Era #8, Part 01: Uncanny X-Men #338-#340 & X-Men (v2) #58-59

Grade: C

The X-Men are still feeling the impact of Onslaught. The Fantastic Four and Avengers are gone after sacrificing themselves at the end of Era #7, and Graydon Creed uses the increased fear of mutants to strengthen his bid to become the next President of the United States.

Graydon's pro-human campaign (and secret financial backing from the mysterious Bastion and Operation Zero Tolerance) is gaining substantial support from the public and the scrutiny of the media. Trish Tilby interviews him in X-Men (v2) #58, and Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson starts his own investigation. Both reporters are very concerned about the level of fear-mongering and hatred coming from the dark horse candidate. Even the X-Men take the unusual move of placing two of their own (Cannonball and Iceman) undercover into the campaign. There is a potentially explosive secret that Bastion will do anything to keep hidden. Graydon Creed is the human son of mutant terrorists Sabretooth and Mystique.

This is a really interesting storyline that just doesn't come together well. Readers must buy both titles to keep up, and there are too many "wha...?" moments (like Gambit vs. Joseph, Cyclops vs. Havok, and Hercules’s goofy recruitment drive).

[3-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #338 - "A Hope Reborn a Past Reclaimed" Ozymandias watches as Archangel again transforms regaining his feathered wings, but is this part of Apocalypse's plan? Pyro appears at a church and accidentally sets it on fire. His powers are uncontrolled due to the Legacy Virus, but the X-Men are unable to figure out who send him there in the first place.

[2-Stars] X-Men #58 - "Testament" Gambit versus Joseph over Rogue.

[3-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #339 - "Fight and Flight" Cyclops versus Havok over the Atlantic Ocean with a passenger plane full of innocent people.

[2-Stars] X-Men #59 - "Touched" Hercules is forming a new Avengers team. He arrives at the X-Mansion to ask Beast and Quicksilver to join him.

[3-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #340 - "Relativity" Iceman's bigoted father publically defends mutants at a Gradyon Creed for President and is nearly beaten to death by campaign's men.