Shattered Roster! - Review Avengers #19

I have some definite mixed feeling about this one folks!  Some really awesome developments happened this issue, but then again some really questionable (if not downright douchey) decisions were also made.  They stretched this roster change out for 2 full issues, and all I can say is I was definitely thrown by some of the people that did and did not make the cut.  

For one thing, I am intrigued by the U.S.Agent scene at the very beginning.  They haven’t really been showing John Walker very much lately and its interesting to see a scene with him being berated by Maria Hill since he’s never really been one to take scolding very well.  I almost wouldn’t be surprised if he showed up on Wonder Man’s Revengers team.  I also appreciated that Tony and Steve both agreed to leave the New Avengers alone.  It’s bad enough that they gave Luke’s team the mansion and then came and crashed there right after the first big crisis, I don’t think it would go very well if they tried to rearrange his team too.  

Onto the new roster…Welcome to the Avengers Daisy Johnson and…Storm?!  OK I like seeing Daisy (aka Quake) move up in the superhero world and joining the Avengers (it’s like when Cannonball finally got to join the X-men), she’s definitely earned it after all her time with Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors.  Storm as an Avenger, I have to be honest, I am a little less sold on.  I don’t mean to sound separatist but there was a time when there was the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the X-men.  Cut and dry.  There was there occasional mixing of members (like when Beast joined the Avengers or She-Hulk joined the Fantastic Four) but for the most part they all stayed in their respective teams.  Now we have Wolverine and Thing with the Avengers, Spider-man on the Fantastic Four, Namor with the X-men, and it’s all a huge mess!  With the conclusion of Schism and the division of the X-men, Storm just planted herself firmly on the West Coast with Cyclops’ team and now what?  She’s going to be bi-coastal like Wolverine was for so long?  Also, how will she have time for regular missions with the Avengers if she is going to be leading her own team of X-men over in X-men (Vol. 3)? I know many people will point towards Wolverine and say, “Well it works when he does it”… No it doesn’t!  That doesn’t mean I don’t think she would be a great Avenger, because I think she’s perfect, but I would prefer her to be just leading over in X-men.  I also somewhat question Red Hulk’s fast acceptance into the ranks of the team without question since they don’t know who he really is and they have always been completely distrustful of the original Hulk despite his being a founding member.  Last but not least, the Vision is back!  Now I am a little confused because I thought that the Vision that pals around with the Young Avengers was made from the remains of the destroyed Vision but apparently the remains were just laying around waiting to be fixed...so he’s back.  I’m a bit “whatever” about him though, without Wanda back on the team to make it exciting with him, he’s not really that interesting.

                And what the hell happened with Spider-man and Wolverine?  Spidey is completely right, he and Wolverine should be completely pissed off and offended that they were not only dismissed from the team, but they weren’t even told about it!  They went not even aware that they were being dismissed from the team until they watched the new roster walk out without them.  Now granted they are both still on the New Avengers (although I could have sworn that Spider-man quit before Fear Itself started because of Victoria Hand), and I don’t entirely think the two of them should be Avengers anyway, I would think after everything they have both been through for the Avengers that they both deserved at least a sit down chat with Steve Rogers letting them know that they Avengers contract was not renewed, especially Wolverine since he was replaced by one of his best friends.

                Overall, I hugely approve of the new roster.  It wasn’t a complete overhaul, we kept many of the characters that have been with us since this volume’s beginning, and we added some fun powerful new members with Quake and Storm.  Even with my reservations about Storm and my griping about Spider-man and Wolverine’s release from the team I still think this is going to be a great line-up to follow.  It goes without mentioning that Steve Rogers is back leading the Avengers as Captain America!  Obviously the beginning of a bold new era for this ever-evolving team.

The Curtain Falls - Review Uncanny X-men #544

And there you have it, Uncanny X-men (Vol. 1) is officially history.  Marvel has finally pulled the plug on its longest unbroken run.  Yeah Avengers, Spider-man, and Fantastic Four have been around longer but they all at one time or another (if not several times) have been rebooted or renumbered since their inception, while Uncanny X-men has gone unscathed since the 60’s (except that one period where they were cancelled, but they came right back with the same numbering at issue #94).  I have long gone on record as being VERY anti-reboot/renumbering since to me it just seems like a cheap marketing ploy and now, and now those of us who have been collecting for years will forever be missing issues #545 through #599 (since I suspect they will revert to the old numbering at #600).  But enough griping about the cancellation of it all, let’s get on with the issue.

Now, looking past the whole “final issue” deal, this was an amazing issue.  Right off the bat, we were treated to a retro page that gave me tingles when I read it.  A flashback to the first page of X-men #1 from September 1963, with Professor X calling to his X-men from his wheelchair and asking for an update as to the status of his original X-men (minus Jean of course).  And to be honest the best part of this issue was that this was the end of the nostalgic pandering.  From there we moved right into the future as we see Bobby leaving (with Domino, Psylocke and Hope staying) and we witness him and Scott say their goodbyes.  Then just before he leaves he asks Scott if he remembers when…BOOM! Splash page of the X-men’s finest and worst moments! Magneto, Juggernaut, Sauron, Blue-furred Beast, Dark Phoenix, Emma Frost as the White Queen, Storm’s Mohawk, Sinister, Apocalypse, the Brood, and Scott and Jean Grey kissing at the very center of it.  Back to Bobby and Scott, Iceman leaves Utopia with a somber farewell to his best friend.  A quick snippy word with his other “best friend” Beast and Wolverine’s plane of his own X-men leaves, and the splitting of the X-men is complete.

Framing this entire affair is a eulogy by none other than Mr. Sinister himself.  As he disintegrated and reforms his own body over and over again, with different personality changes each time, he laborious writes in a text labeled the Uncanny X-men, as though trying to finish the volume with us.  LOVED IT!  Thank god hes, back, Miss Sinister was a joke, and I almost don’t care about whatever silly explanation they have for getting rid of her completely and bringing him back.  Would it be nice to have seen his return before now? Maybe, but the important thing is that he’s back!  Hearing him write out the final chapters of this title in his various personalities was hilarious, I can’t wait to see what he does in Uncanny X-men (Vol. 2) #1.

Watching Scott take down the old photos of past team lineups was sad, but it really showed that he was serious about moving forward into the future not backtracking into the past (which is how he sees Logan).  As sad as I am to see this volume go, I am forgoing my annoyance about the reboot and I am eagerly anticipating the new series.  I think they are making a good choice by opening it with a classic villain like Sinister, as opposed to some crappy vampire storyline like they did with X-men (Vol. 3).  So far ReGenesis is off to an amazing start and it has barely even started yet!

I Think Wolverine Has Some Nerve

OK So now that all is said and done, and the Schism has happened.  I have to ask…Where does Wolverine get off!  I know that this topic is highly controversial in comic circles, and I want to be clear that this is just my opinion.  

When we were waiting for the series to start, we all had our theories as far as what the schism would be caused by.  Even as it was happening my guesses were changing with every issue!  Is it over how to handle Quire?  Is it how to deal with the Sentinel? Is it over something else entirely??  No, it was over sending children into battle.  Let me be very clear, I am by no means advocating children being sent to war.  I don’t want to get any hate mail where people say that I am evil for sending kids to fight epic battles.  That being said, let me repeat, Where the hell does Wolverine get off?!

I understand that what happened with Idie was awful.  And yes, the children were marginally in better shape when they lived in a school.  But! Come on guys this is nothing new, right?  Haven’t the X-men been sending kids to battle since their very inception?  Didn’t Charles Xavier recruit a 16 year old Bobby Drake and send him against a powerful terrorist foe, Magneto?  Knowing full well that at that point in his crusade, the battle could have gone fatal?  And I didn’t see Wolverine throwing a fit when Kitty Pryde was brought to space to battle Brood creatures.  And just where was Logan when the New Mutants were traipsing through Asgard?  I didn’t see him take his ball and go home after that ordeal was over because Xavier didn’t shut down that team.  Back to Kitty Pryde, Wolverine couldn’t say anything to her about moving to England for Excalibur and fighting Necrom and Jaime Braddock, or Sat-yr-9 because by then he was dragging a 15 year old Jubilee (a mere 1 year old then Idie I might add) through Madripoor with a newly reconstructed, and possibly a touch insane, Psylocke then.  So all these situations were fine at the time but now, when there’s only a handful of mutants left and each regularly has to fight for their own survive, he suddenly has a massive non-ignorable problem.

Again, let me clarify that I am NOT supporting the flagrant sending of children to war, but Scott has a major point that is being completely ignored.  They don’t live in a world where they can hide anymore.  These children are on display for friend and foe alike and are expected to fend for themselves on a regular basis.  Not to mention that this specific situation they were literally the only force available to fight.  While Cyclops and Wolverine were having a childish tantrum with each other, the children defeated the sentinel that defeated or scatter many of the senior members of the team.  Should they be called on for that purpose as a regular occurrence, of course not, but if another force arises that requires their power and the skills they’ve been learning for years now, then why  shouldn’t they be allowed to fight for their own lives.  If anything they have more of a right to it then Kitty or Jubilee did because back then there were only a small number of children at a time to watch out for and a lot fewer massive threats directed at them, but now is a much larger number of children to be responsible, to the point where they couldn’t possibly be expected to keep track of each one at all times and they need to somewhat be responsible for themselves.

In the end, Wolverine is just being stubborn and unfair to Scott.  It was a tough situation where tough calls had to be made.  There was no right answer, there was only decisions made while trying to survive, and, in all fairness, that is exactly what Scott (or any leader) was chosen to do.  No major decisions are loved by everyone at all times, but for a top general in an army (for lack of a better metaphor) to quit just because he doesn’t like a call made is both immature and, I thought, beneath him.  And like it or not, the kids won the day.  There were no casualties, Utopia still floats, and the major threat was defeated with little to no help from any senior members.  If anything Wolverine should give credit that he made the wrong call rigging the place to blow up.  He doesn’t have to like it but, in the end, Scott made the right call and deserves, if not an apology, then at least the respect he earned.  But again remember, this is just my opinion and everyone is entitled to disagree with me.

All New, All Different Mutant ReGenesis - Review X-men: ReGenesis

Here it is folks!  What we've been waiting for since the beginning of the year when they first started releasing promotional pictures...the X-men have split!  And what a split it is...

To start off I loved that this entire story was set in between the last few pages of Schism #5 as opposed to continuing on with the story from when Wolverine left with his group.  Instead of moving right on with the story, the writers took the time to walk us step by step through the dissolution of the mutant empire.  There were a few shocks, a lot of obvious choices, and even a few questionable decisions.  To be completely fair, a lot of us knew where a lot of mutants were ending up because of the teaser photos that Marvel releases in the preceding weeks, but seeing how they came to be that way was a little jarring in some cases.  In Storm's case I knew she was going to be on Cyclops' side when it all fell apart but WOW not in any way I expected.  She was gone ladies and gentlemen!  Out the door, and on her way.  It took Scott Summers, the first X-man, pleading with her to help save the soul of the X-men while their numbers include Magneto, Emma Frost, and Namor.  She agreed, but only out of obligation to the X-men, not to Scott in any way. And how about that Emma.  We've watched her play second fiddle in Scott's heart to the X-men and the ghost of Jean Grey, but we never dared believe it actually bothered her.  I honestly thought I couldn't love Emma more, and then she put Scott in his place about how he treats her and made him WORK to keep her there.  I do wonder if she ever had any intention of leaving or if it was an idle threat but ti was enough to rattle the broken leader.

Then there were some sad scenes to watch of course.  We all knew that Peter and Kitty broke up after he accepted the power of the Juggernaut, but to see them actually chose opposing sides (in Peter's case to purposely avoid contact with Kitty) was heartbreaking.  This couple has been working through their issues for almost as long as they have known each other and had only recently begun having a real chance at being together.  Even Rogue and Magneto, who had only barely begun to explore their real feelings for each other, are now in opposing camps in what I suspect will become a mutant cold war.  In both of these cases though, the decisions seemed pretty obvious since Magneto and Colossus would never fit in with what Wolverine is trying to build and Storm and Rogue have never really been on board with Utopia's mission.

And let us not forget, the entire animalistic tribal back story playing out behind the real action, mimicing the choices being made by each member while a feral Wolverine beast battles Cyclops' red eyed lion skin.  Watching as each member both embraced and rejected a friend and teammate, culminating in the two sides each walking away from the other, splitting friends and relationships, possibly, forever. 

Let's not forget that this is the third time that there's been an overcrowding of X-men and a decision has needed to be made with what to do with them.  First after the legendary Giant Size X-men #1, Professor X wondered "What are we going to do with 13 X-men!?"  The choice then was to have most of the original members leave the team.  In X-men (Vol. 2) #1, we saw them for the first time divide into two separate gold and blue team, as the original X-men returned to the fold after many years, but these separate squads still worked in tangent as part of the greater X-men machine.  This time however, with an abundance of X-men once again, also brings with it a massive split in ideals in addition members so now we will get to see not just separate squads but also separate camps, leaders, methodologies and just about everything else.  I questions the need for a brand new Wolverine & the X-men #1 when they could have just as easily given the X-men (Vol. 3) title to Wolverine and his new school.

This issue was everything I was waiting for and more.  It was more then worth the lengthy wait that Marvel put us through and the required suspension of disbelief in terms of continuity but still!  Such an amazing issue!  Really leaves me watering for Wolverine & the X-men #1 and Uncanny X-men #1 in the comic weeks!

Ready? Break! - Review X-men: Schism #5

WORTH IT!  I have to tell you the truth, after the stupid prelude nonsense, I was really worried about this storyline.  I thought it was going to end up being stupid and lost in the Fear Itself shuffle, but starting with issue #4 this series really kicked in...but WOW!  The intense fight between these two brothers-in-arms was epic to say the very least.  And to be quite frank with you, at this point who even cared about that stupid killer robot?  In fact, I was annoyed we didn't see it get destroyed on-panel...for about two seconds and then realized I didn't even really care.

Now lets look at this really carefully... These two have been friendly rivals for years now, and to see that relationship deteriorate so rapidly over an almost non-issue is heartbreaking.  And yes! I said it!  A Non-Issue!  Cyclops has been chosen over and over again by everyone to make these hard choices and that's exactly what he's done, Logan had absolutely no place to plant explosives around Utopia and threaten to sink it the way he did.  It would be one thing if he directly ordered Idie to murder people but he told her to make a decision herself.  Now should she have been put in that position? Maybe not...but I seem to recall Kitty Pryde being put into more then one morally ambiguous position and the original New Mutants being sent to both Heaven and Hell (more then once) and having to make tough choices.  Should this 14 year old girl have had to make the conscious choice to kill the Hellfire Club soldiers?  No of course not, but what exactly were were they expecting?? They put her in a costume, gave her a codename and said "You're an X-man"...are they surprised she had to grow up too fast??

In the end, it was the kids that actually put down the Sentinel while Cyclops and Wolverine recovered from beating the snot out of each other and the other X-men were off island so one almost has to wonder if Scott did make the right decision after all.  As the issues closed, we see Wolverine leaving with a group of X-men and returning to the old X-mansion. BALLSY!  He has some nerve taking some ill-founded moral stand and THEN squatting his splinter team in the team's original headquarters.  I won't spoiler it hear, but if the rumors I hear about the new name of the school are true then he has some seriously large shoes to fill.

Now that its over I can flat out tell you that Wolverine is wrong.  I won't get into it too much right now (you'll have to read tomorrow blog post to find out how i REALLY feel) but I will say that much.  He made a big deal over about putting children in the line of fire and then in the end ot was the children that saved that collective asses.  Learn how to admit when you are wrong Logan and grow up!

My Weekly Pull List - 10/5/11

AAHHHH!! ::relaxing sigh::  I thought weeks like this were an absolutely thing of the past.  Nice and cheap and whats more...NO FEAR ITSELF TIE-INS!  Not even a one...  So i suspect that once i get my small stack of comics I will be disappointed without more to read but at the same time it will be nice to spend less then $40 in one shot for once! :)

Avengers 1959 #1

Uncanny X-Force #16

X-men #19

X-men: Schism #5 S


S = Schism

Marvel Comics On-sale - 10/5/11

If you take out the variants, this is a pretty light week for Marvel goers.  And thank god because we have big stuff going on this week! It's finally here, SCHISM #5 hits stands tyhis week!!I can't wait to see how it all turns out at the end of the landmark series!  Also, the conclusion of the Dark Angel Saga in X-Force this week!  And, I almost can't believe this, there are no Fear Itself tie-ins!

Avengers 1959 #1

Casanova: Avarita #2

Dark Tower: The Gunslinger – The Battle of Tull #5

Deadpool #44

Hulk #42

Hulk #42 (Marvel 50th Anniversary Variant)

Moon Knight #6

Mystic #3

Spider-Island: Heroes for Hire #1 SI

Spider-man: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility #7

Superior #5

Thunderbolts #164

Ultimate Comics Spider-man #3

Uncanny X-Force #16

Uncanny X-Force #16 (Marvel 50th Anniversary Variant)

X-23 #15

X-23 #15 (Marvel 50th Anniversary Variant)

X-men #19

X-men #19 (Marvel 50th Anniversary Variant)

X-men: Schism #5 S

X-men: Schism #5 (Cho Variant) S

S = Schism

SI = Spider-Island

And So It Begins... - Review X-men: Schism #4

It took 4 prelude issues, 3 main issues and a tie-in, but its finally happened! The Schism has begun and with a vengeance!  While my reviews are usually about the good the bad and the mutated ugly, this time there wasn't a whole lot of bad.  I mean I have a few questionable thought about how they are going about this whole Schism thing, but there were no blatant epic fails in this one.

The Bad: One Word.  Sentinels.  There's something about giant killer robots that, to me, just get dull and played out.  It doesn't help that everytime there's a new incarnation of the X-men in the last 15 years the primary adversaries are these killing machines (for example X-men the Animated Series and Ultimate X-men both opened up with battles against the Sentinels.  They have tried for years to update and reinvigorate the metal monsters but when push comes to shove they are still just giant killer robots to me.

And Oya.  What the hell are they doing to poor little Idie!?  First of all let's not forget that she is supposed to be the youngest member of Generation Hope and suddenly (after killing 10 people) shes looking awfully tall and awfully developed for a young girl of 13 (and much more so then she seemed in the previous issues.  Oh and did I mention THAT SHE KILLED 10 PEOPLE.  What the hell was Cyclops thinking??? I am guessing that this will explain why she appears on Wolverine's side of the ReGenesis teaser pictures while the rest of Generation Hope is on Cyclops' side.

The Good:  Now on the other hand, I DO think that the idea of all the international Sentinels forming together to make the big Mega-Sentinel was pretty innovative.  The Sentinels were always supposed to represent humanity weapon against the mutants (as opposed to their other foes who were primarily other mutants) so by having the Sentinels of each country form into one large robot is the embodiment of the X-men vs the World. Classic, nice job Jason Arron. 

And the most poignant, amazing moment in this issue:  "She never loved you, you know.  You always frightened her."  That was something that Scott has wanted to say for years, and he is lucky that Wolverine didn't land the first punch and take his head off.  And then it happened.  With a bomb between them and a few sly jabs regarding Jean Grey, the battle royale of the decade began!  Now admittedly, the 5 pages of fighting we were treated to were relatively tame, having only a handful of blows and skilled moves, but with Mega-Sentinel looming over them, blaster ready, and the two iconic X-men at each others throats (almost literally) the final issue of this landmark series promises to be amazing!

Final Result:  The series took forever to happen, and was slow in starting, but I think that we are in for quite a ride in the final issue as we lead into X-men: ReGenesis.  I am really glad we are seeing not just the dissolution of Cyclops and Wolverine's relationship but also how the pressure of the impending split is affecting other members (especially the Generation Hope group).  I'm honestly less interested in the giant looming Sentinel about to blast them and more in watching this legendary battle so here's hoping that they blast it away in the first few pages and spend the rest of the last issue beating the snot out of each other.

My Weekly Pull List - 9/21/11

ITS HERE ITS HERE! Finally Children's Crusade is coming!  The best series Marvel writes currently and they really make you wait for it! Also, wrapping up the X-Force and Fearsome Four tie-ins for Fear Itself!  And the Schism really kicks in with Generation Hope #10 and X-men: Schism #4!

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #7

Avengers #17

Fear Itself: Fearsome Four #4 FI

Fear Itself: The Home Front #6 FI

Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #3 FI

Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt #5 FI

Generation Hope #11 S

Invincible Iron Man #508 FI

Uncanny X-Men #543 FI

Vengeance #3

X-Factor #225

X-Men #18

X-Men: Schism #4 S

FI = Fear Itself

S = Schism

Marvel Comics On-sale - 9/21/11

Boy when Marvel goes for a new gimmick they REALLY go for it!  Another huge week of 2nd and 3rd printings for books as well as a plethora of Architect regular and Sketch Variants!  Also, we are finally going to see some action in X-men: Schism #4 this week as well as some fall out from Idie's actions in Generation Hope #11!  A fair amount of Fear Itself tie-ins but the core Avengers book has stopped with their tie-in story it seems to obviously we're into the home stretch now!  And probably my most anticipated issues this week?  Children's Crusade #7!! After being told it was coming out weeks ago it is finally making it to the stand this week!

Anita Blake: Circus of the Damned – The Scoundrel #1

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #7

Avengers #17

Avengers #17 (Architect Variant)

Avengers #17 (Architect Sketch Variant)

Captain America #3

Captain America #3 (Architect Variant)

Captain America #3 (Architect Sketch Variant)

Captain America Corps #4

Daredevil #4 (Hitch Variant)

Fear Itself #4 (2nd Printing Variant) FI

Fear Itself: Fearsome Four #4 FI

Fear Itself: The Home Front #6 FI

Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #3 FI

Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt #5 FI

Generation Hope #11 S

Heroes for Hire #12

Hulk #41

Invincible Iron Man #508 FI

Invincible Iron Man #508 (Architect Variant) FI

Invincible Iron Man #508 (Architect Sketch Variant) FI

Ka-Zar #4

Marvel Universe vs. Wolverine #4

Moon Knight #1 (3rd Printing Variant)

Moon Knight #2 (2nd Printing Variant)

Moon Knight #3 (2nd Printing Variant)

Spider Island: Cloak & Dagger #1 (2nd Printing Variant) SI

Spider-Island: Cloak & Dagger #2 SI

Spider-Island: Deadly Foes #1 (2nd Printing Variant) SI

Spider-Island: Spider-Woman #1 SI

Thor Goes Hollywood #1

Thunderbolts #163.1

Ultimate Comics Hawkeye #2

Ultimate Comics Spider-man #2

Ultimate Comics X-Men #1 (Medina Variant)

Ultimate Comics X-Men #1 (Bagley Variant)

Ultimate Comics X-Men #1

Uncanny X-Men #543 FI

Uncanny X-Men #543 (Architect Variant) FI

Uncanny X-Men #543 (Architect Sketch Variant) FI

Vengeance #3

Venom #7

Wolverine & Black Cat: Claws 2 #3

Wolverine, Punisher & Ghost Rider: Official Index to the Marvel Universe #2

X-Factor #225

X-Men #18

X-Men #18 (Architect Variant)

X-Men #18 (Architect Sketch Variant)

X-Men: Schism #4 S

X-Men: Schism #4 (Cho Variant) S

FI = Fear Itself

S = Schism

SI = Spider-Island

Countdown to ReGenesis Part 3

Big updates on the ReGenesis promotional images!  And with fewer and fewer shadowy figures left, we can now start to make some guesses as to who's left to be seen!

Generation Hope - Well there's no surprises here except for Sebastian Shaw (who we've seen for a while now) and Idie seems to be missing but if you're reading Schism then that shouldn't be a surprise.  My guess for the last shadow is kind of a no-brainer, Kenji.

X-men (Vol. 3) - We knew that Jubilee and Storm were there but now we've got Warpath and Psylocke!  I'm really not sure who the last shadow is going to be but if I had to guess I would say Polaris or Marvel Girl (remember Lorna's late 70's and early 80's costume that Erik the Red gave her? And I can't honestly see Marvel bring Rachel back and then NOT putting her with her father somehow).

Uncanny X-men - Nothing to guess here! Cyclops, Emma, Jugger-lossus, Magik, Magneto and Danger.  Awesome team!!  I'm a bit disappointed to see Illyana not on the New Mutants anymore but I'm guessing that she has to look after her newly Cyttorak-enhanced brother.

New Mutants - No real surprises here either.  We already saw X-man, but now we've got Warlock, Mirage and Sunspot.  I think the last two figures are going to be Cypher (in the middle) and, I don't know, maybe Dust? or Amelia Voight?  The cloudy wake behind whoever it is (and it looks kinda like a girl) kinda makes it seem like it could be one of these ladies.

Uncanny X-Force - Joining AOA Nightcrawler (nerdgasm!) on X-Force is Deadpool which is no  shock.  In the shadow on the right seems to clearly be Fantomex but who's that on the left?  It appears to be Psylocke with her glowing swords and telltale waist sash, but she's already been shown to be over in X-men (Vol. 3) so what going on?? Here's my theories: A) She pulling double duty here and over there as a mole for Wolverine (especially since, technically, no one knows X-Force exists) or B) Somehow, someway, Revanche has made a return.  It's strange days for the X-men lately so either of these could be true, but more important is Warren Worthington's notable absence from the picture...

Wolverine & the X-men - Kitty Pryde and Wolverine back together again (with Lockheed in tow)! With Jubilee on the other side of the Schism, maybe we will see a resurgence of this old partnership from the early 80's.  Joining them on the new Gold Team is Iceman the only original X-man to be confirmed as NOT on Cyclops' side. As for the shadows, I am having trouble with this one...for the silhouette on the right I am thinking its a big muscle character all hunched over so maybe Rockslide or Onyxx (who may or may not be deceased, I am not entirely clear on that), or maybe its a returning Beast fresh from his Secret Avengers adventures!  The left shadow I think may end up being Kid Omega.  I doubt they'd make him so important in the Schism only to have him die (again).  I'm even tempted to say that the cause of the Schism is over how to handle Quentin Quire, and maybe Wolverine is forced to prevent Cyclops from handing him over to the local authorities.  And the one on top is a real puzzler...it seems distinctly female and with a fiery aura about her so some people are rumoring it to be Jean, but I think more likely its Rachel if anything (although I am hoping she ends up on Cyclops' side instead).

X-men: Legacy - It's no surprise to see Gambit and Frenzy still with Rogue, after all they made a huge deal about them joining her book/team and, honestly, I doubt anyone else wants them on their squad at the moment.  The shadow I have to be honest, I have absolutely no idea!  Strangely enough when I look at the silhouette I get a picture of the 90's Malibu character, Siren, which I know is impossible and silly.  My BEST guess?  Hepzibah!!  We have barely seen her since the team moved to San Francisco and she's I think she's due to come back!  Although if it turns out to be her, I wonder what that would mean for her relationsip with Warpath, who is shown over on Cyclops' side on the cover of X-men (Vol. 3) #20.

X-Factor #230 - The big shock here isn't what IS shown, but what ISN'T shown!  Everyone got very excited at the prospect of Havok coming back, but as more and more characters have been revealed a startling roster change is becoming more apparent.  Joining Alex Summers, we now have Wolfsbane, Shatterstar, Rictor, Layla, and M, with two shadows left who very obviously seem like Guido and Banshee (Teresa Cassidy not a resurrected Sean).  What we DON'T see is Jaime Madrox!  With the former leader of X-Factor returning to the fold it might seem weird for him to take a back seat to Jaime's leadership...unless Jaime's no longer there?!  With the recent revelation that someone on X-Factor IS going to die soon, maybe the founder of X-Factor Investigations is going to die, again, to make way for the leader of the government sponsored X-Factor to step back into the driver's seat.  Also missing from this shot is Longshot and Darwin, but these aren't huge shocks since Darwin's been gone for a minute (and apparently isn't returning) and Longshot always seems to just up and disappear at a moment's notice (i.e. Uncanny X-men #248).

So there's your ReGenesis update!  A few questions to mull over though...with all these casting shake-ups happening what about the members that they have been building up for the past few years like Dazzler? or Pixie and Anole (not to mention the rest of the New/Young X-men)?  And what does this split mean for the Astonishing team?  I mean, sure Cyclops, Emma, Storm, Colossus are together on one side, but Wolverine and Kitty are on the other side and Wolverine and Armor have become very close so where do her loyalties lie?

Marvel Comics On-sale - 9/7/11

Well its nice to see Fear Itself winding down, the last few weeks have been very tie-in light and thank god!!  More Spider-Island tie-ins this week!  And a NEW New Avengers Annual coming our way!

Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes #1

Casanova: Avarita #1

Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Battle of Tull #4

Fear Itself: Wolverine #3 FI

Halo: Fall of Reach - Covenant #3

Heroes for Hire #11 FI

Hulk #40

Kick-​Ass 2 #1 (5th Printing Variant)

Kick-​Ass 2 #2 (2nd Printing Variant)

Moon Knight #5

Mystic #2

New Avengers Annual #1

New Avengers Annual #1 (Architect Variant)

New Avengers Annual #1 (Architect Sketch Variant)

Powers #10

Red Skull #3

Spider-Island: Avengers #1 SI

Spider-Island: I Love New York City #1 SI

Spider-man: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility #6

Punisher #3

Thor: Heaven and Earth #4

Thunderbolts #163

Wolverine #15

Wolverine: Debt of Death #1

X-23 #14

X-Factor #224.1

X-men #17

X-men #17 (FF 50^th Anniversary Variant)

X-men: Schism #3 (3rd Printing) S

FI = Fear Itself

SI = Spider-Island

S= Schism

Marvel Comics On-sale - 8/31/11

OK Heads up 2nd printing and Variant fans because its a BIG week for you!!  As Spider Island keeps chugging along, we're getting multiple printings and new covers for the opening installments of the Spider-man story of the year, so pick your favorite!  And as Ultimate Hawkeye gets his own book (with multiple covers), we are also treated to two new covers for Ultimate Fallout #4!

Update 8/30/11:  Oops! I somehow forgot to post Avengers: Children Crusade #7!

Amazing Spider-Man #666 (Humberto Ramos 2nd Printing Variant Cover) SI

Amazing Spider-Man #667 (Humberto Ramos 2nd Printing Hero Sketch Variant Cover) SI

Amazing Spider-Man #667 (Humberto Ramos 2nd Printing Lizard Sketch Variant Cover) SI

Amazing Spider-Man #668 SI

Amazing Spider-Man: Infested #1 SI

Avengers: Children's Crusade #7
Deadpool MAX #11 (Of 12)

Fear Itself #1 (Of 7) (Stuart Immonen 4th Printing Variant Cover) FI

Fear Itself: The Deep #3 (Of 4) FI

Gambit: From the Marvel Vault #1

Herc #6.1

Incredible Hulks #635 (Paul Pelletier Regular Cover)

Incredible Hulks #635 (Adi Granov Variant Cover)

Incredible Hulks #635 (Blank Variant Cover)

Incredible Hulks #635 (Paul Pelletier Variant Cover)

Iron Man 2.0 #8

Journey Into Mystery #626.1

Mighty Thor #3 (Olivier Coipel 2nd Printing Variant Cover)

Mighty Thor #5 (Olivier Coipel Regular Cover)

Mighty Thor #5 (Greg Land Variant Cover)

Secret Avengers #16 (John Cassaday Regular Cover)

Secret Avengers #16 (Jamie McKelvie Variant Cover)

Spider-Island: Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #1 (Of 3) SI

Ultimate Comics Fallout #4 (Of 6) (Mark Bagley 2nd Printing Variant Cover) DOSM

Ultimate Comics Fallout #4 (Of 6) (Sara Pichelli 2nd Printing Variant Cover) DOSM

Ultimate Comics Hawkeye #1 (Of 4) (Kaare Andrews Regular Cover)

Ultimate Comics Hawkeye #1 (Of 4) (Adam Kubert Variant Cover)

Ultimate Comics Hawkeye #1 (Of 4) (Neal Adams Variant Cover)

Uncanny X-Force #12 (Mark Brooks 2nd Printing Variant Cover)

Uncanny X-Force #14

Venom #1 (Joe Quesada 4th Printing Variant Cover)

X-Men: Schism #2 (Of 5) (Frank Cho 2nd Printing Variant Cover) S

Zombies Christmas Carol #5 (Of 5)

DOSM = Death of the Spider-man

FI = Fear Itself

SI = Spider Island

S = Schism

From the Mouths of Babes - Review X-men: Schism #3

And there it is folks!  It took a 3 issues (plus a 4 part prequel series that gave us next to nothing), but there it is.  The Schism that is going to cause the X-men to split in half created over:  Sending a child into battle and her becoming a murderer.

Scott Summers has always been the calm, collected (if a bit cold and withdrawn) leader of the X-men.  He has been forced to make unbelievable choices for the sake of his entire species and he’s had to make them while looking at the big picture rather than each individual life.  He’s lost family, friends and the love of his life all for a dream that was not his to begin with, but one which he has taken up and taken to new heights while the man who raised him as a son fell to his lowest point.  So as Cyclops, the leader of the free mutant world, he was put into a position where all of his soldiers were down and his last warrior, albeit his youngest and arguably least experienced one, and had to make a call.  Now, the question remains, was it the right one?  When he gave Idie leave to do as she saw fit, leading her to kill a dozen Hellfire Club soldiers, was that the right choice?  Or should it have even been a choice at all?

Now Wolverine on the other hand, despite being heart and soul to the X-men, has never really been much for the leader role.  He’s always been the leader’s right hand (whether it be Professor X, Cyclops or Storm) and challenging the X-rulers at every turn, but he has also always had a soft spot for children who are pulled into the chaotic life of an X-man too early.  Starting back with Kitty Pryde, and then later Jubilee and more recently Hope, Logan has a history of taking the X-kiddies under his wing and protecting them fiercely.  In a recent issue of Uncanny X-men, he even explained to Hope that he does not want to get close to her just in case he someday has to be the one to put her down.  With his sweet spot for kids in mind, its completely understandable that he felt so strongly against putting Idie in the middle of battle especially since he felt that he was close enough to stop the bomb himself.  But was that really his call?  Should he have followed orders and Cyclops’ lead and supported his decision regardless of whether he agreed or not?  Or did he do the right thing by trying to stop Idie’s life changing actions?

Well let’s think about it…  In the middle of a major firefight, with many of his heavy hitters downed, Cyclops unfortunately did not have the luxury of looking at a 14 year old girl, he saw the only weapon he had left.  That’s a sad drawback of the lifestyle they choose to lead, they lose their chance at a real childhood.  Now maybe, Idie did not have to kill all of them, but that does not make her a murderer (as the subsequent Generation Hope issue postulates), it makes her and her innocence an unfortunate casualty in this current war.  As for Wolverine, well to be honest, he seems wrong in this situation.  First and foremost, he WASN’T close enough to help and stop the bomb.  By the time he showed up on the scene al the damage would have been done, so actually, if Idie hadn’t sprang into action there would have been even more deaths including possibly her own.  And truthfully, in my honest opinion, Wolverine was way out of line.  The team, for better or for worse, has trusted Scott Summers to make the tough calls for the group for years now, and have had to trust that he knows what he is doing.  He is considered a tactical master by many prominent fighters in the Marvel Universe, so whether he agrees or not, Wolverine should have trusted that Scott had considered all the options before sending a mere child into battle.

I am so glad that we finally know what the cause of the Schism is, and I am devastated that we now have to wait an ENTIRE MONTH for the next issues of Schism (both the main book and Generation Hope).  It seems to me that the story took entirely took long to get off the ground but its finally picking up speed.  I especially like the use of old X-men villains like the Hellfire Club and the Sentinels in new ways and in new forms.  The all human, all child Inner Circle is enthralling and I really hope they aren’t killed or completely defeated by the end of this storyline as I think they would make great regular enemies for at least one of the new teams of X-men.