Post by Icefanatic on Jul 20, 2017 12:24:57 GMT -5
Yeah, I know whether this is an ongoing series or not is a matter of some debate in and of itself. Until I know for sure one way or the other, I'll label it an 'Ongoing'.
Warning, spoilers ahead!
Synopsis: Low-level psychics are being taken out the world over by psychic attacks, and going unnoticed. Betsy Braddock aka the X-Men's Psylocke is the first high-level target to be hit, and when she is attacked in London, she reaches out with her mind to those X-Men closest by for help.
Bishop, in the British Museum, looking for warning signs of coming dangers being reported in current events.
Warren aka Angel/Archangel, enjoying flying in the skies above Scotland.
Gambit and Phantomex trying, and failing, to rob the Louvre in Paris.
Rogue and Old Man Logan, aboard the X-Men's Blackbird, crossing the North Atlantic.
Betsy's psychic call hits Bishop, Warren, Gambit and Rogue. Meanwhile, her powers are hijacked to telepathically attack the people surrounding her and manifest a giant version of one of her 'butterflies', which attacks the Shard skyscraper like Mothra in a kaijū film. Rogue and OML arrive, when Rogue tries to help, the 'butterfly' manifests psychic knives that manage to cut Rogue.
Warren shows up and his wings go from feathered to metal to shield them. Gambit and Phantomex arrive as does Bishop, as they and OML join the fray. Since having Rogue absorb Betsy's powers would just transfer the problem, they use Bishop to absorb and transform the psychic energy from Rogue, shooting it into the sky.
Then Beast arrives, having gotten Psylocke's distress call as well. There's friction between him and the others until Betsy interrupts. There's no time. Their enemy is Amahl Farouk, better known as The Shadow King, and he's coming for the world's most powerful psychics, to get free of the astral plane and wreck havok on the world.
It's quickly decided Warren and Bishop will stay behind to stand guard, while the rest join Betsy in going after Farouk. But Farouk has a surprise waiting for them, a seeming chained up and imprisoned
The Good: Sooooo much! Writer Charles Soule writes prose fiction as well as comic books, and it shows here, as he uses well-wrought prose to good effect in adding layers and depth to what is being visually depicted.
I wasn't reading any X-Books when IvX came out, so I just caught up on reading that a couple of months ago. Aside from 'Emma' being written way off, which I think there are unrevealed reasons for, I can't fathom why it has engendered so much hate for Soule. It's a fun read, the X-Men are handled well, and it managed to resolve the X-Men/Inhumans conflict without making either side the bad guy. For many X-Fans, maybe doing that was the unforgivable sin. I didn't like the editorial push to make the Inhumans replacements for the X-Men; but it is stupid, in my opinion, to take anger resulting from behind-the-scenes decisions out as hate on characters. If I did that, I'd hate Cyclops with a passion. Which many fans do.
Back to the issue...The banter really drives the issue, with this feeling like the X-Men of old. The personal issues, Rogue-Gambit, Gambit-Fantomex, Fantomex-Betsy-Warren, even Bishop expressing concern over Old Man Logan's alternate-reality future...this will be an interesting mix. The characters feel like themselves. Best Bishop I have seen in years. There are cool moments. Gambit charging dice and then Fantomex's bullets, Betsy's giant 'butterfly' turning into Farouk's 'spider'.
The Bad: Gambit could have been handled better. He got some good moments, but unrequited pining for Rogue while being indebted to Fantomex is not really how I want to see the character.
The Other: Cat-Beast is back! Yep, after mutating out of his cat-Beast form four years ago shortly after bringing the '05' to the present, Beast is back in the form he mutated into during Morrison's run.
But wait, if you've been reading the Old Man Logan book, you'd know this isn't the first time we have seen Beast sporting an old mutation in the present, without any explanation, or even an acknowledgment from other characters. Here's 'classic Beast' from just a few moths ago.
Most people seem to be chalking this up to really good A-list artists making extreme and bizarre mistakes and editors just not catching them.
As I have said, characters are being replaced, events are repeating differently, and time is being rewritten!
Also:
Warning, spoilers ahead!
Synopsis: Low-level psychics are being taken out the world over by psychic attacks, and going unnoticed. Betsy Braddock aka the X-Men's Psylocke is the first high-level target to be hit, and when she is attacked in London, she reaches out with her mind to those X-Men closest by for help.
Bishop, in the British Museum, looking for warning signs of coming dangers being reported in current events.
Warren aka Angel/Archangel, enjoying flying in the skies above Scotland.
Gambit and Phantomex trying, and failing, to rob the Louvre in Paris.
Rogue and Old Man Logan, aboard the X-Men's Blackbird, crossing the North Atlantic.
Betsy's psychic call hits Bishop, Warren, Gambit and Rogue. Meanwhile, her powers are hijacked to telepathically attack the people surrounding her and manifest a giant version of one of her 'butterflies', which attacks the Shard skyscraper like Mothra in a kaijū film. Rogue and OML arrive, when Rogue tries to help, the 'butterfly' manifests psychic knives that manage to cut Rogue.
Warren shows up and his wings go from feathered to metal to shield them. Gambit and Phantomex arrive as does Bishop, as they and OML join the fray. Since having Rogue absorb Betsy's powers would just transfer the problem, they use Bishop to absorb and transform the psychic energy from Rogue, shooting it into the sky.
Then Beast arrives, having gotten Psylocke's distress call as well. There's friction between him and the others until Betsy interrupts. There's no time. Their enemy is Amahl Farouk, better known as The Shadow King, and he's coming for the world's most powerful psychics, to get free of the astral plane and wreck havok on the world.
It's quickly decided Warren and Bishop will stay behind to stand guard, while the rest join Betsy in going after Farouk. But Farouk has a surprise waiting for them, a seeming chained up and imprisoned
Charles Xavier! 
The Good: Sooooo much! Writer Charles Soule writes prose fiction as well as comic books, and it shows here, as he uses well-wrought prose to good effect in adding layers and depth to what is being visually depicted.
I wasn't reading any X-Books when IvX came out, so I just caught up on reading that a couple of months ago. Aside from 'Emma' being written way off, which I think there are unrevealed reasons for, I can't fathom why it has engendered so much hate for Soule. It's a fun read, the X-Men are handled well, and it managed to resolve the X-Men/Inhumans conflict without making either side the bad guy. For many X-Fans, maybe doing that was the unforgivable sin. I didn't like the editorial push to make the Inhumans replacements for the X-Men; but it is stupid, in my opinion, to take anger resulting from behind-the-scenes decisions out as hate on characters. If I did that, I'd hate Cyclops with a passion. Which many fans do.
Back to the issue...The banter really drives the issue, with this feeling like the X-Men of old. The personal issues, Rogue-Gambit, Gambit-Fantomex, Fantomex-Betsy-Warren, even Bishop expressing concern over Old Man Logan's alternate-reality future...this will be an interesting mix. The characters feel like themselves. Best Bishop I have seen in years. There are cool moments. Gambit charging dice and then Fantomex's bullets, Betsy's giant 'butterfly' turning into Farouk's 'spider'.
The reveal of 'Xavier'.
The Bad: Gambit could have been handled better. He got some good moments, but unrequited pining for Rogue while being indebted to Fantomex is not really how I want to see the character.
The Other: Cat-Beast is back! Yep, after mutating out of his cat-Beast form four years ago shortly after bringing the '05' to the present, Beast is back in the form he mutated into during Morrison's run.
But wait, if you've been reading the Old Man Logan book, you'd know this isn't the first time we have seen Beast sporting an old mutation in the present, without any explanation, or even an acknowledgment from other characters. Here's 'classic Beast' from just a few moths ago.
Most people seem to be chalking this up to really good A-list artists making extreme and bizarre mistakes and editors just not catching them.
As I have said, characters are being replaced, events are repeating differently, and time is being rewritten!
Also:
Pretty sure 'Xavier' isn't the real Xavier. My money would be on him being one of the 'Evil Xaviers' that were trying to take over the multiverse in Greg Pak's X-Treme X-Men run, or possibly Charles Xavier(Earth-12245) aka the 'Savior', or even Shadow Xavier from the first arc of New Excalibur where an alternate Charles Xavier was possessed by the Shadow King. That version of Xavier can walk, and insists that his followers refer to him as 'Master'. He was apparently killed, but...time rewritten....etc.
...to make it stand out! 
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