What’s Covered?
New X-Men # 122 - 126
Roster Watch
Synopsis
New X-Men # 122
Writer - Grant Morrison
Pencils - Frank Quitely
Cassandra Nova is wrecking the Shi'ar through Xavier's body. The Imperial super guardian Smasher is the only person to make it off the ship and to earth alive.
Emma is addressing the student body:
Curriculum will take a more fluid approach, moving forward
There is as much for the teachers to learn from the students as a students need to learn from the teacher
“The whole world is watching us now. We must be nothing less than fabulous.”
Jean and Scott are arguing about the future of the mutant race.
We learn a little more about Cassandra Nova. Jean says that Cassandra Nova doesn’t have a true body. She died in the womb but her consciousness survived and she had to use Charles’s own cells to make herself a body (or something like that.)
Xavier is dying so Scott seeks out Xorn for help curing him.
New X-Men # 123
Writer - Grant Morrison
Pencils - Ethan Van Sciver, Thomas Derenick
Jean is giving a big address to the media.
At this point I need to show you exactly what was in my notes: "During her great speech, one of the reporters insults Beast, and Emma jumps to his defense, being a complete awesome bitch."
Charles is still dying of numerous generative mental diseases.
One of the Stepford Cuckos, Esme, is kissing an asian guy, much to her sister's scorn. However the guy ends up being a Shi'ar plant!
Beast discovers the truth about the flu they all have and announces:
“ oh, my stars and fucking garters.”
Nova had dosed them all with parasitic sentinels.
The Shi'ar, under the influence of Cassandra Nova, are trying to kill all mutants, led by Gladiator.
New X-Men # 124
Writer - Grant Morrison
Pencils - Igor Kordey
Cyclops and Xorn are captured. Xorn breaks them free before they can be assassinated.
Nova (as Xavier) is ordering the Shi’ar to eliminate mutantkind.
The Stepford Cuckoos and Angel are free and running around as counter insurgents.
Beast and Wolverine are fucking up the Shi’ar but then Gladiator beats their ass
One of the Shi’ar find Smasher and he tells them that Lilandra and Xavier are compromised.
New X-Men # 125
Writer - Grant Morrison
Pencils - Igor Kordey
Cyclops and Xorn mess up the Shi’ar, but Nova/X escapes.
Angel (not Archangel) frees Beak.
Jean's plan is to store Xavier‘s consciousness in her own head and then kill the body of Cassandra
Cassandra Nova comes for the Imperial Guard...
New X-Men # 126
Writer - Grant Morrison
Pencils - Frank Quitely
Cassandra Nova beats Gladiator and the Imperial Guard.
The students are determined to help their teachers during the attack.
Jean absorbs Xavier, but the flu combined with this extra personality makes her sick.
Xorn cures the X-Men of the Sentinel disease
Jean divides Xavier into the mind of every mutant. When Nova uses Cerebra, it re-consolidates Xavier’s mind and defeats her.
Then Emma tricks her by giving her the old body, but it’s actually one of the Shi’ar, which traps her.
Xavier can walk again. We'll later find out that this was due to Xorn's healing.
My Connections and Creators
There is a big philosophical argument between Scott and Jean about the future of mutantkind. Scott doesn’t want the mutants to look like they think they are the Master Race since that plays into the human fears. Jean doesn’t think it’s like that at all. She thinks it’s time to embrace who they really are and stop hiding.
This is a very interesting development and one of the brilliant ways that Morrison moves the X-Men story forward. Up until this point, Xavier's dream has been for mutants and humans to live in peace. There have been times where certain heroes (Nightcrawler, brainwashed Cyclops, Xavier himself, etc.) have lost faith temporarily, but other than Magneto there hasn't been any momentum behind an alternative view. Magneto's perspective was always tainted by a more villainous approach. Here, Jean is saying that they don't need to be antagonistic (like Magneto), but it's time to stop hiding. It's time to stop pretending like they aren't truly more powerful than humans and that they have something to be ashamed of. Truly fascinating and I'm very eager to see how these rival viewpoints manifest in the future, especially since I know that the current Krokoa era definitely embraces this exact viewpoint.
Another head scratching development takes place between Beast and Trish Tilby. It turns out that Trish Tilby was one of the reporters (present during Jean's speech to the press) and comes begging back to Hank, but he turns her down and even says that he might be gay. Since I had never heard any peep of Hank being gay, I have to assume this was his attempt at being funny to get away from Trish. If this was written after 2019, this comic would surely be boycotted for making light of sexual identity. I'm very curios to track this and see if his sexuality is a continuing plot point or simply just a one liner that was forgotten.
Characters
Scott
Unfortunately, there aren't new developments between him and Emma. However, as mentioned before, him and Jean continue to argue.
The plot is so heavy that we really don't get much more about his recent personality shift either. He spends most of his time on a buddy cop adventure with Xorn.
Jean
Jean continues her rise to prominence for the first time since the Phoenix Saga. She's still arguing with Scott, but now serving as the headmistress of the school and the face of mutantkind for the media. It's been a very long time since Jean has been a relevant character and I'm here for it.
Professor X
Other than having his body taking over by his sister, no strong character advancements take place.
Emma
Nothing huge happens with her, other than her continuing to be fabulous.
Beast
Beast is very scared about continuing to evolve into a mindless creature. He’s already upset that he no longer has fingers, and has less dexterity with his paws. I'll give this plotline a little latitude, but it's giving me "Iceman can't control his powers" vibe, which was the only story any writers could ever go back to for Iceman since he wasn't very interesting.
As I mentioned above, him and Trish are officially done and he's claiming to be gay. I'll be tracking this.
Wolverine
I'm trying to think if he was actually in this arc or not. He was, but not much changes for him.