Era #7, Part 12: X-Men Unlimited #6-7

Grade: D+

This short run reaffirms that the X-Men Unlimited series is often forgettable and inconsequential. The only bright spot is Uncanny X-Men #318 where we get to see Generation X prepare for their new school.

[2-Stars] X-Men Unlimited #6 - "Primal Scream" The Savage Land Mutates race back to their homeland to deliver a kidnapped Havok to Sauron. Cyclops, Jean Grey and Polaris are in close pursuit leading to a battle to stop Sauron's mad attempt to drain the energy from both Havok and Cyclops.

[3-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #318 - "Moving Day" The teens saved (and bonded) during the Phalanx Covenant: Generation Next prepare for a new school for mutants in Massachusetts. Professor X asks Banshee and Emma Frost to be the headmasters. Jubilee says goodbye to the X-Men. 

[2-Stars] X-Men Unlimited #7 - "Memories" Gambit and Jean Grey join Storm as she travels to Cairo to pay her respects to her dying mentor, Achmed El-Gibar. They meet two of his newest street urchins, Jamil and Karima. Achmed's dying wish is for Storm to ensure Jamil follows a righteous path, but the young man's anger attracts a new threat to that promise. Candra attempts to use power to seduce Jamil, and it is up to the Storm, Jean, Gambit, and Karima to save the young boy from himself. 

Era #7: Part 11: X-Force #39-43

Grade: B-

X-Force continues to have a mixed run under Fabian Nicieza. We start with a goofy but well-meaning story that results in the departure of their super-computer and the destruction of their Camp Verde Reservation base of operations. We end with answers to the mystery of Reignfire and the disappearance of Sunspot.

There is a really good story tucked between those two bookends. We often find tales about villains who are misunderstood, and we get that here with Thornn's backstory. It isn't often that we find an anti-hero who is actually a sociopath. Feral's dangerous antics were much more deadly than anybody realized, and X-Force must now deal with the fact that they harbored a murderer.

[2-Stars] 39 - "Letting Go" X-Force returns to their headquarters to find that their sentient computer "Professor" is running around wildly through the desert. An accident during an off-panel Phalanx attack resulted in a mechanical body for Professor. He joins the team with a new name, Prosh, and an uplifting and enthusiastic attitude. Unfortunately, his physical form is also having a devastating effect on Cable's ability to control his techno-organic body parts. X-Force must make a difficult choose between Cable and Prosh.

[4-Stars] 40 - "Holding On" New York City Detective Jose Hidalgo leads Code: Blue into the Morlock tunnels. Code: Blue is the New York SWAT specially trained and equipped to deal with super-powered criminals, and they have enough information to arrest Thornn for the murder of her family members. She uses her free telephone call to reach out to Cable and X-Force for help, but she has also gotten the unwanted attention of Graydon Creed and the Friends of Humanity.

[4-Stars] 41 - "The Fun House" X-Force and Detective Hidalgo continue their search for the truth behind the murder of Thornn and Feral's family years ago.

[3-Stars] 42 - "A Lie of the Mind" X-Force takes a trips to the Massachusetts Academy to visit Generation X. Warpath resolves his issues with Emma Frost; Cannonball checks in with his sister Husk; and Siryn talks about her alcoholism with her father Banshee.

[3-Stars] 43 - "Teapot in a Tempest" X-Force's search program has finally found Sunspot! The team needs to react quickly without Cable and Domino (both of whom are dealing with Legion Quest). They find Rictor and Shatterstar enjoying a night at the club, and Boomer attempting to help a runaway living on the streets. With the help of the sadistic Locus, X-Force finally arrives in time to find Reignfire -- and Sunspot.

Era #7: Part 10: Phalanx Covenant (Final Sanction)

Grade: C

The Phalanx captured the X-Men. We never really know how that happened, but Wolverine, Cable, Cyclops, and Jean Grey are the only ones left to rescue them. Final Sanction ties in the two solo titles (Cable and Wolverine) in a story that reveals the dangers of playing with a technology that isn't fully understood.

Wolverine #85 "Full Shred Thrash" Cyclops and Jean reach Muir Island only to find the facility already infiltrated by the Phalanx. Cable and Wolverine answer the call to help, but the four of them may not be enough to stop the Phalanx.

Cable #16 "The Phalanx Sanction" Cable, Wolverine, Cyclops and Jean Grey fly to Mt. Everest to stop the Phalanx and save the captive X-Men. They have a secret ally in Stephen Lange who is beginning to recognize that the Phalanx has its own agenda to assimilate all life on Earth -- mutant and human.

Era #7, Part 9: Phalanx Covenant (Life Signs)

Grade: D

The second story of the Phalanx Covenant involves the three remaining team titles: X-Factor, Excalibur, and X-Force. Life Signs continues from the Douglock Chronicles (Era 7, Part 6). We learn that the Phalanx is actually an alien race. The techno-organic collective is not quite under the control of the anti-mutant forces led by Stephan Lang.

It is an interesting concept that didn't feel well executed. There were several spots where I thought the characters were acting out of character (especially Forge). The anti-mutant agenda is not touched in this arc which makes this story seem out-of-touch from the real action in the other titles.

X-Factor #106 - "Life Signs Part 1" X-Factor answer a mysterious call to meet Professor X at Mont Saint Francis, but they get a chilly reception from Excalibur and X-Force. Professor X explains that the Phalanx have infiltrated the X-Men computer and electronic systems. They barely escaped Muir Island. They've isolated themselves in a remote area, and everybody must be vetted to ensure they catch any further infiltration which puts the Phalanx generated Douglock under immediate suspicion.

[2-Stars] X-Force #38 - " Life Signs Part 2" Douglock has taken Cannonball, Forge, and Wolfsbane to a small village in the Italian Alps. The replica of Doug Ramsey & Warlock explains that he is no longer part of the Phalanx collective, but his new teammates are having a difficult time fully accepting him. They soon recognize, however, that the picturesque hamlet hides a Phalanx conspiracy. Unbeknownst to the anti-mutant humans involved in the Phalanx attack, this group of Phalanx remains true to their alien mission. They are breeding the next generation of Phalanx and creating a Babel Spire beacon to transmit a message to the rest of their race. Earth is ready for conquest.

Excalibur #82 - "Life Signs Part 3" Shinar leads the Phalanx troops to stop Forge, Douglock, Cannonball, and Rahne from destroying the Babel Spire. Forge's mutant ability tempts him to aid the techno-organic alien race. The rest of Excalibur, X-Force, and X-Factor arrive to help destroy the breeding grounds and bring down the Babel Spire.

Era #7, Part 8: Phalanx Covenant (Generation Next)

Grade: A-

The Phalanx have finally arrive. The techno-organic alien turned anti-mutant weapon can be traced to an interlude found in Uncanny X-Men #291. The first real confrontations, however, can be found in Uncanny X-Men #305-306 (see Era #6, Part 14) and more recently in Era #7, Part 4 and Part 6.

The Phalanx Covenant is broken down into three different stories that are mostly connected. Generation Next is regarded as the first arc to read. It is also my favorite of the set.

The story sets the stage for a new series called Generation X. It introduces most of the new students (Sync, M, and Skin) adding Jubilee and Paige ("Husk") along with the eventual new staff of Banshee and Emma Frost, the former White Queen. It is also the first appearance of Blink who becomes a fan favorite.

[4-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #316 - "Encounter" The Phalanx make their first move by go after Monet, the daughter of a rich Monégasque eccentric. The powerful but non-responsive young mutant will eventually go by the simple codename "M". Banshee returns to the X-Mansion to find the X-Men (Storm, Beast, Archangel, Gambit, Bishop, and Psylocke) acting bizarre. Only Sabretooth, Jubilee, and the White Queen remain unaffected to help Banshee get a message to Professor X at Muir Island, protect the data stored in the X-Mansion's computers, and seek to save the next generation of mutants.

[4-Stars] X-Men (v2) #36 - "Drop the Leash" The Phalanx continue their search for the next generation of mutants easily finding Paige Guthrie at her home in Cumberland, Kentucky. Banshee, Emma Frost, Jubilee, and Sabretooth reach St. Louise to stop the Phalanx from abducting young Everett Thomas ("Sync"). Within the Phalanx, Stephen Lang begins to have doubts that the alien technology will stop at eradicating mutants. He may've doomed the entire human race.

[4-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #317 - "Enter Freely and of Your Own Free Will" Banshee, the White Queen, Jubilee and Everett take a much needed break to regroup at Frost Enterprise's west coast offices. There plan is to secretly enter a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility in order to use their tracking devices to find the remaining next generation of mutants. Paige awakens do discover that she is a captive of the Phalanx. She shares a cell with silent Monet, pessimistic Angelo ("Skin"), optimistic Gregor, the young Clarice ("Blink").

[4-Stars] X-Men (v2) #37 - "The Currents Shift" Monet begins to interact with the rest of the young mutants revealing that she has substantial and varied power (with an attitude to match). She recognizes Gregor as a Phalanx plant, and devises a way way for them to escape. They must first pass their jailer, the Phalanx known as Harvest. Banshee, the White Queen, Sabretooth, Jubilee, and Everett arrive to lend a hand, but one of the young mutants will make the ultimate sacrifice for their safety.