Era #9, Part 26: Eve of Destruction

Grade: C-

The era comes to end with a final showdown. Era 09 starts with the Magneto War in which the Master of Magnetism becomes the leader of the island nation of Genosha. It ends with him preparing his mutant/mutate army for war against the world in the name of genetic superiority.

This collection starts with a standalone story (#391) in which Cyclops finally confronts his father, the Starjammer leader known as Corsair. Why didn't Corsair return to Earth for his sons? It isn't a bad premise, but Corsair was introduced in 1977, so this might have been something they resolved over the last 24 years. 

The Eve of Destruction starts with a recap (#111) as told by reporter Trish Tilby. It certainly isn't a bad idea to remind the readers of how we got to this stage, but I remember that this felt like a waste of money when I was buying individual issues. 

The main story unfolds in four issues. Cyclops leads Wolverine and Polaris into Genosha to save as many humans as they can from the growing death toll. Meanwhile Jean Grey forms a new X-Men team to support a final confrontation with Magneto and his army of mutant and mutate soldiers. 

I love the fact that the X-Men can easily add existing Marvel characters and introduce new characters to the roster, so it was fun to watch Jean Grey assemble an assault team. I just don't think It really flowed this time. I was surprised to see the unethical decisions like putting new, untested mutants into danger and altering the mind of an acolyte to join them. 

• Northstar: An established mutant from Alpha Flight, and one of the first openly gay characters in American superhero comics. I like his difficult personality.
• Dazzler: I am glad to see her again, but Scott really doesn't deliver with her backstory. He gives us a peek at what was happening in Mojoverse by explaining that Dazzler will need the X-Men's help against the Age of Apocalypse babies (who killed Longshot?), but the story ends with Dazzler voluntarily departing without the assistance. 
• Frenzy: I've always kinda liked Frenzy. She is one of Magneto's most loyal Acolytes turned Genoshan Ambassador, yet Jean somehow convinces her to switch sides? It is implied that Jean used her powers to make that happen.
• Paulie Provenzano: I liked Paulie as well. His Brooklyn swagger is a nice change to the normal mutant melodrama. This was his first appearance, and he doesn't make more than one since this story.
• Wraith (Hector Rendoza): Not my favorite of the new batch of inductees. In fact, I just don't get his purpose or origin. Like Paulie, this is his first appearance, and he hasn't made more than once since this story.
• Sunpyre (Leyu Yoshida): I have mixed feelings about Sunpyre. She is the sister of Sunfire, a well established mutant ally from Japan. What I don't like is that she is his sister that we've never heard of since Sunfire's introduction in 1970. She has the identical power set and identical personality traits with her more well-known brother, so I am puzzled why they didn't use Sunfire (or make her a little more distinctive). This is also her first appearance, but she does show up a little more often in the future.

Eve of Destruction has the makings of an epic clash between the X-Men and Magneto on a global scale. It marks the conclusion of Magneto's legitimate rule over a mutant nation (and his ambition to use that power against the entire world), but alas, it falls short. The build-up was hurried and the execution rushed. The character depictions are not quite right (which is a bit odd for Scott Lobdell), and the character development is non-existent. It feels like a basic comic book story to clear the slate for a new creative team.

[3-Stars] Uncanny X-Men (1963) #391

[4-Stars] X-Men (1991) #111 

[5-Stars] Uncanny X-Men (1963) #392

[5-Stars] X-Men (1991) #112

[5-Stars] Uncanny X-Men (1963) #393

[5-Stars] X-Men (1991) #113

Collected in X-Men: Eve of Destruction

Era #9, Part 25: Four Days

Grade: C

The Revolution reboot claims another title as Generation X also ends its run. This final story is a nice, low-key look at the students as they come to grips with the loss of Sync. While taking a day trip into New York, Chamber meets a young woman with similar interests (#71) while Jubilee and M bond over the loss of their mutual friend (#72). Skin spends the day with Banshee who is also mourning Moria's death (#73), and Husk investigates ghostly appearances in the empty school (#74). 

Unfortunately, the final issue is exceptionally disappointing. It feels like the creators just learned that the title was being canceled and concluded six years of storytelling and character development with "and then they all suddenly decided to go their separate ways." After spending so long with these characters, I couldn't help but feel sad to see their departure so unceremoniously rushed.  

[6-stars] Generation X (1994) #71

[6-stars] Generation X (1994) #72

[5-stars] Generation X (1994) #73

[5-stars] Generation X (1994) #74

[3-stars] Generation X (1994) #75

Collected in Counter X: Generation X - Four Days

Era #9, Part 24: Rage War

Grade: C 

The Revolution reboot comes to a close for X-Force, and with it, the end of the title (for me) This final collection continues the super-spy direction with two stories from Ian Edgington. In Rage War, the team investigates several cases in which normal families suddenly turn into monsters. The team learns that these families are Soviet-era sleeper agents finally being activated by a rogue scientist with an agenda. In Epitaph, X-Force finally discovers who has been after them, and it is someone close to Pete Wisdom.

This new espionage premise wears thin quickly. The exaggerated spy cliches (like a super-secret black-ops organization beyond the touch and even knowledge of the world's powers that happens to be run by Pete Wisdom's sister) is beyond over-the-top. The sleeper agent angle was interesting but didn't really go anywhere. To make it less appealing, Jorge Lopez's art adds to the overall messiness of the run. 

This set ends the original X-Force lineup. The title continues with a new team of media-centric heroes. I wasn't interested in following along, so this marks the end of an era that started with the New Mutants in 1983. Fortunately, the characters have "graduated" from here to become even more integrated into the core X-Men books.   

Rage War

[5-Stars] X-Force (1991) #110

[5-Stars] X-Force (1991) #111

[5-Stars] X-Force (1991) #112

[5-Stars] X-Force (1991) #113

Epitaph

[4-Stars] X-Force (1991) #114

[4-Stars] X-Force (1991) #115

Collected in Counter X: X-Force: Rage War