New Comics!: The X-Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

New Mutants #41:  This issue is the "Avenging Spider-Man" #5 of the X-books!  I love this issue.  I don't know how you write chemistry, but, as Magma says, DnA depict Dani and Nate having so much chemistry that  you need lab coats and goggles.  Their conversation in the alley is awesome.  I loved Nate fumbling over his words, trying to explain to Dani why he's been in such a bad mood (he was afraid that the events of Paradise Island screwed up where he thought that he was going with Dani, preventing him from saying what he wanted to say to her).  I also loved Dani just reaching for the brass ring and telling him to "shut up and say it anyway."  Don't get me wrong:  I love Sam, and I liked Dani and Sam together.  But, they don't have anywhere near the chemistry that Dani and Nate do, so it's hard to argue that she should stay with Sam, who lives across the country and with whom she has less chemistry, when she could be with Nate, who lives across the hall and with whom she has amazing chemistry.  I'm officially Team Nate on this one, I'm surprised to say.  In terms of the other characters, I hope to God that we saw the end of Bobby pining over Amara, even if we all know that her dating Mephisto is going to end in tears.  I also loved Warlock getting play, particularly given the reaction it inspired in Bobby.  In fact, my only complaint in this issue is that I just don't understand why Lopez draws Doug like he has some sort of facial deformity. He used to be a decent enough looking guy, but he just so is not here.  (That said, I liked that DnA actually made Doug act almost human, if still weird, in this issue.)  All in all, this issue is exactly the type of issue I'd hope we'd see under DnA, portraying the team as not just a team but also a family.  It reminds me when they used to go to the mall in the original series and try to just act like teenagers.  So long as DnA keep peppering this series with issues like this one every once in a while, I'm going to be a happy camper.

X-Factor #234:  Um, I loved the group hug.  Actually, I could just end this review right there.  I loved the group hug.  Done.  Shazam!

But, I'll continue, because the rest of this issue is equally awesome.  I thought Layla's explanation of how her powers work and why she resurrected Guido were both compelling and fascinating.  It was compelling, because it reveals how difficult it must be for her not to try to affect the future on a day-to-day basis.  She says here that she resurrected him because Monet will one day be her best friend and she wanted to spare of her the pain of feeling responsible for Guido's death.  I mean, David really knows how to tug at the heart strings here.  We're left to ponder how painful it must've been for Monet to realize that she was responsible for Guido's death.  After all, it's always seemed that part of her rage at Layla was based on her vague sense of responsibility for his death; when she learned that Layla resurrected him, she had to realize that she did, actually, contribute to his death, since he did actually die and didn't just miraculously survive.  But, David also shows how hard it must be for Layla to live life day-to-day when she essentially lives in the past, present and future; for example, in this situation, she knows that this woman will one day be her best friend but has to face the reality that said woman doesn't even really like her now.  It was also fascinating because it seems to be the first time that we've gotten that good of an explanation of how Layla's vision works.  Since we saw how she got her vision in the first place (after she downloaded her memories in her younger self in "X-Factor" #50), we haven't really explored how perfectly or imperfectly that process worked.  We knew it wasn't perfect, but I don't think we knew that its imperfections were related to how close the event was to happening.  Moreover, now, we're not really sure if it does work anymore, given that Layla has altered the future, resulting in the future in her head becoming an alternative one.  Interesting stuff.

In terms of the rest of the issue, I will say that I'm not particularly interested in Havok and Madrox constantly engaging in a pissing contest, but David seems to imply that's why we have Lorna and Terry who, you get the sense, will more or less really run the show.  I'm totally fine with that, because, seriously, it could lead to some comedy gold.

(Oh, yeah, the Isolationist stuff looks interesting.  I'm not sure who Jezebel is, but she certainly seems like someone who means business, and not just in a stereotypically villainous kind of way, but in a sanely homicidal way.)

X-Men #27:  This issue is pretty bad-ass.  This arc has really picked up steam as it's gone, and Gischler does a good job wrapping up the story, putting Jubilee front and center.  I thought that he used her brillaintly here, showing how she's a tactician, having been trained by Wolverine (and, more recently, Raizo) but how she's also impulsive, deciding to let Lord Deathstrike stab her with his metal sword so that she can get closer to him.  It's allowing him to do that that wins the day, and I thought that it was a clever way for Gischler to really bring her change front and center.  By using her immortality (since only wood works when staking a vampire) to her benefit, Gischler shows Jubilee coming into her own.  It's a nice way for us to say good by to Jubilee, who I'm guessing will be MIA from the X-books for a while (until everyone magically gets back their powers).  It also brings an end to this title for me.  It's been fun for the most part, but it seems pretty clearly geared towards readers who are a little less invested in the X-Men than I am.  As such, adieu, "X-Men."  Thanks for all the fish.

New Comics!: The X-Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Before we get to the individual issue reviews, I thought I'd comment on a general theme that's been bothering me lately with the X-books.  It came to a head in this review because I happened to receive all four core books on successive days, due to a somewhat erratic shipping schedule.  It seems odd to me that, among the core books, so many authors are using the same characters.  For example, Iceman, Marvel Girl, and Wolverine are appearing both "Wolverine and the X-Men" and "X-Men Legacy," making up half of both teams.  (Beast, Husk, and Shadowcat round out "WatXM" and Cannonball, Frenzy, and Gambit round out "X-Men Legacy.)  Similarly, Colossus, Psylocke, and Storm appear both in "Uncanny X-Men" and "X-Men."  It's a little less of a big deal given the enormous cast in "Uncanny X-Men," but, again, they're half the "X-Men" team.  It seems weird to me that, given the number of X-Men wandering around the School and Utopia, we can't bring some other characters into the mix.  Maybe Scott's "Extinction Team" could lose Colossus, Psylocke, and Storm as members, becoming a more reasonable six rather than nine.  Maybe rather than crowding "X-Factor," Havok and Polaris could've stayed on Rogue's team with Marvel Girl, giving us a team with a little continuity, something none of the other teams have.  What happened to Dazzler and Northstar?  Given the fact that we're talking about the franchise with the deepest bench in Marvel Comics, why are we seeing the same characters over and over and over again?  It really undermines the sense of team dynamics that you usually associate with a specific title, leaving the only real differences between the titles to be the skill of their respective authors and artists.  Honestly, I think it's why so many of these stories have been so boring, because you feel like you're just reading them again and again.

Uncanny X-Men #8:  I've noted in my other reviews of this arc that the Hope/Namor and Colossus/Magik pairs have essentially been ignored.  Oddly, Gillen decides to give us here an entire issue dedicated to their adventures, rather than having interspersed them throughout the rest of the arc.  As a result, this issue feels like a somewhat awkward addendum.  The Hope/Namor moments were actually amusing, and I think this arc would've been more enjoyable had they been spread over the other issues, breaking up the dry material that comprised most of the Tabula Rasa story.  The Colossus/Magik story?  I have no idea why it was included.  I get that Gillen was addressing the darkness that Colossus is increasingly trying to fight, but why include it here?  Is it because it gave him the opportunity to have Colossus murder a bunch of aliens, rather than humans, in order to bring about his soul searching?  I'm guessing so, but it doesn't make it feel any less of a random sub-plot.  Finally, the main plot at hand ends in a way I don't understand.  Was the Savage returning to Tabula Rasa?  I totally didn't understand his conversation with Storm at all, despite the fact that Gillen clearly thought it was deep.  Unfortunately, Gillen seems inexplicably to have adopted the Bendis school of thinking, confusing "deep" with "obtuse."  Besides the Hope/Namor moments, the only other interesting incident in this issue is Magneto and Psylocke's conversation at the end, which implies that maybe, just maybe, Magneto is not as cowed as he's been depicted as being for so long.  Honestly?  I'm really disappointed in Gillen.  I've found this arc to be incredibly boring, and, given that it comes on the heels of the lackluster Sinister arc, I can't believe that I'm reading the guy who used to be the only author to portray a Scott Summers that I didn't want to smack.  I'm almost happy to be distracted by "Avengers vs. X-Men" at this point, because at least I'll be able to avoid the difficult decision about keeping this title or not.

Wolverine and the X-Men #7:  First, I love Bobby and Kitty.  Love it.  They're two of my favorite X-Men, and they've both been relegated so often to incredibly boring star-crossed relationships.  I love the idea that they might get together, but, knowing the two of them, I'm ready for the long haul before it actually happens.  Second, I'm really concerned about Broo, and I hope that someone at the School actually acts like a teacher and talks to him about his moment of violence rather than just picking diamonds growing on trees (but we'll get to that in a minute).

Otherwise?  I really disliked this issue.  First, the "X-Men in Kitty" sub-plot just went on way too long and eventually just wound up being a contest to see if Aaron could out-gross himself.  "Beast says cover your ears."  "What now?"  "Not much.  I think he's just about to blow up Kitty's uterus."  Really?  Aaron thinks that's funny?  I mean, I can tell that he's trying to keep a certain light tone in the book, but suggesting that blowing up someone's uterus is just the sort of thing the X-Men do on an average Thursday seems really callous.

Second, the badass alien isn't a badass...but a professor?  Really?  That revelation just seemed like a totally abrupt -- and somewhat bizarre -- shift in tone from where we had been going.  Does this professor go around the entire Universe eliminating "threats" to the natural order?  Wouldn't he therefore have to kill, um, everyone, since everyone evolved from something else?  Is he against evolution?  He seems to be arguing that, but it seems like a hard thing to stop on, like, a universal scale.

Finally, diamonds growing on trees?  I mean, seriously, it was funny at the end of "Dodgeball" when they rolled out the treasure chest emblazoned with the words "Deus Ex Machina," but, seriously?  Diamonds growing on trees?  I had a hunch that whatever resolution Aaron had to the X-Men's money problems would never again be mentioned after they were resolved here, but I really didn't expect it to be so assinine as "diamons growing on trees."  (Plus, in a little economics lesson, the X-Men aren't going to be able to sell all those diamonds at once.  You flood the diamond market with that sort of supply, and you're going to see prices fall pretty shortly.)

[Sigh.]  I wish we had more than one decent X-title.

X-Men #26:  Meh.  This issue is OK.  It's not great, but it doesn't suck.  Deadpool is always a fun addition and I'm honestly shocked Marvel didn't spoil the surprise on the cover.  I also thought Gischler did a good job reminding us about Storm's, um, "history" with vampires.  I had honestly forgotten about it and had wondered why she was so unreasonable (and un-Storm-like) for most of the issue.  Gischler and Molina deliver on the promise of this series, continuing to give us stories that are light on plot but heavy on action.  I probably would've dropped this title by now if I actually liked more than one of the other core titles.  As it is, between this series, "Uncanny X-Men," and "Avengers," I already feel like I'm in some sort of long-distance relationship with Storm. 

X-Men Legacy #263:  Speaking of the decent X-title, Gage wraps up his excellent initial arc on this title here.  Color me seriously, seriously impressed.  As Rachel said, everyone acted eminently reasonable.  Rogue gave Wolverine's team enough time to stop Exodus, but alerted Utopia that he was coming to make sure Scott's team had time to prepare.  Wolverine didn't want to call Utopia for fear that Scott would dispatch a team full of teenagers.  When it became clear that said team full of teenagers would be needed to stop Exodus, Wolverine allowed it and even allowed the team to return Exodus to Utopia, the only place where he could be held.  But, despite, everyone acting reasonably, it feels like a loss.  Dust and Surge make fairly compelling cases for why Rogue and Wolverine are deluding themselves into thinking they can even remotely protect the students at the Jean Grey School.  But, Rogue has an equally compelling rejoinder.  These issues have provided the most nuanced and thoughtful meditations on "X-Men:  Schism" despite (or, maybe, because of) the fact that they weren't written by anyone involved in it.  Gage doesn't seem to be interested in writting a humorous title like Aaron or a serious title like Gillen; instead, he's writing a realistic one.  In my book, it's the best core X-book on the market.  I can't wait to see where he goes next.

New Comics!: The X-Edition #5 of 5 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Wolverine and the X-Men #6:  Most of the plots in this issue are fairly predictable, but I can't say it wasn't a fun read.  The best of the three plots was the Kid Omega/Wolverine one, even though it's ending was the most predictable.  (I'd assume that intergalactic casinos had a way to sniff out telepathic customers.)  It hopefully shows us Quentin getting to do something that doesn't bore him and maybe, just maybe, being a little less obnoxious in the future.  The weakest of the three plots was the  Kitty/Broo one, mostly because I don't understand why the badass alien from the end of last issue would infect Kitty to get to Broo.  Why not just infect Broo?  The Beast et al./Kid Gladiator plot was the middle-of-the-road option.  It was mostly just amusing (or, at least, what Aaron thought would be amusing), but got interesting at the end when Kid Gladiator appeared Broodified.  Did he get infected?  Does Kitty run the risk of becoming a Brood?  I still think Aaron has some work ahead of him to make this title click better than it does, but at least it's still a mostly enjoyable endeavor, unlike "Uncanny X-Men."

X-Men #25:  OK, this arc is essentially the most formulaic comic story of all time:  team member gets lost, lost team-member finds allies, other team members search for lost team-member, team members and allies fight as a result of a misunderstanding, lost team-member resolves misunderstanding in time for team members and allies to join together to face a new threat.  Gischler does little to alter this formula.  In fact, given that everyone else in the world seems to know who Raizo Kodo is (and Professor X has met him), I'm surprised the X-Men didn't recognize him upon arriving at this lair.  But, given the state of some of the other X-books, I'm hard pressed to complain too much.  Molina does a great job with the fight sequences, even if it's a little hard to believe the participants are all so well matched.  (I do have a criticism of Molina here, though.  I had never really noticed just how skimpy Psylocke's costume is until he essentially has her put her ass in our collective face.  I guess it's supposed to titillating, but instead I found myself more thinking, "OMG, can someone get Betsy some clothes?"  Maybe we can tone that down a bit.)  I can't say I'm not intrigued by the free-for-all battle we're promised in the next issue, though, I have to say, it's a pretty sad state of affairs in the X-books when this review is about as good as it gets lately.

X-Men Legacy #262:  Wow.  This issue packs a punch.  I can't tell if it's the brutal slug fest with Exodus or Logan and Rogue's fight that left me more on the edge of my seat, but, either way, this issue just keeps you turning the page wondering what's going to happen next.  In terms of the slug fest, Exodus just totally overwhelms the X-Men here, and you can hear the unasked question in everyone's minds, how they're going to contain him even if they actually manage to defeat him.  Both Gage and Baldeon do a great job propelling us through the fight, and I applaud the editor who decided to put them together, because they're a perfect match.  (Baldeon had a ton of great moments here.  I love Cannonball's redesigned costume, and I thought the scene of Rachel -- in her Hound outfit -- fighting Exodus on the psychic plane, on numerous fronts, was great.)  In terms of Logan and Rogue's fight, I'm glad someone put word to what I've been thinking all along.  "Ah didn't wake up one mornin' between ninja fights and decide ah wanted to be a teacher!"  Hilarious.  Seriously.  But, no matter how right Rogue seems, I like how Gage doesn't actually take a position on who's right and wrong.  It was almost impossible to take Scott's decide in his fight with Logan, but, here, both Logan and Rogue make points that merit further thought, which they unfortunately don't have time to do.  It's a raw, emotional fight, and Gage depicts it beautifully.  Rogue was right that they needed help, but Gage delivers a masterstroke when he makes Generation Hope be the one to respond to Rogue's call.  (Although, to be fair, Logan didn't want not to call Utopia because he was afraid kids would come; he just didn't want Scott to say he was proven right when Exodus came to attack him.  But, it does prove Logan's overall point, that Utopia means putting kids in danger, so I consider it point Logan.)  Of the core titles, this one is absolutely the best.  I can't wait to see what happens next issue.

New Comics!: The X-Edition #3 of 5 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Generation Hope #15:  Huh.  I'm not really sure what to think about this issue.  In terms of the issue itself, it's a compelling read.  Asmus does a good job of keeping it on a low simmer and then eventually letting it explode, with Kenji leading a revolt against Hope thanks to help from Emma.  It's the culmination of several months' worth of hints, and the only thing that left me feeling a bit cold was that it seems somewhat early in the series for the revolt to happen.  But, I'm guessing it has something to do with the upcoming "A vs X" cross-over event, since Hope seems poised to play a significant role in it.  Moreover, it's not like they haven't hinted that this day was coming, so I can't say it felt like it came from left field.  My sense of unease probably comes more from the sense that we are more or less seeing how bad Hope is at keeping control of her team, which leads me to wonder why Cyclops does have the blind spot about her, as Emma mentions.  Is it the family tie?  It seems pretty clear she can't control her powers or herself, so it's weird that Scott has let it progress this far, to the point where he's blind to people leading a revolution against her.  I'm intrigued to see where it goes next issue.
 
Wolverine and the X-Men #5:  I thought this issue was just going to be a run-of-the-mill alien-baby story, with Kitty finding herself pregnant with one alien.  I didn't expect that the Brood would've found a way to turn themselves into bacteria, particularly not in a way that could be specialized for a specific person, namely, Kitty, thereby make her "pregnant" with multiple aliens.  It's unclear to me if the badass Brood that we saw at the end was involved with the targeting of Kitty or if he's just simply searching out the source of the infection.  I guess we'll learn more next issue.  I also found the other focus of this issue, Bobby and Logan's attempts to secure funding for the school, to be interesting.  It always seemed implausible that Professor X was SO wealthy that the X-Men seemed to have everything they needed whenever they need it.  (I still wonder how Utopia makes money...)  I like that Aaron actually brings us down to Earth a little bit, or, um, sends us into space.  Although I'm sure this story line will be dropped once Logan accomplishes whatever he winds up accomplishing here, at least someone at some point addressed it!

X-Men #24:  OK, so pet peeve #2 is in full effect here, with the intro page telling us that the sexy vampire guy from last issue was Raizo Kodo.  The problem with that reveal coming from the intro page is that we don't really get any information about him in the comic itself, something that would've been useful given that I had no idea who he was.  (I had a hunch he was the vampire we saw in "X-Men" #11, something I confirmed thank to the Internet.  See, Marvel.  I used the Internet to confirm his origin.  Can we now stop having you replay Clint's origin in every issue in which he appears?)  Once I got over my annoyance, I more or less enjoyed the rest of the issue.  It plays as a standard intervention narrative, but it's a clever way to move Jubilee past the "OMG, she's a vampire!" phase and turn her into a better character.  I assume the next issue is going to set up the standard hero/hero misunderstanding battle.  This series continues to provide consistently solid stories.  They're never Earth-shattering or particularly insightful, but, just like this one, they're good reads.  Given the state of the other X-books, Gischler deserves a not insignificant amount of credit for that.

New Comics!: The "Regenesis" Edition #6 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Uncanny X-Men #4:  Honestly?  I have no idea why this issue exists.  I want to say that it's an interesting meditation on humanity or something similar, but I can't.  It's not only a filler issue, but it's a filler issue that serves as an epilogue for an event that happened almost 20 years ago.  Don't get me wrong:  I loved the "Phalanx Covenant" when it happened.  But, in the fourth issue of this rebooted series, I'm left wondering what exactly this issue accomplished.  I guess it's supposed to show us how Sinister discovered the ability to replicate himself.  But, did we really need that sort of background, particularly when it served as the second of three issues in a one-month period?  I don't think we did. 

X-Men #23:  OK, I have to say, Gischler really delivered a pretty good arc here.  I was kind of meh about it over the first few issues, but, particularly when compared with the opening arcs of the other core titles, it's really the best one.  It told a coherent story, showed details of the X-Men's new status quo, and set up future storylines.  Not bad, really.  I can't say anything really Earth-shattering happened but, again, compared to the other title's mediocre arcs, I'll take a coherent story and be happy.  Speaking of future storylines, can you really blame Jubilee for ditching the squares and going with the dark, mysterious and sexy guy?

X-Men Legacy #260:  This series has been a few issues behind, chronologically and emotionally, from the rest of the X-books, as a result of Rogue struggling over which side -- Logan's or Scott's -- she was going to chose.  (Even the intro page is in the old style.)  To buy her time, Carey concocted the main plot of this arc, saving Ariel from the in-between dimension she created to flee Bastion's attack during "Second Coming."  It's a pretty good distraction, particularly since Carey uses it as a vehicle for the various characters who've featured in this series to address some lingering issues.  (I'm sad to see Korvus go, but I'm hard pressed to think of the role he'd play in the new status quo; Carey at least gives him a great new job.)  In the end, I think it was pretty clear all along Rogue would go with Logan, though I hope Scott listens to her speech, because I have to wonder if she's the only one who's ever understood him.  (Also, a final note:  I'm fairly certain that Dr. Nemesis refers to the "Spider-Man:  Edge of Time" video game, which I'm currently playing, when he says, "Especially if there's a chance of spider-squid-hybrid-phase-beasts showing up."  Awesome.)  I've never been a huge fan of this series, but, given my mild to serious disappointment with the other two core titles, I'm interested to see where they go with it.

New Comics!: The "Regenesis" Edition #4 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Uncanny X-Men #2:  Meh.  I liked the idea of Sinister no longer being a man, but a "system," but, OMG, the system can talk.  Seriously, we don't see much happen in this issue because Sinister spends most of it explaining how awesome he is.  Point, Team Wolverine.

X-Men #22:  OK, in my drive to get my current pull-list under 30, I'm pretty sure that this title is going once Gischler wraps up this arc.  It's an OK title, but I can't say it adds anything that I'm not getting from other titles, particularly since I already saw Colossus and Storm in "Uncanny X-Men" #2.  For $3.99 a month, I don't need to see that much of Colossus and Storm.  At any rate, it's a pretty decent story to end my run.  This whole arc is essentially all about proving correct Scott's comments at the disarmament conference from "X-Men:  Schism" #1, that having a bunch of Sentinels lying around the place probably isn't the hottest idea.  The Governor of Puttanescaland goes a long way toward proving him correct by dispatching her Sentinel army against neighboring Symkaria.  Most of this issue is dedicated to Colossus, Storm, and War Machine fighting a Sentinel; I can't say it's the most gripping of battles since, as Colossus says, the X-Men have fought a lot of Sentinels.  But, fighting 30 Sentinels should be something different, so I'll definitely pick up next month's issue.

X-Men Legacy #259:  I think this issue is one of my favorite Carey issues.  He really does a great job bringing us on Rogue's emotional journey here.  It's a little behind the times, given that we know Rogue chose Wolverine from "X-Men:  Regenesis" #1.  But, he fleshes out her thoughts on the subject, and it's interesting to see what she's thinking.  (Notably, Carey also gives us a more...forgiving Scott here.  Scott makes it seem like two sides will work together, something he hasn't really quite articulated previously in any of the other titles.  It makes me wonder if Carey goes off script a bit or if Marvel is already softening the schism between the two sides.)  I also enjoyed how Carey uses Rogue's soul searching as the action-forcing event that, well, delivers us some action, revealing that someone has scattered its consciousness across the eight X-Men returning from outer space.  It's clever, because you think the issue is going to be a talkathon but ends up being pretty suspenseful.  Carey actually makes me almost believe it's Jean, clearly something we're going to see happen a lot before next summer's cross-over event, which seems to promise her return.  But, instead, we learn it's Ariel.  I had no idea who she was, so I had to do some Wikipedia research to get her background.  I'm not really sure what's left for the team to do next issue, since it seems like they just have to pull her through the doorway, but I guess we shall see.

New Comics!: The "Regenesis" Edition #3 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Generation Hope #13:  First, I was excited to see that James Asmus is taking over this title.  Gillen did amazing work with this title, but I also loved Asmus' "Escape from the Negative Zone" annual cross-over.  In fact, I liked his version of Hope better than anyone's, including possibly Gillen's.  He portrayed her as the arrogant teenager she is, and it worked.  I'm glad to say, it also works here.  Asmus picks up the personalities of the Lights so well, you'd be forgiven for thinking Gillen was still on board.  But, he makes the characters his own fairly quickly.  I'm intrigued by the Hope/Laurie dynamic.  If they find a way to work together, they'll be a great pair.  We see it here, with Hope reminding Laurie that sometimes you don't have time to plan, and Laurie reminding Hope that you should plan when you can because it results in better outcomes.  If they don't find a way to work together...well, we'll see.  I loved that he had Kenji fall in love instantly with No-Girl.  It wasn't an obvious call, but it shows a real insight into his character, to know that Kenji would be drawn to her and her ability to manipulate the way people perceive the world.  Velocidad is also great here ("Yeah, but one of them is Boom-Boom."), though we probably don't need him noting that his powers are killing him every issue, particularly since we only really established that he feels panicked by the prospect last issue.  But, his "I'm a teenage boy, I should be hitting on girls while I can" schtick is great.  Again, he could probably use some adult supervision (or at least an older brother figure) to help get him through this trouble.  But, the lack of attention to him shows that Cyclops is really just interested in them as warriors, as we see in the opening of the book.  I'm intrigued why the Cuckoos hid the newest Light from Hope, even though it appears it's because it's Sebastian Shaw's powers re-manifesting themselves.  It's a great first issue for Asmus, and I'll definitely be there next issue.

New Mutants #34:  So far, so great.  DnA give us a fun start for the latest iteration of "New Mutants."  First, looking at the overall story DnA are starting to tell here, I love the idea that the New Mutants are now living like "real" people, particularly with the proviso that Bobby isn't allowed to fund them.  Are they all going to get jobs like Amara?  Is Nate going to be a fry cook?  Will Bobby be a bus driver?  The mind boggles.  I also like the Bobby/Nate dynamic.  I'm hoping we're going to see them interract more, given that Bobby's only really itneracted with Amara for almost every other issue of this series.  Moreover, forcusing on this arc in particularly, the next "loose end" case is awesome.  I had't realized that we had resurrected Blink.  I still remember how surprised I was at the end of "Phalanx Covenant" when they seemingly killed her, so I'm glad that, based on my Wikipedia reading, they managed to "resurrect" her in a way that more or less made sense (or, at least, as much sense as these sorts of things can make).  She seems like an ideal candidate for membership in the "New Mutants," so I'm excited to see where DnA go with the story.

X-Men #21:  This issue is just as fast-paced and fun as the last one.  I'm even willing to overlook the sudden arrival of Symkarian jets that broke the no-fly zone and conveniently allowed War Machine to join the X-Men in their fight against the Sentinels.  (How did the Symkarians discover that Puttanescaland had Sentinels?  It wasn't like they took out an ad.)  The revelation that the Puttanescans had been obtaining Sentinels thanks to the wealth they've stockpiled from uranium mining was cool, as was the revelation that the scientist had successfully reprogrammed Sentinels to think anyone the Puttanescans wanted was a mutant.  This issue is picking put the thread of the disastrous disarmament conference that Scott and Wolverine attended in "X-Men:  Schism," and in fact shows us that the world is the dangerous place Scott predicted -- for humans and mutants alike -- with this many Sentinels in play.  Gischler manages to shows the Puttanescan governor's hatred of the Symkarians without getting too preachy, and it really instills the book with the sense that some serious shit is going to happen if the X-Men don't get their asses in gear (and maybe even if they do).  Again, Gischler is making it really hard for me to drop this book...

Wolverine and the X-Men #2:  Ok, wow.  I certainly did not expect that the monster attacking the mansion was Krakoa.  Excellent, excellent idea, Aaron.  I mean, who better to kill Wolverine and his new school than the monster who Wolverine and the other "new" X-Men fought on their first mission?  (I'm not entirely sure how it works, logistically, though.  First, how did the Hellfire Club fit an island under the mansion?  Is there enough room?  Second, at the end of issue #1, he seems poised to eat the school.  Yet, when this issue starts, he's nowhere to be seen, like he suddenly decided, mid-bite, to go somewhere else.  Confusing.)  I can't say I've been that fond of the kiddie Hellfire Club, but I might change my mind after this issue.  Turning the school inspectors into Sauron and Wendigo?  Sending "Frankenstein monsters with flamethrowers" after the X-Men?  Wanting the students "charred and melted" so that Wolverine has to contemplate his failure every time he looks at them?  I can respect the fact that these kids are not joking.  It's been a while since the X-Men have faced a villain (or group of villains) this committed to evil, and I can be convinced that this new Hellfire Club could surpass the old one in terms of constituting a deadly constant threat to the X-Men.  (I think I'm actually becoming fond of Kade and his downright evil-ness.)

Bachalo is pretty on fire in this issue.  I have to make particular mention of his work as a colorist.  I hadn't realized he colored last issue, but I had actually noticed the color, particularly the scene where Quentin was lying on the floor surrounded by markers that he had used to write "I'm a political prisoner" on the floor.  I noticed, at the time, that the colorist had colored outside the lines; the red of the marker was a little past the black of the border.  I thought it was interesting, but now, seeing Bachalo here, I realize it just adds to the kinetic sense of his art, the sense that the characters are literally breaking beyond their borders with action.  I mean, yes, you get some of the usual problems with Bachalo.  For example, I wasn't entirely certain what Bobby did, and it took me a second reading to realize he essentially went Multiple Man on himself.  (I thought he had maybe taken control of the Frankentsein monsters.)  But, the good outweighs the bad here, because Bachalo, as usual, just propels you through this issue at full speed.  (Also, I LOVE Rachel's new look.  Thank God she's not wearing a bikini top as a costume anymore.)

I also enjoyed Aaron's attention to the characters, particularly Bobby.  As I think I've mentioned, I'm excited about this series in part because, to put it in Logan's words, I'm anxiously awaiting Bobby getting the chance to "step up."  We see him do it here, not only in terms of his powers but also by kissing Kitty.  I can't say that pairing ever dawned on me, but, now?  I'm all for it.  Team Kibby.  I also loved Broo's infatuation with Idie, which I hope continues to be cute and endearing.    All in all, a great issue that I'm going to have to read again to get all its nuances.

New Comics!: The "Regenesis" Edition #2 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Generation Hope #12:  OK, I need to pare down my monthly pull-list, because, honestly, I can barely keep afloat with my reading at this point.  I had identified this book and "X-Men" as the ones to go.  I never really enjoyed the latter (and am not particularly interested in the current team), and, although I've always thought Gillen has done an amazing job with "Generation Hope," I figured I could skip it because it doesn't tie directly into the core books that closely.  But, then Gillen writes an issue like this one, and I'm totally sucked into his world again.  I thought this issue was one of the best books I've read all year.  The stuff with Velocidad was great.  It's actually proof positive that Scott is failing the kids.  You've got a teenage boy totally afraid of dying young because his powers are slowly killing him and, because the adults won't level with him, he's starting to act impulsively.  I mean, hello, recipe for disaster.  But, no one notices.  Velocidad tells Kenji, who's not exactly the type to worry, but no one else.  As such, no one who can do anything to help him knows, because the adults don't care.  Do you need any more proof that Logan was right?  The rest of the issue is equally good.  Scott and Kitty's conversation at the end is a highlight, not just because it shows the danger everyone knows we're facing with Hope, but because it shows how little control anyone has over the Lights.  The next few months -- particularly with the addition of Pixie and the love triangle between her, Hope, and Velocidad -- are going to be interesting.  I'm here to stay. 

New Mutants #33:  Of course it's Dani who's smart enough to reject, to put it in Warlock's words, the binary choice between Cyclops and Wolverine.  I accept her argument that she's staying with Cyclops because he believes in her, but I love the fact that she feels the need not to be on Utopia (and under Scott's thumb) to stay true to herself and mission.  DnA also do a great job with Nate here.  Although I'm a little slightly skeeved by the, um, obvious, um, chemistry between Hope and Nate (even if they're not exactly blood relations), they do seem like a great fit (in a non-sexual way, hopefully).  They both come at life from a similar perspective and you can tell they feel relieved to have someone to whom they can talk about their experiences who won't have to get over the time-travel confusion and the bizarre family ties.  I'm hoping this iteration of the "New Mutants" is the last one for a while.  We've gone through so many new starts over the last 30 or so issues, mainly because of the various events forced on the title.  I'd dig it if they actually spent the next 30 or so issues in one place with one mission and one team.  Here's hoping.

X-Men #20:  OK, so, my plan to drop this title is complicated, yet AGAIN, by Gischler's excellent writing.  His Spider-Man arc has been the highlight of this title for me, and he's gotten off this War Machine one to a great start.  To be honest, though, I liked this issue not so much because of War Machine, who's mostly just annoyingly obstinate, but for Storm, who we finally see leading a X-Men team again.  Moreover, Gischler gives us the sort of international intrigue and high espionage that I've been expecting -- and not really getting -- from "Secret Avengers."  He picks up the thread from "X-Men:  Schism," with the world suddenly flush with old Sentinels and new ones created by the Hellfire Club.  The team is tracking down a shipment of stolen Sentinels (I'm unclear on whether they're old or new ones), who now appear to be this season's must-have accessories for every irredentist and separatist movement in the world.  If this team is going to be a moral X-Force, if you will, fighting in the darkest corners of the X-Men's world, it's going to be hard to convince me to drop it.  Damn you, Gischler.  My wallet isn't talking to you.

New Comics: The X-Edition

X-Factor #226:  OMG, I love so many things about this issue I have to number them:

1) The Night Shift arc of "Avengers West Coast" was one of my favorite ones in the entire run.  I love the fact that David brought back Hangman.  This arc just gets more and more intriguing.

2) Peter gives us so much character development here I can hardly stand it!  I loved everything about the Rictor/Shatterstar troubles.  I loved Layla telling Star not to act on his insecurities over whether Julio stll needs him, I loved Theresa (correctly) telling Julio he's more of an ass now that his powers have returned, I loved Layla essentially agreeing to be a pawn in their relationship to get Julio to see what an ass he's being, I loved Julio and Star fighting in the middle of a hunt.  Similarly, the religion "discussion" between Monet and Theresa was extremely well-handled.  Moreover, I loved that, when Madrox asked for an update on the search, everyone reported back their personal problems as if he were the dad.  Only Peter David could turn a search for a serial killer into an episode of a soap opera!

3) Longshot engages in a pratfall and finds a SAG card?  Brilliant.

X-Men #19:  Meh.  For an arc that had a lot of promise, I finished this issue kind of disappointed.  Gischler uses a lot of really clichéd dialogue to guide the interaction between the various characters, which detracted from the awesomeness of some of the pairings.  Emma Frost was pretty much the highlight of the arc for me, mainly because I love Gischler's take on her.  (I need to subscribe to Radio Frost.)  Plot-wise, everything was more or less predictable.  By the beginning of last issue, you pretty much knew how this arc was going to end, and Gischler didn't throw in any surprises to draw you back into the story.  So, meh.  I like the focus of this series, the X-Men interacting with the rest of the Marvel Universe, though the Spider-Man crossover, so far, is really the only one that got top marks in my book.  We'll see if War Machine can fare better than the FF. 

X-Men Legacy #257:  I feel like this arc has been happening forever, mainly because Carey seems to be recycling events that have already happened.  Rachel already defeated Friendless, but now he's back and they're fighting again.  Sorel already proved he was a scoundrel, but now he's acting like a scoundrel again.  Same plot, different issue.  I'm not sure why Sorel waited until now to teleport the length of the space station to steal the gravity device; it seems like something that would've been better done when everyone was fighting a few issues ago.  I also just can't get all that excited over a villain like Friendless.  I'm just hoping we leave space soon so we see how Alex, Lorna, and Rachel are going to fit in the new X-Men reality.

New Comics!: The X-Edition

Generation Hope #11:  This issue is a weird one.  In some ways, it's the culmination of tension that Gillen's been building for a while, with Laurie finally resisting Hope's control over her, a control that Gillen makes more clear than he previously has is intentional and not merely inspirational.  The fight between them feels more organic -- and more intuitive -- than the one between Cyclops and Wolverine in "X-Men:  Schism" #4 (detailed below).  But, at the same time, it's still obviously motivated by the "X-Men:  Schism" storyline.  The conversation with the former "New X-Men" is a little...dull, mainly, I think, because at this point in the story Gillen fell into the trap that Aaron also faces, with the characters becoming more mouthpieces for philosophies than characters with emotions.  I'm intrigued who's going to be on the team come "Generation Hope" #12. 

X-Factor #225:  Sometimes, I forget that Peter David is not a normal comic-book writer.  I mean, we all know his dialogue and characterizations are top notch.  But, he also exhibits a command over the past, present, and future of his characters that really makes this book as amazing as it is.  Most writers would've left the resolution of last issue's surprise ending dangling for a few months (if they got to it at all).  David, however, leaps right into the story in this issue.  He occasionally drags on an arc an issue too long (I remember feeling a little bored during the middle of the Vegas arc and totally over the JJJ, Jr. arc by its end), but he does manage to keep momentum going between arcs.  In the last few months, we've gone from the JJJ, Jr. mystery arc to the Rahne's baby arc to this new creepy one, and he's moved us fairly seemlessly between them.  Moreover, not only does he not drop stories that he hints are coming, he also doesn't drop stories that have already happened.  He's slowly but surely playing out the consequences of Layla's resurrection of Guido in the JJJ, Jr. arc (the scene where Madrox confronts her sotte voce was excellent), and it's pretty clear that the aftermath of Rahne rejecting her baby isn't going to be forgotten any time soon.  All the better (yes, I'm raving at this point), he takes the time to keep even longer-simmering sub-plots moving.  It seems we might soon get some long overdue answers about Layla and David may be the author that finally clarifies Longshot and Shatterstar's relationship.  But, as if all these overarching reasons aren't proof enough that "X-Factor" is one of the best books on the market, the story itself in this issue is fun and intriguing.  David plays up some jealousy on Shatterstar's part when Rictor runs to celebrate the use of his newly rediscovered powers with Rahne, and Madrox gets in some excellent one-liners.  ("I don't actually, but I'm just acting on herd instinct.")  Also, who expected Sarah to be resurrected and attack the team?  All in all, an excellent issue of a spectacular series. 

X-Men #18:  Meh.  I'm not really feeling this arc.  I know I'm supposed to be all "OMG!  The FF AND the X-Men!  Doom and Magneto!  OMG!"  But, I'm just not.  The reveal that Doom was playing Scorpius all along was pretty predictable.  Although Gischler gives us some fun moments (I thoroughly enjoyed Emma and Scott's conversation), overall it's a pretty standard middle act of a "our heroes are in trouble" story.

X-Men:  Schism #4:  I've reserved judgment on this series for a while.  The idea that the rivalry between Cyclops and Wolverine would eventually tear the team apart is one that makes intuititve sense to anyone who's read a "X-Men" comic at any point over the last 20 or so years.  The problem, though, is that the positions that the two of them take do not make intuitive sense.  At the end of the day, I simply do not buy Wolverine's sudden conversion to pacificism.  I'm oversimplifying it, obviously.  Aaron does attempt to reconcile Wolverine's position with his character, having Logan assert that he kills so children don't have to do so.  But, this argument just doesn't make sense for the guy who taught Shadowcat and Jubilee how to fight.  The problem is that, if you don't buy this divide between Cyclops and Wolverine, you don't buy the whole endeavor, which is where I find myself.  The whole point of "Schism" is that, after it, we're going to get two camps of X-Men, each one aligned around a character -- Cyclops or Wolverine -- and the philosophy he embodies.  The problem is that, even conceding Wolverine's newfound "no kids fighting" position, I don't really see that much difference between them.  OK, Wolverine doesn't think children should be sent into battle.  So, what?  His side isn't going to have anyone under the age of 18?  Is that it?  Is this whole schism based around whether or not you get carded at the door of the X-Mansion?  Once upon a time, I could've believed a world where Wolverine staked out a more aggressive position than Scott, but, given Cyclops' behavior over the last few years, even that approach would seem a stretch.  The fact that the two of them have been so closely aligned lately makes this schism all the more confusing.  Aaron (and the other X-book authors) haven't really been telling a story of Wolvie coming to a pacifist position over the last few months or years.  As such, it feels rushed.  He does raise the possibility, with the Jean conversation, that the schism might not really about philosophy at the end of the day.  Maybe it's just about them hating each other, maybe it's just about Scott going too far, maybe it's just about the girl.  At this point, though, I think it's time to wrap up this whole affair.  Although it's a much tighter and better crafted story than "Fear Itself," I'm ready for it to end, just like "Fear Itself," so we can start telling interesting stories again.

New Comics!: The X-Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

X-Factor #224.1:  Approached simply, just taking this story on its merits, the plot twists are a little...convenient.  X-Factor is in Madrox's hometown because some kid called them about an old lady who just stares out her window.  The old lady, of course, winds up being some sort of monster who was "waiting for something."  X-Factor engages the monster, while Madrox and Layla visit his old home, a farm now occupied by a single mom and her precocious son.  At some point during the story, the kid asks what Layla's power is, she tells him that she knows stuff, he says that's lame, she says, "You should've hid better."  The meaning of that comment becomes clear at the end, after X-Factor has returned to New York, when we see the mom's body lying on the kitchen floor with Layla's words inscribed in blood on the wall.   These .1 issues are mainly supposed to introduce the characters to new readers, which David does more ably that some of the other authors have by having Madrox describe his team to the boy and his mom.  But, for longtime readers, they're also supposed to sketch out the arc of the comic for the next year or so.  Going into the story knowing that makes you realize these twists aren't convenient.  The boy is probably, I'm guessing, connected to the monster somehow, though it's unclear whether he, or the person who took him, is the person for whom the monster was waiting.  Moreover, whoever took him clearly is connected with Layla (if not Layla herself).  As usual, David gives us a lot to ponder with just one issue, somehow continuing to make the mystery of Layla intriguing and not annoying, using this issue to also remind us of the "Guido has no soul" issue.  All in all, David delivers the best .1 issue I think I've read, which I think we all expected him to do.

X-Men #17:  This issue, for the most part, is fine.  Like Scott, I totally forgot about Doom, so I was just as surprised as he was when it's revealed that Doom is behind the aliens' ability to neutralize Cyclops, Emma, and Sue in short order.  Gischler does a good job of presenting us the complex political realities of this dimension -- and how the FF and X-Men fit into those realities -- without bogging down the story.  However, something still felt...off a bit in this issue.  I felt like I was clearly reading a plot, not a story that developed of its own accord.  The revelation that the situation created itself when a mysterious millionaire just happened to hire two people who each happened to be an old ally of one of Earth's superhero teams was a bit of a stretch of my willful suspension of disbelief.  This arc still has potential, so hopefully this issue just had to present some necessary exposition before we start getting to the good stuff.

X-Men Legacy #255:  Carey does a great job here hiding his quasi-reveal, that Havok and Polaris are under the control of the powerful Grad Nan Holt telepath.  I was actually annoyed for part of the issue, not quite believing that Havok and Polaris would be so callous about the Grad Nan Holt's execution of its Shi'ar prisoners.  But, when Polaris screamed "You'll do nothing, murderer!" at Magneto, it became pretty clear that the telepath who knocked out Marvel Girl was controlling the two X-Men.  I still wish that Carey didn't write such joyless stories, but this one is pretty evenly paced and tightly scripted, so I can't complain too much.  It'll be interesting to see if the Grad Nan Holt tribunal controls the telepath, as it seems, or if it's actually the reverse that's true.

New Comics!: The X-Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Generation Hope #10:  We get the first of two "Schism" tie-in issues here, with Gillen fleshing out the events surrounding Idie saving the X-Men in "X-Men:  Schism" #3.  Although I outline my issues with that issue down below, Gillen does a good job here of keeping the focus on Idie.  Although no one explicitly says it, it seems evident that Idie is forced to kill mainly due to her inability to control her powers more fully.  Laurie hints at that during her fight with Hope, who blames her for leaving behind Idie and putting her in that situation.  In response, Laurie notes that none of them are as good at being superheroes as they are when they're around Hope.  Gillen has been building this theme for a while, implying that Hope's influence (or control) over the Lights might mean that her powers go beyond power mimicry.  (Idie and Laurie have a conversation about how Hope looks like Rachel Summers, underlining the possibility that Hope is more connected to the Summers/Greys -- and the Phoenix Force -- than anyone knows, something the X-editors clearly have wanted us to believe since she came on the scene.)  As such, Gillen achieves the rare tie-in issue bifecta, developing the overall "Schism" story while at the same time furthering the story running through "Generation Hope."  It'll be interesting to see how both develop.  I'd be remiss if I also didn't note the poignancy of the exhibits in the Museum of Mutant History.  From the Sentinel's head to Rachel's interview, Gillen makes it all feel...real.  It's hard to put my finger on it exactly, but something about the way he presents it made me feel like I was actually in the museum.  All in all, another excellent outing for Mr. Gillen.

X-Factor #224:  Holy crap!  This issue was intense.  David barely even pauses to set up the story, throwing us straight into the action.  Even given the high bar David consistently sets, I'm still impressed by how well he did in this arc keeping all the moving pieces in order.  I didn't have to constantly refer to previous issues to remember what was happening, even though he was juggling several different groups acting independently of one another throughout the storyline.  All in all, this arc told a gripping story with some great moments.  (The image of Rahne's child, with his glowing eyes, standing over Agamemnon's body was awesome, both creepy and hilarious at the same time.)  In the end, Peter doesn't dismiss the child as a mere psychopath, though.  We see the shock on its face when Rahne rejects it, and we also see it crawling to Werewolf by Night in obvious need of attention.  It's clearly not the last we hear of him, or, in all likelihood, Agamemnon, who's clearly someone we know...we just don't know we know him.  All in all, a stellar arc and a nice recovery from the disappointing preceding JJJ, Jr. arc.

X-Men #16:  Woot!  This issue rocked.  I'm hard pressed to decide what I liked more.  First, Gischler is a dialogue genius.  The Thing/Wolverine banter is truly excellent.  (Thing:  "I guess that was more like a home run special.  For the dinosaur."  Wolverine:  "Never throw me again.")  I mean, you even have Cyclops/Magneto banter, which, honest to God, I thought was impossible to make sound authentic and not forced.  (Cyclops:  "You knew Lee, too.  No comment?"  Magneto:  "That's ancient history.  I'm a different person now.  Mostly.")  Last but certainly not least, in terms of examples of Gischler's knack for dialogue, you get a truly fantastic upset Emma.  ("This is exactly why I either destroyed, mind-wiped or killed all my exes.  They're nothing but trouble.")  In Gischler's hands, she's really becoming my favorite character, which is saying a lot, since she had always been my least favorite.

Second, Gischler manages to keep the plot coherent despite -- in fact, amazingly, because of -- the numerous characters involved.  By the end of the issue, he's juggling ten characters.  But, it gives him some moments to shine.  The Pixie/Thing/Wolverine team is more fun than I thought it could be.  You can feel Pixie's excitement at playing in the big leagues.  Dr. Doom is awesome as always, and I can't wait to see the trouble that the rest of the team -- Cyclops, Emma, Invisible Woman, and Magneto -- can find.  The idea that the distress signal that Lee Forrester sent was sent over three years ago just makes it all the more intriguing.

Finally, the art is spectacular.  Molina does an amazing job making the alternate dimension pop.  The two-page spread actually startled me it was so beautifully done, fully conveying the impact of the strange land, unlike most splash pages, which, to me, often feel gratuitous.  Plus, you've got Scott Summers looking hotter than he has, ever.  (See page 4 if you don't believe me.  Wow.)

As I said, this issue rocked, as I think (hope), this storyline will.  Gischler BRINGS it here.  I first thought the Dr. Doom/Magneto, FF/X-Men team-up gimmick was going to suck, but he really sells it.  After the disappointing finish to the Evolutionaries saga, it's nice to see Gischler re-charge here.  Hopefully, he'll be able to keep his attention on the story and not lose focus like he did with the Evolutionaries saga.  But, it's a hell of a start.  This issue is a contender for issue of the year, in my book.

X-Men:  Schism #3:  Huh.  This issue was a little odd, to be honest.  First, I'm not sure if I'm buying the kiddie Hellfire Club.  It's one thing for there to be one genius super-kid, but four seems a bit of a stretch.  However, more importantly, I don't know if I buy the Cyclops/Wolverine fight over Idie.  It almost seems like they're on the wrong side of the argument.  Both Aaron and Gillen have pushed this idea -- Aaron here and Gillen in "Generation Hope" #9 -- that Wolverine views what he does as something that children should not do.  I certainly agree, but I'm not entirely sure I buy it from Wolverine.  Plus, Cyclops is right:  Wolverine didn't get there in time, so should Idie just have let everyone -- including herself, more than likely -- die in the explosion?  Given that, in "Messiah Complex," we saw that Wolverine was willing to stake out even more of a lethal position than Cyclops (leading him to keep clandestinely running X-Force), this "Wolverine isn't down with killing" position seems odd.  I mean, if we're seeing a split between Cyclops and Wolverine, what position is he going to take?  How does his philosophy differ from Cyclops'?  Before this event, I assumed it was because Logan advocated taking a harder line than Scott -- since, you know, he pretty much has for the last 40 years -- but Aaron seems to be going the other way, which strikes me as a significant departure for both characters.  Why the change of heart?  This question isn't inconsequential, since it's the core reason why this whole event is relevant.  I don't know if Aaron's really laying the groundwork he needs to lay to sell it.

X-Men Legacy #254:  Similar to Rogue and her team, we don't have a lot of insight into the back story that frames this issue.  Rogue apparently knows the Shi'ar who "kidnap" her, but I'm not sure from where.  Havok and Polaris appear at the end, but appear to be on the wrong side of the fight, if you assume that the Shi'ar are on the right side.  I'm still making my way through the various "cosmic" event series ("War of Kings," etc.) that happened over the last few years, and I may have to track down "Emperor Vulcan" just so I can have a sense of how Havok and company found themselves in their current circumstances.  Without that background, though, I have to say that I found this issue to be confusing.  It's not Carey's fault, given that he's dealing with five years or so of storylines.  But, I have to say that Kieron Gillen did a better job giving us a sense of the issues surrounded the Breakworld saga when he introduced it into "Uncanny X-Men" than Carey does here with the Starjammers.  Hopefully, as Carey makes the story his own, it will improve.

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Batman and Robin #26:  This is a fairly remarkable issue, given how inventive it is.  Batman and Robin are in Paris to chase a psycho who's freed some of the inmates of the French version of Arkham Asylum; the inmates, in turn, are running wild through the Louvre.  The psycho's motivation is to record the chaos and show it to his insane father to prove that life has no meaning.  (The kicker is that he's dissected his father into his component organs and is keeping him alive through machines.  Yup.  It's a bit of a downer.)  The plot has some holes, like how exactly the guy discovered the existence of the criminals he freed, since, according to Nightrunner (who guest stars in this issue), their existence had been classified.  But, this sort of issue isn't one where you ask for a linear type of story.  Hine keeps us guessing with each page and Tocchini and Bressan do an amazing job on the art, particularly given how seamless it appears.  It's a pretty great and fitting ending to this series as we head into the reboot.  It only recently dawned on me that the reboot means we're not going to see Dick and Damian together anymore, which is a damn shame.  I'm not sure Damian is going to have quite the same chemistry with Bruce, given that they're essentially the same.  Instead, he excelled as a foil for Dick, because they're so different.  Hopefully, the rebooted reality doesn't erase the time they spent together and we see flashes of that relationship in the future.  Fingers crossed.

New Avengers #15:  OK, I had seen comments on-line about how good this issue was, so I was excited to read it.  Um, those comments were not wrong.  Squirrel Girl!  Who knew?  Bendis does an amazing job here not only of fleshing out Squirrel Girl -- showing us her insecurities and hopes and dreams -- but also of using her as a frame of reference for the craziness happening in "Fear Itself."  His use of the interview format has been stellar and continues to be here.  After reading this issue, I am really left to wonder what Bendis would've done with "Fear Itself" in place of Fraction.  I guess we'll just have to be satisfied with his contributions in these tie-in issues.  I can't wait to see what happens next issue!

New Mutants #29:  I kind of enjoyed this issue, though it's a little odd.  The characterizations seemed a little off, almost like it wasn't written by DnA.  Nate seems really aggressive in a way that surprises me and Illyana seems even weirder than usual.  The biggest negative is the art, which is pretty awful.  Sunspot actually looks like the Beast and Nate looks like an organic Colossus.  That said, I did enjoy the plot.  Cypher is one of my favorite characters, so it was fun to see him be his usual weird self but also, for the first time possibly since his resurrection, seem interested in the world around him.  Hopefully it's the beginning of a process of making him more human.  The New Mutants finding themselves in Hell (two Ls) was a fun twist and I'm entertained by the prospect of where that story is going to go.

Red Robin #26:  Of all the reboot-related changes, the loss of "Red Robin" is, to my mind, the one I least understand.  Christopher Yost and Fabian Nicieza have done a great job over the run creating a vibrant set of supporting characters, expanding his adventures beyond the Bat-family and making him his own man.  Although the series had its ups-and-downs, it was consistent in showing Tim as the strategic thinker of the Bat-family while at the same time giving him an actual sense of humor.  He's always been a blend of Bruce and Dick, and Yost and Nicieza nailed that perfectly.  This issue actually throws in a little Jason, with Tim contemplating killing the man who killed his father.  I was a little skeptical at first, but Fabian really sold it, and made Tim's character all the more interesting and compelling for it.  But, of course, enter the reboot.  Given that Tim's appearances seem likely to be limited to "Teen Titans," it's a shame we're likely not going to see characters like Tam, Lynx, Lonnie or even Mikalek again.  At any rate, thanks for the memories, Tim, and good luck in the new gig.

X-Men #15.1:  I'm surprised to say it, but this issue is terrible.  I really like Gischler, but it's like he had five minutes to write a script and did so on the back of a roll of toilet paper while waiting in line for the men's room.  Gambit calling his grandmother "maw-maw?"  Cyclops calling Gambit "Cajun?"  It's just bizarre.  Plus, parts of it make no sense.  Dani originally tells the tribesman to seal up the concrete house where the old woman is dying, but then advocates for not sealing up the house.  I know this issue was essentially a vehicle for introducing the new lady Ghost Rider, but Gischler obviously put no effort into it whatsoever.  Also, paging pet peeve #1:  Colossus doesn't appear in this issue, despite appearing on the cover.  I've been pretty forgiving of these .1 issues, but I really can't believe I spent $2.99 on this one.

X-Men Legacy #253:  This issue is awesome.  I haven't been the hugest fan of this storyline, mostly because I've found it to be pretty slow.  This issue, though, has all sorts of twists and turns, and shows that Carey has had firm control over it as it's developed.  First, I did not see the Legion/Rogue switch coming.  I finished last issue wondering how exactly the other X-Men were going to defeat a Legion-powered Styx, and I was all ready to disbelieve the answer.  However, the answer -- that we never got a Legion-powered Styx, thanks to the Legion/Rogue switch -- was perfect.  At this point, I pretty much thought we were done, so imagine my surprise when Carey unexpectedly connected this story to the next one, sending the team into space to find Rachel.  Excellent.  I was worried that story -- despite it being urgent that Rachel be found lest she die -- was going to be on a really slow burn, so I'm thrilled to see that Carey is launching us right into it.  I have to applaud him for using Legion's personalities so cleverly.  They often approach deus ex machina levels, as they do here, with Chain providing the vehicle for the Legion/Rogue switch and Compass Rose serving as the means for the team to get into space.  But, Carey sells it.  In fact, Legion using the Chain persona as a tool shows his increasing mastery over his powers, making me hope that he's not going to be the boring old psychotic threat to all existence he's often portrayed as being.  Moreover, Rogue going against Styx was perfect, given that their powers are eerily similar.  Also, something about the team finally gelled for me in this issue.  Carey doesn't necessarily do anything specifically here to make it happen, but I think we've now seen the personalities interacting enough for a rhythm to develop.  It looks like we'll continue to get Rogue, Frenzy, Gambit, and Magneto together for the next few issues, and I have to say, I can't wait!

New Comics!: The X-Edition

Generation Hope #9:  The fact that Gillen basically gives us a “It Gets Better” video in comic-book form without wading too deep into the “After-School Special” end of the pool is a testament to his skill as a writer.  This issue blends together a number of real-life stories involving teenagers pushed to suicide by their peers in order to deliver us Hope’s first failure.  Although Gillen manages to present the story in a fairly grounded way, I think he’s still got to be careful not to go to the “It Gets Better” well too often.  For example, I’m on the fence about the Kenji/Logan conversation.  On the face of it, it’s extremely well done, with both characters staying totally in character:  Logan is exactly the right person to talk to Kenji, who’s always been the darkest member of the team, about the consequences of murder.  Logan treats him as a colleague, but also a teenager who's contemplating something that, from his experience, Logan knows he's not ready to handle.  However, that said, the whole idea of Logan literally telling Kenji “it gets better” comes really, really close to eye-roll inducing.  Again, Gillen manages not entirely to go there, but I think I’d rather us return to Kenji and Laurie’s suspicions that Hope is manipulating them and other stories related to the relationships between the characters than spend too much more time focused on the horrors of being a teenage mutant.  That ground has been covered so well by so many others that it’s not going to be enough to sustain this series.  However, the relationships will, and, after this detour, I think Gillen should return to focusing on those. 

New Mutants #27:  Dani goes fist-to-fist with the Sugar Man, capturing him while Bobby and Amara battle Sugar Man's mutates and Doug and Warlock free Nate Grey.  It's a pretty satisfying conclusion to the storyline, with a newly de-powered Nate returned to the X-Men and Dani getting to show up Victoria Hand.  I will say, however, that we need a little more character development in the non-Dani department in future issues.  I love Dani, but this arc read more like a solo series than a team book.  Since this series re-started, Amara and Bobby have been little more than pawns on the chess board.  With Sam, Illyana, and Xi'an in the background and Doug unlikely to develop a personality any time soon, it's time to give these two some screen time.

New Mutants #28:  This issue is great.  Dani brings in a therapist who used to work in her community in Colorado to help with the more troubled members of the New Mutants team.  DnA's work with Cannonball here was the most interesting to me.  Across three writers – Wells, Carey, and DnA – we’ve seen a slow but steady push to bring Cannonball's character to the next level.  Wells laid the foundation in the “Fall/Rise of the New Mutants” arc, with Sam losing all control in the face of brutal torture and overwhelming odds.  Carey went the other way, showing Sam as the extremely capable field leader of the X-Men during “Age of X.”  DnA are now reconciling those two extremes and, hopefully, setting up his return as the leader he’s had the potential to be since the “New Mutants” graphic novel.  Meanwhile, DnA’s treatment of Nate Grey is equally fascinating.  By essentially de-powering him, they’ve made him even more like Cable, who also had limited telekinesis abilities as a result of constantly fighting off the techno-organic virus.  I’m excited to see him become part of the team, because I’ve always liked him (and, incidentally, finally got my hands on “X-Man” #1, the only “Age of Apocalypse” issue I had been missing).  Finally, DnA give us some insight into Magik, confirming that she is actually interested in redemption and (allegedly) not plotting something darker.  All in all, it was a really stellar issue of characterization and I continue to be excited about where they're taking the series. 

X-Factor #222:  This issue is...odd.  The characterizations were kind of bizarre, almost like someone other than Peter David wrote the issue.  Rictor yelling at Rahne seemed completely out of character for him, particularly since, as far as I'm aware, they had resolved the issues between them several issues ago.  Rahne slapping Rictor for apologizing for yelling at her was equally weird.  She's mad at him...because he apologized to her?  What?  I liked the first few issues of this arc, and I'm intrigued to see where it's going, but this issue doesn't really advance the plot much.  It leaves you mostly just wondering why everyone was in such a bad mood and feeling like you missed an issue.

X-Men #14:  A lot is going on here, and I’m not entirely sure I follow it.  The back-and-forth between the past and present is starting to remind me (in a bad way) of the recent 1950s Avengers storyline in “New Avengers.”  It’s getting hard to keep all the plot details straight.  For example, in the past, the Scarlet Witch gave the X-Men Emma Frost’s name and location so they could stop Magneto from getting her.  You’d think Magneto would figure out that happened when the X-Men appear at the institute where Emma is being held just in time to battle him, but he doesn’t seem angry at Wanda when they all later rendezvous at the Mansion.  So, either Magneto didn’t put two and two together (which seems unlikely, but possible, I guess) or Wanda sent them to the institute on purpose to clear out the Mansion.  The problem is that Yost doesn’t really do a great job of giving us enough information to decide which is which.  In the present, I’m still not entirely sure who the three mutants attacking the Stepford Cuckoo on Cerebro are and what their motivation is.  They want to know more about the Evolutionaries, but why?  Who are they?  I don’t recognize them from anywhere, so they can’t be major players.  I like Yost, and the previous issues in this arc have been pretty good, but I feel like Yost loses some focus here.  It’s time to address some of the question marks before the failure to do so starts to get really, really annoying.

X-Men #15:  Meh.  This arc really started with a lot of potential, but, I have to say, I’m kind of disappointed with the ending.  First, Yost actually leaves some dangling threads.  For example, who were, exactly, the three mutants who attacked the Stepford Cuckoo?  After she blasted Cyclops' memory to everyone on Utopia, we never see her – or the villains – again.  Also, if Beast’s machine killed all the Evolutionaries other than the prime Evolutionary in the past, then who are the other ones – the yellow ones – who accompany him in the present?  I mean, where did he find more Evolutionaries?  Did the Eternal make more?  Also (again), how did Jean "remind" Scott of the events of the past?  At first it seemed like she was actually the one to hide the memories, but, with the reveal of this issue, it's clear she wasn't.  So, how exactly, if she's dead (allegedly) did she know to activate Scott's memory in the present at just the right time?  Second, I don’t know if I buy some of the characterizations.  For example, it’s revealed that Magneto didn’t realize that Wanda had in fact betrayed him by telling the X-Men the location of Emma Frost, which, frankly, I don’t really know if I believe.  Also, the Evolutionary decides to betray his millennia of training and preparation to kill Cyclops?  Really?  Finally, what happened to the cliffhanger in issue #14?  Magneto asks Scott what he did, as if the memory that the Stepford Cuckoo shared showed Scott make some deeply reckless or suspicious decision.  Um, as far as I can tell, he merely asked the Evolutionary for more time.  I can't say it's exactly shocking.  The most interesting part of this issue was Scott's decision to activate the newly re-made Beast weapon, which results in the death (again) of all the Evolutionaries but the prime one.  That characterization is more or less in line with the Scott we’ve seen over the last few years, but, as Iceman notes, it’s definitely a departure from the X-Men’s usual “no killing” pledge.  However, it makes me wonder what's going to happen in "Schism."  If Scott is ordering the deaths of the Evolutionaries, is he really THAT far apart from Logan philosophically?  Overall, I’m glad this arc is finished.  Looking over the last fifteen issues, I’m pretty disappointed with this title.  The Spider-Man cross-over was really the only arc I’ve fully enjoyed from start to finish at this point.  Given that I’m usually disappointed in “X-Men Legacy,” I continue to wonder if Marvel hasn’t really stretched itself too thin when it comes to the X-Men, focusing on quantity over quality. 

X-Men Legacy #252:  I haven’t necessarily been thrilled with this arc so far, but, I have to say, this issue made me re-assess that position.  Frenzy actually gets some moments here – dare I say, even some funny moments – and Legion actually does something more than cower.  I’m actually really looking forward to seeing where Carey goes with this story.  Who would’ve thought it?

New Comics!: The X-Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Generation Hope #8:  For the first 9/10 of this book, Gillen gives us a fairly typical "Generation Hope" story, with the Lights supporting Hope in her efforts to get Teon to stay with them.  However, he throws what could be the curve ball of the year in the last 1/10, when Kenji and Laurie realize that Hope may well be sub-consciously (or consciously) forcing them to follow her.  Gillen has toed this line extremely well for the entire series, not losing sight of the fact that the other side of Hope's potential future is that she would kill millions of humans and give rise to the bleak future of Bishop.  (He also had previously given us a physical reminder of Hope's darker side when we see a flash of anger in her eyes as she fights with Cyclops and Evangeline about legal strategy.)  Gillen is creating a complicated character here and anyone who's dismissing this book as being a junior version of the X-Men is missing some really fascinating stuff.

Uncanny X-Men #538:  Wow.  This issue felt like three because around every page another plot twist brought the story somewhere I didn't expect it to go yet made perfect sense.  (OK, maybe not "perfect" sense when you reflect on it, but at least enough sense while reading it that the story flowed really well.)  Gillen has really crafted an intricate story that unfolds beautifully.  He clearly knew where it was going to end, so the issue didn't have the "plotting by the seat of his pants" feel that a lot of Fraction's stories seemed to have to me.  Moreover, it didn't just feel like a cheap way to render Kitty tangible, since Haleena's decision to sacrifice herself for Kitty is based on her need to save Kruun and the Breakworlders.  I had figured Kitty would somehow get back her powers thanks to Kruun's mutant "cure," but Gillen's way was a lot better.  (I will say that I'm not entirely sure why Haleena decided that only Kitty could stop Kruun and that it was worth sacrificing her life to make her tangible so she could do it.  I mean, presumably she could've just, I don't know, gotten Psylocke or something.  But, whatever, I've decided I buy it.)  I'm glad Gillen has wrapped up the Kitty storyline because I think it's high time we get to see Colossus and her just enjoy being together (as Kitty suggests on the last page).  Gillen has portrayed their relationship better than anyone I've ever read and I'm really excited to see where he takes them.  This arc rocked and I continue to be thrilled with Gillen's stewardship of one of Marvel's flagship titles.

X-Factor #221:  Seriously, I heart this story.  I heart everything about this story.  Shatterstar and Wolfsbane fighting off demons set on stealing Rahne's baby?  Awesome.  Rahne letting Shatterstar sneak a peak at her naked?  Awesome.  Feral NOT cheesily being returned from the dead but instead being a creepy ghost who keeps appearing creepily and creepily helping the demons find Rahne?  Awesome.  Madrox reading "Sybil?"  Awesome.  Getting resolution on Pip's mysterious benefactor (huh, I hadn't seen a "Great Expectations" connection there before writing that)?  Awesome.  "X-Factor" continues to be one of my favorite books right now and, if you're not reading it, you should be.

X-Men #13:  This story continues to be split between past and present.  In the present, we get some background on the Evolutionaries in the form of one of the Evolutionaries expositing their story to someone (though, to whom, I'm not entirely sure).  We learn they were created by an Eternal to help species set to become dominant evolve (though I thought in an earlier issue we established that the Eternals had washed their hands of this job, since they were tasked by the Celestials with containing the Deviant threat and nothing more).  Meanwhile, the X-Men continue trying to defend Cyclops from the Evolutionaries, who view him as responsible, as leader of the mutants, for the reduced number of mutants in the world and want to eliminate him.  In the past, Magneto has accepted the Evolutionaries charge to eliminate homo sapien.  I can't say either plot -- the X-Men defending Cyclops or Magneto accepting the Evolutionaries' task -- is particularly interesting, since neither really advances all that much from where it was at the end of last issue.  However, it's not what Yost does here that's interesting, but what he seems poised to do, which is seriously flesh out the history of several major characters.  First, I'm intrigued by the Scarlet Witch sending the past X-Men to find Emma Frost, since it implies that the Evolutionaries' appearance was the cause of (or at least contributed to) Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch breaking with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.  Second, we seem poised to delve into Emma Frost's back story, something that I don't think we've ever really been given all that extensively.  In the present, we seem on the verge of Magneto remembering his dealings with the Evolutionaries, with Emma warning Iceman that he may indeed get a chance to fight Magneto as a result.  Despite some of questions I have about the Evolutionaries and their origin, Yost has done a great job of building up the suspense in this issue, even if we don't really end with a change to the status quo.  I can honestly say I can't wait to see what happens next issue.  (I have no idea who the crew that appeared at the end of the issue were, so I'm hoping to get some clarity on that, too.  Also, the Storm/Magneto splash page was FANTASTIC.)

X-Men:  Prelude to Schism #3:  Jenkins continues the pattern of previous issues of framing this issue around Cyclops seeking advice from an advisor, this time, from his dead mother.  It's an interesting conceit, and it gives us insight into Cyclops' emotions that I can't say I've ever really seen.  Moreover, it pointed out something that had never dawned on me, that Cyclops -- despite being leader of the X-Men -- can't actually control his power.  Even more interestingly, Jenkins also calls into question whether Cyclops can't do so because of the concussion he suffered when he parachuted from the plane with Alex when they were children or simply because he hasn't focused enough on controlling it, raising the hint of the possibility that Cyclops could go the way of Rogue and actually learn how to control his power without his visor.  Other than this possibility, the issue doesn't really cover that much ground, leaving us to wonder what threat exactly the X-Men are facing.

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Captain America #618:  So, when the "Gulag" storyline first started, I was super-annoyed, because it felt like just yet another iteration of the "Trial of Captain America," making Bucky pay, yet again, for his sins as the Winter Soldier.  But, it's actually morphed into something much more intriguing and much more sinister.  It hadn't dawned on me that Bucky might not end this series as a good guy.  I assumed he wasn't going to end it as Captain America, but I figured we'd get him some other secret identity (USAgent, I believe, is available).  They'd probably give him a monthly series that would get canceled after 25 issues or so, but he'd still be seen as a member of the "New Avengers."  But, here, Brubaker opens the doors to the possibility that he may actually become the Winter Soldier again.  I don't think it'll happen, but just the injection of the possibility of it happening has made this story line a lot more dramatic.  It's like the "Trial of Captain America," before the somewhat bizarre Sin-related ending, where Brubaker really just kept you guessing.  The next issue is the conclusion to the storyline, and I'm intrigued to see what connection Rostov has to the two KGB agents the Winter Soldier killed and whether we will indeed see Bucky still on the side of angels.  Way to get me back in the game, Brubaker.  I won't doubt you again. 

Detective Comics #877:  I don't even know where to begin.  This issue is perfect.  It starts with a cliff-hanger, gives us character development in the middle, and ends with a cliff-hanger.  I could point out so many awesome moments in this issue, like Bats taking out the Roadrunner's foot while he's in the middle of a tirade to Dick embarrassing himself in front of Sonia Branch.  Both these scenes work not only on a basic level, but on a secondary level, sending up the usual "super-villain" monologue trope (by having Dick cut it short) and reminding us that Dick, and not Bruce, is behind the cowl by making him embarrassed (something I'm guessing Bruce probably wouldn't have been).  But, the scene that totally epitomizes why Scott Snyder is the best writer in comics right now is Dick's hilarious conversation with Red Robin.  It represents the grace note that Snyder is so good at giving us.  Other writers would've just given us Dick monologuing to himself (something Bruce probably would've done), but, instead, we get Dick having a conversation with Tim, developing their relationship and injecting humor into the story.  Snyder makes his life more difficult by giving us these scenes, because they're harder to write, but it's why "Detective Comics" is the best comic on the shelves right now. 

inFAMOUS #6:  Since the first moments of the game, Moya's allegiance has always been a question (if not the question).  If you accept that her primary allegiance is to the government (which is a big "if), her ties to Kessler and his experiments made her dirtier than your average agent.  However, shooting a military officer in the face pretty definitively establishes that, if she was working for the government, it was a pretty shady outfit (and probably not the FBI, as she claimed).  Her death means we don't know, still, who was pulling her strings.  At this point, I'm not sure how big of a deal it is.  inFAMOUS, as a game and a comic, has always hinted at some sort of conspiracy.  But, if you look at what we know, I'm not sure it matters.  We know Kessler got involved to jump start Cole's powers so he could face down the Beast (who clearly isn't David, as I originally thought) and we know that the government at the very least wanted the experiments to create some sort of super-soldier.  Zeke telling us about Cole surviving an accident a few years earlier more or less establishes that Cole's powers were innate (and activated by the Ray Sphere) and not something the Ray Sphere created in him.  So, I'm not sure if we really have a mystery left.  Sure, we can find out the identity of the shady outfit employing Moya, but it's not really going to change what we already know.  Despite the lack of a big reveal, this mini-series more or less did what it was supposed to do:  wrap up the loose ends from the first game and wipe the slate clean for the second game.  It doesn't so much set up the second game, since all we know is the NSA wants to talk to Cole.  But, it does give us some insight into Cole that we haven't really seen before.  He laments here that he walked away from things his entire life, and he decides he doesn't want to be that guy anymore.  It sets the stage for a more heroic Cole in the next game (and not an accidental hero, as we saw in the first game).  So, despite some pretty bad art, this series delivered on what it promised for me.  Now, I can't wait to get my hands on the game! 

X-Factor #220:  OK, so, I wasn't super-thrilled with the JJJ, Jr./Black Cat arc.  Whatever.  It's in the past.  This issue?  I love this issue.  It's been a while since we focused on the Rahne/Rictor/Shatterstar love triangle, and David handles it beautifully here.  He not only gives us a really touching scene between Rahne and Shatterstar as they walk through the rain discussing Rictor, but he also gives us Rahne and Shatterstar kicking some serious ass against a creepy-as-all-Hell-villain.  David's genius is really on display here, highlighting his talent in giving us emotionally-driven stories while at the same time scripting excellent fight scenes.  Those two abilities don't often go hand-in-hand (in fact, they almost never go hand-in-hand), which is what makes "X-Factor" such a joy to read month after month.  The appearance of Feral -- who, last I checked, was dead -- was an unexpected surprise at the end.  From the preview page at the end of the issue, this whole "Rahne and Shatterstar versus the Hordes of Hell" story looks like it's going to last a few issues, and I am very excited to see that.  I just hope, in the end, Rictor doesn't get jealous when Rahne and Shatterstar spend a night doing each other's hair. 

X-Men #12:  This issue continues the story from "X-Men Giant Size," with Cyclops facing down the Evolutionaries just as he remembers he has faced them before.  The issue starts with a group of Eternals (I'm assuming) watching a group of proto-humans being attacked and expositing that their purpose on Earth is to keep the Deviants in check, not get involved in deciding which races live or die, which is the Celestials' job.  Sure, whatevs.  Based on the narrative boxes, the Evolutionaries might have come from this group (or race) of proto-humans, though we don't really return to that idea in this issue.  Instead, we learn that the Evolutionaries, who seem to be the ones designated by the Celestials to make the sort of decisions the Eternals said weren't their job, have decided that Cyclops has failed in his task to protect mutantkind and decide to eliminate him as its leader.  Cyclops has downloaded his memory -- which Jean apparently blocked -- to Madison Jeffries and Dr. Nemesis, who are disturbed by what they learn (but we don't) and are scrambling to do something about it.  At the end, as the team swarms to protect Scott and Emma orders Pixie to take him off the island, Scott is trying to keep the Evolutionaries from contacting Magneto, who, in a flashback, the Evolutionaries previously took to be the leader of mutantkind.  This issue doesn't really answer that many questions.  Although it's (more or less) clear that the Celestials are behind the Evolutionaries, their origins are still shrouded in mystery and it's not clear why they decided that they needed to strike now (unless it was just to protect the X-Men from the Neo, which it may well have been).  Moreover, Cyclops clearly knows something more about the Evolutionaries that scares him, which intrigues me, since it seems enough that they're threatening to wipe out humanity.  At any rate, we shall see.