Era #4, Part 16: New Mutants #67-70

Grade: C

The New Mutants again disobey Magneto and leave on another adventure. This time, they travel into space to save Lila from a ruthless, emotionless merchant named Spyder. They also meet another one of Spyder's runaway acquisitions, Gosamyr, who is more than she first appears.

It isn't a bad story, but many of the elements are way to similar to previous issues. Spyder's use of bottled scents that he distills from other people to feel emotions was in interesting twist, but I still lament on the "deaging" of the New Mutants. This continues that downward spiral.

[3-Stars] 67 - "Promise" Cannonball promises not use his powers in order to get permission to attend Lila's concert. That promise prevents him from saving his girlfriend when Spyder's "accountants" crash the concert to reclaim Lila, property of the sinister space trader. 

[3-Stars] 68 - "Illusion!" The mysterious Gosamyr provides the New Mutants with a way to follow Spyder and save Lila. She only asks that they save her family from his clutches as well. The journey becomes a little more treacherous as the kids' emotions slowly turn them against each other.  

[3-Stars] 69 - "Bad Company" The New Mutants versus Spyder! 

[3-Stars] 70 - "Self-Fulfilling Prophesy" The New Mutants have their work cut out for them as they try to save Lila, Gosamyr's family and themselves from Spyder. Things get worse as Inferno approaches. Illyana has been permanently transformed into the Darkchylde and Limbo is almost to her. Meanwhile, Magneto and the Hellfire Club witness a demonic possession of item in New York City.

Era #4, Part 15: Uncanny X-Men #235-238

Grade: A-

Chris Claremont introduces us to the island nation of Genosha. Found along Africa's Eastern coast between Madagascar and Seychelles, Genosha is an advanced society of technological wonder that was built and maintained using mutant slaves called mutates. Any citizen found to be a "genejoke" is given a number, fitted in a permanent skin-suit and sent to the Genegineer to be genetically modified as a passive and obedient drone. The entire system is ruthlessly protected by a police force known as the Magistrates.

I really like the stories in which we see different ways society tries to deal with people who are different. Genosha serves as an allegory (to an extreme measure) of South Africa's Apartheid system. It also becomes a focal point for other great stories, but no need for spoilers now.

[4-Stars] 235 - "Welcome to Genosha" A baby born to mutant slaves was smuggled into Australia from Genosha. Jenny Ransome is a mutant Genoshan in Australia working as a nurse. The Magistrates have been dispatched to retrieve both of them. The Press Gang, an elite Magistrate team made up of cooperative and free mutants, lead the operation, but when they incidentally grab Maddie as part of their trap, they draw the attention of the X-Men.

[4-Stars] 236 - "Busting Loose" Wolverine, Rogue and Maddie are "guests" of Genosha learning what happens to mutants found on the small island nation. Meanwhile, their teammates continue to battle the Magistrates in Australia eventually discovering Genosha's dark secret.

[4-Stars] 237 - "Who's Human?" The Genegineer's son, David Moreau, is having a hard time accepting that because his fiance, Jenny Ransome, is a mutant, she will become a slave. Drunk, he picks a fight with some Magistrates landing himself on a slave train bound for a mutate camp. It is up to the fugitive (and powerless) Wolverine and Rogue to rescue him.

[4-Stars] 238 - "Gonna Be A Revolution" The arc comes to a close with the X-Men leaving their mark in Genosha.  They take the fight to the Magistrates in order to find their missing teammates. Wolverine and Rogue help David Moreau understand the depth of Genosha's mutate program, and Genegineer tries to understand how his lab is destroyed by Maddie when his team attempts to turn her into a mutate. I was a little disappointed with the ending to an otherwise phenomenal story.

Era #4, Part 14: Day of Wrath

Grade: C

The Brood are back, and they are looking for revenge. Captured in X-Men vs. The Brood - Day of Wrath, this run deals with a Brood plan to use mutants to host their invading forces. I am not a huge fan of the Brood in large part to their close similarity with Alien. The Brood giving themselves individual supervillain names was unexpected (and silly) since they are all part of a hive mind, but the story ended stronger than I expected.

The arc also advances a subplot with Maddie. She catches a news report in which she learns that her husband, Cyclops, is alive and with none other than his former lover (and supposedly dead) Jean Grey! The demon S'ym arrives when she is most vulnerable setting in motion a plan that will eventually culminate in Inferno.

[3-Stars] 232 - "Earthfall" The Brood begin their infection with a small group of campers in New Mexico. The sole survivor of that initial encounter flees carrying the egg of a Brood Queen. The X-Men find him in Denver infecting mutants to form a super-powered army.

[3-Stars] 233 - "Down of Blood" The X-Men battle the mutant Brood over Denver.

[3-Stars] 234 - "Glory Day" The X-Men and Brood battle reaches the Red Rock Amphitheater where Reverend William Connover prepares to speak. He is drawn into the battle helping the infected Wolverine. I really like how this issue shows a minister taking a stand against mutant discrimination since it seemed that in past stories, religious figures (such as William Stryker) viewed mutants as an abomination without seeing the inconsistency of their beliefs. Reverend Connover, however, makes it clear even before the fight or meeting his first mutant that he will not allow intolerant language from his staff and that he views mutants as God's children like every other human. Refreshing.

Era #4, Part 13: Uncanny X-Men #228-231

My Grade: C+

The X-Men are dead to the world, and they need a place to hide from friends, family and enemies in order to keep their secret. This run slows the pace a little after the Fall of the Mutants providing some nice fill-in stories and giving us more specifics about their "death".  

[3-Stars] 228 - "Deadly Games" It is a Dazzler solo story in which she recalls an earlier adventure.  She and Wolverine help out an old friend, bounty hunter O.Z. Chase, from being framed for a crime committed by a Russian mutant drug dealer.

[4-Stars] 229 - "Down Under" The X-Men's first mission after their "death" is stop the Reavers, a band of cybernetic criminals robbing people across globe. This issue introduces the mysterious Gateway and a new base of operations -- in the Australian Outback. Roma makes an appearance long enough to give them the magical portal called the Siege Perilous that allows those who pass through it a new beginning. She also explains that their gift part of their gift, they are no longer visible to any electronic device.  

[2-Stars] 230 - "T'Was the Night..." The X-Men deliver much of the Reaver loot back to their original owners in this Christmas story.

[3-Stars] 231 - "Dressed for Dinner" Gateway sends Colossus to Limbo to see his sister, Magik. She believes she conjured a magical facsimile of her brother from the other side to help her rescue the New Mutants from the Baba Yaga. It is a touching story that again foreshadows Inferno.

Era #4, Part 12: New Mutants #62-66

My Grade: C

Fall of the Mutants exacts a heavy toll on the New Mutants. Doug Ramsey (aka Cypher) and X-Men are dead. It is an overwhelming lose, so it is no surprise that Illyana deals with her pain by looking for revenge for her brother's sacrifice.

[3-Stars] 62 - "To Build a Fire" Magma may be a Hellion, but she finally gets her own solo story. It feels like a fill-in story (which I normally don't like), but this one well worth the read. Empath joins her in a trip to her home, Nova Roma, buried deep in the Amazon. Their plane crashes leaving the two to find through the jungle alone while learning more about each other.

[1-Star] 63 - "Redemption" This is another fill-in issue, and it is disappointing. Magik takes time away from her studying to tell Kitty Pryde a story of when she was alone fighting imitation X-Men. The issue provides no additional character or story insight.

[3-Stars] 64 - "Instant Replay!" After two fill-in issues, the story resumes with the students bringing Doug's body back to the school. Magneto and Doug's parents take the news hard, but it is Wolfsbane and Warlock have a the most difficult time accepting the permanence of his loss. Warlock's demonstration of love is a little too creepy making this story very uncomfortable and awkward.

[3-Stars] 65 - "Demons!" Illyana wants justice. Colossus and the X-Men sacrificed their lives in the Fall of the Mutants, and she blames Forge. The magic was too powerful for her to intervene earlier, but she is now able to teleport to Dallas, and her teammates follow along to keep her out of trouble. When they get there, however, they must first face Freedom Force.

[3-Stars] 66 - "Sorcerer's Duel!" It is a showdown between Illyana and Forge! The entire battle foreshadows Inferno.

Era #4, Part 11: Fall of the Mutants (New Mutants)

My Grade: C

Louise Simonson takes over the title from Chris Claremont, and she is given a new direction from the editors. I once read an interview in which she explained that she was told to make the New Mutants "younger". I am not a fan of the results.

Her first arc introduces Bird Boy (AKA Bird Brain). It is a very lighthearted story -- at least until the end. The students have mutant powers and some experience as superheroes making them feel invincible. There is a hard lesson that they need to learn.

[2-Stars] 55 - "Flying Wild!" Lila Cheney is throwing a party, and she invites the New Mutants. Sam's insecurity gets him into trouble when intergalactic criminals attempt to use him to pressure Lila to steal something for them. They provide Sam with drugs to boost his confidence and the results aren't pretty.

[2-Stars] 56 - "Scavenger Hunt!" Cannonball's misadventure in the last issue resulted in the accidental release of a creature the government found floating in the North Atlantic. The Hellions take the opportunity to challenge the New Mutants again. It is a not-so-friendly competition to see who can capture "Bird-Boy" first. 

[2-Stars] 57 - "Birds of a Feather" Now that they have Bird-Boy, they must figure out what to do with him. Meanwhile, Magma leaves the New Mutants to join the Hellions.

[2-Stars] 58 - "A Bird in the Hand" Doug finally learns how to communicate with the Bird-Boy and learns that he needs to get back to his friends before the "time of testing". The New Mutants interrupt studying for their finals to find Bird-Boy's home. 

[3-Stars] 59 - "Fang and Claw!" Sunspot and Warlock return to the school but miss their teammates who already reached the hidden North Atlantic island called Paradise, the home of the a mad (and more than little unstable) Ani-Mator and his human/animal creations, the Ani-Mates. It is the New Mutants meet The Island of Doctor Moreau.

[3-Stars] 60 - "Suspended Ani-Mation" The New Mutants try to help the Ani-Mates rebel against the Ani-Mator, but things go from bad to worse when Cameron Hodge and the Right arrive to check up on their investment. It is a three way battle that ends badly for everybody -- especially the New Mutants. Doug Ramsey, Cypher, is killed while trying to protect Wolfsbane.

[3-Stars] 61 - "Our Way!" The New Mutants sadly return home with Doug's body to face Magneto. They learn that the X-Men are also dead.