All New X-men #15 Cover (Warning: Will Make You Sick)

I try not to give much stock to covers of comics. I know they're basically just a miniature billboard from companies that say, "Hey! Buy me no matter how shitty the contents may be!" But every now and then a cover comes along that is too sickening to ignore. Case and point, All New X-men #15

I just threw up through my eyes.

Yeah, that's Beast and Jean. I'm disgusted too. I've imagined many sick things while jerking off while high on blow. But this is too sick. I've got nothing against Beast. I've got nothing against Jean Grey. But them together is just wrong and that's coming from a drunk that swallowed a piece of already chewed cum that he took from a strippers snatch.

This is what the soliciation says:

ALL-NEW X-MEN #15
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • DAVID LAFUENTE (A)
Cover by STUART IMMONEN
• Love is in the air!
• Cyclops heart and future start to fade before his eyes.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

So basically, it amounts to Bendis torturing O5 Cyclops. All those years of him banging Emma Frost and karma has to come back to fuck with him at some point. That said, this is the kind of shit I worried about when All New X-men was announced. By fucking with the time stream, Bendis could continue the trend of writers having utter disdain for established relationships like Cyclops/Jean or Peter/Mary Jane. Throwing two characters together like this isn't just wrong. It's the kind of shit that makes you think less of people, both fictional and otherwise. Beast knows Jean is in a fucked up place and he knows outright that Cyclops loves her. Hooking up with Jean would be a dick move on par with fucking up the space time continuum. Not only that, he was the same asshole yelling at Cyclops in the first issue of All New X-men.

In addition, this issue is supposed to be the issue where O5 Jean finally confronts Rachel Grey according to Bendis. We don't know what that meeting will entail, but given how shit like this has been avoided it would be pretty fucked up if it got glossed over. However, Marvel has a talent for glossing over shit that boarders insanity so I wouldn't put anything past them.

Maybe these are just my own fucked up tastes, but this kiss along with an issue dedicated to breaking Cyclops's heart sounds like the kind of shit that would undo all the good that All New X-men has done under Bendis since it began. And that would be a fucking tragedy on the level of the Hindenburg. I can only take some comfort in the knowledge that covers can often be deceptive.

Suck it, KKK!

Yeah, this is the best recent example. That kiss is very misleading in that it didn't exactly happen the way you think. I could go into details, but I'm too drunk and I still have vomit on my shirt. But there was also this.

Suck it, Hefner!

This amounted to nothing as well. And in the long run it did jack shit. I hope this is the case with this cover and I hope Bendis won't take the One More Day approach with Jean Grey. We already saw how shitty that can turn out in the pages of X-men Forever, a series that got canceled early. For a series on the level of All New X-men, we don't need that kind of bullshit. Nuff said!

Rumor: Wolverine To Die In 2014?

I usually try to stay away from gossip in the same way I try to stay away from Mormon, Tea Party rallies, and AA meetings. But when a rumor comes along that's more outrageous than a priest being caught in a prostitution sting, I just have to report it. Earlier today, our friends at Bleeding Cool posted this little nugget.

The Death of Wolverine in 2014?

I understand that, spinning out of gossip from the Marvel Creative Summit this last week, that next year there is a plan at Marvel to kill Wolverine. In a way that gets round his healing factor and his seems supernatural deal to keep coming back from the grave.

That it may involve the effects of time travel on his body as a result of the Age Of Ultron upcoming series. And also the idea that, even given his reputation as a bloodthirsty killer, this time he may have gone too far…

This is currently just rumour and gossip, but Wolverine will be probably playing a time travel role in the X-Men Days Of Future Past film next year. Who knows, maybe it will have further implications?

In terms of dipshit ideas, this ranks right up there with anything in Rick Santorum's presidential campaign. Killing Wolverine? Marvel's most popular character and the major star of four X-men movies? Has Marvel really gotten that desperate? It's not enough to piss off Spider-Man fans by mind-fucking Peter Parker with the brain of Doc Ock, but are they really willing to piss off Wolverine fans and the women that want to bone him?

Moreover, this shit has been tried before and it hasn't translated into long-term success. Marvel foolishly killed Wolverine (and a fuckton of other characters) in Ultimate and replaced him with a hillbilly, de-aged rip-off. And according to the latest sales stats for January 2013, Ultimate X-men is selling worse than an issue of Wolverine MAX. Another good example is X-men Forever. Haven't read up on that series for a while? Well there's a good reason for that. Because it got fucking canceled! Chris Claremont killed off Wolverine in the first few issues of this series. After just a couple years, the series burned out worse than Vanilla Ice's rap career. Even if this shit is temporary, it's still a fucking stupid idea.

But perhaps I'm being too subtle. After all, they have plenty of reasons for doing something like this. Believe it or not, I get why Marvel likes to kill off big characters. It's not their fault. It's ours. It's us, the fans. For reasons that would make Aristotle himself blow his brains out, we still buy into this shit. We give Marvel our money. And if they find out tomorrow that fans will buy a couple stacks of paper with a dick on each page, they'll fucking do it and they'll keep doing it until it stops working. The sad truth is these tactics of killing big name characters still work. And we have nobody to blame but ourselves. So I guess I can't be mad at Marvel. I have to be mad at fans like myself. Fuck, that sucks. I need a drink. Nuff said!

X-men Supreme Issue 25: Power Play is LIVE!

It's that time again! No more teasing and no more hyping! The X-men Supreme fanfiction series continues today! The first arc of X-men Supreme Volume 2: War Powers is complete. Family and Fiends set this next phase in this fanfiction series into motion. Now X-men Supreme continues to unravel the events that have spun from the events of Volume 1: Mutant Revolution. The world of X-men Supreme is differnt now. Magneto is in prison. Genosha is subject to a military occupation. The mutants that Magneto recruited did not get what was promised to them. The only leader they have left is Wanda Maximoff and it's not yet clear if she can fill her father's shoes. The X-men have a new member in Nightcrawler, but they still have old battles to fight. That's where this new issue comes in!

Issue 25: Power Play

X-men Supreme is about more than just the X-men. It's an entire world with political, social, and economic ramifications that go beyond mere heroics. This fanfiction series is on a large scale so I'll be doing my best to cover that world and beyond. I know it's still early for X-men Supreme Volume 2: War Powers. It's a given that changes will come, but beyond those changes will be a general evolution of the world surrounding the X-men. This one issue should offer a brief taste of that world. There are plenty more to come! Some major events and some new characters will show up. You'll see!

As always, I strongly encourage everyone to read and review each issue I post. There's a lot going on in the X-men Supreme fanfiction series and I want to make it as good as it can possibly be. In order to do that, I need feedback. Please post it in the comments section for each issue or contact me with your questions or concerns. Thanks to all those who have commented thus far! I hope more follow your lead. Until next time, take care and best wishes. Excelsior!

Jack

New Mutants Forever #2 - Brazilian Carnival and Nazis

I know this book came out last week, but cut me a break. It was hard to find. New Mutants Forever is one of those titles that nobody is giving any attention or going out of their way to promote. In essence, it is the Stephen Baldwin of comic books. Chris Claremont is an X-men writing legend and he's been trying to expand that legend with X-men Forever and this mini, New Mutants Forever. While X-men Forever has the problem of trying to do to much and doing it poorly, New Mutants Forever tries to do just enough and does it right (so far anyways). The first issue was a real treat, bringing the old school New Mutants back into the fold with the Hellfire Club, including Magneto and Emma Frost, and throwing in a twist at the end that was the equivalent of a jackhammer to the eye socket. Amara and Doug, Magma and Cypher for all you codename minded people, were abducted by forces from Amara's home city of Nova Roma and the asshole behind it was none other than the Red Skull. Yeah, that Red Skull. It's a Forever title damn it! It can get away with prying other characters from other Marvel titles!

The next issue has to measure up to a bar that was set pretty damn high. Few probably came into New Mutants Forever expecting a twist like that. With the second issue, it's impossible to pull a twist like that again without revealing the Red Skull is working for fucking Cobra Commander or something. Since that's not Chris Claremont's style, that's not to be expected. However, it does amp up the expectations of this book and this series as a whole. Usually Chris Claremont measures up, especially when it comes to the X-men. But if there's one thing X-men Forever has proven, it's that he is capable of tarnishing his own legacy.

The second issue starts off with some nice eye-candy. In the previous issue, not all the New Mutants participated in the battle against the Red Skull. Roberto and Warlock were not there for the fight. They were down in Roberto's home country of Brazil enjoying the sexy and obscenely suggestive Carnival that is so well known to those who watch Brazilian porn. So the guy blew off the New Mutants for a chance at attending a party of dancing, partying, and shaved pussy. Most honest guys would admit they would have done the same.

While the glorious celebration of debauchery is going on, Roberto's mother is in a bit of trouble. She's being chased by some very non-Brazilian looking thugs and you know they're not Brazilian because they're not all that sexy. Even for a woman who looks old enough to be knitting sweaters in her spare time, Roberto's mom sure can kick ass. Warlock, who is in the disguise of a guy who looks like a cross between Fabio and a gay porn star, traces the signal to find out where she is.

It is probably the only time Warlock can pull off one of this bizarre body/machine contortions and not draw any attention. During Carnival in Brazil where Lady Gaga could probably casually walk down the street and act like she's under-dressed, a stunt like this turns about as much heads as a C-SPAN marathon. With Warlock's help, Roberto arrives to save his mother but not before she gets shot. That's how you know these guys are Nazi thugs. They always do something that earns them no sympathy for when they have to get their asses kicked. Sunspot and Warlock deliver, helping make up for the lack of action they saw in the first issue and beat down on the Nazi's in a style all Call of Duty fans would appreciate.

Once the Nazi's are taken care of, they get Sunspot's mother some needed medical treatment. Since Sunspot's family is rich and all, even by non-Brazilian standards, she gets the kind of care only Dick Cheney would enjoy in a lopsided health care system. She gets a clean bill of health, much to Sunspot's relief. While she's recovering, she makes the connections between this event and what happened in the previous issue.

The last issue introduced an unfolding mystery on Nova Roma, Amara's home city. Amara's father tried to seek help from the New Mutants (which ended up getting completely fucked up, but I already went over that in a previous review) while the DaCosta family tried to get support from the Brazilian government. The bad guys working against them did not like that so like all Nazis, their solution is to exterminate it. That's how she ended up getting chased and shot. So now the burden is on Sunspot and the New Mutants to take care of the rest. It's either that or go to the government. When given the choice between a bunch of super-powered teenagers and the government, it's a pretty clear choice. At least the super-powered teenagers are only emotionally unstable and not completely unstable on top of being grossly incompetent.

The story then finally picks up with Amara and Doug, who were last seen as captives of the Red Skull. This is still the case and the Red Skull is smart enough to give them power suppressing collars as well. They quickly find out that they're not alone in their imprisonment either. A very strapping young man named Tiberius Sum is in the cell with them and he quickly captures Amara's fancy, much to Doug's chagrin. He claims to be another one of the Red Skull's captives, but the man's name is Tiberius. That's the same name of a perverted old Roman Emperor who used to have pre-pubescent boys nibble on his body so he could get his rock off. Not a good name to take, even by liberal Roman standards. But that doesn't stop Amara from trusting him, or wanting to jump is bone either.

Never one to let his prisoners get comfortable, the Red Skull makes his appearance to Doug and Amara. Rather than do the standard evil boasting that often involves blatantly revealing his plan, the Red Skull skips right to his epic douche-baggery. He starts by using the collars to shock Amara and Tiberius (the non perverted version) and then grabs Doug by the neck. He doesn't drop any hints to what he's doing or why he's doing it. He basically comes off as a guy just looking to be an overall asshole. That's not to say he doesn't do a good job of it though. With Doug in his hands, he injects him with a needle that does not seem to contain pure Brazilian cocaine. Instead, it puts Doug through a gruesome transformation, one that turns him into a mini-Red Skull. So in essence Red Skull is making all those around him look just like him. It's a very Nazi thing to do even if it is fucked up.

Al Rio's art really shines here. He goes from something that's very grotesque to some nice scenery to so that readers have a moment to swallow their bile. The story pans out over Nova Roma, which looks like something straight out of the History Channel minus the Peter King narration and shitty sound effects. This is where the events of the first two issues come together. Selene, Sam, and Illyana decided to make their trip to Nova Roma at the end of the first issue while Sunspot and Warlock decided to do the same in this issue. They just happen to appear right next to each other in the same damn alley of the city. Yeah, it's pretty contrived, but it's a comic book. This shit happens no matter who is writing it. At least it brings the team together in a way that feels semi-fluid. Stranger coincidences have happened I guess.

They don't have to go too far to get to the action though. Within a few panels of meeting one another, they find what they're looking for. It's another surprise, but not one nearly as mind-blowing as the end of the previous issue. Just as Selene is about to lead an assault on the palace of Nova Roma, they're confronted by Amara, Doug, and Tiberius. Except they're not exactly happy to see them. They've been indoctrinated as the Nazis would call it. Doug is now his in his new Red Skull look, Tiberius is sporting a swastikas on his toga, and Amara is in a new sexy Nazi get-up that proves once and for all that even assholes like the Red Skull can have some damn sexy fashion sense. It sets the stage for a clash between the New Mutants and their brain washed friends. It's about as exciting as it sounds, even if it seems cliched. Compared to the first issue, it evokes more of a shrug than a gasp. It's still pretty awesome though and gives just enough reason to check out the next issue (if you can find it).

So again, the Forever titles show that it is possible for nostalgia to still be pretty awesome. While New Mutants Forever isn't getting the same attention X-men Forever is, one could make the argument that this is the better book. The art is solid, the story is better structured, and the twists and turns have really set this book apart from other New Mutant stories. Chris Claremont once again shows that when it comes to Marvel's marry band of mutants, he's always going to be one of the best. He still uses some techniques that went out of style before Kurt Cobain overdosed in 1994 like excessive thought bubbles and wordy narration, but it's not overdone here and feels like a real New Mutants story that fits just as well in 2010 as it would have in 1988.

There were some surprises, but nothing compared to the surprises of the first issue. In addition, this issue did nothing to answer any questions or even so much as hint at the answers. The Red Skull's plan is still completely unknown. There wasn't even a hint of what he was after. Everything he did just seemed to have no reason behind it other than being the arrogant jerk he's always been. That's probably the book's greatest shortcoming. The characterization and story of the New Mutants is great, but the story about the challenges they're facing is underdeveloped. There are still three issues to flesh this out, but a few hints sure would have helped.

There's still a lot to enjoy with this book. That's why I give New Mutants Forever #2 a 4.5 out of 5. Chris Claremont still has it! He's outlasted Michael Jackson and Nirvana with his comic book brilliance. Here's to hoping he'll outlast the likes of Lady Gaga and Kanye West as well! Nuff said.

New Mutants Forever #1 - Surprising Awesome

Here we go again. Another Forever title has hit the racks. After the end of X-Factor Forever (a book that so perfected the concept that I'm still picking piece of my mind up off the floor), there was a powerful void left on the racks. X-men Forever is still going on, but the title remains hit-or-miss and still suffers from some atrocious characterization and questionable plots that make about as much sense as Steve Jobs applying for food stamps. So never one to leave a decent concept to mediocrity, Marvel has gone back to the source. That's right, they've given Chris Claremont another X-title to leave his unique Forever stamp on. This time it's the New Mutants, another title he stopped working on in the late 80s. Now he's doubling down, looking to fill the void left by Louise Simonson.

Now no one could be blamed for looking at this title with a healthy bit of skepticism. Chris Claremont's writing has been wildly inconsistent since his glory days. X-men Forever has the dubious honor of vindicating the editors in 1991 for letting him go because if he had stayed on, some very messed up twists could have befell the X-men (killing Wolverine is at the top of that list. Then he comes out with a book like X-women, which took an entertaining story with European style art and made it sexy. It was by far one of the best X-men one-shots in a very long time. So which is it going to be for New Mutants Forever? Well the first issue of this 5-part mini has plenty of surprises and I'm not talking about the kind that will make you regret putting tabasco sauce on your tacos.

The first issue opens up right at the end of New Mutants #57, a book that came out during the Reagan Bush era. It's a little confusing because on the first page you see Magneto as the White King of the Hellfire Club along with Emma Frost, Selene, and Sebastian Shaw. Now if you've only read the recent comics lately this may seem like one of those cray What If stories, but you'd be wrong and possibly high. This is actually in continuity with respect to the New Mutants as they were back in the late 80s. The team that consisted of Cannonball, Mirage, Magma, Cypher, Sunspot, Magik, Warlock, and Wolfsbane had just finished a bout with Emma Frost's Hellions. In wake of this fight they came under new leadership in Magneto, who had just accepted a part in the Inner Circle. There's a full fledged recap of all these events at the end of the book so it is possible for the reader to catch up, but they really don't have to in order to follow what's going on. It's just going to be jarring for some who don't understand the history of the New Mutants comic (which is more sizable than most X-fans would care to admit).

Now aside from Selene and Emma looking ridiculously hot for a formal meeting, the topic of discussion is serious. Now that Magneto is the White King he's looking to put a stop to the petty squabbling that has made the Hellfire Club the Dick Cheny of the mutant world. It may seem somewhat out of character to hear Magneto talk about reconciliation, but he backs his plan up by reminding everybody that he's a holocaust survivor and he's not about to experience that shit again. That doesn't bother the rest of the Inner Circle, provided they can make money off it, still come off as winners, and ensure the women keep dressing in exceedingly hot clothes.

The New Mutants are certainly part of this plan. They remain under Magneto's thumb and since he's with the Hellfire Club, this is where they have to operate from. Now staying in a fancy mansion with an army of butlers and women dressed in shit Victoria's Secret finds too hot seems plenty appealing for some, but for others like Amara Aquiall, Selene's grand-daughter (which I guess makes her a GGILF), is about as comfortable as Glenn Beck in bathroom stall next to Hugo Chavez.

They debate briefly on whether it's a good idea to trust Magneto, which is usually a debate that's painfully one-sided. But there's not too much talking to be done. Right outside Hellfire Manor in Central Park, an all out war breaks out between some masked soldiers and some Men In Black knock-offs. If it seems a little random, don't worry. That just means your brain isn't fried yet from ink fumes. Claremont is already playing a dangerous game here if he's looking to avoid the mistakes of X-men Forever, but there's still plenty of room to put purpose behind the madness. Plus, it makes for a kick-ass fight scene that gets the New Mutants into the action and even gives them new uniforms in the process. Because let's face it, you can't kick ass in comics without looking good.

The New Mutants show their worth and take down the attackers. This is where some of that purpose I mentioned earlier shows. Among those hurt in the fight is Amara's father. He's alive, but looking like he blacked out from a cocaine binge and wound up at ground zero for the world's worst bar fight. In addition Mirage, who some may recall has some stint as Valkyrie with Hela, has some unpleasant visions that are asking her to claim souls the same way that little voice asks the sober guys at a party to feel up the drunk girls passed out in a bedroom. She's able to resist the temptation (unlike far too many victims of an ill-planned kegger) and follows the others as Magneto and Selene show up to collect the wounded.

The New Mutants are understandably confused and Amara understandably pissed. This attack begins the underlying mystery of the comic, which at the moment is a simple whodunit ordeal. Amara's father survives, but somebody is clearly fucking with them so Amara enlists Doug's hacking skills to do a little investigating. All the while Sam is flexing his thought bubbles, which seem a little redundant because he's just narrating in some parts. But that's to be expected from a Chris Claremont comic. Since it doesn't cover entire corners of the page, it doesn't count as excessive this time.

But the New Mutants don't get to channel their inner Scooby Doo for very long. Just as Amara and Doug are getting busy in a totally non-sexual way, yet another attack by a bunch of guys with guns takes place unexpectedly. Are you starting to sense a pattern? If not, your short-term memory may be in serious need of surgical repairs. But you don't need a terrible amount of brain capacity to enjoy what happens here. This fight is a lot more action packed than the one before. The guys with the guns are much better armed, taking out Hellfire's dumb-looking masked guards with ease and even giving Magneto, Shaw, Emma, and Selene a run for their money. In terms of faceless thugs, these guys are the premium brand in the world of comic villains.

They don't just hit the Inner Circle either. They take on the New Mutants simultaneously and take them on quite well. This time they're the ones taken by surprise and they get taken down a peg the same way Donald Rumsfeld gets taken down a peg when he negates the little things in his job (that is to say claiming victory when the bad guys still have plenty of fight left). Most of the New Mutants are just bitch slapped around a bit. Cypher and Magma are the targets. They get the Princess Zelda treatment in that they're captured, abducted, and flown away in a helicopter before the others can even try to save them.

Once the dust from the fight clears, the Inner Circle and the New Mutants are pissed. Selene is especially upset. Even though she's got about as good a relationship with Amara as the United States does with North Korea, she operates under the Mr. Burns style outrage in that nobody steals from her whether it be her Sunday newspaper or her granddaughter that's she's done more than enough to torment. So while Magneto and the rest of the Inner Circle twiddle their thumbs, Selene takes the New Mutants to Limbo (courtesy of Magik) where she does her own special brand of interrogation. And by interrogation, I mean she sucks he fucking live energy out of one of the attackers and not in the sexy True Blood way. It still works though. Selene figures out who is behind this and who she has to torment next.

While Selene's getting her answers, Amara and Doug are getting answers of their own. When they wake up, they're in Nova Roma or at least a very perverse mock-up of it. Because for some reason there are Nazi banners all over the place like the whole area got design ideas from watching too many History Channel documentaries. It's here where those seemingly contrived attacks from earlier in the book cease to be contrived. At the very end, the face of the figure behind these attacks is revealed and in one page the entire first issue of New Mutants Forever goes from being an uncertainty to a new standard in awesome. Who is his you ask and how does he make this comic awesome? It's because he's the Red fucking Skull damn it! If this isn't enough to blow the mind of your casual comic reader, get a new fucking mind because the one you have now isn't working!

This final reveal takes New Mutants Forever from being just another X-men offshoot into a genuinely awesome title with plenty of potential. Chris Claremont doesn't just avoid the pitfalls of X-men Forever. He flies over them in a rocket and sets off an A-bomb (A standing for awesome in this case). Even if you don't know jack shit about the New Mutants, the story here is compelling and told well enough for anybody to just leap in and indulge. It's like ice cream. You don't need to know much about it. You just need to know it tastes great.

And for those of you who do know a thing or two about New Mutants, but need a refresher course on events to this point the end of the first issue offers a good seven-page recap of all the New Mutant series to this point. There are even some nice shots of the old art with detailed explanations that anybody can follow. It won't make you an expert in New Mutant comics, but it will help the rest of this book make more sense. What's truly remarkable though is that you really don't have to read this part to truly enjoy how awesome this issue is. The recap is like a bonus, that extra line of blow that you didn't know you had. It's a great addition to a great comic.

New Mutants Forever #1 is Chris Claremont at his best. He showed he could still hack it with X-women and with this title, he's set up a very intriguing mini with all sorts of potential that simply cannot fit into one comic. He's 1/5 of the way towards matching the awesome of Louise Simonson's X-Factor Forever. The story is great, the writing is great, the art by Al Rio is like dark chocolate mousse for the eyes. This along with the bonus at the end makes this first issue well-deserving of a perfect 5 out of 5. Claremont has done it! He's shown once again why he is one of the best X-writers of all time and he's got four full issues to further reinforce his point. Nuff said.

X-Factor Forever #5 - A Celestial Monument to Awesome

Today is a sad and euphoric day for X-fans like myself. For the past few months we have been graced by return of one of X-men's most celebrated scribes, Louise Simonson. For a mere five issues, Mrs. Simonson has demonstrated once again that she knows how to handle the Original Five in a way that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (may he rest in peace) can be proud of. She did it in the late 80s during he memorable X-Factor run that helped forge the path for X-men for decades to come. She did it once again with her modern incarnation, X-Factor Forever.

Now as I've said before, I approached these Forever series with a healthy bit of skepticism because Chris Claremont's take on his Forever series was so fucked up you could pass it around like a joint and end up hung over as if you chugged a gallon of two parts tequila and one part battery acid. But Simonson took that concept and did something amazing with it. She didn't just show it could work. She showed it could be awesome. X-Factor Forever has only been five issues long, but she's made each issue count so that they can do in five issues what Chris Claremont couldn't do in 24 (26 if you count the Giant Size and Annual). With the final issue coming out today, X-Factor Forever #5, Louise Simonson makes her case and the prosecution rests. I won't be coy this time. This comic fucking rocks! It is the best mini to come along in decades and it almost makes me wish this book came in pill form so I could save money on my Prozac perscription.

The final issue does not waste an ounce of ink. The very first pages jump right into the action that began at the end of the previous issue. X-Factor was on a mission to attack Sinister, who had unleashed an army of clones bent on either killing everything in their path or making everybody that saw them barf through their nose. Add to that he can command them and you don't just have an uphill battle. You have the fucking Great Wall of China if the wall were made out of adamantium.

Aside from being creepy as fuck about it, his leads his clone army in an all out assault against X-Factor. He's not subtle about it. He's not nice about it. It's hard to tell if he's just fucking with them to prove that he can. A dog licks his own ball for the same reason. X-Factor are forced to take on their own clones as well as clones of their friends and loved ones, some of which actually look pretty awesome so you feel somewhat bad when Cyclops blows them to hell. But sympathy aside, the battle is still working against them and they need a miracle. But since lady luck is riding the red tide at the moment, they get Apocalypse instead. Yeah, Lady Luck is that much a bitch in this issue.

Now not only does Apocalypse show up, he has Nathan. Cyclops and Jean are understandably pissed. They instinctively go after him because heavens knows Nathan doesn't need to grow up with nightmares of Poccy's ugly mug. If this were any other comic, you would think X-Factor is fucked. But if you've been following this book, you know that this isn't your daddy's batshit crazy if not somewhat bland super-villain. He's a bit more complex for once and he has an agenda of his own. Only this time, that agenda requires him to actually save X-Factor and oppose Sinister. Seriously, where else besides X-Factor Forever would you get something like that?

So Apocalypse for once decides not to be a douche-bag and tips the balance in X-Factor's favor. He's even nice enough to give Cyclops his son back. I know using nice and Apocalypse in the same sentence is tantamount to a Jewish Nazi, but Simonson makes it work. Now that X-Factor has Nathan in hand, Apocalypse instructs them to give Nathan to the Celestials that have decended on New York. Somehow that's supposed to make this shit all better. X-Factor is understandably skeptical, but Apocalypse continues his non-douche-bag run by teleporting X-Factor out of Sinister's lab and then blowing it to kingdom come.

At this point some fans may be rubbing their eyes and checking their blood pressure. Did Apocalypse just do something noble? Did he just play hero for once? It may seem that way, but come on! The comic isn't even half over yet. If you're making those kinds of assumptions now then you're just being a dipshit. Luckily, the scene is awesome enough for anyone to enjoy no matter how many flawed brain cells they may have. For a guy like me, that's like Christmas at the Playboy Mansion.

So X-Factor is free and now they can turn their attention to the Celestials, who in issue two descended onto New York with the intent on judging the world in their own special way and by judging I mean flat out destroying. Since these are fucking space gods they're dealing with, X-Factor knows they can't fight them. All they have to go on is what Apocalypse told them. He said that if they gave them baby Nathan, then this shit would somehow all work out. That may be like getting sobriety advice from Amy Whinehouse, but they give it a try. Needless to say, it doesn't seem to pan out.

Now this could have been a grossly macabre moment. A space god takes a baby and crushes it in his palm? Seriously, unless you're pro-infanticide then it should make you cringe on some levels. But before the comics code authority completely loses their shit, the Celestials reveal that all is well. They give Cyclops and X-Factor a cosmic thumbs up. Whatever judging they did, Nathan passed the test and they returned him to the team without a scratch on him. But judging by the look on his face he's going to need a fresh diaper.

So is that it? Is that the end? Well remember how this little advice came from Apocalypse? Thing is, he left out one minor detail that reminds the reader that he's still a devious douche-bag. Once Nathan is judged and deemed fit, the two judges teleport to Genosha and start attacking. And when the Celestials attack, it's not just one-sided. It's like the Harlem Globe Trotters vs. the Washington Generals. It's a slaughter.They judged Genosha and Genosha has to go. That's where X-Factor has to come in once again and save the day.

It looks like all the mutants on Genosha are fucked. But once again, Apocalypse shows that he can still do good by being the cunning son-of-a-bitch he is at heart. As has been revealed through the Apocalypse journal's at the end of each issue, he's been messing with the Celestials for ages. He knows he's on their shit list and he knows that intervening with mutant evolution will earn their wrath. Since he doesn't want all his hard work to go up in cosmic dust, he does the next best thing. He tricks them. See? Still a douche-bag. While there's no way to save the island, he did drop a brief hint to the mutants so they would know enough to get the fuck out of the way when the Celestials showed up.

A quick round of teleportation and X-Factor does the rest. Genosha is in ruin, but the mutants are saved. Ship becomes a much more awesome version of Noah's Ark and once the island is gone, the Celestials finally leave. They've done enough judging it seems and they don't need to become giant space dicks looking to fuck any planet they come across. So Apocalypse came through in his own unique way and X-Factor came through. It's a perfect heroic triumph with a few interesting twists with an A-list bad guy. For a five issue mini, you can't ask for much more other than having it tattooed on the breasts of Pamela Anderson.

So the day is saved. X-Factor has once again triumphed in a big way. Simonson could have ended it right here and I still would have had every reason to give the book a perfect score. But she swings for the stratosphere with this one and throws in one last nice shot of our heroes. She's even nice enough to have a little family moment with Scott, Jean, and Nathan. If you're an Original Five fan or a Cyclops/Jean Grey fan, this ending will bring tears to your eyes that you probably haven't shed since Bill Clinton was president. That alone should make this issue worth it's weight in gold-encrusted diamonds woven into the thong of Carmen Electra. Considering how 616 insists on fucking up these classic characters by doing little things like killing Jean Grey and also considering how offshoots like Ultimate and Forever can't resist fucking up their characterization beyond all recognition, this is more than refreshing. It's like a hit from the bong of the gods.

Yet Simonson still isn't done. She goes onto add one more entry to the Apocalypse journals that have been bonus stories for each issue. This one isn't so much a bonus as it is an epilogue. It essentially retells what happened with the X-men to this point in the continuity and clears up why Apocalypse did what he did. It's heroic in some ways and a bit of dick move in others. He wasn't being all that altruistic. He was basically trying to save his own skin and all his hard work. It didn't bother him that his buffoonery was earning the wrath of the space gods and that everybody on the planet could pay the price. But at least he managed to put that cunning to good use and weasel his way out of ultimate judgment.

He's not going to get a monument to commemorate his sacrifice, but he at least deserves some street cred. This little extra helps make him a far more complex and interesting character than he is in any other incarnation. From here on out, it's probably going to be a lot harder to read Apocalypse and other books and not reflect on how much more awesome Simonson's version is and how awesome he could have been had she been allowed to stay on.

So now it's over. X-Factor Forever has come to an end and oh what an ending it is. There's no downer here. There's no sudden urge to self-mutilate or go on stronger meds. It's a nice, clean, complete ending in an era where every fucking book has to have some dark ominous sub-plot meant to draw the reader in for future issues. It's like finding a unicorn that shits chocolate. It's too awesome for words.

Now does that mean this series and this issue are without flaws? Even I'm not that generous. There are some shortcomings. This issue was a little melodramatic at times with Cyclops having the same crazy "NOOOOO!" reaction on more than one occasion. There also weren't as many memorable lines as there were in previous issues. But what it lacked in dialogue it more than made up for with story. There are far greater flaws with other comics of this nature and they don't come close to bringing down the overall awesome. Plus, Simonson is nice enough to once again include a letters page. You can't get much nicer than that.

For the final issue of X-Factor Forever, I give it a perfect 5 out of 5. It simply has too many awesome elements to give it anything less. While I loved this issue and this series to death, I'm also somewhat saddened because once again I'm left without an outlet series of X-men I can indulge in when I'm disappointed by the others. Now only 616, Ultimate, and Forever are left. 616 will always be the main universe, but Ultimate and Forever have sucked horribly and are almost beyond saving. So without X-Factor Forever, what more is there? I suppose that makes it all the more precious. Hopefully one day Simonson will be given another shot at the X-men and she'll further prove her legacy to the X-men saga. Until that day comes, X-Factor Forever will continue to shine with a special kind of awesome. Excelsior!

X-men Forever Season 2 Issue #2 - Bland With a Touch of Awesome

In recent months the Forever titles have become the anomaly in my comic collection. When Chris Claremont (you know, the guy who probably did more for X-men than any other writer in history) said he was launching his own title called X-men Forever, I was as giddy as a school girl who just took a hit of crystal meth. Then I actually read the first few issues and that meth turned into poor quality heroine that was so watered down it was like shooting up a trip to the DMV into my veins. The title actually did what I thought was impossible and tainted Chris Claremont's legacy. Between piss poor characterization, outlandish character depths, turning Jean Grey into a lying whore, making Kitty a lamer X-23, retconning events and not explaining them, and doing some of the shittiest romance sub-plots in history (Scott/Jean/Logan/Beast still ranks as one of the most disgusting developments in X-comic history) it actually came to vindicate Claremont being kicked off the book back in 1991. I take no joy in saying that either, but being a die-hard Claremont fan that I am I can't help but take a peak and every so often he does make Forever readable. Hell, the man had Storm kill Black Panther instead of marrying him. That has to count for something, right?

Now after the first 25 issues (plus an annual), Claremont has begun what he calls season 2 with a bang both literally and figuratively. This time that's not just a cute euphemism. Seriously, in the first issue of the new series he had the Avengers attack the X-men and the result of the fight was the entire fucking X-mansion blowing up! Again, it doesn't make up for all the shortcomings of this series, but damn it if it isn't awesome. That prompted me to take a look at issue #2 in hopes of some equally awesome follow-up. The results, unfortunately, were a mixed bag.

By and large, this issue doesn't do much to move the plot forward. It's one big reaction issue. The whole Forever universe is basically reacting to the X-mansion blowing up. Hell, have the issue is taken from the perspective of a news report and last I checked it's pretty damn hard to make the news awesome (unless of course your last name is Stewart or Colbert).


The report is pretty predictable to anyone who has had to sit through the news (poor souls). They say what happens, act all serious and emotional about it, and try to twist it in their own away. During this bombardment of media mayhem that can only come from sources like Fox News, SHIELD and the authorities are scouring the remains for signs of the X-men. They find absolutely dick. And by dick I mean no bodies. That more or less affirms what happened. The X-men are still alive thanks to the universal law of comics section 1, subsection 45, line 15 and I quote, "no body means no death."


Not only do they find no trace of the X-men. They find no trace of Nick Fury either. That adds a new wrinkle to the garment. If he's gone, who runs SHIELD in the Forever universe? Well following the logic that if there's a crisis then Congress will find a way to fuck it up even more, they appoint Ziggy Trask to the job. Who is Ziggy Trask you ask? She's the bitch related to Bolivar Trask, the asshole who made the sentinels. She's also the bitch who ran rough-shot at the Consortium, the assholes who spent much of Season 1 trying to kill the X-men. I would add a few more political undertones as to how fucked up this is, but the sad truth remains that this is a pretty accurate representation of Congress. Nobody can say that Chris Claremont doesn't inject some sense of realism in his books, even if it's the kind of realism that only registered republicans appreciate.


While Congress is fucking things up with the giant dick of government, the Avengers are still scratching their heads. Yet they do show some remorse, which is pretty appropriate given that this is before the whole Civil War mess. It's a nice moment to show that this really is an alternate take because the Avengers still come off as heroes, taking responsibility in a way that politicians never will. Unlike the news, they seem equally convinced that the X-men are still alive and well.


While they're reeling, others are overreacting with a shit storm of douche-baggery. Enter Perfect Storm, the bitch who usurped power in Wakanda and killed Black Panther (okay, bitch probably isn't the right word because anybody who was pissed by her being married probably got a boner seeing this). Needless to say, she's pretty pissed. But it isn't because the X-men are supposedly dead. It's because she didn't kill them. What's fucked up is that those around her thinks it's out of grief when she flat out says it's because this denies her the vengeance she craves. It's not a thought bubble. It's not an inner musing either. She fucking says it and these people don't hear? It's a small detail, but it's among many Claremont has made in this series.


The affair eventually reverberates to other parts of the X-men, which in the Forever universe include X-Force. At the time it was being run by Warren and his deep pockets. With those same deep pockets, he promises to protect the rest of the team knowing they may be on the front lines now that the regulars are MIA. Now one would expect them to be as skeptical as the Avengers about them being dead, but Warren does talk as though the X-men are really gone. You would think he would show a bit more emotion. Same with the rest of the team. But no, the scene is painfully bland. It's like Claremont just copied and pasted it in there and it's essentially filler, a waste of precious ink.


Next up the media blitz continues, but thankfully it's finally cut off despite taking up half the book at this point. It ends at the Daily Bugle with Peter Parker and J. Jonah Jameson. This is by far the biggest draw of the comic and the main reason why I thought it was worth picking up and reviewing. Chris Claremont is bringing in a pre-One More Day Spider-Man. For anyone still pissed from that bullshit retcon that has tainted every Spider-Man comic since, this makes this issue worth it's weight in pure Wakandan Vibrainium.


Since the news isn't going to get the full story, Jameson sends Peter to the scene to get what he hopes will be a scoop he can rub in the faces of every other media outlet. Peter, having crossed paths with the X-men plenty of times within the pre-1991 continuity, jumps at the chance because like the Avengers he is not convinced the X-men are gone. So he ventures to the ruins of the mansion and investigates. Here Claremont goes a wee bit overboard with the thought bubbles as he so often does, but that's sort of a mainstay of X-men Forever. It's still annoying as fuck sometimes, but it's still a pre-OMD Spider-Man. That's worth overlooking, isn't it?


While Peter is looking for some answers, more filler finds it's way into the plot. There's a brief shot at a Senator's office where it appears Mystique is entering the picture again, albeit with not even an ominous hint at what that means for this plot. It also comes in the form of an orphanage in Nebraska, the same where Scott Summers grew up. Here a little boy is talking with Dr. Hanover about Cyclops and his son. The hint here is pretty obvious too. Old man Sinister is about to enter the picture. It looks like they're going to attempt to kidnap Scott's son...again. Seriously, was this even necessary in a book like this? It not only seems out of place, but a total rehashing of a plot that has already been used before 1991.


Back to the non-Mephisto Spider-Man and the most awesome part of this book. Spidy found nothing at the site of the Xavier Institute and continues with his endless thought bubble droning as he swings through New York on his nightly patrol. Then he gets his first action of the night, which also happens to be the first and only bit of action in this book. Some thugs are getting their butts kicked in an alley and for once Spider-Man isn't doing it. He swings in to investigate. To his surprise he finds exactly what he didn't find in the ruins of the mansion. He finds a very alive X-man, but probably not the one he was expecting. Keep in mind, Spidy probably hasn't been keeping up with what's been going on in X-men Forever so imagine his surprise when he sees Nightcrawler Rogue in a sexy new uniform. If I were in Spider-Man's shoes I would be confused yet strangely aroused because blue skin, a tail, and cleavage is still pretty damn hot.


Before anything else comes of this, the comic ends. No more action. No more revelations either. The book just ends. It's not quite a cliffhanger and it's not quite a resolution either. It's just an end to an issue that was bland most of the way through, but still had some elements of awesome that made it worth picking up. Much of those elements were provided by Spider-Man who wasn't carrying the One More Day curse. Everything else was painfully bland and came off as complete filler for an issue that you could probably skip and not miss much. For a series that's supposed to be it's own line, that's a terrible waste of ink.

I get the basic concept of what Chris Claremont was trying to do. The X-mansion blowing up would have huge repercussions throughout the greater Marvel universe. It's great that he wanted to show everybody's reaction, but it still came off as filler and lacked the kind of impact that makes such a premise work. Every facial expression was essentially the same and nobody really said or thought anything that stood out. There was only a tiny bit of action to boot and it wasn't nearly enough to make up for the many other shortcomings of this issue.

Never-the-less, it's still worth picking up just for the Spider-Man elements. If the next issue has more action and less news, that will be worth picking up as well. But the fact remains that X-men Forever has a shit tone of plot holes and a pile of diarrhea worth of characterization flaws. For what it's worth, this issue doesn't do any more damage to the Forever series that others have and does have some note-worthy aspects worth making note of. Because of this, I can't in good conscious give this comic an Ultimate X caliber score. I give it a 2.5 out of 5 for at least trying to tie Forever into the greater Marvel Universe and for giving readers a non-One More Day Spider-Man. This series has a long way to go to make up for many other shortcomings, but it's Chris Claremont so it's not impossible. At the very least we still have the nearly flawless awesome of Louise Simonson's X-Factor Forever so all is not lost in the Forever concept. Flaws aside, the hearts of the writers are still in the right place and who can blame them for that?

X-Factor Forever #4 Review - Awesome in Any Era

Usually, I'm not one for nostalgia. When people reflect about how great things were in the past I tend to roll my eye and fight the urge to point out the past always seems better because the damn present involves so much more work. So when these X-men Forever titles have come out, I've been just as cynical. Not that I don't have a fondness for the past, but when I read Chris Claremont's X-men Forever I actually felt for the first time the editors were important because if this was the direction he was going to take then the comics I've known and loved would have been fucked like a five dollar whore long ago. Then Louise Simonson came along with X-Factor Forever, taking the concept Chris Claremont established and running with it to the very peak of Mount Awesome.

X-Factor Forever has been a blast from the very first issue and X-Factor Forever #4 doesn't just continue that tradition. It raises and overshoots the bar into the exosphere, telling an awesome story while doing justice to these awesome characters. Simonson proves once and for all that she knows these characters and every other writer of this and other eras can suck it. There's no lull in the awesome from the very beginning. At the end of the last issue Apocalypse showed up and stole Scott's son, Nathan Christopher Summers, while they were battling a Celestial. As if that wasn't bad enough, another Celestial showed up and looks to have a hard on for exacting a heavy judgment on Earth. Think every crazy death cult only with god like powers and you'll get a feel for how bad that is.


Apocalypse, being the sneaky bastard he is, teleported away before X-Factor could even try and wrestle Nathan from him. But this isn't your normal made-for-TV movie style kidnapping. Apocalypse does state there is a purpose behind this. In fact, he seems to imply this child is the key to saving the mutant race. It's a different take on a guy who usually has a ten foot hard-on for destruction, but in a good way.


To add yet another twist to the plot he doesn't even take his right-hand man, Caliban, along for the ride. He just leaves him with X-Factor, who are understandably pissed. Now normally when this happen it's the bad guy just trying to save his own skin. It's a classic way to make the big villain look like an even bigger douche bag than he already is. Leaving his loyal henchmen behind? You really can't get much more douchy than that. At first it seems this way because X-Factor are about as hospitable to Caliban as North Korea is to the rest of the world.


But there's a reason for it and surprisingly, the reason is pretty darn interesting. Caliban may be a minion, but he's not the mindless type. He does have some sense of what's going on and he demonstrates this by asking some profound questions. Why is it that so few mutants have healthy children? Why is it that most of the mutants that are born are either barren, require some extra help, or are utterly fucked up? He mentions mutants like Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, who had a powerful witch for a mother. He also mentions David Heller, Xavier's son, who's as nutty as a fruitcake and twice as ugly. The one that sticks out most is Madelyn Pryor, Jean Grey's clone who bore a healthy Nathan Summers. This is the one X-Factor is most familiar with and the one that leads them to some answers.

Now at this point readers who followed Chris Claremont's X-men Forever series will get a sense of "Wait...haven't we seen this shit before?" It's true. Chris Claremont originally came up with a very novel and powerful concept in his series. Mutants as a species have a serious flaw. They burn out in a sense and rarely live past their twenties. It's radical idea that really sets the story apart, but Louise Simonson takes it several steps further. In her world mutants don't necessarily burn out. They just have a hard time making viable offspring. And a number of those that do occur require the aid of cosmic forces or an off-his-rocker mad scientist type. It's that last notion that leads X-Factor to go after the only guy they have more reason to disembowel than Apocalypse, and that's Mr. Sinister.


The real kicker is that when they arrive at his base they find out he's been a busy little mad scientist. In the X-Factor series prior to this one, Sinister made his mark on the X-books by creating Madelyn Pryor from Jean Grey's DNA. Following the philosophy of "if it's worth doing it's worth overdoing" he didn't stop there. He made a whole army of clones. He made clones of every shape, size, and age. Now all of X-Factor get the same mindfuck Jean Grey had when she found out about Madelyn. If the looks on their faces are any indication, their eyes are ready to shoot out of their sockets.


This fucked up setting provides the perfect setting for pasty faced Sinister to make his big entrance and fuck them up even more for good measure. He adds to the fucking that he's been acquiring genetic material for these clones for some time now. Apparently, he doesn't have too many hobbies and nobody showed him the joys of internet porn. He used this material to not just make clones, but make entirely viable mutants with their own personalities and identities intact. The man didn't go for the traditional zombie army. He went for full fledged duplicates and even threw in some variations.


To make him seem just a bit less like a mad scientist and a hell of a lot more like a control freak, he goes onto explain that he's not doing this just for kicks. He believes he has the key to immortality. He can forge any mutant with any variation he wants. He shows a clone of Angel without his Apocalypse treatment. He shows Storm in her classic mohawk version. He even shows a blond haired Wolverine with bone claws. It sounds pretty lame, but Sinny makes it work. To him this is his answer to the poor mutant birth rate. His clones aren't just for show. They are meant to propagate the mutant species. It's sort of like fixing a problem by taking a shit ton of LSD and mushrooms and giving a lot of advanced alien technology to a guy with a messiah complex who took the same drugs. It makes for a pretty mind-blowing revelation.

But Sinister is just part of the equation. Apocalypse is still heading up this crazy plan and for now Sinister is just the distraction. Granted, this distraction is tantamount to throwing weapons grade plutonium at a charging terrorist group, but he makes it work. Using Sinister's own madness against him, Apocalypse sneaks in to learn about the secrets to Nathan's biology. For whatever reason, this kid that still shits his own pants is the key. Not too comforting when there are space gods looking to destroy damn near everything just because someone took one too many extracurricular in the field of mutant menacing biology.


As distractions come, though, this one should be patented and sold to Johnson and Johnson. Sinister goes one further than boasting about his clone army. He unleashes it on X-Factor. It's a strange way for other famous X-men faces to show up, but it makes for an awesome fight scene that puts X-Factor up against some unexpected and very rough competition. For an issue that's heavy on mind-blowing revelations, it's a nice turn.


The fight goes downhill fast. X-Factor is outnumbered and outgunned by powers they're all too familiar with and Sinister can't stop boasting like he has the biggest dick in the room. It earns him a healthy blast from Cyclops, which doesn't stop him but has to be pretty damn satisfying. But there is still a shit ton of obstacles ahead of them at the X-leader pretty much burns himself out trying to fight it. Here, Simonson adds yet another layer of icing on top of a cake that has plenty of awesome to spare. Jean Grey comes to him and shares a loving moment that is plenty worthy of the longest tenured X-men couple in the history of X-men. It's a moment many romantics will squeal with joy over because it brings together a lot of the romantic issues that go back even before X-Factor Forever takes place. Jean seemed to be struggling from the beginning with memories of Madelyn and the Phoenix still fresh in her mind. But here she's not struggling anymore. She shoves all that aside as any tough-nosed woman who survived life and death would and shows Scott she loves him. And with him, they're going to bitch slap Sinister and Apocalypse to death and get to their son. It's a sweet moment that fans of Cyclops and Jean Grey have been denied for far too long.


Now this would have been an awesome place to end the comic, but Simonson just can't seem to resist throwing more awesome into the mix. As with every issue thus far, the next part of the Apocalypse background story shows up and this time it's Sinister who takes center stage. In this it is shown how Sinister was to Apocalypse what Anakin Skywalker was to Obi Wan Kanobi had Obi Wan gotten his Force training from Darth Maul. He showed Sinister everything there was to know about mutant DNA, but Sinister wasn't content with the little stuff. He wanted to manipulate mutants on a larger scale, one Apocalypse didn't want him to. Like a three-year-old kicking and screaming at the supermarket, Sinister did it anyways and a lot of it ended up affecting the past, present, and future of mutants in a big way. It not only shows Sinister in a new more badass form. It shows that Apocalypse isn't the only one who can shine unexpectedly in X-Factor Forever.


So between this and the rest of the supremely awesome story, this is a great place to end it right? Well Simonson still isn't satisfied. She has to throw one last bit of awesome that for once vindicates nostalgia. She includes yet another letters-to-the-editor page and wouldn't you know it? My letter got published again! It's like a trifecta of pure X-men awesome.


Between the mind-blowing story, the kick-ass bonuses, and spot on characterization that ties past and present continuity together there really isn't a whole lot to criticize about this issue. Very few comics outside Blackest Night caliber ever attain this status and Louise Simonson does it masterfully. Even though there is a long list of X-men comics sucking up the competition, this one stands out as by far the most awesome. For that reason X-Factor Forever #4 gets a perfect 5 out of 5 and all the accolades a self-respecting X-men fan can dish out.

The only tragedy here is that this is just a mini. This comic has some of the best characterizations of any X-men comic and a damn nice plot to boot yet it only has one issue left. I suppose this is a case of amazing quality over quantity and for what it is, X-Factor Forever works wonderfully. Still, it leaves many readers wishing that Simonson would stay on and turn this into an ongoing or that another mini of this nature would continue. Something like this is needed to balance out the bullshit the other X-men comics have been throwing out, even if they have gotten better in recent years. It's a great series and that makes the last issue all the more precious. X-Factor Forever kicks every kind of ass in comics and it's definitely a series for the ages. Nuff said!