X-amining Avengers #369

"Of Kith & Kin: Bloodties the Finale"
December 1993

In a Nutshell
The X-Men & Avengers unite to stop Exodus & save Genosha.

Writer: Bob Haras
Pencilers: Steve Eptin & Jan Duursema
Inker: Tom Palmer
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colorist: Mike Rockwitz
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Plot
Exodus attacks Cortez, seemingly killing him and taking Luna for himself. On the streets above, the X-Men & Avengers unite as the skies turn yellow and outside communications are jammed, actions attributed to Exodus. As Storm & War Machine investigate the barrier and confirm it is psionic in nature, Professor X telepathically contacts the two teams, who send a contingent to aid him, Beast & US Agent against the Magistrate Elite and liberate the mutate concentration camp. Just then, Exodus appears, with Crystal, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch & Jean Grey in his thrall, and orders the mutates of Genosha to slaughter all humans, or else his barrier surrounding the island will contract, killing everyone. Recognizing that Exodus is telepathically fanning the mutates' fervor, the two teams split, with one group holding off the mutates while another attacks Exodus as Xavier probes his defenses. Sensing that the's stretched too thin, Xavier telepathically blasts Exodus, allowing Black Knight to get in close enough to shut him down with his plasma sword. The barrier disappears and the mutates back down, but Exodus recovers enough to escape, blasting Quicksilver on his way. Black Knight revives him with CPR, and days later, as the country begins to rebuild, Xavier ponders whether keeping his identity as a mutant a secret has done more harm than good.

X-amining Uncanny X-Men #307

"Night and Fog: Part Four of Bloodties"
December 1993

In a Nutshell
Sersi fights Exodus.

Writer: Scott Lobdell
Pencils: John Romita Jr.
Inks: Dan Green
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulis
Colorist: Buccellato/Somers
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Plot
As Beast, Professor X & US Agent fight to protect the mutates from the Magistrate Elite, above them, Sersi battles Exodus. At the UN, Black Widow officially withdraws the Avengers from their charter. Back in Hammer Bay, the X-Men enter the city, as Sersi & Exodus' are blown apart by their fight. Beneath the capital citadel, Quicksilver & Jean Grey search for a way inside, hoping to get to Cortez & Luna. They run into Scarlet Witch & Crystal, after which Cortez appears, using Luna as a human shield, and frightened of retribution at the hands of Exodus. Just then, Exodus blasts into the tunnels, and Cortez shrieks to Crystal & Quicksilver that if they ever want to hold their daughter again, they must destroy Exodus.

X-amining Avengers West Coast #101

"Genosha, Mon Amour: Bloodties Part III of V"
December 1993

In a Nutshell
War Machine battles Exodus in the skies over Genosha.

Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciler: Dave Ross
Inks: Tom Dzon
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Nel Yomtov
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Plot
As the Avengers confront the United Nations over the terms of their charter, the contingent of the team that journeyed to Genosha are confronted by Exodus. War Machine engages him as the Scarlet Witch & Crystal head off to find Luna and the rest of the Avengers try to stop the fighting between the mutates and humans. Elsewhere, Professor X, Beast & US Agent discover a mutate concentration camp in the tunnels beneath the city, protected by the Magistrate Elite. On the outskirts of the city, the X-Men defeat the Unforgiven, while in the skies above the city, Exodus overpowers War Machine, only to find Sersi ready to go one-on-one with him.

X-amining X-Men (vol. 2) #26

"Part Two of Bloodties: Civil Disobediance!"
November 1993

In a Nutshell
Various outside factions arrive in Genosha amidst the civil war triggered by Cortez.

Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Pencils: Andy Kubert
Inks: Matt Ryan
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colorist: Joe Rosas
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Plot
En route to Genosha, Quicksilver is enraged to learn from his broadcast that Cortez has his daughter. Meanwhile, Colossus tends to the comatose Magneto before being dismissed by Exodus in order to counsel with Magneto. In New York, a contingent of Avengers are able to fight their way past SHIELD and head for Genosha, while in Genosha, Beast & Xavier are kidnapped from their UN escort by a group of bipartisan rebels. The kidnapping turns out to have been orchestrated by Xavier in order to allow him & Beast to operate more freely, but US Agent is secretly tracking them. Elsewhere, the X-Men arrive in the country, and are quickly confronted by Cortez and a group of mutates called the Unforgiven, while the Avengers arrive in Hammer Bay and help stop an attack on mutates by a group of human soldiers, all of whom are then obliterated by Exodus, who declares Magneto's greatest disciple will now follow in his footsteps and save the Genoshan mutates, even if it means the death of every human on the island.

X-amining Avengers #368

"Bloodties Part One: Family Legacy"
November 1993

In a Nutshell
"Bloodties" begins as Cortez kidnaps Magneto's granddaughter and kicks off a civil war in Genosha.

Writer: Bob Harras
Pencils: Steve Epting
Inker & Colorist: Tom Palmer
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Ed-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco
Special Thanks: Scott Lobdell & Fabian Nicieza

Plot
Fabian Cortez & the kidnapped Luna Maximoff look out over the burning capital city of Genosha. Meanwhile, Val Cooper, Nick Fury & Henry Peter Gyrich discuss the Genoshan situation and their plans for handling it, which leads to Nick Fury meeting with both teams of Avengers to explicitly inform them that the UN wants them to stay out of the situation. The Avengers are puzzled by the fervor of Fury's demand, until they realize that Luna, Crystal's daughter - Magneto's granddaughter - is likely to be a target. Crystal rushes to her daughter's room only to discover she has been replaced by a Genoshan mutate, who promptly blows herself up. Meanwhile, Gyrich tasks Professor X with attempting to broker peace in Genosha, and they depart for the country along with Beast and US Agent, with Xavier telepathically sending the X-Men on ahead of him as well. Back at the Avengers' complex, the group rushes to their hanger to depart for Genosha, only to find a contingent of heavily armed SHIELD forces ready to prevent them from leaving, while in Genosha, Cortez broadcasts a message declaring, in the name of Magneto, that all human forces in the country lay down their arms, or else the mutates will begin killing every human man, woman and child in the city.