X-Men Legacy 20, Cable and X-Force 16

X-Men Legacy 20
Spurrier (w) and Huat and Yeung w/ Tadeo (a) and Villarrubia (c)

The Shadow Phoenix is in David's mind attacking all of the powers that live there as David tries to find a way to defeat it. He thinks back to the things that linked the survivors of the Shadow Phoenix he saw when he was combing around Aarkus' head for clues. His first assumption is that sheer power defeated it, so he tries to rally his strongest and most intimidating powers, though he does so to no avail. They're scared of the Shadow Phoenix, who is picking them apart one by one. His next thought is strength in numbers, so his next move is to attempt to lead the remaining powers in his head. When this continues not to work, it sets in on him. Strength in numbers doesn't matter, it's the ability to work together that saved the Shadow Phoenix's other foes. Knowing this, David opens himself up to bond with his powers, teaming with them instead of simply grabbing and controlling them when he needs. David realizes that his mantra of "I rule me" has never been more true; every human, as he says, is a legion in need of a leader, wishing to be guided and not ruled. As a result, the Shadow Phoenix starts to weaken and even starts to spit back out the powers its swallowed, which David realizes is pretty weird; a predator who doesn't chew its food but keeps it intact. It dawns on David as he expels the Shadow Phoenix and wakes up: the Shadow Phoenix wasn't real, it was all a con. As he emerges from his own mind and awakens again, he begins to accuse Aarkus, who quickly cuts him off and explains it was only for his own good. He needed to learn how to use his powers like this, to become one with them. They needed him scared, not smug. Aarkus, in fact, appreciated that David stepped in to correct his previous views about mutants and wanted to return the favor by opening David's mind to what he could really be. On top of that, they need him whole to face down the golden Xavier. Even this series' first person to turn on David, Karasu Tengu, has realized that her life is, in fact, better for David's interference in it and so she played the role of the Shadow Phoenix. Now David must go and fight, with all of his powers intact.

Really, really lovely book. There are few examples of the sort of "hero realizes his potential" part of the hero's journey that are as well executed as this. All of the pieces start coming together as we see flashes from David of his own memories of this series where, for as successful as he's been, he's used and abused people. He's accomplished most of his own goals but his mistakes and even the problematic perception of him have all come because he's refused to let people in on his plan, preferring to do things himself and let people see too late that maybe he was doing a good thing after all. This issue makes clear that David simply hasn't seen things that way up to now and, even if he realized he wasn't really in any danger from the Shadow Phoenix, it's impossible to argue that he didn't just become far more powerful by leading his powers instead of just controlling them so there's a lesson here for him regardless of how the lesson came to him. The art is gorgeous and fits so well with this book and I continue to read these issues and wonder how I didn't love the art from the start. This issue very much feels like Spurrier's way to wrap it up here as he begins his transition over to his new X-FORCE book (still excited about that, you guys); we've now seen David embrace his powers and his future as well as mending relationships with Aarkus, SWORD, and Karasu. The issue ends with the knowledge that Blindfold was kind of in on this plan from the start but that she refused to be a part of it because she didn't want to see David in so much pain and because she realized that it was the beginning of the end. Brand then promptly wiped Blindfold's memory of it and sent her home. Some has stuck around, though, as she mutters in her sleep that they're going to start the end. So, as Abigail Brand says, go start it, cowboy.

Cable and X-Force 16
Hopeless (w) and Sandoval (a) and Rosenberg (c)

The sudden appearance of another entity in Forge's head has complicated things for the team as a whole. The Sentinel Colossus and Domino were tasked with taking down is not as inert as they were expecting it. Though they eventually manage to shut it down, the initial chase and the ensuing explosion cause an avalanche very near to them. Cable, on the other hand, has found that his new pre-cog powers are working pretty well but that his old powers aren't running properly any more, leaving he and Hope in the middle of a firefight with Reavers without any guns. Hope, though, had accidentally borrowed some of his TK powers when she had to attack him with the psimitar and so has enough to keep them mostly protected, though how far that will go remains to be seen as higher ranking Reavers return with a device that morphs the fallen Reavers into one giant predator. Finally, back at the base, Nemesis has entered Forge's consciousness to try to figure out what's going on inside. While in there, he runs into Forge and the two begin to explore while Forge explains that this entity is known as the Adversary (very clever name) and is a creature of pure chaos who likes to mess with humans (who Nemesis likens to Q from Star Trek: the Next Generation for all you nerds out there, says the guy with a comic blog). As they explore and find no real way to stop the Adversary, Forge realizes that the mind they're in isn't Forge's any more, it's the Adversary's.

A good deal of interesting stuff here as, in typical CABLE AND X-FORCE fashion, things go extremely wrong extremely quickly. There's a lot to contend with and it's almost entirely interesting as Cable's old powers are no longer working, Hope's powers are somewhat amplified by the TK that came pouring out of Cable's mind not long ago, Domino and Colossus have ruined their date night by causing an avalanche when they had to bring down a Sentinel, favorite odd-couple Nemesis and Forge are reunited as they wander through someone's mind, and Boom Boom is stuck at home contending with a god-like being of pure chaos who, in his first moments around her, converted their base into a simulacrum of a night club. As I said, there's a lot happening. The writing continues to be really character-driven, giving us really great moments from...well, from everyone, really. There's not a character in this issue who doesn't have a good few lines. The art fits the tone really well, a somewhat more cartoony feel than what we've seen from this book previously with Gerardo Sandoval  picking up the pencils on this one. There are cute little moments in lettering too as Hope throws a car at some of the Reavers and the sound effect reads "KAR-KRASH," just pages after an avalanche starting made the sound "AVALANCHE." Sometimes little fun games like that can get really distracting and pull you out, but I had to double-check kar-krash before really getting it and I didn't even see "AVALANCHE" on the first read-through. Lots of fun stuff with plenty of plot to keep us motivated for next issue.

Guardians of the Galaxy 8, Cataclysm 0.1

Guardians of the Galaxy 8
Bendis (w) and Francavilla (a and c)

The Guardians of the Galaxy are approaching Earth and have discovered, then, that Thanos' army is pretty well in control of its airspace about now. Gamora insists that they charge in and show her dad (Thanos, you guys) who's boss but Quill prefers they make a plan, which they do after some amount of tension and Gamora setting out on her own to attack Thanos himself. They receive a distress call from Abigail Brand at the Peak and Quill decides it's not a trap and that they have to save her and the Peak before it's turned on the Earth. He and Rocket stealth their way in and bust her out before attempting to fight their way to the command center, counting on air support from Drax and Groot. Unfortunately, by the time they call those two in, they're rather busy and embroiled in their own fight. Plus side, though, when it looks as if all is lost, Angela shows up and busts her way into the space station to save them (probably).

Solid action here as the Guardians get involved in the universe-spanning events of Infinity, albeit in the part that doesn't span the universe but rather just Earth. There's some decent characterization though occasionally it swings hard on an emotion and it comes up just a little short. In this case, it's Gamora bursting with anger at Quill for wanting to plan their attack on Thanos. Of course, there's more to Gamora's emotions than simply the need for haste, adding on the turmoil she feels about her father and the imminent threat he poses, but it does seem more than a little sudden and rash for Gamora. Again, though, Bendis' strength comes out of dropping some of the back-and-forth dialogue here as we have a bit of a faster paced and more coherent book, one that doesn't lose its focus and its tone while those elements battle for control over snappy, out-of-place dialogue. There's a bit here but, as I've said in the past, a bit doesn't hurt. A bit establishes character and the like. It's when you have more than a bit that things go downhill. Instead, it's another solid Guardians issue that brings the Guardians themselves to the fight against Thanos, a place they're rather used to being.

Cataclysm 0.1
Fialkov (w) and Suayan, Pierfederici, and Kirk (a) and Woodard (c)

Galactus is in the Ultimate Universe and it could spell the end for that branch of Marvel. The Vision of that universe, a female android, if we're applying genders, was built to detect and protect the world from the Gah Lak Tus swarm and so is shocked to find that a piece of that swarm ended up beached in the Bahamas during the Hunger event without her notice. She and boyfriend Sam Wilson go to investigate and Vision interfaces with the swarm member, learning of Galactus' arrival in the Ultimate Universe and learning of his history in the 616. She immediately recognizes the threat and needs to go see for herself, understanding that it will likely mean her death. There's a scene where she weighs her Earth's chances against Galactus, given its history, that compares the Ultimate Universe to the 616 and boy does it highlight some things. She eventually arrives by Galactus and urges him to stand down. When he refuses, she attacks with her impressive weaponry. It backfires, though, as he absorbs her shots and turns them on her, ultimately destroying her and leaving her floating in space. Before her system shuts down, she sends a message back to Earth, primarily to Sam Wilson who she realized, in the end, that she truly loved and warning them that they'll need everybody's help to stave off Galactus, including and perhaps centered on the incarcerated and absolutely crazy Reed Richards.

Certainly a nice little book to set the stage for us and Fialkov again delivers on his mantra of showing characters on their absolute worst days. Despite the fact that this story is one mostly meant to illustrate the dangers posed to the Ultimate Universe with Galactus' arrival and, as an aside to that, to establish the differences between the universe Galactus came from and this one, Fialkov does a solid job in one regular-sized issue, creating a full character in Vision, who has a crisis of self (or as much of one as an android can have) and realizes who she really is in her dying moments. On top of that, as I mentioned above, there was a nice little summation of the differences between the two major universes under Marvel's umbrella, particularly highlighting the plight of the mutant in this world, the loss of Spider-Man, the craziness of Reed Richards, the decimation of the superhero community, and the flaws of the Ultimates vs. the Avengers. Really helps put things in perspective while giving off the distinct feeling of "aw man, it's going to be pretty tricky for them to fight off Galactus." Good book, nice way to build interest for the event.

Cable and X-Force 8, Thunderbolts 9, Gambit 12

Cable and X-Force 8
Hopeless (w) and Larroca (a) and D'Armata (c)

Abigail Brand sedates Colossus before he can rush out of the Raft and do whatever it is he thinks he might be able to do to stop the alien from taking Domino and the rest of the team. Brand then finds Cable and explains to the two of them that the alien they've released is wanted by tons of alien races and that botching his transfer could result in a whole slew of war coming right to Earth's doorstep. After she's done reaming them out for letting him go, Cable shows her the image that was in his mind, which involves that very war coming to Earth. It turns out more aliens knew his location than Brand thought. By releasing the alien, Cable and his team have saved the Earth. Brand understands but can't let them go. She agrees to help Cable get his team back under the promise that they'll hand themselves in as soon as it's over. Meanwhile, on the alien ship, the alien is trying to intimidate Domino, who seems pretty unbreakable. It turns out that Forge had raised a beacon that broadcast the location of the ship to every enemy of the alien so they'd know where to find him, before wiring a time bomb to the ship's engine. The time bomb explodes as Domino explains and the alien gets really angry, threatening to eat her, even if it's the last thing he'll be able to do. At this moment, Colossus is launched through the side of the ship and throws the alien into space. Colossus has realized what is important, thanks to Domino's capture, but Domino has a nice moment too, making it clear to Colossus that this was simply a job that went bad and that she's not some girl to be rescued. Back aboard Brand's ship, they clearly don't go to SWORD holding, choosing instead to steal her ship from her and leave her adrift in a spacesuit. She contacts SWORD for a pickup and the Uncanny Avengers to bring down Cable.

It's a good resolution to the story as the plan itself and the dangers that required the plan become clear, showing the audience that this X-Force team isn't bad after all. Yes, they still got captured and stuck on the ship, but everything else went off without a problem. Earth is saved, the alien is dead or arrested and off Earth, and the team is back together. Exciting as we look forward to Cable's uncle's team coming after them. They'd already run afoul of them early in the series but there was no resolution there. Seemingly there will have to be one as we press forward. Also nice to return to Earth-based plots. Always nice to come back from space. Another good issue and this book continues to be solid and stay tight.

Thunderbolts 9
Way (w) and Noto (a) and Guru eFX (c)

The Thunderbolts find out that whoever is behind this gamma arms dealing has ties to, in the very least, Russia as they have access to the Crimson Dynamo armor plans. The Crimson Dynamos the audience saw at the end of issue seven (I believe) showed us that someone related to Russia was central to this plot, but the Thunderbolts have also now seen them, as a few of them attack the arms deal that the team broke up last issue. Red Hulk takes out a pair of them while Elektra puts down the other. All three of them end up detonating the gamma battery/bomb in their chest. Red Hulk is fine because he's a hulk and Venom saves Punisher and Elektra by throwing the symbiote over the explosion. It knocks him out and sends him into a crazy dream that makes him feel powerless and where he sees Mercy again before waking up mostly healed. Deadpool, too, has been revived by his own healing powers and with some urging from the Leader and manages to get Punisher, Elektra, and Venom out of the area before they're caught on film. He disguises them so they can take a little more time getting Flash to safety but video footage still catches a glimpse of Elektra's eyes, which have been identified by her brother, a Greek novelist. Deadpool seems not to know that it was Elektra who put him down last issue and at least plays that role well this time. Whether or not he does know is still up for debate, but we're working under the assumption he doesn't. Ross calls a briefing and they discuss the next move. He suspects Arthur Vanko, the nephew of the creator of the Crimson Dynamo. The audience knows he's not wrong (we saw him in the beginning) but we also know that there's someone else pulling the strings, which Red Hulk doesn't believe. However, the rest of the team wishes to stay on the path they're on and not just narrow it down to the one guy. The Leader interjects to ask if he should call them, as he trapped the phone number of the guy. Red Hulk is mad that he wasn't told sooner but Venom says that it was likely because the Leader doesn't, and shouldn't, trust Ross.

The book keeps up all of its strongest points while giving us an interesting enough plot to keep up on board. The team drama and the volatility of the team continues to play as large a role as anything with the distrust of Ross from pretty much everyone, the Punisher/Elektra non-romance and Deadpool's jealousy of it, and the fact that the Leader is still a member of this team. There are plenty of problems with the team that could serve to get in the way of their missions. I really like the way those dramas are presented and the team is perfect for them. So far, they haven't jeopardized a mission with their issues and that fact illustrates the team in the right light; at the end of the day, it's a team made up of stone-cold professionals. They could still crack down the road but the times that they choose to react to their problems tells an awful lot about these characters. Good book.

Gambit 12
Asmus (w) and C. Mann, Soy, Kirk, and Leisten (a) and Rosenberg (c)

Gambit and Rogue arrive at the hospital just in time to see Tombstone being thrown out a window by a not-bleeding-out Joelle. Gambit follows Tombstone, who has the Zero Compound, and Rogue goes after Joelle. Rogue and Joelle fight briefly but Joelle quickly gives up and says that she doesn't want this fight or to hurt anyone, she just wants to go after Tombstone. Meanwhile, Gambit and Tombstone wrap up a jet-pack/car chase to find themselves in an abandoned little area wherein Tombstone questions whether Joelle was telling the truth to Gambit when she called the Zero Compound a miracle cure or whether she was telling the truth to Tombstone when she called it liquid death. Some of it is released on the area and it obliterates anything it comes into contact with, to the delight of Tombstone. Joelle and Rogue show up via helicopter and knock Tombstone into the remaining compound on the ground, potentially exploding him (the art is a little tricky to decipher here, so what exactly happened to the guy is up for debate). Joelle and Gambit talk a bit and Joelle reveals that she took a strange man up on his offer to essentially give her eternal life when she was dying so that she could spend more time with her daughter. However, eternal life comes with its drawbacks as now she's had to watch her daughter die and she is powerless to die herself. The Zero Compound was both liquid death and a miracle cure for her, the only thing that could allow her to die. She takes the last drops of it and burns away. Gambit talks things over with Rogue before remembering that he hasn't even checked to see if Fence is okay. He's not. He's lying in a puddle of blood and with robotic pieces all hanging out. Suspense!

It's not a bad ending to this arc and to the Joelle storyline that has pervaded the series so far. I'll be interested to see the direction that Asmus takes the character and the book from here but I'm glad that he was able to wrap this story up pretty cleanly and with an interesting enough plot and conclusion to justify the arc. With Joelle gone, though, we've lost a character who has driven the majority of this series so far so the next few issues will tell us a lot about where Asmus wants the run to go and what he wants to focus on.