Era #9, Part 15: Powerless

Grade: B

The run marks the end of the Alan Davis's tenure on the X-Men titles. It is an interesting concept that will be revisited again in more detail: what if the mutants lost their powers?

The X-Men are starting to deal with the loss of Cyclops when the High Evolutionary broadcasts a message to the entire world. He has decided that eliminating mutants will stop conflict with humans. He uses his satellite array to send an energy pulse that removes the x-gene from every mutant on the globe. It is a blessing to some and a curse to others, but while the X-Men learn to live normal lives, Genosha's civil war intensifies. The bloody conflict also reveals a dangerous, hidden aspect of the High Evolutionary's plan, and that sends the powerless X-Men to space to confront the High Evolutionary and his old colleague, Mr. Essex (a not-so-disguised Mr. Sinister).

The story itself does not feel true to the X-Men ethos. The team seems to initially accept what is happening to them and every other mutant in the world rather than immediately confront the High Evolutionary for making the decision for them. Maybe it is because of their recent battle and losses, but they aren't being the heroes that defy the odds. In the end, the twists are not surprising, and the conclusion feels unsatisfying.

What really makes this stand out, however, is watching the characters really deal with "being normal". Wolverine hides his pain to allow his friends to enjoy their new lives. Meltdown watches a kid who defined himself with powers try to hold onto what made him special. Nightcrawler must get used to a normal body with agility a trained acrobat might have. Each story is unique, and it would've been very interesting to see some more.

I guess I am reading a little too much into the story, but this set got me thinking about how we often define ourselves by something we believe is unique to us. We can see that special quality as something that set us apart from everybody else, or we may accept it as an integral and celebrated aspect of our identity. What if that one thing is suddenly taken?

[3-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #379 - "What Dreams May Come..." Professor X leaves Earth to lead mutant Skrulls, but after he leaves, the High Evolutionary turns his attention, and considerable technology from space, towards ending the mutant/human struggle by eliminating the x-gene from the entire population. No more mutants.

[4-Stars] X-Force #101 - "Learning To Fly" Mutant powers are gone, and that has left Cannonball in bad shape. He fell from a considerable hight while flying over the San Fransisco Bay. The team waits for his recovery, but Meltdown watches the unintended consequences of a young boy who believed that his new-found powers made him special.

[3-Stars] X-Men #99 - "Oh, the Humanity" The X-Men learn to live as normal humans. The High Evolutionary and his mysterious partner, Dr. Essex, prepare for the next phase of their plan to accelerate the mutations across the entire globe.

[3-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #380 - "Heaven's Shadows" The powerless X-Men race to the High Evolutionary's satellite station to stop Dr. Essex's global experiment before it causes permanent damage.

Era #9, Part 14: Generation X #59-62

Grade: C

Jay Faeber's run ends with some more run-of-the-mill stories. We finally get some answers about Mondo's relationship with Black Tom and Juggernaut, but I am not sure I could explain it accurately. Monet left the team to attend a private boarding school in the Swiss Alps -- run by a vampire.

This is another case in which it is probably a good thing that I am a neurotic completionist. I would have dropped this title, but I really liked the characters and hoped that things would get better. It does, but not here.

[3-Stars] Generation X #59 - "Artie & Leech's Day Off" It is a field trip to the Big Apple that goes a little awry when Artie and Leech sneak away to find their friend Franklin Richards.

[3-Stars] Generation X #60 - "Christmas Fear" Cordelia Frost crashes Christmas with Mondo hot on her trail.

[3-Stars] Generation X #61 - "Christmas Fear Part Two" Generation X versus Mondo, Black Tom Cassidy and the Juggernaut.

[2-Stars] Generation X #62 - "Prey" It is a Monet solo story as she looks for ways to eliminate a vampire that preys on the boarding school students. This is more Buffy without the fun dialog or character development. 

Era #9, Part 13: X-Force #92-100

Grade: D

This run is one of the cases where I like the writer and I love the characters, but I can't figure out why. I will confess that it was a struggle to finish this run. The stories are really uninspired. John Francis Moore tries to make the Domacles Foundation a major threat that has been around for years. You sprinkle in some more well-known villains like Selene, Hela, and Blackheart for random (and confusing) appearances, and you have a title that is clearly winding down. It wasn't necessarily a bad set, but it would not be one that I would recommend -- or attempt to reread again.

[2-Stars] X-Force #92 - "Strange Interlude" Domino meets Halloween Jack in what feels like a fill-in issue. John Francis Moore created Halloween Jack in the pages of X-Men 2099 along with other recent story elements such as the Mutant Underground Support Engine (MUSE)). It seems he wanted to bring those characters into the mainstream x-mythos, but alas, none of them made it beyond these issues.

[2-Stars] X-Force #93 - "Temple of the Dying Sun" X-Force is tricked into unleashing an ancient power upon the world by two unknown Eternals attempting to steal Dani's newfound energy powers.

[3-Stars] X-Force #94 - "Artifacts and Apocrypha" Pete Wisdom recruits X-Force for a dangerous mission that requires them to sneak into Magneto's Genosha.

[3-Stars] X-Force #95 - "Magnetic Distraction" Magneto finds X-Force helping Pete Wisdom on a mission to retrieve a sentient satellite that crashed on Genosha soil.

[2-Stars] X-Force #96 - "Family Secrets" In Genosha, Cannonball learned that his father may have covered up a murder. He breaks his uncle out of prison in order to get some answers, but the story leads X-Force to Sledge, Odysseus Indigo, and the Damocles Foundation.

[2-Stars] X-Force #97 - "Cracked Foundation" Selene has been spending the last few issues forming an uneasy alliance with Sunspot in order to stop the Damocles Foundation from merging the Reignfire essence with a Celestial Gatherer.

[2-Stars] X-Force #98 - "Temptation" Selene tempts Sunspot into joining Hellfire Club by promising to bring back his first love, Juliana Sandoval, from the dead. Meanwhile, Hela attempts to convince Blackheart into releasing Dani Moonstar.

[2-Stars] X-Force #99 - "Bad Company" The Demon Bear is back and destroying San Fransisco. Arcadia has been haunted by Dani Moonstar's legendary nightmare and raced to find X-Force to get to the bottom of their uncomfortable psychic connection.

[2-Stars] X-Force #100 - "Dark Cathedral" Unable to cope with the Demon Bear attack, Arcadia unleashes her reality warping powers transforming herself into the Queen of the Star Swords. She separates X-Force into different dimensions each guard by a past version of Dani Moonstar.   

Era #9, Part 12: Armageddon Now

Grade: B

John Francis Moore and Jimmy Cheung continue their run with a story that focuses on loyalty. Jessie Bedlam found X-Force while he was looking for help to find his brother. The team accepted Jessie into their trust, but Jessie is immediately put into a position where he must choose his new friends or his only family. Christopher Bedlam (now called King Bedlam) now leads the New Hellions which includes new characters Paradigm and Switch along with an apparently resurrected Tarot (killed by Fitzroy in Era #06, Part 02), former X-Force member Feral, and former New Mutant Magma.

King Bedlam is more of a nuanced character than he might first appear. Emma Frost attempted to recruit him into the original Hellions, but he elected not to fight in somebody else's war. Instead, he chose to wage war against humans in a way that allows him to profit from the conflict.

I have two issues with the run. Jimmy Cheung draws the team a younger and innocent. His artwork doesn't jive with the premise of the book of rebelling 20-somethings with para-military tendencies. This is also ANOTHER storyline in which X-Force is under the control of the enemy (as recently as the last post, Era #08, Part 15). Maybe this a subtle hint on how easily angry youth can be manipulated, but it seems overused in this title.

All-in-all, Armageddon Man is one of the better John Francis Moore tales. Jessie makes a fateful decision that he must live with, Feral again shows why she is so dangerous, and Siryn must deal with the loss of her powers.

[3-Stars] X-Force #87 - "Family Matters" Jessie Bedlam finally finds his long-lost brother, but the discovery tests his loyalty to X-Force. Christopher Bedlam now goes by the name King Bedlam and leads the New Hellions.

[3-Stars] X-Force #88 - "Blood & Betrayal" King Bedlam and the New Hellions captured and enslaved X-Force to help release and unleash the Armageddon Man, a mutant so powerful that he was imprisoned and hidden away by the US military in 1959.

[3-Stars] X-Force #89 - "Hellions Triumphant!" The New Hellions capture Senator Owen Danville, the commanding officer of the unit that originally discovered, contained and imprisoned the Armageddon Man. King Bedlam wants the Senator to be present when they reawaken the powerful mutant. He also wants the retired general to negotiate a sizable ransom with the US government to prevent the destruction that the respected Senator knows first-hand will result from the Armageddon Man's release.

[3-Stars] X-Force #90 - "Rude Awakening" King Bedlam learns too late that he is unable to control the Armageddon Man and escapes with the New Hellions leaving X-Force to deal with the powerful, and very angry, mutant. In the final battle between the two teams, Feral literally goes for the jugular severally damaging Siryn's larynx, the source of her mutant powers.

[3-Stars] X-Force #91 - "Fallout" Siryn wanders San Fransisco trying to deal with the loss of her voice and her power. Bobby and Tabitha break up just minutes before he is picked up by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) for overstaying his student visa. 

Era #9, Part 11: Ages of Apocalypse

Grade: C

I have some mixed feelings about this short run. Alan Davis continues to plot some deeper stories that just don't really seem to work. Part of it might be that the artwork is lighter and more colorful than the subject matter, but I really think that he is trying too hard to tell a cerebral science fiction tale in what really is a character-driven franchise.

We see Cyclops sacrifice himself to stop Apocalypse at the end of "The Twelve", but we learn in "Ages of Apocalypse" that the two have merged to become Cyclopalypse with the evil persona maintaining control of the shared body. Cyclopalypse needs the combined power of the Twelve to complete the transformation, so he attempts to trick them by creating alternate realities that force them to use their powers in unison. He starts by reimaging the classic X-Men origins with the characters changed, and he ends with the X-Men victorious in their cause but about to lose their beloved Professor X.

The title and premise clearly attempt to capitalize on the popularity of the Age of Apocalypse which makes this appear like a hack job. This watered down version does not commit to an alternate reality, and there is nothing that had me rooting for the characters. I just wanted it to be over which is unfortunate because I now see where he was going.

[3-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #378 - "First and Last Part 1" Jean Grey tours Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Students and meets the first X-Men:  Beast, Gambit, Iceman, and Storm. Something doesn't feel quite right for her, but she doesn't have time to dwell on it. The team must reach a circus performer and mutant named Colossus before Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants (Polaris, Rogue, Marrow, and Sunfire).

[3-Stars] X-Men Unlimited #26 - "Day of Judgment" The X-Men attempt to repel a Shi'Ar Empire attack on the Blue Area of the Moon. It is the X-Men's last stand to protect Earth from invasion, but the overwhelming forces are led by Apocalypse's Horsemen Deathbird (War), Ahab (Famine), Erik the Red (Death), and Caliban (Pestilence).

[3-Stars] X-Men (v2) #98 - "First and Last Part 2" The X-Men reunite after years of promoting equality. They have been so successful that they are now a universal presence with membership and schools that span across many different alien races. This gathering is to help Professor X who is dying. They have one possible way to extend his life.

Era #9, Part 10: The Twelve

Grade: C

Finally, the secret of the Twelve! First mentioned back in March 1987 in the pages of X-Factor #14 (Era, #4, Part 08), the "fabled Twelve" are a "dozen mutant humans who will one day rise up and lead all of mutantkind in war against Homo sapiens in the twilight of Earth." There were several claims and partial lists of potential candidates, but it was not until Kitty found Destiny's diary (Era #9, Part 07) that we get a complete list:

• Magneto
• Polaris
• Storm
• Sunfire
• Iceman
• Cyclops
• Phoenix (Jean Grey)
• Cable
• Bishop
• Mikhail Rasputin
• Professor X
• Living Monolith.

That is an impressive list, but the story was still a pretty big let-down. We waited 12 years for this, and we get another attempt by Apocalypse to possess X-Man's body? Apparently, leading all of mutantkind in a war against humans means being a battery for a supervillain's extraterrestrial machine.

Apocalypse's allies didn't seem to add much value. I would even say that it distracted from what could've been solid reveal. Even after rereading it, I am still puzzled why Alan Davis wanted to add the Skrulls. They never really fit well in an X-Men centric story. It was an odd collection of established characters that took the positions of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen. I had a difficult time buying Ahab (Famine) and Deathbird (War) joining as subordinates to Apocalypse. Wolverine (Death) was brainwashed, but I didn't collect the Wolverine issues that delved more into how this happened and how he regained his own mind. That leaves Caliban (Pestilence) who was already Death in the past, so why did he change?

The Twelve was one of those X-Men mysteries that longtime fans like me really talked about all the time. Alan Davis gave us closure, but it was not all that satisfying. Maybe that is because I set my expectations too high, or maybe it is because the premise didn't take into account any of the dropped clues, fan conjectures, or original purpose of the Twelve.

[3-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #376 - "Filling in the Blanks" The hunt for the Twelve is on as the X-Men attempt to protect them from Apocalypse's Horsemen.

[3-Stars] X-Men (v2) #96 - "The Gathering" The X-Men versus Death/Wolverine.

[3-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #377 - "The End of the World as We Know It" Apocalypse and his Horsemen complete their collection of the Twelve.

[3-Stars] X-Men #97 - "The End of the World as We Know It Part 2" Apocalypse reveals his plans to use the power of the Twelve to transfer his consciousness into Nate Gray merging their powers to become a godlike being. 

Era #9, Part 09: The Shattering (Part 2)

Grade: B

Alan Davis continues his run with even more shockers following Wolverine's death. A Skrull was posing as Wolverine since X-Men #90 (Era #9, Part 03). In hindsight, there were several clues, but I certainly didn't pick up on them at the time. So where is Wolverine? Somehow, he is transformed into the Apocalypse's newest horseman Death. Again, I didn't see that coming.

Alan is building to another big event, but the pieces that are beginning to fall into place are not encouraging. Wolverine is Death (cool), but how did the Skrulls become a strong Apocalypse ally? It was cringe-worthy seeing the Skrulls working with Deathbird and human lackeys dressed in ancient Egyptian garb to help Apocalypse gain mutant dominance on Earth.

[3-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #375 - "I Am Not Now, Nor Have I Ever Been..." Professor X calls the X-Men home with urgent news -- Wolverine is dead! Xavier then pits the team against each other to test their loyalties.

[3-Stars] X-Men (v2) #95 - "Do Unto Others" The X-Men's search for Wolverine leads them to a Skrull base on Earth where they face off against Apocalypse's newest horseman of Death.

[3-Stars] X-Men Unlimited #25 - "In Remembrance" The X-Men share their fond memories of Wolverine. In the second story, Wolverine teaches a lesson to two cruel hunters who do not hunt for food but just to kill.

Era #9, Part 08: Astonishing X-Men

Grade: C+

The Shattering continues in this three-part limited series. Cyclops and Jean Grey do not have much time to figure out what to do after the X-Men disbanded X-Men #92. Nina and Mannites arrive desperately seeking help. They are being hunted by Apocalypse's newest Horseman of Death.

Cyclops and Jean quickly assemble a new team that includes Wolverine, Angle, Cable, and X-Man. The roster sounds cool, but I didn't think that it worked well. It felt forced.

Mannites are another X-Men storyline that just never really clicked for me. Nina is their "leader" and first appeared in Onslaught: Epilogue (Era #07, Part 30), and she plays a major role in the Hunt for Xavier (Era #08, Part 22). This series hints that the Mannites were developed in Bastion's laboratories (which makes sense), but their backstory, characterizations, and bizarre "evolution" seems slipshod. I am not even sure we learned why Death wanted them dead.

SPOILER: The series ends with a shocking moment. Wolverine is actually killed in his battle with Death. I was completely caught off-guard! It also represents one of the few times that a limited series actually has an impact.

[3-Stars] Astonishing X-Men #1 - "Call to Arms!" Cyclops and Jean Grey recruit a new X-Men team to protect Mannites from the mysterious Death.

[3-Stars] Astonishing X-Men #2 - "The Trouble with Mannites" X-Men search for a way to stop Death from killing the Mannites.

[3-Stars] Astonishing X-Men #3 - "In the Shadow of Death!" X-Men versus Death.

Era #9, Part 07: The Shattering (Part 1)

Grade: C

The X-Men are calling it quits (again). Professor X seems bent on pushing the X-Men to the breaking point. He makes it clear that the new team roster is up to the challenges that face them. It proves to be too much. Exhausted and angry, the X-Men go their separate ways.

Colossus takes Marrow to Boston where are abducted by Mikhail Rasputin. Mikhail is Colossus's brother, but he was also the cruel "god" of the Morlocks during their time in a different dimension. I will say again how much I don't like any of the Mikhail stories that I've read, but at least here, we learn more about Marrow and her path to leading the hate-filled terrorist group Gene Nation. We also get another attempt to explain why

Nightcrawler, Kitty Pryde, and Rogue take a more relaxed vacation that is interrupted by Mystique. She is being hunted down for crimes against the Japanese government that she didn't commit. Sunfire joins them in uncovering the truth. While at one of Mystique's many safe houses, Kitty finds a Destiny's Diary (something that will become more significant later).

This isn't a bad run, but it isn't especially exciting either. Alan Davis continues to write for both titles, so you have to read both to get the entire story.

[3-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #372 - "Dream's End (Part 1): Rude Awakening" The team has not had an opportunity to unwind before Professor X has them running through a new, more grueling training regimen that pushes them over the edge.

[3-Stars] X-Men (v2) #92 - "Dream's End (Part 2): Pressure Points" The X-Men have had enough of Professor X's secretive attitude and his relentless, unnecessary training. They decide that it is time to take a break and go their separate ways.

[2-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #373 - "Beauty & The Beast (Part 1): Broken Mirrors" Colossus takes Marrow to Boston to relax, but trouble is not far behind when Mikhail Rasputin finds them at an art gallery.

[2-Stars] Uncanny X-Men #374 - "Beauty & the Beast (Part 2): You Can't Go Home Again" Colossus and Marrow must find a way to stop Mikhail from trying to bring a pale copy of Illyana back from the dead.

[3-Stars] X-Men (v2) #93 - "Hidden Lives (Part 1): Open Wounds" Rogue, Kitty Pryde and Rogue go into the city to unwind after the X-Men disbanded. They run into Mystique who is being hunted by an unknown assailant.

[3-Stars] X-Men (v2) #94 - "Hidden Lives (Part 2): Pandora's Box" Sunfire agrees to help Rogue, Kitty, and Nightcrawler find out who is trying to frame Mystique of espionage.

Era #9, Part 06: Generation X #53-58

Grade: B-

Jay Faerber picks up a little steam in this run. The stories are still more on the typical comic style, but they are fun reads. Generation X face a new threat in Madripoor, and they final confront the fate of Emma Frost's first team, the Hellions.

Generation X also learn how Emplate, M, and Penance are related. We first learn about Empate and Penance five years ago in Generation X #1, so it was good to finally delve into their origins. I am not thrilled with the answers, but they are answers.

[3-Stars] Generation X #53 - "Land of the Rising Sons Part 1" Generation X joins the mercenary Paladin on a trip to Madripoor. They are on a mission for Adrienne Frost to retrieve a sword from a mob boss, but they must first get past a new threat called the Rising Sons (Dragonwing, Spoilsport, the Sign, Jet-Black, Nightwind, and Tough Love).

[3-Stars] Generation X #54 - "Land of the Rising Sons Part 2" Generation X and Paladin versus the Rising Sons.

[3-Stars] Generation X #55 - "Sins of the Past Part One: In Another Man's Shoes" Generation X wakes up as the Hellions on the fateful day that Emma Frost's original students die at the hands of Trevor Fitzroy and his Sentinels (back in Era #6, Part 2). They decide to change the outcome.

[3-Stars] Generation X #56 - "Sins of the Past Part Two: Heal Thyself" Generation X relive Hellion's final day, but M finds that they are stuck inside an elaborate illusion.

[3-Stars] Generation X #57 - "A Night to Remember" Emplate crashes the Massachusetts Academy formal dance. In their attempt to stop him, Generation X discover the family secret that binds him with M, and Penance.

[3-Stars] Generation X #58 - "Something Wicked" Generation X search the woods for a runaway Penance while learning more about Emplate, M, and Penance.

Era #9, Part 05: Generation X #46-52

Grade: C

Jay Faerber takes the pen from Larry Hama, and the stories go from outlandish to mundane. This run really focuses on the "school" side of being teenaged mutant heroes. Emma Frost runs into some financial difficulties and calls her older sister, Adrienne, for help, and they open the school up to include normal (and rich) students.

[3-Stars] Generation X #46 - "The Quality of Mercy" It is back to school for Generation X with new uniforms and a surprise state inspection.

[3-Stars] Generation X #47 - "She Got Game" Forge installs a new Danger Room for the students, but Gaia's unpredictable powers transforms the alien technology into a new threat called Paradox.

[3-Stars] Generation X #48 - "Foxes & Scorpions" Emma Frost reluctantly turns to her sister Adrienne for financial support to keep the school operational. Husk returns from Kentucky, M and Jubilee tussle in the Danger Room, and Maggott arrives to enroll at the school.

[3-Stars] Generation X #49 - "Trophies" Maggott is being stalked by a trophy hunter named Slaughter. Adrienne Frost learns the true purpose of the school and agrees to provide her financial support as the new headmistress.

[3-Stars] Generation X #50 - "War of the Mutants Part 1: Divided We Fall" Adrienne opens the Massachusetts Academy for all students making it more difficult for Generation X to be themselves. Nate Grey (X-Man) arrives wanting to know more about Emma's past relationship with the Dark Beast (as seen in Generation X #-1 Flashback).

[3-Stars] X-Man #50 - "War of the Mutants Part 2: New Blood" X-Man and Generation X versus Dark Beast.

[2-Stars] Generation X #51 - "The Rescuers" Adrienne sends Generation X on a mission to find and rescue Banshee from a wealthy gentleman with ties to the criminal underworld and a grandson, Tristan, who is also a student at the Massachusetts Academy.

[3-Stars] Generation X #52 - "Secret Identities" Tristan knows Generation X's secret and agrees to keep quiet if Paige will go out on a date with him. Artie and Leech have fun with their new imagine inducers.