X-amining X-Factor #-1

"A Summers Tale"

July 1997

In a Nutshell

Mister Sinister tests a young Havok, and finds him wanting. 

Writer: Howard Mackie
Penciler: Jeff Matsuda
Inker: Art Thibert
Letterer: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Kelly Corvese
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

Plot

13 year old Alex Summers is trying to fit into his new adoptive family, with his mother frequently mistaking him for her recently deceased son Todd and his dad urging him to pursue athletics like Todd. Alex's sister Haley convinces Alex to try out for the football team - which his father coaches - and his success at both football and in school attracts the attention of some school bullies. Haley scares them off, but their leader Vince follows Alex home. While lurking outside, he's approached by Mister Sinister, who urges him to take action. Vince and his gang kidnap Alex and Haley, taking them to an abandoned warehouse where they are hunted for sport. Haley and Alex manage to escape, but Vince catches up to them. He shoots Haley in the leg, implies that he killed Todd, and tells Alex he's going to kill the rest of his family. Haley and Todd race home, where Alex uses his powers for the first time to incinerate Vince before he can blow up the house. Having watched from afar, Sinister is pleased with the results, but feels Alex has too little control, so he erases everyone's memories of recent events, promising himself to reunite with Alex should he ever gain control of his powers. 

X-amining Classic X-Men #27 - Patreon First!

 "Backlash!"

November 1988

In a Nutshell

Wolverine and Phoenix are trapped in a basement with a penis monster. 

Writer: Ann Nocenti, Chris Claremont (additional pages)
Artist: John Bolton, Kieron Dwyer (additional pages) 

Inker: Terry Austin (additional pages)
Letters: Tom Orzechowski

Editor: Ann Nocenti

Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot

Cyclops, Jean and Wolverine stop at a roadside diner for burgers. As they wait for their food, Jean hears the psychic cry of a janitor in a nearby derelict factory. Investigating, the janitor tells the X-Men he was attacked by a strange creature created by the chemicals in the factory, Just then, the floor collapses, with Wolverine and Jean falling into the tunnels beneath the factory. Telling Cyclops to evacuate the factory, Jean and Wolverine pick their way through the tunnels, trying to find the creature, but Wolverine seems more interested in flirting with Jean. When Jean feels something grab her leg, she assumes its Wolverine, but it's a tentacle of the creature. Wolverine cuts it off, but it multiples, and soon, they're surrounding by numerous creatures. Jean throws a telekinetic bubble around them, but as the creatures push in on it, it grows smaller and smaller. As Wolverine and Jean's bodies press together, Cyclops telepathically tells Jean the factory is clear, and she triggers an explosion, destroying the creatures When Cyclops asks if they're okay, Wolverine tells him it's the best time he's had in months. 

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X-amining X-Men 2099 #4

"The Darkroom"
January 1994

In a Nutshell
The X-Men are targeted by the Theater of Pain

Writer: John Francis Moore
Penciler: Ron Lim
Inkers: Sanders III & Jimmy Palmiotti
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Tom Smith
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Plot
In the New Mexican desert, Bloodhawk is attacked & captured by La Lunatica. At Nuevo Sol, the X-Men are salvaging what equipment they can when Meanstreak receives a message from his friend Jordan Boone indicating he's in some kind of trouble. When Xi'an refuses to let Meanstreak go to New York to help him, Meandstreak leaves anyway, prompting Xi'an to send Krystalin & Fitz after him. Elsewhere, Bloodhawk wakes up inside the Theater of Pain, where Lunatica uses her mutant power to trigger painful memories, which Controller Thirteen records for the benefit of their patrons. Having been tasked by Brimstone Love with capturing the mutants who attacked Las Vegas, the Controller sends Lunatica after Bloodhawk's allies. She tracks them down at a truck stop where Krystalin & Fitz catch up to Meanstreak, and captures all three. However, when Lunatica trigger's Fitz's memory of the death of his girlfriend, his power activates, destroying the Controller's equipment, including the inhibitor collar controlling Lunatica. Freed after ten years of service, she attacks the Controller, while the freed X-Men continue on their way to New York in search of Boone.