The Uncanny X-Men also starts strong in the post-Claremont era. With Jim Lee telling the tales of the X-Men Blue Team in X-Men (v2), Whilce Portacio runs with the X-Men Gold Team. He introduces Bishop to the X-Men mythos and explains what happened to Colossus's cosmonaut brother. It is another beautifully drawn set from Whilce who remains one of my favorite artists.
[4-Stars] 281 - "Fresh Upstart" The Upstarts are a group of spoiled, wealthy players competing in a game to eliminate the powerful to gain points. Matsuo and Fenris are now joined by Trevor Fitzroy who sets his sights on the Hellfire Club. He sends his Sentinels (based on a future design Fitzroy brought back with him) to the Australian Outback to kill Donald Pierce and his Reavers. Meanwhile, Emma Frost figures out somebody is out to kill her and asks the X-Men to help her identify who. The Gold Team arrives at a Hellfire gala to start negotiating with Emma despite the tension with the Hellions. It turns into a Battle Royale as Fitzroy's two-pronged attack culminates in several deaths.
[4-Stars] 282 - "Payback" Jean Grey survived the initial attack by hiding herself in Emma Frost's mind. The Gold Team tracks her to Trevor Fitzroy's liar but are not in time to save the Hellions. Fitzroy uses the Emma Frosts's student's life-force to open a portal to his future where he brings back the most dangerous criminals from their imprisonment. He also inadvertently brings back three policemen in pursuit -- Bishop, Malcolm and Randall of the Xavier Security Enforcers (XSE).
[4-Stars] 283 - "Bishop's Crossing" Both the X-Men and the XSE try to contain Fitzroy and the criminals of the future. The X-Men turn their attention to the Bishop's team when they realize the three are murdering the escaped prisoners. The XSE retaliate believing that the X-Men are impostors. It is a chaotic scene as all three forces battle each other.
[3-Stars] 284 - "Into the Void" The Russian and Japanese government agree to help each other investigate a dimensional rift near the disputed Sakhalin Island. They outfit Sunfire with a special armor to better harness his atomic power, but his intrusion into the void opens the portal and releases an alien strikeforce from the other side. The X-Men intercept the distress call and lend a hand.
[3-Stars] 285 - "Down the Rabbit Hole" Sunfire and the X-Men are sucked into the dimensional void and separated. They are each drawn to the struggle between warring factions while trying to close to the portal before both worlds are destroyed.
[3-Stars] 286 - "Close Call" Sunfire and the X-Men learn that Colossus's long-lost cosmonaut brother, Mikhail is alive within the void's dimension. He used his mutant power to close the portal when he entered many years ago, but he killed many people as part of that process. He is asked to do it again to save both worlds despite his haunted memories.
[4-Stars] 287 - "Bishop to King's Five" The origin of Bishop! We see his future and the path that lead him to the X-Men. It ends tragically for both Malcolm and Randall, but the X-Men attempt to stop Bishop from killing the remaining criminals from the future.
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