X-amining X-Men (vol. 2) #7

"Inside...Out!"
April 1992

In a Nutshell
Wolverine & the X-Men escape from the Hand.

Plot & Breakdowns: Jim Lee
Finishes: Art Thibert
Dialogue: Scott Lobdell
Lettering: Tom Orzechowski
Coloring: Joe Rosas
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Plot
Though it runs the risk of killing Wolverine, Matsu'o orders Dr. Cornelius to continue probing Wolverine's memories to learn the whereabouts of the C-Synthesizer. Upon realizing he buried it with Janice, scientist who died during Wolverine's first encounter with Omega Red, Matsu'o orders Wolverine killed. Just then, Psylocke springs into action, Wolverine's near death having snapped her out of Matsu'o's control. As she fights Omega Red, elsewhere, Maverick frees the captive X-Men with the help of Sabretooth, who's been telepathically ensnared by Psylocke. But when Psylocke is knocked out by Matsu'o, the X-Men have to fight Sabretooth as well. Elsewhere, upon Psylocke's defeat, Wolverine breaks free and attacks Omega Red. He's quickly joined by Maverick and the rest of the X-Men, but when an explosion threatens the building, they're forced to evacuate to the Blackbird. On Mojoworld, Longshot's rebellion has failed, but Dazzler decides to bring some X-Men to the fight. On Earth, Matsu'o digs up Janice's coffin, but finds Wolverine waiting for him. He dispatches the Hand ninjas, but Matsu'o escapes again, and Wolverine turns the C-Synthesizer over to Maverick.

X-amining X-Men (vol. 2) #6

"Farther Still"
March 1992

In a Nutshell
Sabretooth joins the hunt for Wolverine.

Plot/Art: Jim Lee
Finisher: Art Thibert
Scripter: Scott Lobdell
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Joe Rosas
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Plot
Cyclops, Beast & Jubilee easily dispatch the Hand's ninjas, but are no match for Omega Red, who overpowers them. Meanwhile, Maverick attempts to revive Wolverine, who is flashing back to the Berlin mission at the point where Creed executes the scientist they were tasked with retrieving so he, Logan and Maverick could escape from Omega Red. Someplace else, Longshot, Dazzler & Lila Cheney appear before Mojo, Lila's teleportation co-opted by Mojo. But they manage to escape with the help of some rebels, and rejoin the force opposing Mojo. Back in Berlin, the rest of the X-Men are defeated when Matsu'o regains control over Psylocke, an act which wakes up Wolverine. He lashes out at Maverick and the two fight, until Sabretooth appears on Maverick's monitors. Sabretooth proceeds to gloat over the captive X-Men and agrees to help Matsu'o track down Wolverine, with Psylocke's help. They find Wolverine & Maverick, but the fight is relatively one-sided, as Wolverine is too weak to put up much of a fight and is easily recaptured. Fenris & Matsu'o toast to their success, and then Matsu'o tells Omega Red he may kill however many of the captive X-Men he wishes.

X-amining X-Men (vol. 2) #5

"Blowback"
February  1992

In a Nutshell
Maverick debuts as Wolverine battles Omega Red.

Plot & Pencils: Jim Lee
Script: John Byrne
Inks: Scott Williams, Art Thibert, Bob Wiacek, Joe Rubinstein
Lettering: Tom & Lois
Coloring: Joe Rosas
Editing: Bob Harras
Chiefing: Tom DeFalco

Plot
Alerted to the presence of Omega Red by Cerebro, the rest of the X-Men scramble in pursuit. Meanwhile, Gambit, Rogue, Beast & Jubilee manage to escape from the Hand just as the rest of the team arrives on the scene, but they're unable to rescue Wolverine. Elsewhere, Wolverine battles Omega Red, overseen by Matsu'o, Fenris, and Dr. Cornelius, who are trying to stimulate Wolverine's memory regarding the whereabouts of the Carbonadium Synthesizer. However, they, in turn, are being watched by a mysterious figure as well. Back at the X-Mansion, the X-Men split into squads, with the Gold team proceeding to meet with the Hellfire Club as planned while the Blue team goes after Wolverine, whom they've tracked to Berlin. A day later in Berlin, Wolverine manages to escape his restraints and flees, having flashes of a similar scene involving Omega Red in his past. He dives out a window and is rescued by Maverick, who had been waiting to make his move. Maverick then detects the arrival of the X-Men, just as Wolverine collapses into unconsciousness. In Malibu, Lila Cheney is trying to revive Dazzler's memory of the X-Men when Longshot suddenly appears, followed by Spiral. She tries to capture Longshot, but Lila teleports him & Dazzler away, as Mojo watches.

X-amining X-Men (vol. 2) #4

"The Resurrection and the Flesh"
January 1992

In a Nutshell
Omega Red attacks the X-Men.

Plot & Pencils: Lee
Script: Byrne
Inks: Williams
Letterer: Orzechowski
Colorist: Rosas
Editor: Harras
Editor-in-Chief: DeFalco

Plot
On an island in the South Pacific, the Hand, overseen by Matsu'o Tsurayaba, resurrect Omega Red, sacrificing twenty-five lives to bring him out of his hibernation. At the X-Mansion, Gambit, Jubilee, Wolverine & Rogue play basketball while Moira grapples with the fallout of Magneto's death and the revelation of her previous manipulation of him. Feeling she's failed Xavier and the X-Men, she decides to leave the school. In Berlin, Matsu'o meets with Fenris, telling them the resurrection of Omega Red was successful. Back in New York, Gambit & Rogue leave to go on a date, accompanied by Beast, Wolverine & Jubilee. They are attacked along the way by the Hand, and manage to hold their own, until Omega Red enters the fray. His mutant death factor knocks out the rest of the team as he confronts Wolverine, who recognizes him as a man named Arkady. Later, the Hand, disguised as paramedics, load the unconscious X-Men into an ambulance. Moira approaches the scene in a cab, but distraught, refuses to even look at the scene, and tells the driver to keep going.