X-amining X-Men (vol. 2) #-1

"I Had A Dream"

July 1997

In a Nutshell

Professor X and Magneto reunite on the verge of their philosophical differences exploding into open conflict.

Writer: Scott Lobdell

Pencils: Carlos Pacheco 
Inks: Art Thibert
Letterer: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Colorist: Chris Lichtner & Aron Lusen

Associate Editor: Mark Powers
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

Plot

At his mansion, Charles Xavier continues his physical therapy, under the guidance of his nurse/girlfriend, Amelia Voght. She urges him to rethink his plans regarding mutantkind, but he insists they can't simply hide in his mansion and do nothing. He then asks her to teleport him to the remains of concentration camp in Europe, where he knows his old friend Erik will soon appear. Meanwhile, aboard Asteroid M in orbit around the planet, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff discuss their recent alliance with the man known as Magneto Despite having saved their lives, Pietro remains unconvinced Magneto is a good man. Magneto arrives and brings the twins down to the concentration camp, where he finds Xavier and Voght waiting. The two former friends each try to convince each other, for the last time, to give up their respective plans to chart the course of mutantkind's future, with Xavier arguing that places like the concentration camp will rise again if Magneto launches his war on humanity. Both men acknowledge their ability to kill the other, but leave each other in peace for the last time, with Magneto declaring there will be only one onclusion to their conflict, and to the victor will go the spoils. He then scoops up a handful of earth, and returns with the Maximoffs to Asteroid M.

X-amining X-Men 2099 #5

"Lightningstrike: Fall of the Hammer Part Three"
February 1994

In a Nutshell
The X-Men become embroiled in the "Fall of the Hammer" crossover.
Writer: John Francis Moore
Penciler: Ron Lim
Inkers: Jim Sanders III
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Tom Smith
Loki, Mischiefmaker: Joey Cavalieri
Odin, All-Seeing: Tom DeFalco

Plot
As Fitz escapes from Alchemax's security forces, on Valhalla, floating above New York City, Meanstreak, Krystalin & Bloodhawk are confronted by Heimdall. He takes out Meanstreak & Bloodhawk, but Ravage helps Krystalin escape. Below, as the crowd cheers the return of Thor, Fitz commandeers an aircab to get up to Valhalla, recalling how the X-Men arrived in the city and were caught by Alchemax at the apartment of Meanstreak's friend Jordan Boone, prompting the group to split up & Fitz to be captured. As the cab climbs higher, it suddenly gives out, but someone grabs Fitz to prevent him from falling to his death. On Valhalla, Loki appears before Meanstreak and offers to disable the neurotech that gives Heimdall his powers, allowing the X-Men to knock him out. Loki then reveals himself as Boone, having undergone Alchemax' genetic restructuring process to gain powers for himself. Just then, Fitz arrives, along with his rescuer, Dr. Doom. Fed up with the environmental harm being done by Valhalla, Bloodhawk takes to the sky, intent on destroying it, only to be blasted down by a bolt of lightning hurled by an angry Thor.

X-amining Wolverine #-1

"A Whiff of Sartre’s Madeleine!"

July 1997

In a Nutshell

Logan meets the inventor of adamantium.

Script: Larry Hama
Pencils: Cary Nord
Inks: Scott Hanna
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft/EM
Colors: Joe Rosas
Editor: Mark Powers

Editor in Chief: Bob Harras

Plot

Hoping to help Logan find some answers about his metal skeleton and his past, James and Heather Hudson have setup a meeting between Logan and Myron MacLain, the scientist who created adamantium. When Logan arrives at the Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. to meet with MacLain, he is monitored by both the CIA and Hydra. MacLain is astonished to learn someone bonded adamantium to Logan's skeleton, having only heard rumors about a Japanese scientist developing a process for such. Just then, CIA agent Victor Creed bursts in; pleased to see Logan doesn't remember him, he pulls a gun, but a Hydra team attacks, hoping to capture Logan.  interrupted by Hydra, who open fire on the pair, trying to hit Logan. The ensuing brawl is joined by Nick Fury and Carol Danvers, who rescue Logan with an assist from Black Widow, who tells Logan he's better off not joining any of the groups pursuing him. When Creed catches up to them, Logan defeats him, but rather than finish him, he merely takes his hat. Then Logan departs to return to Canada, more confused than ever. As he leaves, Hydra agents target him with a missile, but their leader Madame Hydra calls off the attack, opting to leave him alive — for now. 

Transformers #40 (May 1988) - The Commercial, Not The Comic

“Besides, if I die, you can always re-create me. Isn’t that right?” - Actual quote from Optimus Prime this issue.

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.

X-amining X-Man #-1

"Breeding Ground"

July 1997

In a Nutshell

In the Age of Apocalypse, Mister Sinister performs a status check on his pet project, Nate Grey.

Writer: Terry Kavanagh
Penciler: Roger Cruz 
Inker: Bud LaRosa & Wellington Diaz
Letterer: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Colorist: Mike Thomas
Editor: Bob Harras

Plot

Safely ensconced in his secret lab inside an abandoned orphanage in Nebraska, Mister Sinister checks on his pet project, the creation of a supremely powerful mutant named Nate Grey. Removing the prepubescent Nate from his nutrient bath, Sinister is pleased with the boy's development. When an incoming call from Beast distracts Sinister, Nate slips away, experiencing psionic echoes of his genetic father's, Scott Summers, experiences as a child in the orphanage. Angry, Sinister gives Nate a glimpse of life outside the orphanage, of Apocalypse's Infinites rounding up humans. Nate instinctively uses his power to try and stop the Infinites psionically, prompting Sinister to trigger a failsafe to cut off Nate's powers. As the young Nate grows angry, Sinister placates him with a teddy bear, then leads him back to his nutrient bath. The experience has made Sinister realize that, when fully grown, the boy will be too powerful, and he must develop a stronger failsafe to keep him in check.

X-amining X-Men 2099 #3

"Viva Las Vegas"
December 1993

In a Nutshell
One of the X-Men dies as the rest rescue Xi'an from Junkpile & Lytton Synge.
Writer: John Francis Moore
Penciler: Ron Lim
Inkers: Adam Kubert , Chris Ivy, Jim Sanders III, Cam SMith & Gary Martin
Letterers: Ken Lopez & Jon Babcock
Colorist: Tom Smith
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Chief: Tom DeFalco

Plot
Bloodhawk attacks the Vegas strip outside Synge's casino, creating a distraction which allows Cerebra, Tim a& Tina to sneak inside. and free the captive Meanstreak & Metalhead. Meanwhile, Krystalin learns Lytton Synge killed his father & framed Xi'an. She tries to kill Lytton, but is stopped by Junkpile. Elsewhere, the reunited X-Men are confronted by the Rat Pack, but Cerebra is able to activate Tim's power to blast them aside. As they close in on Xi'an's location, they are confronted by Junkpile, who kills Tina and shatters one of Bloodhawk's wings before he's stopped by a newly-revived Xi'an. He easily dispatches Junkpile, but refuses to kill him, then reveals that the cocoon he was in both healed his injury and activated a new power, giving him the ability to heal others with one of his hands. He is able to repair Bloodhawk's wing, but is unable to bring Tina back from the dead. Just then, Desdemona appears. She tells the X-Men they are free to go, as she knows her brother killed their father. The X-Men return to the desert where they bury Tina, while elsewhere, Brimstone Love has a woman named Luna dispatched to investigate the new mutant phenomenon in that area.

X-amining Uncanny X-Men #-1

"The Boy Who Saw Tomorrow!"

July 1997

In a Nutshell

Rachel Summers tracks Sanctity to the early days of the Sentinels creation.

Writer: Scott Lobdell
Penciler: Bryan Hitch
Inker: Paul Neary
Letters: Richard Starkings
Colors: Steve Buccellato

Editor: Mark Powers
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

Plot

Following her disciple Sanctity into the past, Rachel Summers arrives in South Dakota, near where Bolivar Trask is close to completing the first Master Mold. Bolivar is tending to his son, Larry, a mutant with hidden precognitive abilities. Just then, Sanctity attacks Rachel, and the two argue over the merits of trying to change the past, something with which Rachel is all too familiar. But Rachel quickly realizes she's only fighting a psionic projection of Sanctity. The real Sanctity is confronting Bolivar, revealing herself to him as his daughter, Tanya. She explains how her powers caused her to be lost in time, but that she was saved by Rachel. She wants Bolivar to give up the Sentinel project, but Rachel intervenes, erasing Bolivar's memory of the encounter in an effort to preserve the timeline. The two women return to the future, but Sanctity manages to secretly upload a file on the Twelve into Master Mold's programming before she goes. 

X-amining X-Men 2099 #2

"Synge City Blues"
November 1993

In a Nutshell
Xi'an's condition worsens as the X-Men search for evidence he was framed for Synge's death.

Writer: John Francis Moore
Penciler: Ron Lim
Inkers: Adam Kubert & Mike Sellers
Letterer: Tom Smith
Colorist: Ken Lopez
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Plot
Xi'an's X-Men race away from Nuevo Sol, pursued by the Synge Casino enforcers. They receive an unexpected assist from Bloodhawk, who helps fight off the enforcers and takes the X-Men to a secure location, saying his debt to Xi'an for freeing him from Synge is complete. Back at Nuevo Sol, Lytton Synge admonishes Junkpile for the botched assassination of Xi'an, ordering him to finish the job. Later, a drunk Desdemona crashes her father's memorial service, reminding Lytton she now owns equal shares in the casino. Elsewhere, with the injured Xi'an mysteriously being covered by a cocoon-like red carapace, the X-Men split up, with Meanstreak, Krystalin & Metalhead heading to Synge's casino in order to find evidence that Xi'an was framed for Synge's murder. After they leave, Junkpile tracks down the remaining X-Men guard Xi'an. At the casino, Meanstreak & Metalhead are captured by the Rat Pack, while Junkpile makes short work of Cerebra, Tim and Tina, only to discover Xi'an fully encased in his cocoon.

Sovereign Seven in Seven Parts: An Ant Critiques An Elephant

Gene Kendall here to remind you in our final installment that, sure, Sovereign Seven could be a frustrating read, but it was hardly the total dud the early online fandom believed it to be. Three years on the stands is nothing to sneer at, especially when you consider the comics industry was collapsing right as the book debuted. To this day, a new series reaching thirty-six issues and a few annuals is the exception, not the rule. Actually, most new titles launched after 1995 have never sniffed that kind of longevity. 

X-amining X-Men 2099 #1

This review first appeared on Patreon. To read the rest of the series' reviews right now, subscribe today!

"The Gathering"
October 1993

In a Nutshell
Tim Fitzgerald is asked to join mutant leader Xi'an's X-Men just as Xi'an is betrayed by one of their own.

Writer: John Francis Moore
Penciler: Ron Lim
Inker: Adam Kubert
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Tom Smith
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Plot
In the year 2099, mutant drifter Tim Fitzgerald arrives at the seemingly-abandoned Nuevo Sol. He is ushered inside by Junkpile, where he discovers a thriving community of societal outcasts, and is shown around by Tina. Meanwhile, mutant leader Xi'an confronts casino magnate Noah Synge, warning him his attacks on Xi'an's people must stop. Elsewhere in the casino, environmental activist Bloodhawk is sentenced to death via a game show, only to be rescued by Meanstreak & Krystalin, two of Xi'an's operatives. Though grateful, Bloodhawk refuses to join Xi'an's group, and flies off on his own. Later, Lytton & Desdemona Synge discover their father has been killed in a manner consistent with Xi'an's disintegration power, and Lytton demands vengeance. Meanwhile, Xi'an arrives back at Nuevo Sol. After checking in with Cerebra, his second-in-command, Xi'an addresses the crowd, including Tina & Tim, speaking about the strength of the diversity of the gathered crowd and their desire to create a better tomorrow. As Krystalin & Meanstreak join the group, Tim spots a sniper in one of the balconies, and uses his power to blast him. However, the assassin still gets off a shot, grievously wounding Xi'an. Just then, Synge's casino enforcers arrive, and as Cerebra leads the escape of Xi'an's followers, the barely conscious Xi'an tells a stunned Tim he knew he'd join Xi'an's X-Men. 

X-amining X-Men Unlimited #15

"Second Contact"

 June 1997

In a Nutshell

Maverick takes young mutant Chris Bradley under his wing. 

Writer: Howard Mackie
Pencils: Duncan Rouleau
Inks: Rob Hunter
Letterer: Richard Starkings/KF & Comicraft
Colorist: Shannon Blanchard
Editor: Kelly Corvese

Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

Plot

After Chris Bradley's home is burned by an anti-mutant mob and Chris disappears, his parents call Iceman for help. Chris, however, is seeking out the help of Maverick, whom he met recently at the only clinic helping mutants suffering from the Legacy Virus. Iceman follows Chris to Maverick's hotel room, but just then, the anti-mutant mob attacks. Chris and Maverick are separated from Iceman, who enlists the help of Wolverine to track them down. As they hunt, Wolverine tells Iceman about a past mission with Maverick, when he killed his own brother to save Wolverine and Sabretooth, his teammates. Meanwhile, Chris tells Maverick of how he was taken and trained by the X-Men, but soon after they became so caught up in Onslaught's attack they weren't available to help him. Maverick is less than sympathetic, saying Chris needs to stop blaming others for his problems. Just then, the militia members catch up to them, but with the timely arrival of Wolverine and Iceman, they are defeated. Iceman once more offers to help Chris, but Chris refuses, and Maverick backs him up. Wolverine agrees with Maverick, telling Iceman the X-Men are too busy in their own affairs to give Chris the kind of friendship he needs, but Maverick can be there for him. Iceman and Wolverine thus go their separate ways, while Maverick uses his connections in Intelligence to relocate Chris' family and get his parents new identities.