Era #11, Part 06: Mr. M (District X)

Grade: A-

While District X appears to star the X-Man Bishop, this is really an on-the-streets drama focused on a regular cop Izzy Ortega. With the recent boom in the mutant population, New York City finds itself with a new and dangerous neighborhood called District X. Incredible powers and no opportunities due to rampant discrimination make Mutant Town a dangerous percent to patrol for normal humans. A gang war over the production and distribution of a new street drug escalates the violence and forces the FBI to ask Bishop for help. 

I love that this story is completely told from the perspective of the normal cop who must deal with his bigoted colleagues, a resentful and marginalized community, and a wife who is also a mutant. He is dealing with a lot while at the same time assisting the FBI (Bishop) in trying to get to the bottom of a mutant drug war that is killing normal humans. 

Marvel Knights was an imprint that concentrated on stand-alone (and often grittier) stories of underselling yet iconic characters (Black Panther, Punisher, Daredevil, and the Inhumans). The brainchild of future Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti, Marvel Knights grew to include other titles such as Bishop's District X. The creative team of  David Hine (writer) and David Yardin (penciler) captured the feel of the police procedurals with a mutant flare. Both crime bosses are mutants with relatively minor powers but maintain a strong grip on a territory filled with outcasts. I particularly like the many examples of their casual exploration of fellow mutants and the subtle nod that raw power alone is not enough to escape poverty.

 

[7-stars] District X (2004) #1

[7-stars] District X (2004) #2

[7-stars] District X (2004) #3

[7-stars] District X (2004) #4

[7-stars] District X (2004) #5

[7-stars] District X (2004) #6

Collected in District X (Vol. 1): Mr. M

Era #11, Part 05: X-Men Unlimited (Part 2)

Grade: B-

Anthology series can be hard to place within a timeline. I put them here to finish the series in two posts, so there will be one or two tales that take place later in this era (particularly Decimation). Short stories (usually) focus on a small, single moment in a character's life, and while on occasion this may be in reaction to a recent core event, most of these tales simply provide a little deeper insight into their lives. Sometimes, they can even add a touch of humanity. 

• [#8] Angel opens a new charity (6-stars)
• [#8] Beast and Shadowcat foil a robbery while trying to attend the opera (5-stars)
• [#9] Wolverine remembers a friend (5-stars)
• [#9] Iceman contemplates leaving the X-Men (5-stars)
• [#10] Beast becomes the schools substitute guidance counselor (6-stars)
• [#10] Beast returns home to recuperate (5-stars)
• [#11] Rachel confides in Havok (6-stars)
• [#11] Sunspot asks someone to a party (5-stars)
• [#12] Wolverine tries to deal with the pain while he heals (5-stars)
• [#12] Wolverine talks Puck down from another bar fight (5-stars)
• [#13] Memero loses his power on M-Day (7-stars): Part of Decimation
• [#13] A retired hero loses his wife and more (7-stars)
• [#14] Colossus and Magik must come to terms with death (6-stars)
• [#14] Colossus looks for his artistic muse (6-stars)

[6-stars] X-Men Unlimited (2004) #8

[5-stars] X-Men Unlimited (2004) #9

[6-stars] X-Men Unlimited (2004) #10

[6-stars] X-Men Unlimited (2004) #11

[5-stars] X-Men Unlimited (2004) #12

[7-stars] X-Men Unlimited (2004) #13

[6-stars] X-Men Unlimited (2004) #14

Era #11, Part 04: X-Men Unlimited (Part 1)

Grade: C+

X-Men Unlimited is an anthology series of small, character-driven stories. I am not a huge fan, mostly because they are an additional cost for tales that don't add to the core plots or have any real impact on the characters. There are several stories in which a mutant is misunderstood/attacked by its community or a young mutant must learn to control their powers or suffer dire consequences. On the positive side, however, they highlight different writers and artists that sometimes turn in some hidden gems. 

• [#1] Sage on a mission (6-Stars)
• [#1] A young mutant on Halloween (5-stars)
• [#2] Bishop on patrol (6-Stars): Setting up the District X series.  
• [#2] Jubilee going back to the mall (5-stars)
• [#3] Gambit on a caper (6-stars)
• [#3] Cannonball and Icarus bonding as brothers (6-stars)
• [#4] Juggernaut prepares to teach children (6-stars)
• [#4] Emma Frost attends a wedding of an old rival (6-stars)
• [#5] Wolverine leads a Danger Room exercise (5-stars)
• [#5] Wolverine confronts trouble at a bar (5-stars)
• [#6] Shadowcat, Emma Frost, Sage, and Storm share stories (4-stars)
• [#6] Rachel and Rogue try to help a hospitalized mutant (5-stars)
• [#7] Nightcrawler meets a new friend (5-stars)
• [#7] Shadowcat tries to save a mutant from disappearing (5-stars) 

[6-stars] X-Men Unlimited (2004) #1

[6-stars] X-Men Unlimited (2004) #2

[6-stars] X-Men Unlimited (2004) #3

[6-stars] X-Men Unlimited (2004) #4

[5-stars] X-Men Unlimited (2004) #5

[5-stars] X-Men Unlimited (2004) #6

[5-stars] X-Men Unlimited (2004) #7