Wolverine & The XMen #37 Review

Tags

Battle of the Atom Part #9, Cyclops, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Jason Arron, Jean Grey, Original X-Men, SHIELD, The Brotherhood, Uncanny X-Men, Wolverine, Wolverine and the X-Men #37, X-Men, X-Men from the future, Xorn

Wolverine and the X-Men #37

Review by Paul Bowler

A team of X-Men from the future arrive in the present day, demanding the original X-Men be sent back to he past. Wolverine and most of the X-Men agreed, but the young Jean and Scott went on the run, but eventually gave themselves up. The present day X-Men discover their visitors are really the future Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. With the school in lockdown the Brotherhood must face the combined might of the Uncanny X-Men and the real future X-Men. However, as the battle rages  they prepare to forcibly send the young X-Men home, only to find that strange universal forces now prevent the teen mutants from going back.

Jean “Xorn” Grey and Cyclops get up close and personal on the psychic plane, giving the Brotherhood the chance to escape in the Blackbird with the original X-Men. Wolverine is healed by Wiccan after being gutted by Raze, the son he will apparently have with Mystique, and meets up with the Uncanny X-Men and future X-Men in the lab.

Meanwhile, the Brotherhood decide to switch to plan B after the Time Cube was unable to send the original X-Men back. Now that Deadpool is dead, and Xavier crippled and confined to a floating wheelchair, it seems that desperate measures are called for to complete their mission. Power dampeners prevent the captive teen X-Men from using their powers. Scott asks Jean what she learned during her battle with Xorn, she reveals they must return home to save the future, and she is able to pick up enough of the Brotherhood’s thoughts to know they are being taken to Cape Citadel – the place where the original X-Men first fought against Magneto.

After news of a homeland security alert at Cape Citadel reaches the Jean Grey school, Wolverine and Cyclops set aside their differences and agree to work together to rescue the original X-Men. Colossus and Magik teleport everyone to Cape Citadel, where the present day X-Men and future X-Men attack the Brotherhood. Phoenix Quentin Quire frees the young X-Men from their power dampeners, and they team up with Cyclops to attack Xorn. With the Brotherhood almost defeated a fleet of SHIELD helicarriers commanded by Mira Hill arrives, demanding that everyone surrender, but Xorn is not prepared to give up just yet…

Jason Arron makes this penultimate chapter of Battle of the Atom the most action packed yet, as Wolverine and the X-Men #37 brings all of the X-Teams, past, present, and future, together for a titanic showdown with the Brotherhood. I really like how the characters interact this issue, Jason Aaron includes some great character moments: with Cyclops and Wolverine begrudgingly setting aside their differences, we learn more about the Brotherhood’s plans, discover the truth about the Ice-Hulk, and Phoenix Quentin Quire meets his younger self. This issue is a lot of fun too, with Wolverine getting all the best lines, and we learn a lot more about the future X-Men as well.

Although we are no closer to really understanding the bizarre paradox that seems to prevent the original X-Men from returning to the past, right now it is what young Jean’s battle with Xorn revealed that is perhaps more intriguing, especially when she reveals that if they stay one of them could be responsible for something terrible. However, this issues cliff-hanger could offer some clue, as Xorn resolves to show everyone what the future holds for the X-Men.

Wolverine and the X-Men #37 features some great artwork by Giuseppe Camuncoli and finisher Andrew Currie, and vivid colors by Matt Milla. I really like the early scenes, where the X-Men are planning their next course of action, the detail given to the characters and their conversations is exceptional, which is also reflected in the later scenes in the Blackbird as the Brotherhood discuss Plan B and the original X-Men try to figure a way out of their predicament. In fact, by the time the X-Men and Brotherhood face each other at Cape Citadel,  nearly every character in this issue has had a share of the limelight. There’s also a spectacular double page spread near the end of the issue, where all the X-Men are fighting the Brotherhood, its absolutely brilliant, and that nail-biting final page will leave everyone diving for cover!

Battle of the Atom is now hurtling towards a thrilling finale. Wolverine and the X-Men #37 continues the high standard set by previous instalments, Jason Arron delivers some excellent characterization, and  Giuseppe and Camuncoli’s work really draws you into the action as the story races towards the final moments.

Uncanny XMen #13 Review

Tags

Battle of the Atom, Battle of the Atom Part #8, Brian Michael Bendis, Chris Bachalo, Cyclops, Marte Gracia, Marvel Comcis, Original X-Men, The Uncanny X-Men, Uncanny X-Men #13, Wolverine, X-Men from the future

Uncanny X-Men #13

Review by Paul Bowler

 

After a team of X-Men from the future arrived, demanding that the Original X-Men  return to the past, the young Jean and Scott went on the run. The present and future X-Men tracked them down, and eventually they agreed to return. Magik took young Iceman and Beast to the future to investigate and discovered the future X-Men were actually the evil Brotherhood from the future. Back at the Jean Grey school the Brotherhood attacked the X-Men, leaving Wolverine, who has just lost his healing factor, mortally wounded and bleeding out. Emerging from the wreckage of the school, Jubilee was surprised to discover that Sentinel X is the adult Shogo from the future. Now its falls to Cyclops and the Uncanny X-Men, together with the real X-Men of the future who have travelled back with Magik, Iceman, and Beast to help the X-Men fight the Brotherhood and save the original X-Men.

Uncanny X-Men #13 sees Brian Michael Bendis bringing the various teams of X-Men, past, present, and future together against the future Brotherhood, as part eight of Battle of the Atom turns the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning into a battleground. The Uncanny X-Men and future X-Men are forced to dive for cover when a piece of the north tower is lobbed at them, enabling the Brotherhood’s shape-shifter Raze (who mortally wounded Wolverine in their surprise attack) to capture young Iceman and Beast.

Xavier’s grandson orders the future Iceman to attack the X-Men again, Phoenix Quentin Quire steps in to deflect the debris thrown by the hulking Ice creature, leaving the X-Men free to reach the school. Magik and Colossus get inside first and have to fight their way past Molly and Deadpool. The Uncanny X-Men and future X-Men run into trouble outside the school, when Xavier commands Krakoa to swallow them whole, leaving the rest of the Brotherhood free to activate the Time Cube and send the original X-Men home.

Chris Bachalo’s art for Uncanny X-Men #13 really captures the heightening sense of urgency as this time warping conflict escalates, with the fate of the original X-Men hanging in the balance, Bachalo delivers some terrific action set-pieces. His work is nicely complemented with inks by Time Townsend, Al Vey, Mark Irwin, Jamie Mendoza and Victor Olazaba, as well as the superb colors provided by Marte Gracia. This issue is full of spectacular, bone crunching showdowns, with Colossus and Magik in particular pulling no punches as they race to help the original X-Men.

Magik teleports into the lab to stop them, but she is held back by the future Jean Grey who tries to get Illyana to kill herself with her own soul sword. Colossus deals with Xavier as the X-Men break free of Krakoa, and the Brotherhood’s attempt to send the original X-Men back to their own time encounters an unexpected technical glitch – something which inexplicably transgresses all the normal laws of space and time itself…

If your thought things have been complicated so far, you haven’t seen anything yet, as Brian Michael Bendis crams so much into part eight of Battle of the Atom, that its no wonder the Brotherhood’s plans hits a surprising snag. For those of us who have long wondered what effect the original X-Men’s presence in the present day might have on the time continuum, let along the paradox’s it could potentially cause, well Uncanny X-Men #13 goes some way to finally addressing those issues.

We are also teased a few interesting points about Illyana’s involvement in events, after all, we know that she has already travelled into the future before in Battle of the Atom #1, and has long had her suspicions about these future X-Men. Her suspicions proved correct, as on her next trip into the future with Iceman and Beast, she learned from the “real” future X-Men that these mutants were actually the futures evil Brotherhood.  In Uncanny X-Men #13 Molly hints about what was unleashed hen she sees Magik, and later mentions the Stark Tower / Baxter Building Wars as she battles Colossus. The adult Jean also has a few choice “spoilers” for Magik as she fends off Illyna’s attack in the lab. Whatever it all means, it seems possible that Illyna’s role in Battle of the Atom could now be more crucial than we first realised.

Uncanny X-Men #13 is an absolutely cracking instalment of Battle of the Atom. It may have taken a bit of a protracted route to get to this point, but we are now beginning to see the various plot threads coming together at last. Things are really building up to a titanic showdown, which together with this issues time twisting surprise, will leave you eager to find out how the X-Men and the Brotherhood will deal with this unexpected turn of events.

X-Men #6 Review

Tags

Battle of the Atom, Battle of the Atom Part #7, Brian Wood, David Lopez, Jubilee, Marvel Comics, Original X-Men, Psylocke, Uncanny X-Men, Wolverine, X-Men, X-Men #6, X-Men from the future

X-Men #6

Review by Paul Bowler

 

After the young Cyclops was injured, temporarily erasing his adult self from existence, the modern-day X-Men decided to send the original X-Men back to their own time. The young Jean Grey is reluctant to go back, but a team of X-Men suddenly arrive from the future, and say the world is doomed if they don’t return.  Jean and Scott turn to the adult Cyclops and the Uncanny X-Men for help, while the X-Men set out to bring them back. Magik, suspicious of the future X-Men, together with the young Iceman and Beast, travels to the future where they discover a pleasant future and meet a new team of X-Men. They reveal how the “future” X-Men that Magik and her fellow X-Men are helping, are not really X-Men anymore. The X-Men from this time period have not associated with them since the death of Alison Blaire, who was killed just after she became the first mutant president. Back in the present, the “future X-Men” have captured three of original five X-Men, and set about making preparations to send them back to their own time period.

Part Seven of Battle of the Atom kicks off in X-Men #6 as the Blackbird and the Dove return to the Jean Grey School, where the X-Men are greeted by Jubilee and Roxanne. Xorn accompanies young Jean, Scott, and Warren to the Time Cube, but Wolverine suspicions soon prove correct when Xavier becomes enraged after learning that Magik, Beast, and Iceman have gone. With their cover blown, the bogus X-Men of the future attack. A surprise transformation catches Wolverine off guard and he is mortally wounded, while in Beast’s lab Xorn locks down the Time Cube and quickly secures the three original X-Men.

This leaves Rachel, Jubilee, Rogue, and Betsy to take on the rest of the future X-Men, while trying to keep baby Shogo safe at the same time. With the school in lockdown, Krakoa subdued, Psylocke keeps Deadpool busy while Jubilee and Roxanne try to escape and get Shogo to safety. The Uncanny X-Men arrive near the school, along with the “real” future X-Men who have returned along with Magik, Iceman, and Beast to help them. The Uncanny X-Men and genuine future X-men hold back to assess the situation from afar, but Sentinel X is not prepared to wait, and takes off to investigate the damage to the school. Jubilee, who is carrying Shogo, Roxanne, and then Psylocke emerge from the rubble as Sentinel X lands. The armoured figure approaches, removing its masks when Jubilee asks it to identify itself, revealing the identity of the armours occupant…

So far, Battle of the Atom has been a hugely entertaining crossover event. The only real downside being that some issues have spent a lot of time recapping events, which sometimes made them feel like they were going over the same ground. Now that we are well past the halfway point, the mystery surrounding the time travelling X-Men from the future has taken a significant twist, and it looks like the present day X-Men are going to have one hell of a fight on their hands.

Brian Wood’s X-Men #6 places Jubilee right at the heart of the action. There are some really fun moments with Shogo and some great action scenes when the X-Men are fighting the future X-Men, which leads to Jubilee taking a much more prominent role in Battle of the Atom than expected. When the “fake” X-Men from the future reveal their true colors,  even Wolverine is caught off guard, and the psychic powers of the future Xavier and Xorn quickly overpower the rest, leaving only Wood’s team to oppose the future X-Men. Rachel battles against  Xavier psychically, while Rogue gets a surprise when she tries to absorb the Ice-Hulk’s powers, which offers us some insight about this lumbering ice creature. Psylocke is also right in the thick of the action, while protecting baby Shogo at the same time, and later ends up fighting Deadpool. I thought baby Shogo’s “panic button” was a really fun device as well.

There is a lot going on in this issue, even though the majority of the other X-Men are either unconscious or trapped in Hank’s lab. The art by David Lopez is excellent, every character is well defined, and his work is complemented by Cam Smith and Terry Pallot’s inks, with colors by Laura Martin and Matt Milla.

X-Men #6 really captures the essence of Brian Woods  X-Men, its one of the best instalment so far in Battle of the Atom, and the final scene is made all the more exciting by the reveal of who is inside  Sentinel X.