Amazing Spider-Man: The Sins of Norman Osborn #1 (September 16): I'm surprised that Marvel made this issue a one-shot because pretty much everything is revealed here. It turns out the Order of the Web members, and not MJ, were the ones having the dreams about Peter dying, all in different places but in all cases at Norman Osborn's hand. The hooded figure from "Amazing Spider-Man" #47 was Martin Li. Sin-Eater cleanses him, and his power allows Sin-Eater to make a resurrected Dr. Kafka free Norman's secret prisoner: Juggernaut. Norman shares with Peter that he's also had Kindred-visited dreams. Spencer ends the issue with the biggest pay-off yet for this storyline: Green Goblin and Spider-Man will have to partner together to stop Kindred and Sin-Eater. I'm sure it'll turn out well...
Captain America #23 (September 16): It seemed pretty clear from the start of the Blood-Marine storyline that Coates intended to restore Sharon fully. It follows the trend of other lines, from Spencer essentially wiping away the post-"One More Day" era in "Amazing Spider-Man" to Hickman ushering in the X-Men's Krakoan Age. Although I also await Ian Roger's return, I'm thrilled to have back the old Sharon (pardon the pun). Moreover, Coates doesn't have it happen in an instant. Sharon has to fight Selene for it, and, along the way, we're treated to her rumination on aging. As Sharon said, Zola stole her youth, and its restoration is well deserved when it comes.
Falcon & Winter Solider #3 (September 16): This issue is so fucking good. In fact, it's banterific. Bucky complaining that Sam's trick shot through Bucky's legs was too close to the "gentlemen?" The HYDRA goon commenting that "Sally McKenzie" is a strange battle cry after Sam yells her name? Sam conceding that Bucky won't go easy on anyone who knows where Sally is? I could continue, but I won't. You get the picture. Speaking of picture, Bucky looks, um, good here. Like, really good. Like...really good.
Giant-Size X-Men: Storm #1 (September 16): Ever since Cypher was my first superhero death, I've been attached to him. He was bookish and vaguely queer (and blond), and I fell hard. Since his return, he's been treated like, well, a cypher, a neutered boy lost in his own world. Hickman gives him a personality here, and Dauterman makes him beautiful. I mean, he isn't Dauterman's Thor beautiful; it would be wrong if he were. But, he's a drunken-Wiccan-making-a-pass-at-him beautiful, exactly how I want him to be. This issue may have been about saving Storm (which the team does), but, for me, it's all about Doug and his beautiful blond eyebrows. (Following on "Giant-Size X-Men: Fantomex #1," Fantomex decides to stay in the World after his most current version says that he isn't leaving. I still don't understand this plot at all, but I guess that it doesn't really matter.)
X-Men #12 (September 16): Hickman returns to threads that he's seeded since this series' start, with Summoner telling Apocalypse Arakko's history. It's surprisingly straight-forward, to be honest.
Summoner tells Apocalypse what he himself already knows: in a time "ancient before that word existed," "the Twilight Sword of the enemy" tore Okkara into two separate islands: Krakoa and Arakko. The enemy then poured into the world, and Apocalypse sent the remaining Arakkii (and Arakko itself) through a portal into Otherworld. Summoner informs Apocalypse that the Arakkit tell three stories about that day: 1) that Apocalypse stayed on Earth to seal the breach so that the enemy couldn't follow Arakko into Otherworld; 2) that Apocalypse - "the first mutant of the second generation of mutantdom on Earth" - abandoned his family to save himself; and 3) people other than Apocalypse (and, here, we see four figures, possibly the Horsemen) dictated his fate.
Moving through the portal, Arakko arrived on a world called Amenth. It was apparently a world bereft of people because of "the black acts of the White Sword and his One Hundred Champions." The Arakkii took advantage of the quiet and built a city that ten towers protected. At some point - and this point is unclear - the demon hordes that the White Sword and his One Hundred Champions destroyed reconstituted and began throwing themselves against the Arakkii's walls. After generations of war, Apocalypse's wife, Genesis, took the war to the White Sword. We learn that the White Sword is such a successful warlord because he's able to resurrect his One Hundred Champion. Genesis decides to try to eliminate him, though I'm not sure why he's no longer seen as fighting for Arakko. She fails. She and her few remaining soliders return to the Arakkii.
Eventually, Annihilation - the Amenth god and, presumably, demon-horde leader - invites Genesis to trial by combat. Again, she fails. The remaining Arakkii leadership send Summoner to Earth to try to enlist Apocalypse while other squads are sent to search out "a different kind of salvation." Later, Apocalypse brings Summoner to the External Gate that he has constructed to enter Amenth. He sends through Summoner with Banshee and Unus the Untouchable. Summoner is hopeful that the X-Men can save the Arakkii, but Apocalypse is clearly playing some sort of game here.
For all my prior complaints about Hickman on other titles, his imagination is really this issues tour de force. He leaves a lot on the table that we just have to have faith that he'll eventually address. That said, I cannot wait for "X of Swords!"
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