Uncanny X-Men 12, X-Men Legacy 17, Ultimate X-Men 31

Uncanny X-Men 12
Bendis (w) and Bachalo, Townsend, Irwin, Mendoza, Olazaba, and Vey (a) and Gracia (c)

Jean and young Scott have come to older Scott's X-Men team for help, hoping that his rogue team might offer them an alternative to being sent back to the past, where they belong. After much discussion and thought, Scott says that he will help to protect them from being sent back (Scott of all people should really be against this) though Emma is against it. Meanwhile, Kitty continues to argue with impassioned and nonsensical speeches about allowing people to do what they want with their lives to her X-Men team and the future X-Men team that they should be allowed to stay. Future Jean and Xavier get a lock on young Jean and Scott and everyone goes to Utopia to retrieve them or fight on their behalf. Future Jean freezes the others and knocks young Jean out. Of course, Emma and the Cuckoos are not frozen and Emma tells future Jean that, though she thinks the original team should be sent back, knocking young Jean out while being future Jean is not okay and gets ready to battle her.

I've been pretty harsh on Uncanny X-Men, All-New X-Men, and, most recently, Battle of the Atom. Sometimes I have to pull back and ask if my dislike is warranted or if I don't like, perhaps, some of the conceits or the writing or whatever factor and am now blowing it out of proportion. Uncanny X-Men 12, to me, feels like the proof I need to say "nope, definitely not." I hate this issue. I hate everything about it and it culminates in what seems to be the biggest, dumbest fan service with even a wink, in case we needed it, to say that it's the biggest fan service. Haven't seen Jean and Emma fight in nearly a decade? Worry not, WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED. Want people who see time travel regularly to still be flummoxed by the rules of time travel? Covered. Want to see normally smart characters suddenly turn absurdly dumb? How about if they have impassioned speeches that come from the heart even if they are unbelievably stupid? Covered and covered. Want more of that back-and-forth dialogue that is meant to be fast but, in fact, slows down the flow of the book to a ridiculous degree? Hey. We've got you covered. So yes, I think this book and this event are both terrible and it's hard to see it as anything other than the weakest form of fan service that I can't, in good faith, believe was actually asked for. And this is coming from someone who read Avengers vs. X-Men. I rather wish I wasn't reviewing this with Legacy and Ultimate X-Men, both of which are really good books and which are weakened by being on the same post as Uncanny X-Men. But I already made a schedule and I'm sticking with it.

X-Men Legacy 17
Spurrier (w) and Pham (a) and Rosenberg (c)

Cyclops and David have begun their "no powers" fight and are right in the middle of it as we begin this issue. We get a fair deal of David's inner monologue (and a little bit of fourth wall breaking as he addresses the audience, the people reading his thoughts) and a whole bunch of recap of things that have come before as the two trade blow for blow. Though Scott is a trained martial artist and is stronger and quicker than David, it's a reasonably even fight because, as David points out, Scott doesn't usually get to brawling with people, instead using his powers vs. their powers, and Scott has a code of honor. David doesn't have that, particularly, and he's really, really angry and, he admits, a bit envious of Scott, as he was viewed by Charles. The fight finally ends with, of course, David finally succumbing. Down and out, he uses his powers just enough to incite Scott, who blasts him into the new mutant Scott and his team had found (she fuses living matter together) and this action, thanks to Scott's attack, creates the world worm we've seen David, in his visions of the future, turn into. David becomes a part of the world worm and begins reaching out for more mutant minds. That means mutantkind is doomed unless Blindfold can kill David before things get too out of control. However, before she can strike, she's stopped by what seems to be a robot containing the mind of Blindfold's brother Luca.

There is an awful lot happening here. There'd be plenty to talk about even if this issue was just Scott and David fighting but then we get the whole last half of the book. The recap is maybe a little heavy at times but it's particularly understandable once we get to the end of the issue, which reveals Luca again, not to mention the world worm. There's also a fair amount of monologue, a lot of text, which slows things down a bit at the beginning (thanks, in no small part, to all the recap). Unlike with most books I say that about, here it still flows pretty well. Spurrier has created such an interesting and complex character with David that his thoughts are more than just the usual superhero book fodder. He's not just narrating what's happening and maybe making a quip or an aside or a reference here and there; he's a fully fledged person with a real personality and a lot to think on. It comes with real questions and doubt and confidence and strength and sadness and anger and happiness and love and many other emotions while also incorporating many human tics and behaviors. All around great writing throughout this series. This issue kind of feels a little like it's leading to a series conclusion but, to my knowledge, the book hasn't been cancelled. I'm hoping that stays true and this just feels big because it is big, not because it doesn't have a chance to get bigger.

Ultimate X-Men 31
Wood (w) and A. Martinez and J. Lucas (a) and Sotomayor (c)

Tian has more or less announced war on Utopia and Kitty has made arrangements by deciding to step down as the head and face of Utopia and put Colossus in charge. She's done this, she explains to her conflicted people, to give the world a different face to look at, one they haven't likely seen and one who is more than a little intimidating without the intent to look intimidating. She can now also be a part of the army that's formed on Utopia. We see a little bit more of what will be defending Utopia before we look in on Tian. Storm has eyes on the nation and is wreaking havoc with the weather there. On the island itself, Jimmy Hudson is having some qualms with the way Jean is running things. He lets slip that he still believes in Utopia and she asks him to choose which side he's on. He's locked up shortly thereafter and Jean formulates a plan, based on the announcement of Kitty's resignation. To attack now would make Tian seem like the aggressors (they rather are, but the world doesn't necessarily see it that way). Jean, then, intends to release Jimmy into Tian to murder civilians, looking like a Utopian terrorist. She plays with Jimmy's mind and releases him, warning Tian of the "breakout." She also authorizes Farbird to find and kill Storm.

It's hard to say tensions are still ramping up when the tensions are already so high. I really like this series and I'm continually impressed by the way tension ratchets up in some new way every issue without ever feeling like it's piled too high, high enough that it's broken past the point of believability, even in this world. The only thing that one could possibly point to as a little weird in these dealings is how far gone Jean Grey seems to be, but even that is a weak point at best. Something is clearly going on with Jean and it's hard to say exactly what but it's certainly impacting this story in pretty extreme ways. Still, everything else seems perfectly reasonable within this world. The actions Kitty and Utopia have taken don't seem out of sync with their possibilities; the logic is always there. The same mostly holds true in Tian, where Jean seems unhinged but is still making kind of logical decisions given how unhinged she may be. Really good stuff which moves the book extremely well and never piles too high to wear the reader down. It's enough to keep a lurking sense of dread, which is perfect for this book.