Ben's Bit - X-Men The End - Book 2 - Heroes & Martyrs #1
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
P
A
C
E
[right:0b8162ce5b]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/x-men_the_end_book2_1_review_1.jpg[/right:0b8162ce5b]
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Sean Chen
Story: Book 2, Heroes and Martyrs
OVERVIEW:
[left:0b8162ce5b]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/x-men_the_end_book2_1_review_2.jpg[/left:0b8162ce5b]
The end of "Book One": The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning has been destroyed. During an attack by WarScrulls a bomb was detonated, that bomb triggered the detonation of the Anti-Matter fusion reactor beneath the school. As the fireball grew, Northstar had begun to outrun it while holding on to Cyclops to save him.
Picking up after the explosion, we discover that many of those close to the explosion died, as it left a crater several miles wide. A new report informs us that the school's true nature was public knowledge, as were the association of the X-Men. The X-Men role as protectors against mutant threats, however been replaced by the officially sanctioned group known as the X.S.E. It appears that many have died in the explosion, most of which were students and children.
In the White House, government officials discuss the situation. Not only was the Xavier Institute a target, but so were man other bases mutant operations. The coordinated global strike against the X-Men also targeted retired team members and their families. In consulting with the U.S. President, Vargas, leader of the X.S.E. informs the White House that their own headquarters had been attacked, and Val Cooper, Secretary of Homeland Security was dead, along with a WarScrull assassin who had impersonated a number of X.S.E. agents. Fearing a counter strike by the X-Men, the President informs Vargas that he is expected to keep the peace in this matter. Meanwhile, a human group known as "Purity" has gone so far as to publish statements that the X-Men brought the situation on themselves, and that this even is just the beginning. Fearing the trigger of a race war, the U.S. President orders the Nimrod Sentinels to be placed on full alert.
[right:0b8162ce5b]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/x-men_the_end_book2_1_review_3.jpg[/right:0b8162ce5b]The teleporting mutant called Hub is exhausting herself, using her powers to transport Hank McCoy and his mobile field hospital where it is needed. Arriving at the former site of the Xavier Institute, McCoy is greeted by Bishop, now a member of the X.S.E. The Beast it seems bears bad blood towards the X.S.E. as it's leader Vargas had killed Psylocke in front of McCoy's eyes. As they discuss The Beast's presence, an optic blast is sent off by Cyclops from the forest just beyond the blast zone. Now also a member of the X.S.E. Archangel gives McCoy a lift to find Cyclops. When they discover him, they find him cradling the limp body of Northstar, who would appear to have taken the brunt of the explosion, while protecting his leader.
The mutant group known as X-Force, has been in operations in Afghanistan. In their attack Cable, Shatterstar, and Warpath were transformed into Techno-Organic clones of Technarx, and the only survivors were Domino, Rictor, and Feral. An X-Men ship lands, piloted by who they believe is Wolverine, come to pick them up. As Domino embraces him, his claws extend into her. Dropping her to the floor, his arm shoots out elastically smashing Rictor into a window. As Feral jumps to attack, he grabs her by the throat, slashing her with his claws. Still alive, but bleeding badly, domino unloads her gun on him. The fake Wolverine, actually a WarScrull seems to be unharmed by her attack, and appears to finish them off.
[left:0b8162ce5b]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/x-men_the_end_book2_1_review_4.jpg[/left:0b8162ce5b]In Valle Soleda, Emma Frost and Rogue are recovering from the attack on them, apparently led by Rogue's own husband, Gambit, acting for Sinister. Abducting their children, the only reason Rogue can find for Gambit's betrayal, is that Sinister called in a "marker" that Remy felt had to be paid. As they discuss their situation, and their plan to rescue the children, they see the news report on the demolition of the Xavier Institute. Seeing her husband, Cyclops, alive on the TV, Emma re-establishes her broken telepathic link with him, and find him in a state of shock. Together Frost and Rogue fly off into the skies.
Locked up in an undisclosed location, Emma and Scott's daughter Megan tries to use her telepathy to reach her mother, and finds she can't contact anyone. While she and the other children discuss their shock at being kidnapped by Gambit, they are interrupted by the entrance of The Dark Beast. Jumping to the defense of Megan's littler Brother, she and the son of Rogue and Gambit are challenged by The Dark Beast. Stepping in, Gambit stops the insane Beast from harming the children. The children lash out at him, calling him a liar and thief, saying Rogue and Emma will make him pay. Joining the discussion Sinister says they will come to thank him, as they will all survive, where he claims to have seen the future of the mutants on the outside, and it is "dust".
[right:0b8162ce5b]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/x-men_the_end_book2_1_review_5.jpg[/right:0b8162ce5b]Returning to the site of the Xavier Institute, Hank McCoy has made Northstar “as comfortable as possible”, though he can do nothing for him, other than to relive his pain. With some difficulty Jean-Paul gets calls to Scott. In efforts to comfort the fallen hero Cyclops asks him to hold on, saying they’ll find a healer. He asks Scott to let him end his life with Honour, implying that being kept barley alive by Hank’s machines was not what he wanted. As Northstar drifts off, he sees his sister Aurora holding out her hand to hands to him. She tells him to cast of his burdens of the flesh, and rejoin Alpha Flight. With her now are Shaman, Sasquatch, and Puck, all apparently now dead. In peace, and with the honour of a true hero, Jean Paul Baubier dies.
Mourning the loss of Northstar, and the many other heroes that did not survive the coordinated strike, Scott Summers takes a cup of coffee presented by the coweled mutant Sooraya. It this however is quite possibly in truth Madelyne Pryor, the clone of Jean Grey in disguise.
On the rim of the blast area, Shadowcat and Rachel Summers find their friend Karma, just as Storm and Wolverine arrive on the scene. Storm who had been on a life support module has been “freed from her prison”, stating that her family had been attacked, and she was there to the finish. Wolverine informs Cyclops that their attackers were in fact WarScrulls who had taken the form others. This revelation makes Scott realize that they may be at war with the Shi’ar.
[left]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/x...1_review_6.jpg[/leftFar off in space, on the Starjammer ship, Jean Grey, once more in possession of the Phoenix Force is mentally communicating with Professor X. They discuss the fact that Deathbird and Bishop had a daughter, who is the rightful heir to the Shi’ar throne, though officially that title has been given to Xavi, the son of Xavier and Lilandra, the current ruler. Though at this time Lilandra is the ruler, she is being manipulated by her chancellor. Under his guidance, he has returned the Shi’ar race to being an aggressive and expansionistic people, as they once were. In their corner they have the WarScrulls, and the Brood. Their enemy race, the Kree, have drafted Jean Grey and the Phoenix force as an ultimate weapon to defeat the Shi’ar. Finishing off their conversation, Xavier fills Jean in on Scott and Emma having children, and being happy. Xavier is still unable to reestablish a mental link with any of the X-Men. As their conversation comes to an end, Professor X mentions he is waiting for Domino to arrive with an update on Cable. It is then that a WarScrull in Domino’s form enters Xavier’s room in Genosha. Callisto’s instincts kick in and she hurls a flurry of daggers at the imposter, and leaps to the attack. Sending Xavier’s defender through the wall, the WarScrull hurls the daggers all back at her. Using his powers and a cane, Xavier defends himself again the fake Domino. Taking it’s natural form the WarScrull informs Xavier that his telepathy is useless, as when they were created, their collective genome was engineers to resist his powers. The issue ends with the WarScrull towering over Xavier.
REVIEW:
First of all, I really should explain that I have not followed this entire series. I picked up issue #6 of Book 1, because of the Northstar appearance, and this issue for the same reason. That being said, I’ll most likely not get the rest of the series in comic form, but will pick up the TPBs when they come out.
[right:0b8162ce5b]http://www.alphaflight.net/reviews/x-men_the_end_book2_1_review_7.jpg[/right:0b8162ce5b]The writing on this book (and the previoius) has been quite good. I really like this timeline, over time (15 years) mutants have slowly become more accepted by the general populace. The idea behind the series is also one that I like. Claremont did so much with the X-Men franchise over the years, he is the perfect person to write their destruction. There are many layers to the story, some of which I don’t quite understand, not having read the first 5 issues.
I loved how they killed Northstar. Not that he died, but that he died as a hero, in a heroic way. The panels of Aurora and Alpha Flight “Descending” to take Jean Paul away were really beautiful, and got across a really powerful moment in a packed book.
There was so much going on, that it was at times hard to keep track, but again that could well have to do with my not having read the first 5 issues.
I really enjoyed Sean Chen’s art. It’s clear, attractive, but has the right amount of grit for the feel of this book. He has done a great job of “aging” the characters, and his panels of the Alpha Flight members were great.
All in all, a really great book, and I would keep buying the individual issues, regardless of Alpha Flight content, if I hadn’t missed so much early on, I figure I might as well wait for the TPB to properly figure out what’s going on.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by maniac mike
