Ending Era #8: Reassembled

Era #8: C

My enthusiasm for this project faltered a bit while I struggled through Era #8. I started in September of 2017, so it took nine months to finish 134 comics. It felt much more like a chore, but there were some good reads buried here (particularly the very memorable Operation Zero Tolerance crossover event).

There is new direction in all the titles which is unusual since we've had decades of consistency. Scott Lobdell departs as one of the lead architects of the X-Men and Generation X teams that he has steered for the last 5 years. Steve Seagle and Joe Kelly are tapped to take the core titles of the Uncanny X-Men and X-Men (v2) respectively. Larry Hama becomes the lead scribe on Generation X. X-Force also see Jeph Loeb go and John Francis Moore come in. I have to give them a lot of credit of taking each series into a new direction, but while I recognize the attempt, I didn't like the results. The stories never really captured the essence of the X-Men that I grew up with.

Beast (F): We had the right elements, but a writer replacement (for a three issue limited series?) changes an OK story into one of the creepiest X-Men stories I've ever read.

Generation X #20-45 (C): The charm fades for what has been a fun title from its inception. The stories evolved from a well written title that really hits the target about teenagers from different background and with unique powers learning how to deal with the world around them into another teen superhero book with quirky adventures.
- Scott Lobdell & Chris Bachalo (B-): The final run of THE definitive Generation X creative team.
- James Robinson & Chris Bachalo (B): I am not sure why James Robinson left so quickly, but I am sorry to see that this creative team didn't get an opportunity to do more outside of Operation Zero Tolerance.
- Larry Hama & Terry Dodson (D): I have no idea of what to make of this run except to say that it is just a bit too out-there for me.

New Mutants: Truth or Death (C+): I've already admitted it once, but I will say it again here. My misty eyed nostalgia for the New Mutants played a big role in seeing this Ben Raab and Bernard Chang story in a positive light, and I am OK with that.

Uncanny X-Men #338-365 (C): There one or two good surprises buried inside an otherwise average run.
- Scott Lobdell & Joe Madureira (C+): It is a continued infusion of Japanese anime influenced art.
- Steve Seagle & Chris Bachalo (C): We see a completely new direction that doesn't quite work for me.

X-Force #59-86 (C): A typical comic book series with only a brief moment of their para-military roots during Operation Zero Tolerance.
- John Francis Moore & Adam Pollina (C+): I've never really been a big fan of Adam Pollina's artwork.
- John Francis Moore & Jim Cheung (C): The team begins to look (and act?) much younger.

X-Men (v2) #58-84 (B-): This title starts strong with Operation Zero Tolerance but can't keep the momentum.
- Scott Lobdell & Carlos Pacheco (A-): A worthwhile read that focuses on Iceman's attempt to save mutants caught in the crossfire of Operation Zero Tolerance.
- Joe Kelly & Carlos Pacheco (C+): A new start that doesn't really pan out.
- Joe Kelly & German Garcia (C+): An interesting story as the Shadow King sets an elaborate trap in Psi-War.
- Joe Kelly & Adam Kubert (B-): A return to the classic lineup.

X-Men: Liberators (D): It was a limited series from Joe Kelly and Phil Jimenez that fell way short for story that included three classic X-Men (Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine) back together again.

X-Men Unlimited #13-22 (C-): I continued to collect this title hoping that it would turn around. It didn't.

Era #8, Part 22: Hunt for Xavier (Part 2)

Grade: B

Era #8 ends on a better note with the Hunt for Xavier. The X-Men finally put in some real work to find their beloved founder (who has been missing since X-Men #73). Unfortunately, they can only pin his location to two locations: San Francisco and Tajikistan. Professor X is actually hiding himself and a mannite named Nina from Cerebro. Bastion's Operations Zero Tolerance inadvertently turned the X-Men's former mutant location system into a sentient entity with a self-imposed mandate to catalog all  mutants.

It isn't a stand-out story, but it is good to see the classic team back in action against a new (and creative) threat.

[3-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #362 - "Meltdown" The X-Men's search for Professor X is put on hold when they get a call from Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. Pyro is leaving a path of scorched crops across Nebraska running in fear of an unseen enemy.

[3-Stars] X-Men (v2) #82 - "The Hunt for Charley!" Storm leads Gambit, Rogue and Colossus to a monastery in the mountains of Tajikistan. They are looking for the source of one of two mutant signatures that register as Professor X. They find all of the monks dead and a mysterious crystal barrier. On the other side hides Renée Majcomb and the mannite Nina.

[3-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #363 - "When You're Unwanted" Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, and Marrow race to San Francisco to investigate the second mutant signature that registers as Professor X. Wolverine reaches out to an old mystic friend in Chinatown named Black Crane who sends them to Alcatraz Island. They find their mentor and the Brotherhood of Mutants (Blob, Post, Mimic, and Toad).

[3-Stars] X-Men (v2) #83 - "Tomb of Ice" Storm, Gambit, Rogue and Colossus must protect the mannite Nina from Cerebrite Alpha.

[3-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #364- "Escape from Alcatraz" Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, and Marrow join the Brotherhood of Mutants (Blob, Post, Mimic, and Toad) to protect Professor X from Cerebrite Beta.

[3-Stars] X-Men (v2) #84 - "Dream's End!" Professor X and his X-Men versus Cerebro and his Cerebrites (Alpha and Beta).

[3-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #365 - "Ghost Of X-Mas Past!" It is the night before Christmas, and Colossus is haunted by a mysterious spirit with a message for him to remember.