What’s Covered?
Uncanny X-Men # 287, XM # 107, Maximum Security # 1 - 3, Thor # 30, Bishop: The Last X-Man # 15, Gambit # 23, X-Men Unlimited # 29, Avengers # 35
Roster Watch
Synopsis
Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet, #1
We check in on the Avengers
Wasp, Cap, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, Goliath (Pym?), Triathalon
I always love when we do a little check in on the Avengers, but it's been quite some time since last I did that. When I started this X-Men blogging journey, I assumed that I would do one for the Avengers when I was done, but after it taking me 3 years and I'm still only through the year 2000, I doubt that will ever happy.
Many of these characters are status quo Avengers. At first I had no idea who Goliath was, then I realized it must have been another re-boot of Henry Pym. I still have no idea who Triathalon is.
USAgent leading the Avengers to investigate aliens who had been sentenced to earth
Man, USAgent is a prick. Pretty fun seeing him in this way after seeing him featured in Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Ronan the accuser overseeing a deployment of alien fugitives sent to earth to minimize them by the Shi’ar
Another cool MCU character played by one of my favorites, Lee Pace (love him in Foundation). It's just fun to be like "Oh! I know him!"
Ego the living planet is expanding on earth
Thor (1998) #30
Malekith unleashed
Oh! Malekith, I know him! He was the villain from the worst movie in the MCU!
Thor with avengers
Moondragon, Quasar, Tigra, Photon, Harry Styles
So this is another Avengers team...Maybe the West Coast Avengers? Or the Space Coast Avengers (plus Tigra)? Fun to see Moondragon as I read about her in my Adam Warlock/Guardians of the Galaxy expanded reading. Now THAT'S a series I do plan on going back and doing. Guardians of the Galaxy (from the 90's) is the only comic run that I read from beginning to end as a kid. And since there isn't a heavy volume of them, I could probably get it done in under 6 months.
Photon! Oh, I know here from Wandavision and the Marvels!
Lol, I couldn't think of Starfox (Eros) name, so I just called him Harry Styles.
Beta Ray Bill helps
I remember thinking Beta Ray Bill was the coolest character from the Marvel trading cards, but I never actually read a comic with him in it until this week. That was fun!
X-Men # 387
Writer - Chris Claremont
Pencils - Salvador Larocca
T’Challa summons Ororo
I heard they get married on day.
A flashback to Dark Phoenix
X speaks to Lilandra aboard the Starjammer
I feel like this is a lazy romance. These two go years without seeing each other and then every time they do, they get all Starry Eyed. Lilandra is one of the most powerful people in the galaxy, you know she's moved on by now.
It's also been quite thin over the years showing us how she's still someone we should root for while she does terrible things. Even here she's like "Oh, it's all the council's fault. Whaaa."
Xavier still leading mutant Skrulls
Gambit, Rogue, Beast, Cable, Storm, Jean
Jean, and the XM, being attacked by Mandroids
Jean apologizes for sending Nathan into the future
The Imperial Guard wants Jean, to prevent a future Dark Phoenix
IG led by Star Hammer
The last living of the Asparagus people (D’Bari)
Ok, this was pretty cool. The Asparagus people, apparently called D'Bari, are the race of people Jean committed genocide against as the Dark Phoenix (I know it technically wasn't Jean, but that's one large retcon I choose to ignore). I mean, I guess this whole thing gets an entire issue dedicated to it, but it seems like it could have been a bigger story to play with in a real X-Men arc as opposed to a throwaway issue in a boring cross over. I don't even think this Star Hammer character showed up again after this issue. Actually, let me look it up. Interesting, so I was right that he didn't show up throughout this rest of this crossover and never showed up in a core X-Men line, but apparently he had been popping up prior to this in Wolverine and She-Hulk.
Bishop: the Last X-Man #15
Xavier finds that Deathbird killed a bunch of Shi’ar
So she's evil again. That's more like it.
Bishop is pulled/summoned
Deathbird gives Bishop a key and escapes out an airlock
Bishop agrees to go back to Earth for Xavier
This marks the return of Bishop to the X-Men. I guess Claremont likes Bishop. I was content to have him stay out of the X-Men, plus I like smaller team's per comic run. Oh well.
Max security # 2
Silver Surfer agrees to try and be the host to re-absorb Ego
USAgent and Wasp coordinating super hero support
US agent trying to recruit the aliens to fight against the Shi’ar
Special Kree soldiers may be behind everything as they look to communicate with the Supreme Intelligence
Gambit (1999) #23
An alien helps Gambit get info on Ego from the High Evolutionary
X-Men # 107
Writer - Chris Claremont
Pencils -Leinel Francis Yu
Cerise surprises NC, looking for help. Kisses him but he pushes back since he’s a priest.
Cerise! My girl. I LOVE how she shows up and starts making out with Kurt. That's so great.
Rogue still struggling with the fact that she killed one of the Goth
Eats a lot of milkshakes
Rogue's going to be going through some depression for a while. That's an interesting arc, but we've been seeing her as a leader so I don't think it's necessary to spend too much time watching her wallow.
Rogue saves Z’Scann, one of the Skrulls from the blood Brothers but the girl dies. Transferring her memories to Rogue.
XM fight bad aliens and help Bishop arrive
X-Men Unlimited # 29
Writer - Joe Pruett
Pencils - Brett Booth
*This cover is a nice throwback to X-Men # 282 with Bishop's first appearance.
Cerise still with X-Men…then she leaves
Ha, I had written this note because I was excited to see Cerise but then she left on the next page. I guess we just can't have good things. Let's see when next we'll see her in an X-Men comic...Oh! So she'll be in XM # 109, I haven't read that yet. That's fun. But then not again until 2005. Oh well.
Avengers (Goliath and Warbird) pick up XM to take on Ronan
Warbrid is Carol Danvers, wearing what I recognize as a Ms. Marvel outfit.
Ego has taken over half the earth
Rogue has to ask Carol (Warbird) if she can absorb her powers to access her Kree knowledge
Alright, now this is the kind of shit I love. I love when an author sees two characters together and is able to recongize how to draw on their past to make things interesting in the present. I love that these two have animosity towards each other, but are able to put it behind them for the greater good.
Ronan absorbs the ego power to become a God
Sounds about right.
XM escape
Avengers 35
Avengers- Thor, Tigra, Moondragon, Quasar, Moondragon, Photon, Jack of Hearts - demand to see Lilandra
Wow, Jack of Hearts is a whacky character. Did they pull him from Alice in Wonderland? How do Avengers readers take this character seriously?
She shuts them down
The Ruul attack and try to stop them from talking to the Avengers
The supreme intelligence explains that the Ruul was a hyper evolved version of the Kree, and that they planned all along to have Ego take over the Earth, and then reestablish the Kree empire.
Max Security # 3
Thor & Avengers escape, tell Lilandra of the Kree plan. Supreme Intelligence confirms it.
All heroes together fight Ruul, then Ronan
F4+ others try to siphon the Ego power into Silver Surfer, but it fails. Quasar steps in.
Exiled again
This was a pretty touching scene. I don't know much about Quasar, but apparently this was the first time he was home after years but then easily sacrifices his return to save everyone. This is good comic book writing.
USAgent defeats Ronan
Cadre K goes back into space without Xavier.