Post by jakefury on Apr 23, 2011 16:44:50 GMT -5
X-Men #1 "Rubicon"
Writer: Chris Claremont
Inker: Jim Lee
Release Date: October 1991
At the time, this was the first new X-Men volume in 28 years. Does it live up to today's comic standards? The answer is a resounding yes! This is one of the all time best X-Men comics I have ever read. There is a ton of stuff going on and all integrated into a simply classic comic by Claremont and drawn beautifully by Jim Lee.
Starring the X-Men Blue team of Cyclops, Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit, Beast & Psylocke.
This issue takes place immediately after the Muir Island Saga which reunited all of the X-Teams after several years. Yes, the Muir Island Saga featuring the Shadow King (who just handily jobbed in Uncanny X-Force).
We begin in near Earth space and a shuttle is being hotly pursued by 3 other spacecrafts. The occupants of the craft being pursued are mutants and looking for someone. They take out one of the pursuing crafts when the man they're looking for arrives. It's Magneto and they want to pledge their loyalties to him and his cause. He says he doesn't have a cause anymore and one of the mutants says his people need him.
Back on Earth and the Soviets are understandably nervous. They recognize the Magnetic power that was used in the upper atmosphere and they now realize Magneto's base is in orbit 250 miles right above them.
We then go to Xavier's Institute and the X-Men are working on some training exercises in the Danger Room. we see Cyclops and Wolverine butt heads over Logan's tactics in the exercise. The roster includes Cyclops, Jean, Professor X, Gambit, Rogue, Psylocke, Storm, Beast, Archangel, Wolverine and Colossus. We also see Forge and Banshee lending helping hands.
The x-Men then receive word from Nick Fury regarding Magneto. Everyone agrees to disagree on how to handle it since the original students only know him as an enemy, while many of the others have worked with him as teammates in the past. Professor X decides to divide the team into two strike teams to allow them to deal with things better.
Back to Asteroid M and the survivors have been brought aboard. Colonel Delgado who was in charge of the pursuit is very upset about some of his fellow soldiers being killed and wants to take it out on the mutants. Magneto arrives to greet them and one of the young mutants rushes to his side. One of Delgado's soldiers takes this as a chance to shoot her in the back. Magneto is extremely irate about this and forces the man to shoot himself with his own weapon. One of the mutants introduces himself as Fabian Cortez and says none of the flatscans will understand what Magneto has done and proposes terms they can understand. Magneto wants to know what his terms are as Cortez explains the term "flatscan" (humans unblessed with mutant abilities) to him.
Back on Earth and Cyclop's blue team has been alerted. They hop in their fancy new Blackbird and head to the Atlantic Ocean. They find Magneto raising the Leningrad, a nuclear sub he sank many years ago in an act of self defense. (what actually happened is Magneto was seeking to remove all nukes from the planet and the Soviets attacked him) He is also removing the remaining nuclear warheads and they want to know what's going on. Cooler heads don't prevail and the X-Men decide to attack black ninja style (one at a time). This goes about as well as it usually does as Magneto seems content with merely slowing them down. Wolverine then nearly guts Magneto and it understandably sets him off.
He takes off with the nukes and Rogue engages in hot pursuit. Their flight takes them into Soviet airspace and they're attacked by some fighter jets. (You'd think they'd have learned their lesson with the nuclear sub earlier) Their missiles injure Rogue but Mags easily gets her to safety. He then sets off one of the nukes, completely eradicating the remaining jets. The resulting explosion sets off an EMP that wipes out many of the older defense systems on the ground.
Back on Asteroid M and Cortez is telling Magneto whats transpired. He says there isn't room in the world for a shared vision of human and mutant co-existence. He says its Magneto's destiny to become the leader of mutantkind again and the x-Men won't allow it. He then offers to use his powers to heal Magneto while he makes his choice.
Back on Earth and Rogue has ended up in Genosha which is now under a new government. She's suddenly attacked by Cortez and his mutant allies from earlier. The X-Men (Cylop's team) arrive quickly to give her a hand. They don't waste anytime in taking them down quite easily. Magneto suddenly arrives to declare his new intentions. He declares Asteroid M a sovereign nation and is open to any mutant including the X-Men. He also says that any acts against mutant kind are an act against him and will be dealt with appropriately.
We close back at the X-Mansion. Banshee is looking for Moira MacTaggert and he finds her in a room crying. He asks her whats wrong and she says that everything thats happening is her fault.
Fury Thoughts:
This issue is a classic and gets the perfect 10/10 score. This may be a perfect comic.
