animals after the X-Men had to have known that they would take them all down . . especially in their seat of power. At most they probably thought that the X-Men would lose 1 or 2 soldiers in the process. But that doesn't happen. So I'm thinking that this was a way to measure the X-Men. While they stood back and watched, they could measure the X-Men's readiness and response. I'm not sure how, but I think because of that they take out their strongest weapon, the Cuckoos and the Phoenix force. With them in place it was relatively easy for Scott to coordinate the whole thing, putting his biggest bats in the game while keeping the rest of his Nation X relatively safe. But no sooner do they beat the final Predator X than the Cuckoos go down, and it appears that the Phoenix force leaves, heading off into space. Now the X-Men just have to figure out why these things were cybernetically enhanced, and who sent them. To me, the most important part of the story was the little pieces of information that come out during all of this. First of all, we see that Namor is still on his own page. He doesn't like to take orders and has no intentions of being a soldier. Also while he's out in the ocean fighting one of them, all by himself, he's quickly aided by a squad of his elite guard. 'My lord. I have 2 dozen of the finest warriors Atlantis ever bred armed and ready to alleviate you of this tiresome task . .' So it looks like Namor isn't as alienated as he thought he was. I don't think he'll be sticking around with the X-Men very much longer. Also, when Magneto tries to take out one of the monsters . . they are covered with liquid metal after all, he finds out that his age appears to be catching up with him. He becomes over taxed very quickly. Maybe that's why he's here. He either knows that he's living on borrowed time, or . . he's not near the powerful tyrant that he once was. Maybe he just doesn't have the strength or stamina to be a world conqueror anymore. Also, we get a great display of Rogue's 'new' powers. When one of the Predator X is bearing down on her and the kids, she absorbs the powers of all 7 of them, simultaneously. She then takes on the animal solo, and with the coordination of all the powers quickly takes the thing apart. 'Hol-lee . . we can . . we can do that?' Rogue simply responds, 'Teamwork's a hell of a thing, kids . .' And finally, as Scott's about to take out the last one, Scalphunter comes to his aid and blows the animal away. Is he going to switch sides too? Scott's not going to take the chance. He puts him in the brig right away, and Danger begins interrogating him. It was also interesting to note that Emma wasn't really happy with Scott during this whole thing. I don't know if she didn't like his assertiveness or leadership. During the heat of battle she even makes the comment to Rogue, 'God knows we'd hate to upset Scott Summers.' But I'm not sure if that's her talking or the influence of the Void. Or it could just be because she's stuck in her diamond form. But that may not matter because after the Cuckoos are taken out Scott decides that it's time that they do a psychic rescue and get Emma out of her diamond prison. Apparently that's what the next issue is going to be about. I thought this was a fantastic issue . . obviously, because of my lengthy detail here . . and Matt Fraction is doing a terrific job. I think he's got a great handle on all these characters and I love the direction that he seems to be steering them in. Also Greg Land's art was a beautiful as usual. Next issue should be . . interesting.

Uncanny X-Men First Class #5 - Marvel

I like this book, but . . the problem now is, with the change to Uncanny First Class, the feel of the book has changed. Now it just feels like any other X-Men book. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but . . part of the appeal for me with the X-Men First Class book was that it felt different from the rest of the X-stories out there. Now . . now it doesn't. Anyways, last issue Charles was called by Peter Corbeau, aboard Starcore One, because they had found some aliens on the surface of the sun and when they looked into it . . they were attacked. They call themselves the Knights of Hykon. The best way I can describe them is . . they're warriors, or soldiers, looking for a war . . something to keep them busy. I think they attacked Starcore because they were bored. Now that they've easily overpowered the crew they're bored again. After scanning Peter's mind, the leader finds out about Earth and sees it as a challenge. That feeling is further enhanced when Charles' astral projection shows up, at Peter's request, and not only does the Hykon guy sense him, but he also captures him. One of the soldiers head back to attack the X-Men, the source of Charles' projection. While another attacks the Earth in general, to announce the groups intentions. By the end of this issue everything looks pretty bleak. Sky Song has made pretty short work of the X-Men. It doesn't look like there's anything they can throw at her that has any lasting affect. And Cloud Runner has turned the atmosphere of Earth into fire, while also attacking Nick's helicarrier and tossing it straight into Manhattan . . on a collision course for Ororo. It's always 'end of the Earth' type events for the X-Men. At least with the previous title we got to see some of these characters before they became so full of strife and grief and drama. And when it comes down to it, this book is really just a retelling of older Uncanny stories. There's a little artistic license, but . . not much. I'd just like to see something a little more original. Scott Gray writes it, and Nelson Decastro & Scott Koblish provide the art. The way I see it is . . for people that didn't follow the early issues of Uncanny, it's a good way to 'relive' those stories. But for more established X-Men readers . . I don't know that it's worth the effort. I'm still trying to decide.

Uncanny X-Men First Class #4 - Marvel

This book is a little more intense than the previous edition, X-Men: First Class. That one aimed at the kids as they first entered the school, and were learning about their powers. It seemed a little more upbeat and hopeful. This one, obviously, takes place after Giant Sized X-Men #94. So this is the older more experienced X-Men. Plus this is after Wolverine joined. It just seemed like everything got more serious after that. Anyways, this is a good book for new readers of the X-Men to jump on. They can see all these characters as they're coming together, training together, and learning how to interact as teammates and friends. So far there hasn't been any of the epic cosmic stories of the early Uncanny books, but . . I think there's one on the horizon. Over the last couple of issues a story has been building out by the sun. The UN has a station out there, Starcore, and the scientist Peter Corbeau has been working in it. He's been starting to get concerned about something, and this issue uses a cerebro type helmet to try to reach, and warn Charles. Shortly after, the station is boarded by extra-terrestials. They call themselves the Knights of Hykon. They look pretty formidable, and they kind of remind me of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard. I could be wrong. They just kind of have that look to me. But that story has been piecing together over the last few issues. The main story this issue is with Jean and Ororo having a night out with Misty Knight and Colleen Wing . . you know, Heroes for Hire? Anyways, they try to have a girls night, but of course they're interrupted by a villain, Nightshade. Because of this adventure, SHIELD will be brought more into the X-Men's lives. Overall I thought it was an ok book. It wasn't overly exciting, but like I said it's a good place, and book, for new readers and followers to jump in. Scott Gray wrote it, with David Williams doing the art. I'll most likely stay through the next story-arc, but after that I may drop it. It's just not that exciting for me. Plus . . there's so much other X-Men stuff coming out . . I'd hate to miss something because I'm picking up a book I'm only mildly interested in. We'll see how it goes though.

Uncanny X-Men #516 - Marvel

After reading the last issue . . Web #1 . . this one was frikkin' awesome. First of all, Greg Land's art was fantastic . . as usual. Also, Matt Fraction really seems to be on top of his game with these books that he's been writing for Marvel. He's really been doing a terrific job. And finally . . Magneto's back. Ok . . before I get started here . . there's something that we need to clear up. Lately, on alot of these team-books, they've been putting these informational balloons over the characters, sometimes. In this issue, when Magneto returns, his balloon says . . 'Max Eisenhardt aka Erik Lehnsherr aka Magnus aka Magneto. The Master of Magnetism.' Ok, I understand that we've got a new name to add to the mix after the recent Magneto mini-series, but . . we really need to decide what we're gonna call him and stick with it. I mean, that's an awful lot of information to put on a business card. You'd definitely be getting the raised eyebrow after see that. Anyways, Magneto makes his presence known to Scott and the X-Men. You just know he's up to something but he trys, and tells Scott everything to convince him that he's sincere in raising the white flag. He does everything short of . . no . . he even gets on bended knee. Magneto! Can you believe it? 'I come not to bury Caesar . . but, to praise him.' Scott seems willing to listen to him . . to give him the benefit of the doubt. Even if it is with guarded awareness. But Charles? Charles seems ready to burn him at the stake. I know that things haven't always been good between these 2, but that even seems a bit reactionary for Charles. He claims that he's been out in space, with the High Evolutionary, trying to figure out a way to reverse M-Day . . to no avail. Which is the first time he and Scott seem at odds. Scott has hope. He can never give up, while Erik is ready to accept the inevitable. But he does seem genuinely surprised when Scott informs him that Hope is still alive. However, that's about as far as they get because then the X-Men face a threat from Scalphunter. In the beginning of the issue a group of bad-guys are persuading him to do a little job for him. Remember when the Predator X came after the Young X-Men? Well . . apparently there's more. And these guys seem to have about a half dozen of them. They want Scalphunter to fly a plane over the X-Men's island, Utopia, and drop the ravenous mongrels right on top of them. Scott sends Kurt out to do a little reconnaissance, and he comes back screaming to shoot the plane down. But . . we won't know until next issue if they can get it in time. And, if Magneto is truly repentant . . why doesn't he just take care of it? But . . we'll have to wait until next issue to find out. I thought this was a good issue. Like I said, I thought Charles was a little reactionary, but . . I really like the role that Scott is taking with the X-Men. It really fits him well. This book and Legacy are easily my favorite 2 X-Men books. The others just don't stand up to them. Well . . I take that back. X-Factor is also right up there. Anyways, the next 3 books in my pile are also X-Men books, so . . on with the show.

Uncanny X-Men #515 - Marvel

I'm not sure why, but the actual cover of this book is completely different from the one that's solicited at the right. But the Marvel site only shows 1 cover for the book. So I had to go to Mile High Comics to dig up the actual one. It's by Greg Land, so . . I thought it was worth seeing it. Have you ever seen Emma look hotter than she does on this cover? Meooww!! Mile High doesn't show the one with the Beast on the cover either. So apparently it was a mistake, or a previous concept. This issue by Matt Fraction, is filled with the beautiful art of Greg Land. Anyways, now that I've got that tirade out of the way . . on to the story. This issue picks up immediately after the Utopia story-line. Now that they've got a place to live, Scott has to figure out all the day-to-day problems that are sure to occur . . food, fresh water, necessities and provisions. There were 228 mutants living here, but now . . now there's only 227. It appears that Dr Yuriko Takiguchi has passed in his sleep. Along with all the physical problems Scott has to fix and work through, he also has to deal with some emotional ones. Emma, stuck in her diamond form to contain the sliver of the Void inside of her, is becoming increasingly devoid of contact with her human side, and feelings. As a result, she's very cold and unsympathetic to Scott's current problems. Also Charles doesn't agree with everything that Scott is doing, or proposing. But Scott reminds him, 'You had a dream: I have a plan. And . . and just the tiniest bit of faith that I'm not going to get us all killed. Just trust me.' In the beginning of the issue we see that there's another group of evil mutants out there. This one consists of Lobe, Thug, Burst, Verre and Bouncing Betty. They attack a guy at a diner, in the middle of nowhere, for some reason. But they seem to be based out of New York. We only see them on the first couple of pages, but obviously that's not their last appearance. And, on the final page of the issue . . Magneto shows up. 'Well, well, well. My old home. Love what you've done with the place . . .' I love the feel that Matt has brought to this book. He writes very intricate and involved story-lines. We don't actually see Beast leave, as is pictured in the one cover, but . . you definitely get the feeling that's on the horizon. I thought it was a great issue, and with Matt at the helm there's a whole lot more shake-ups, I'm sure, in store for these characters. It's definitely an exciting time to be following the X-Men.

Uncanny X-Men: First Class #3 - Marvel

This book is enjoyable, but . . I may be dropping it. With all these variant covers coming out of late, I really need to cut back somewhere. Plus, some of the other titles that I've stopped posting, I still pick up to peruse. I know . . why? So I'll definitely be cutting those out. I really do like this title. I enjoy reading these stories of the X-Men's past . . their early years. But, since I already have such a large X-Men collection, these seem kind of redundant. Personally I can't see any important continuity issues coming out of this title. Nothing that's going to be some important footnote that we can say . . 'Oh yeah, I read that back there.' So I can't see them coming to any value. Which, besides the enjoyment factor, we all have to admit is why we collect them. We're all hoping that somewhere along the line . . years from now . . we might get some kind of monetary reward for our 'hobby'. Otherwise, why would we bother bagging and boarding them all and having all these boxes taking up space around the house. Right? Anyways, sorry! The price of these books keep creeping up and it's forcing me to make some decisions I don't want to have to make. So, in my head, I have to develop some sort of criteria, or reason, for the decision of what I'm going to have to cut. Which sucks because I've read a comic book every single day of my life since I was about 10 or 12. I know. I'm over-reacting. And . . I've gone on long enough about this. So let me get back to this title. We do get a little history of Sean Cassidy this issue. This takes place right around the beginning of his relationship with Moira. Patrick Rourke comes back into his life. That's Maeve's father, his late wife. He still blames Sean for her death and he's recently come into contact with a Haitian Priest who's also a mutant. He can take people's memories and emotions and give them shape. Anyways, long story short, Sean's loving memories of Maeve quickly overpower those of her fathers . . which are filled with anger and hatred. Patrick is defeated and the priest disappears into the ether. There's also a page this issue where the astronauts aboard Starcore One have found some beings floating around inside the sun. Overall it was an enjoyable issue. Scott Gray writes it, with Roger Cruz on the art. I like the book. I just have to figure out where I'm going to have to cut back.

Uncanny X-Men #514 - Marvel

Scott is really in his element here. He seems to do the best . . present the best character, when there's a situation that requires more of a direct leader than say a mentor. When he's calling the shots . . telling everybody what to do, and where to be . . formulating a plan of attack, and contingencies . . that's when Scott is the true leader of the X-Men. I like him when he's in his 'General' character, rather than just offering input or being the 'Headmaster'. I really liked the scene when Scott and his group are standing on the top of a building watching Emma and her group take out Simon Trask's latest human/sentinel hybrids. Scott keeps everyone in check, not letting emotions flare, and tells them it's a training exercise . . " . time to do your homework. Find your mark. Watch how they move. Study how they think in the heat of battle. Study hard." This is the team that Scott's put together to take out Emma's team . . should they need to. He's also got Dani in Las Vegas brokering a deal for him . . with somebody. He wants Mindee to get arrested. Bets is on some secret mission that's going to take 2 or 3 days to get into place. And Neena is in charge of a team that's supposed to rendezvous with Logan. They catch up to him when he pops up in the bay, so I'm guessing that he's been doing some reconnaissance on Alcatraz. Emma and her group have finished taking out the Sentinels, and are now on their way to the hospital where Trask was last seen. I can't believe that nobody has put together that Bastion is behind this yet. Especially with these humans turning into human/sentinels, you'd think somebody would make the leap in logic. I think part of the problem though is that even though they took all these characters out, nobody stopped to study the package and see what was done to them. They know that Trask is controlling them, and communicating through them, but . . they still haven't put it together. The longer Bastion goes unchecked, the bigger foothold he's getting. Especially when it comes to government support and this mutant-procreation law that he's trying to pass. Oh yeah, and our X-Squad is off the Pacific coast doing something under the ocean. It sounds kind of dire to me. "This is the end of the X-Men in California, Jeffries. We don't have a choice." Needless to say, I think Matt Fraction is doing a tremendous job with the story here. I really like the control he's taken of these characters. And of course, Terry Dodson's art is spot on. This is a great story-arc. Frustrating! But, great! More importantly though, I can't wait to see where the future of the X-Men lies after this. I think everything is going to be shaken up by the time this is over. Fan-frikkin-tastic!!

Uncanny X-Men - First Class #1 - Marvel

I liked this book . . alot. But then again . . I consistently enjoyed the first X-Men: First Class title. Like that, this book shows us these characters when they were a bit younger, and a bit more full of life . . and hope. They aren't yet jaded by the cruel world that exists around them. But, much like the transition between the original X-Men title, to it's Uncanny nomenclature, they're starting to see and feel just how different they are. This issue Kurt gets a taste of the cruel world when he tries to help two girls in New York City, but then watches the crowd turn against him because of his appearance. This is why he left his 'old' world and decided to participate in Charles' dream, a dream of co-existence. We join this team shortly after they've all gathered together and about the time that Jean has decided that it's time for her to take a break from the X-Men and try to concentrate on her own life. It's also about the time that the Phoenix force first starts appearing. Anyways, this issue, the Inhumans come for a visit. After conversing with Triton, Kurt decides that he would like to go visit thier world. He wants to see this wondrous city that he speaks of, Attilan. Since he's a bit jaded right now, Kurt absorb the wonder of Attilan and feels that he would be more at home here, he would fit in with the wondrous population. As Triton is showing him around, the Terragenesis Ceremony begins. "It is our most sacred ritual. Come, the temple of Randac awaits." It appears to be like any other religious ceremony, until the youths of the city start stepping into the chamber to be transformed by the Terrigen mists. Kurt watches a normal teenager enter to be willingly transformed, mutated. He's appalled by this as his mutation wasn't a choice. He quickly finds himself at odds with all of Attilan. I think Scott Gray did a good job with this story. Like I said, we still have the youthful side of the kids, but . . they're also starting to experience the reality of their situation as perceived by the outside world . . at least the world outside of Xavier's walls and influence. Although the dream that they're after is full of lofty ideals, it doesn't mean that the rest of the world has bought in to it. I felt that this was expressed very well with this story. I'm glad that Roger Cruz has stayed on as the artist. His 'fun', 'colorful' style really gives this book a good feel. It brings the whole package of what they're trying to create here together. I thought the first issue was great.