New Mutants #28: This issue is a weird conclusion to Ayala's story as it feels like we skipped a chapter or something.
Illyana and company have spent weeks hiding in a cave while Illyana instructs Madelyne in magic and tries to reforge the Soulsword. The action begins when she agrees with Madelyne that it's time to complete the ritual that binds Madelyne to her promise not to attack Krakoa. With the ritual complete, they can take the fight to S'ym.
In addition to me feeling like we skipped an issue given that we pick up weeks after last issue's ending, the next few pages are essentially an issue in and of themselves as the party waltzes right into S'ym's throne room. It would've been fun to see them battle their way through S'ym's hordes. Alas, we don't.
Surprising probably no one, Ayala reveals that an Illyana who decided to stay in Limbo to fix it (rather than return to Earth as our Illyana did) is the power behind S'ym. She needs to destroy Illyana to solidify her powers, but Madelyne kills her first. Wah-wah. As a result, our Illyana absorbs the other Illyana's powers, presenting us with another seemingly unified Illyana.
Several other authors - notably Zeb Wells during his "Fall/Rise of the New Mutants" storyline in "New Mutants" (2009) - have "healed" Illyana. For various reasons (and likely editorial fiats), though, it's never really stuck. Ayala may succeed because she gives us a pretty solid narrative about how both Illyana and Madelyne are putting behind what hurt them (the mutants, in Madelyne's case, and Limbo, in Illyana's) and embracing what saved them (the opposites, for each of them).
I'm hoping this duality is enough to give Illyana a shot at a new iteration. As Colossus says to Madelyne here, the Powers That Be have given X-Men like him so many chances: it feels like Illyana deserves at least one. On the plus side, Ayala makes the right decision in using the space that she does have to put Illyana and Peter on the road to reconciliation, which is filled with so much hurt that I can't even remember why they're not speaking. It's like they're the Real Housewives of Krakoa. (Marvel, if you're reading, I would totally read that series.)
Star Wars #26: This issue is random and terrible, and I'm not even talking about the art. I love Soule, but he bounces around so much in this issue that you're never really sure which events are important and which ones are filler.
The only promising development comes in the final scenes as we're introduced to two Imperial employees turned Crimson Dawn spies. Once activated, they flee (with their children) from the black site where they work to inform the Rebellion about its power. Said site? The second Death Star. Dun-dun-DUN!
Undiscovered Country #20: It's been a while since I've read one of these issues, and I was pleased to see Valentina is as impatient with the constant loop as I am. I'd normally consider it pet peeve #3 but, honestly, I totally feel her.
We begin with Charlotte and Valentina resurrecting in Revolutionary America for the third time, awakening right before Paul Revere rides by them to warn...well, you know. They take out Revere to abscond with his horse and find Uncle Sam, who apparently killed them one of the two previous times. Threatening him with a Zone Possibility gun Daniel gave them, they demand the truth. Surprisingly, Sam gives it to them: they've the key, and Ace, Chang, and Janet are the door.
Speaking of the other members of the group, they're in Hegemony, a different "channel" in History. They're also currently on the run as Hegemony considers them war criminals. The Destiny Man isn't the only doppelgänger here, as his assistant confirms that Hegemony's elderly versions of Chang and Janet are still locked under tight security in the Black Cells in Hamburg.
Back in Revolutionary America, Sam admits that he doesn't know more than he's told the women because Aurora is getting "strange:" he says it feels like she's "flailing, trying to course-correct." He suggests they're resurrecting because Aurora wants Charlotte and Valentina to observe something in History that they'll need later. He then shoots them. Instead of respawning in Revolutionary America, they find themselves in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Meanwhile, in Hegemony, the trio successfully flee their pursuers, and an AEA agent and PAPZ agent contact them to help. I was happily surprised to learn that we're in Beijing in 2074, 15 years after the team left for the United States. It's a great twist, followed by another one: Chang and Janet eventually leave the United States and convinced the AEA and PAPZ to invade, starting World War IV. The United States obviously wins in this scenario, but I wonder if we're going to see one where they lose.
A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants #1: This issue isn't the easiest to follow and mostly covers ground we've covered elsewhere. For example, the Eternals actually conduct the séance that we briefly saw in "A.X.E.: Judgment Day" #2, but it isn't really all that illuminating (or interesting).
The most significant event that we haven't previously seen is the Forgotten, Ikaris Kingo, and Sprite infiltrating the Eternals' armory and opening the door to Magic, Wolverine (Laura Kinney), and (I think) Jean Grey. While the mutants shut off the Hex's power supply, Ikaris takes out Zuras by doing what I've always thought Eternals' enemies should do, namely shunting part of Zuras' brain into another dimension so he's immobilized but can't be resurrected because he's still alive.
Most interestingly, the Forgotten and Ikaris ponder whether the new god's decree that everyone has to justify themselves is a racially segregated one. In other words, if the Eternals are found lacking, are they removed from Earth, even if enough of Earth's inhabitants meet the new god's test? I guess we'll see.
X-Men #13: We get another "A.X.E.: Judgment Day" tie-in issue here, this time expanding on what happened after Ikaris and company opened the door to the Eternals' armory to the mutants in "A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants" #1. It isn't all that enthralling. It turns out Magik led the new X-Men team (minus Jean and Scott) into the armory. With few options, Bobby and Synch froze the engine that fuels the Hex. It's fairly anti-climactic since, as we see at the end, it's really the new god's arrival that saves Krakoa from the Hex, not the X-Men's actions here. That said, it does seem like each group is getting judged individually as implied in "A.X.E: Death of the Mutants" #1, so we'll see how it all goes. I'll admit any excitement I had for this event is starting to wane.
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