Avengers Vs X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis and Others

The only real reason anyone should read Avengers vs X-Men is because of the fact that the 'repercussions of the storyline resulted in the new status quo of the Marvel Universe presented in the company's Marvel NOW! relaunch initiative'. It birthed a new line-up of X-titles based on the aftermath of said major event. Heck, I'm currently reading one now (Uncanny Avengers) which is shitty, by the way, and almost rivals X-Men Volume IV which I quit halfway through. I'm quitting Rick Remeder's UA sooner rather than later as well. Sorry, Rick. It seems like not everything you write can be like your new ongoing series Low (which I like, so stick with that instead). ANYWAY, back to AVX.

This mammoth collection clocked close to nine hundred pages (my soft copy has at least 798, and the one I use for updates in Goodreads has eight-hundred-something). Regardless, this volume contains the centerpiece tale divided in three winding acts (with twelve or more issues, I honestly did not count) like a play, which ran for at least four hundred pages. The rest were just tie-ins concerning the varied fights among Avengers and X-Men which basically played out like cheesy pro-wrestling matches--even the writers themselves admit there was no plot--just a bunch of decent, noble superheroes tearing each other new assholes. I did not bother reading that part of this collection because FUCK...THAT. 

If I want to watch pro-wrestling, I'll watch pro-wrestling and not read it, for chrissake. That sort of choreographed fighting matches are best experienced in the live-action medium, thanks very much. With that said, my review will focus on the centerpiece narrative minus tie-ins, and so my rating will solely be based from that.

Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker , and illustrated by Jonathan Hickman, John Romita, Jr., and Olivier Coipel Adam Kubert, the colossal clusterfuck extravaganza deemed Avengers vs. X-Men had three major conflicts at its very core. With the exception of the stupid tie-ins, it's actually riveting examination of character arcs concerning a pair of men and women respectively--Captain America and Cyclops; Scarlet Witch and Hope Summers. 

As for the central conflicts themselves, I enumerated and summarized them as the following below:

• The Coming of the Phoenix Force and its ramifications
• Hope's failure to be its receptacle and her journey to reclaim it
• Cyclops and Captain America's clash of leadership and objectives

The rest are either interrelated or consequential of these big three, in my opinion. As a concept, it's pretty interesting and definitely an enjoyable thing to watch unfold. The Avengers--world's heralded group of the mightiest heroes--and the X-Men--world's persecuted group of the most outcast misfits--finally reach a grand breaking point. For a time, these separate superhero factions have managed to live and serve in mutual co-existence, albeit the underlying tension and personal politics that define their working relationships. But since mutant and Avenger member Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) decimated mutant population, the X-Men became more marginalized than ever, just when you thought it was not possible. A chain of events followed where readers get to see Scott Summers, formerly known as the Golden Boy and favored son of Charles Xavier, be pushed to his limits until he was committing small atrocities in the name of the survival of mutantkind. 

Raised in the beliefs of a mentor who preached pacifist ways as oppose to violence, Cyclops unfortunately started leaning more on Magneto's philosophy until he was marching into a crusade that spits in the face of the values he was supposed to uphold as an X-Man. It was a gritty character development that no one saw coming until it was already walking that tight rope. With his desperation to save mutantkind, Scott Summers nearly destroys everything that wasn't a part of his beloved race.

Some would say his war against the Avengers was an overreaction; others would say it was perfectly justified. Captain America--in spite of it being unintentional--had neglected to take account mutantkind in his American dream of truth, equality and justice. He had cast them out as a separate race who seem secondary to the humans. In Scott's eyes, it was an unforgivable act of both ignorance and arrogance. The Avengers have played as unaware enablers, shielding humanity from the worst of mutantkind instead of helping the X-Men educate humans to the best of their race. They worked together as teams multiple times, but it was out of tolerance than real camaraderie and friendship. And Scott finally has had enough of Captain America's self-righteousness and condescension. It was time for extreme measures. 

Can we really blame Scott for the steps he took to secure liberty and guarantee mutantkind's survival? After all, this was the same boy who was chosen and tasked by Professor X himself to lead his kind, one who is crippled by survivor's guilt at a tender age and who always felt the need to restrain his powers as oppose to fully embracing them. This boy grew up to be a man who lost his first love to an absolute power beyond anyone's comprehension; a man who had to hold together a fractured race of confused, terrified and powerful misfits whom human society continued to hunt down and kill; a man whom several circumstances with stakes against his favor kept pushing to a corner to until he finally pushed back. Avengers vs X-Men tells the story of Scott Summer's fall from grace, that horrific moment in his life when he was determined to accept the coming of the Phoenix Force to Earth, and the role that mutant messiah Hope had to play in all this, as the miracle he had been wishing for since the decimation. This was a man who had everything he believed in tested, broken down and twisted into something even he himself could no longer recognize. And so he was ready to bet it all and let the rebirth power of the Phoenix take course.

The twist, however, came when the Phoenix refused Hope. The mutant messiah who was born and trained for greatness has flinched at the last second when she was supposed to receive the Phoenix, and in return the Phoenix claimed Scott Summers, Emma Frost, Namor, Colossus and Illyana Rasputin. The Phoenix Five began fixing the world's problems using their powers but they are ticking bombs that could explode any moment and so the Avengers have to put a stop to all this madness. 

One by one, the Phoenix Five are defeated until only Scott and Emma were left. As it turns out, the more their numbers decrease, the residual power of the Phoenix gets absorbed by the ones left, making the two lovers the most powerful beings in the universe. The only two people who can dissuade them are Hope and Wanda; the former was the rightful receptor of the Phoenix while the latter is the mutant who destroyed her own kind. It would seem even the Phoenix recognizes Wanda's powers as a destroyer, which was why Scott and Emma were wary of her.

Meanwhile, Scott continues to justify his actions to his mentor and surrogate father: 

And even to himself, and the ghost of his beloved late Jean:

The climactic moment took place when Charles Xavier tried one last time to get through Scott who had taken Emma out of the equation and absorbed the Phoenix for himself--turning him into the Dark Phoenix second incarnate. All is fucked when Scott killed the man in a symbolic gesture that was just as intimate and devastating:

After the commotion settles, Hope stepped in and claimed the Phoenix as her own. As soon as she was possessed by it, she began repairing all the global damage the Phoenix Five previously inflicted due to their fights with the Avengers. Hours ago, she and Captain America had a heartfelt conversation where she asked him to trust her because she vowed she will do things differently. He did, but now that she had the Phoenix burning inside her, filling her with the glow of creation, Hope refused to let it go. She was meant to be the mutant messiah after all. She had to become the Phoenix for good and never relinquish its hold.

But then Wanda the Scarlet Witch convinced her otherwise; this was a woman who had the power to bend and re-create realities at will, and she had used it to fracture mutantkind just to punish her father Magneto. She will now have to forever live with that atrocity for the rest of her life. She cautioned the young Hope to not commit the same mistake, assuring her that if Hope was strong enough to let that kind of monstrous power in, then she is strong enough to let it go. 

Across the world, thousands of mutants were being born again. It was the final gift of the Phoenix Force as Wanda and Hope relinquish it back to the cosmos where it belonged. Lives and relationships were never the same again. Captain America knew he had to establish a real working relationship between Avengers and the X-Men; Scott Summers was imprisoned and labeled a terrorist but was fine with it because his wish was granted; Wolverine and the rest of the X-Men bury Xavier together and mourn his passing, as he decided to open a new mutant school named after Jean Grey; and a new line-up of X-titles were born.

This was a story meant to be read for posterity. It was unevenly paced, often alternating between being rushed or dragging, but had enough moments of great character conflicts to still be a riveting read for an X-Men fan who enjoys exploring the complicated interplay among its heroes and villains. Taking out the tie-ins out of consideration, Avengers vs. X-Men is an important work in itself in spite of its glaring flaws and a few plot holes here and there.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

Uncanny Avengers Vol. 1 by Rick Remender

For this March, I decided to read only two X-Men titles since I have just wrapped up my 2015 X-Men comics diet and I have other comics and manga I want to get into this year. So I chose to read and review Rick Remeder's Uncanny Avengers by volume, and also tackle my long overdue thoughts concerning Avengers vs. X-Men, a heavy motherfucker of seven-hundred or so pages. It's interesting to read them side-by-side, considering Remender's UX is post-AVX (much like the other MARVEL NOW! titles). I think this is the last series from that line-up that I haven't read yet, and I'm glad I saved it for the last because this particular title is BONKERS. 

Granted, Bendis' All-New X-Men has the the most bonkers premise of them all, and the easily forgettable X-Men IV which really should have been renamed X-Women is a depressing parade of nonsensical bonkers hence my inability to finish it--but Remender's Uncanny Avengers seriously takes the cake for a series that has little coherent sense narrative-wise AND YET manages to be entertaining nevertheless. But hey, it's only been the first volume. I'd like to be a positive Patty and believe that things will only get better from here but based solely from my experience last year on at least 40% of the X-titles I encountered, it'd be best to expect that the worst is still to come. So let's all curb our enthusiasm, shall we?

How bonkers is this series so far? Well, for one thing it's a combination of two superhero team names: X-Men and The Avengers. With the aftermath of the AVX, everyone's favorite boy-scout Captain America (whether in an ironic context or not) assigned Alex Summers (a. k. a Havoc), brother to former golden boy Scott Summers (Cyclops, who lost his shit and killed Xavier while possessed by the Phoenix Force) to be the face of the new collaborative heroic efforts of the newly minted 'Uncanny Avengers'. 

It's gimmicky--it's blatant publicity--it's a desperate measure of compromise to appease the general public regarding the mutant threat. It's everything experimental that would make me anxious for the most justifiable of reasons. It only took him decades, but hey, at least Captain America was now willing to stand up for the mutants and include them in his agenda for social change and upholding the American values. Look, I've been a fan of Kapitan in the movies, but based on the ways he was characterized here in Remender's title and the AVX issues--I'm not sure I buy his brand of noble superhero. For one thing--did it really have to take him this long to take a stance promoting mutant rights? But should is still surprise me at this point? No race and minority has been oppressed this much in comics than the X-Men. It's essentially the encompassing themes of all their stories.

GENERAL IMPRESSIONS on UNCANNY AVENGERS VOLUME #1, "The Red Shadow"

I like it. I really did. It's has a Zooey Deschanel sort of quirky charm to it at times that has a surprisingly believable dark twist. Illustrated by John Cassaday and comprised of the first five issues of the series, The Red Shadow was able to hold my interest enough for me to look forward to the next volume. There are cool passages of prose and I'm certainly happy to see my childhood favorite Rogue again and her conflict with Scarlet Witch unfold. Sad-Logan is also a bonus because I miss him from his version in Jason Aaron's Wolverine and the X-Men. It's always great to see his vulnerability.

PROS

• Claremont-esque prose in a lot of the narrative panels. Remender seems to be doing a conscious tribute to the man's style of writing and I didn't mind it. It was nostalgic since I am a fan of the good Claremont era.
• Rogue and Scarlet Witch's interesting conflict. Rogue blames her for the chain of events since Wanda cast that decimation thing about the mutant race that everyone doesn't want to talk about anymore because, you know, awkward and sad and stuff...I could only hope Rogue and Scarlet Witch interact more now that they're on the same team. I can roll with Rogue's animosity for her and Scarlet Witch's road to redemption after her shitty action in House of M.
• Alex Summers finally taking on a leadership role and butting heads with Kapitan. His speech about distancing himself from the label 'mutant' was intriguing and Bendis in All-New X-Men was given a chance to respond to it through Kitty Pryde's insight. Comparing their opinions about the subject matter was genius. I like how they both have valid reasons for their convictions; Alex wanting to be treated as more than just his identification as mutant; and Kitty claiming that distancing yourself from your race only contributes to the discrimination and prejudice itself. On some days, I'd lean on Kitty because it seems more realistic to think of the world in terms like that and to fight against any form of oppression by stating that "I am _____ and proud of it". But, on other days, I think I also aspire to live in a world that Alex is preaching where divisions of race, gender, sexual orientation don't ultimately matter.

CONS

• Claremont-esque prose in a lot of the narrative panels. I'm a fan of the good Claremont era, yes, but the man has a tendency to 'tell' rather than 'show' action scenes at times that it would come off lazy and pretentious.
• FUCKING RED SKULL AS THE VILLAIN OF THIS ARC. I FUCKING HATE THAT BASTARD. I WISH THERE IS A FIERY PIT I COULD PUSH HIM INTO. He's such an awful piece of shit and he didn't even get the punishment he so deserved.

• Stupid stuff like Red Skull being able to absorb late Xavier's telepathy via--I dunno--lobotomy? He basically scooped his brain out of his skull and---ate it? WHO THE FUCK KNOWS?? And then he starts controlling everyone, having mobs beat up on innocent mutants on the street. The worst offender of them all is him being able to corrupt Thor AND THAT THOR COULD STILL WIELD THE HAMMER EVEN WHEN HE WAS TURNED EVIL. Is my lore about the hammer wrong? Isn't it a big deal that only someone who is worthy of the hammer can wield its power? Evil Thor never should have been able to wield it then. Motherfucking plot holes, man.

FAVORITE MOMENTS

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

The End of the Road: 2015 Recollections and Upcoming Joys

I already told you the story of how Christmas 2014 went. I was drunk on eggnog and playing with my young cousins when I came to the coolest decision that I wanted to start with an all-X-Men comics diet because who's stopping me? I have loved this quirky superhero team of misfits and outcasts since a kid after all. I want to not only familiarize myself with their canon and mythos beyond the cartoon and movie adaptations but also because I needed more intimate experiences about comics. So by the time 2015 rolled around, I was pretty much glued to my computer, reading the downloaded copies of said comics, particularly the Chris Claremont nineties stuff. My very first ever official review was I believe something I have written hours after midnight struck and 2015 began which I then posted by the 2nd of January. Now here I am, exactly a year later, doing the same thing by typing this closer for my 2015 X-Men Comics Diet. 

I had tons and tons of great times. I had some silly and absurd moments too. Heck, I even had sickening and disheartening times while reading. I was almost cross-eyed in both grief and nerd rage. In a nutshell, a year-round X-Men comics diet wasn't always the healthiest thing but it was a choice I stuck by and was glad to accomplish. 

That being said, I will have a third wave of X-Men comics this 2016. I admit that I even took a break in 2015 around July-August because I have to devote some time with my other comics diets which are Hellblazer comics and Batman comics (whose third waves will happen in April and May 2016 respectively). But X-Men for 2016 will happen much earlier than the other two which would be on March. I only plan on reading two titles:

• Uncanny Avengers
• Avengers vs X-Men

This could only mean that my 2016 would include less X-Men material because I have other graphic novels from Image, Vertigo and IDW I would like to get started with since I've neglected them for an entire year already. Still, I will be updating this blog every couple of months or so by posting three essays/recaps:

• Professor X and Magneto in Comics: A Personal Shipping Manifesto
• YEAREND X-MEN 2015: A Recap
• On Favorite Characters for 2015

So do watch out for those. I have no fixed schedule and date for when I'll get around them but just in case, I might even divide each essay/recap with several installments so there is something you guys can read here on the blog while I'm away, mostly more active in READEMPTION LITERATURE.

How was my 2015 X-Men Comics Diet in retrospect? 

• I had encountered new favorites (like Warbird, Quentin Quire, Broo, and time-dispeled Jean Grey) and familiarized myself with old characters (Kitty Pryde, Kurt Wagner, Hope Summers, Scarlet Witch and Psyclocke) and who I only started to like once I read them in comics.
• I had learned to let go of some childhood favorites and preconceived notions.
• I had made a final decision on certain characters and regarding how I feel about them such is the case with Cyclops, Gambit, Beast, Wolverine and Storm--and a few of them are not always positive.
• I had fallen more madly in love with the story of friendship and heartache between Professor X and Magneto and definitely look forward to seeing them again in the X-Men: Apocalypse film! CHERIK FOREVER!
• I had formed a deeper and more nuanced appreciation for the Marvelverse and definitely feel more comfortable and knowledgeable about the canon, much more so than DC (but I will always choose DC no matter what, though).

I will expound on these in my essays/recap posts. Until then, everyone!

Stay sexy, everyone. I know I will. 

Wolverine and the X-Men by Jason Aaron Volume 8

In the aftermath of the Battle of the Atom (crossover issues of this title are #36-37), both factions of the X-Men (Cyclops' revolutionary team under the New Xavier School for the Gifted, and Wolverine's more lenient team for the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning) may have endured the crisis it brought, but they didn't accomplish this together at all. After Hank McCoy brought back the very first five X-Men from the sixties who then decided to stay in the current timeline (Bendis' All-New X-Men), so many events have been escalating left and right, and certain relationships between each other and with human government agencies, such as S.H.I.E.L.D, have reached a breaking point that trust is hardly something both parties have earned. 

While Scott tries to maintain his recruits' faith in their revolution cause (Bendis' The Uncanny X-Men), Logan, on the other hand, as headmaster of JGS, butts heads with head of S.H.I.E.L.D Special Agent Maria Hill who happened to hire a liaison, the mutant previously known as Dazzler, much to the discomfort of her peers. 

Of course, the real Dazzler has been abducted midway and was actually replaced by shape-shifter and long-time villainess Mystique who infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D herself to gather intel and steal finances from corporations to fund her place of conquest in Madripoor which she acquired from Hydra. This is where she opened an asylum for all mutants who refuse to integrate to human society and live according to their rules. This story mostly plays out on Bendis' The Uncanny X-Men, so you can follow that plotline in said title instead. 

For the eighth and final volume of Jason Aaron's run of Wolverine and the X-Men, issue #38 opens with JGS and S.H.I.E.L.D meeting on school grounds to discuss about boundaries unresolved issues, and Maria Hill expresses her sentiments as a public servant and human being who has to deal with the bad publicity and growing infamy of mutantkind, particularly towards the X-Men. Her exchange with Logan is very important at this point in the game, arguing well-founded criticisms, reservations and fears:

Meanwhile, issues #39-40 gave us more amazing scenes and plot concerning the new students who just enrolled in JGS; the Brickmore twins known as Tri-Joey and Squidface. After their initiation to the school where Tri-Joey (Joseph) actually enjoyed becoming friends with a lot of the students, the twins were revealed to be moles for S.H.I.E.L.D., and Squidface (Josephine) was adamant in having JGS closed for good. The siblings were actually normal humans who just took mutant growth serum so they can masquerade inside JGS. As they plan their uprising, it turned out that they have been discovered from the start and everyone was simply trying to give them a chance to change their mind about JGS. Quentin, Broo, Idie, Eyeboy, Genesis, Kid Gladiator, Shark Girl and Sprite all agree that they are all strange and weird and odd and although their school has a sentient lawn and a murdering bathroom, and a lot of people are trying to kill them on a weekly if not daily basis...

THEY LOVE THE DAMN PLACE ANYWAY!

It's the one place they are free to be themselves and be accepted no matter what!

The following exchanges are some of my favorities:

As the kids take control of the situation, Wolverine and Cyclops manage to run onto each other when they both decided to kill some Sentinels by their lonesome. It's funny how these so-called opposites often manage to decide on doing the same thing. It didn't go so well and they almost died (especially when Wolverine has been losing his healing factor), but by the end of the day, these two are friends. And they have a lot to talk about. It's gonna get brutal but eventually for the best.

Wolverine finds a medical kit (and some booze) so the two of them decided to hang out a bit as they rest. 

Everyone knows alcohol is the best social lubricant!

This was great because, in return, they had their most honest and hurtful but also cathartic exchange:

I would like to thank Jason Aaron for writing down the insecurities that these two have about each other and how he managed to get them out in the open during a grueling discussion. The highlights there have to be the Professor X-Magneto analogy which was something a lot of people started using after Wolverine and Cyclops had a grand falling-out; and the mentions of Jean Grey and the fact that they ended their conversation with a meaningful nod to her memory because even though they have different views and methods of doing things, what will forever bind Logan and Scott is that they love (and were loved) by the same amazing woman who has inspired them to be who they are and commit to the principles they believe in no matter what. Reading about this dialogue gives me hope for reconciliation between these two!

The issues #41-42 and Annual were all character-centric. #41 has Mortimer a.k.a Toad who had been working as the janitor for JGS since this title started. However, he also sided with the Hellfire Club all because of his girlfriend Husk who unfortunately suffered a nervous breakdown and henceforth turned rotten for a while. He eventually did change his mind and assisted Quentin and the others to bring down Hellfire Academy from within, but this just wasn't enough to absolve him of his earlier crimes. Wolverine and the rest of the faculty had to let him go, much to Krakoa's sadness. Husk (Paige) wasn't crazy anymore but she also doesn't remember her relationship with Toad. She was willing to find out why she loved him in the first place, though, and asked to get some coffee with him. Tragically, Toad helped Enrique and Max, former Hellfire Club members, to escape although he did beat up Enrique and left him back in JGS. He and Max then went together, probably to form their own new evil team. AND IT'S HEARTBREAKING! Toad has been reformed villain for a while so it makes me a little angry that he decided that being a villain is all he could ever be so instead of dating Paige again, he returned to his former life of crime. So disheartening, guys!

Meanwhile, #42 is all about graduation and Quentin Quire wasn't happy about this. There are also flash-forward scenes with an old Logan and a grown-up Idie Okonkwo as they discuss about closing down JGS for good. Back in present day, Quentin bemoans how he is officially turned into the good guy while proudly wearing his Dark Phoenix-at-Training shirt around campus where everyone is happy and celebratory. He had a nice conversation with Captain America who was proud of him for changing, and then Wolverine handed him a diploma, much to his depression and shame. Try as he might to deny that he has earned his place as an X-Man, Quentin is actually more afraid of growing up and actually making the right choices as well as being surrounded by friends who deeply care about him and believe in him. It's all nice and fluffy and sweet and Q keeps complaining in his typical fashion how this makes him sick! 

Meanwhile, Logan and Ororo are still a couple and she cheers him up by saying this:

I think Wolverine and Quentin Quire have a lot of things in common which was why it was natural for Logan to take him under his wing. Both were considered outsiders who challenged authority and are eager to prove to the world that they must be feared and will never be loved or belong anywhere. Ultimately, both are proven wrong and find themselves on the same side, both grown-up and ready to take on more tomorrows. This is also the last issue of Jason Aaron's run for Wolverine and the X-Men and I love it so much! Logan is finally happy and content, and Quentin has found his place in an unlikely home and with the best people he can be surrounded with!

Lastly, the Annual issue focused on Kubark a.k.a Kid Gladiator who may like to punch his way through galaxies but is a real softie underneath it all. He was sent back to Shi'ar in his old academy during the Phoenix Force crossover event, but he quickly realized that he misses JGS and Earth after all, but is too proud to admit it to himself, especially in front of his classmates and father.

Fortunately for him, Majestor Gladiator, his old dad, is very supportive and understands that his son finally found a place where he can thrive and be exceptional so he agrees to let Kubark return to Earth--but after he punched his way through multiple fights again and earned the respect of his peers. He even got to fight alongside the Avengers! These experiences had been enjoyable for him but he much rather come back to JGS where he is warmly welcomed in, of course. I really found this Annual issue so adorable and unexpectedly touching!

This was a really amazing finale volume! I'm glad everyone got their happy endings!

RECOMMENDED: 9/10

Wolverine and the X-Men by Jason Aaron issues #33-35

Okay, look here. See? This review will cover three issues but I'm going to be a cheapskate concerning the length since this isn't going to feature some long-ass discussion about every little thing that happened. About a good 70% of these combined three installments can be summarized easily and it won't even compose a paragraph. Also, I'd like to inform everyone that the next issues after these ones (#36-37) are crossovers with Battle of the Atom and I simply don't want to review that because I already have an official review of that story arc found HERE so check out that one instead. I don't want to relive BotA. It's a good story, that I can guarantee, but at this point I need some distance from it. So here in issues #33-35, we have the last three installments of The Hellfire Saga and it wasn't a bad way to end the confrontation between the main players; the good guys of the Jean Grey School and the bad guys of the Hellfire Academy. 

Here are the brief summaries of what happened for each issue:

• Issue #33 had Idie Okonkwo, the young mutant student named Ova who can control temperatures and wield them as a weapon, monologuing about the education she has experienced so far about the Hellfire Academy. Her mindset about "kill or be killed", as well as her insistence towards the fact that she was basically raised and taught to be an unfeeling bitch is somewhat reminiscent of Warbird's own soliloquy Aaron wrote at least ten issues ago. Here she was invited by Kade Kilgore to become the Black Queen. She puts on the costume and demands that if she was ever going to be his girlfriend, she needs someone to kill Broo who has grown attached to her. This was all a ploy to know who shot Broo before, and silly Kade immediately cops to it, and now enraged, Idie was determined to kill him. Luckily (and I stress that because I ADORE KADE KILGORE AND Y'ALL NEED TO DEAL WITH IT), she was distracted when surveillance footage of the fights happening in the premises which is a live-feed in Kilgore's office showed Toad trying to appease his crazy girlfriend Husk who is literally choking him to death. He keeps saying that he loves her over and over. And Idie sees and hears this and sheds a tear. She leaves Kade unconscious and goes to Quentin to help him, having reached the grand epiphany that she wants to know how to love and be loved before she dies--and she's pretty sure she'll die young anyway so she might as well. It was a nice moment for the guilt-ridden, self-hating young lady. I'm proud of her.

• Issue #34 is where most of the action sequences are. The JGS teachers finally found the Hellfire Academy (god, it took them awhile, didn't it?) and we readers were graced with images of Krakoa vs. another pile of Krakoas, plus Iceman as a frost giant that resembled a robot fighter from a Japanese anime. Kitty phases through the school grounds, determined to find the kids and bring them home. Storm, Rachel Grey, Beast and Wolverine handle most of the heavy work. Idie and Quentin share their second kiss during the battle. Broo attacks Kade and bites his shoulder and wouldn't let go and the rest of tween HC just looked on, completely devoid of any concern for their leader. Kade is delusional about his success and rule now at this point. His hubris is so beautiful and painful to watch for me. He asked for the Philistine to bring the Siege of Perilous (this mirror thing) and then he looked at the chaos surrounding him and declared victory because he had the X-Men right where he wanted them. His white king Manuel and black bishop Max don't share his vision and the issue ends with the two of them aiming guns at Kade's back, ready to kill him. 

• Issue #35 concludes the saga. The turncloaks didn't get to kill Kade because their firearms are designed by Kilgore industries after all and Kade hunts these two down with the same weapons, shooting his way across the premises until he reached Quentin and Idie and had the Philistine capture them. Meanwhile, Toad still tries to get Husk to listen to him as he proceeded to tear through layers and layers of her facial skin. Ewww. Starblood also tried to escape with Broo so he can take him to outer space where said Broodling can eat other aliens. What a fucking jerk. Next, a surprising turn occurs when white queen Wilhemina (a crazy former beauty queen pageant who has the hots for Kade from the beginning) orders the Philistine to kill them all and not bother submitting them to the Siege of Perilous. The Philistine obliged and then pushed Wilhemina inside the mirror and she walked inside it willingly. Before she went, she iterates that Kade should have told her that she was pretty more often. The girl does look like a mini Emma Frost and a lot crazier. Kade was horrified to see the one girl who actually had feelings for him leave him there with his enemies. He was near tears and he wanted someone to hug him before he dies. He doesn't get that, of course, because he's a bad guy. Q punches him instead. Oh, my sweet baby boy, come to mommy and lemme pet you!

STOP HURTING MY BABY! ALL MY BABY EVER NEEDED WAS TENDER LOVE AND CARE!

Shhhh...s'okay, Kade my babe, you're safe. Mommy's here...

On other more pleasant news, Broo tried to bite a Bamf while Starblood was about to take him away, and then he saw a vision of some caped dude, telling him to wake up. And he does! FUCKING ADORABLE BROO IS BACK AND EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE OKAY NOW!

Rebel-at-heart Quentin Quire also realized he can be a good guy and still enjoy himself. He's got a girlfriend now so he can't complain. Meanwhile, when Wolverine tried to get his brother to stop being a bitch, Dog Logan instead jumped inside the siege, taking Kade with him. So my baby is trapped inside a magic mirror but I am not worried. That stupid Siege thing transforms people and gives them powers. I can only hope for the best! I bet Wilhemina, Kade and Dog Logan will be back one of these days. Kade my babe is broken now but he's a resourceful fucker and I know this wouldn't be the last time we will see him! He's meant for greatness, okay?! On other more exciting news:

That mysterious caped stranger surrounded by Bamfs is no other than KURT WAGNER A.K.A NIGHTCRAWLER, RIGHT?! It has to be! I know my sweet elf can't stay dead any longer! He's too much of a fan-favorite! PLEASE TELL ME THIS IS TRUE! I WANT HIM BACK! You took Kade away so this is the least you could do, Aaron! PLEEEEEASE!

Genki anime girl concurs!~

RECOMMENDED: 8/10