Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities X-Men/X-Factor: Messiah CompleX

Running in:

• Chapter 1: X-Men: Messiah Complex one-shot
• Chapter 2: Uncanny X-Men #492
• Chapter 3: X-Factor #25
• Chapter 4: New X-Men #44
• Chapter 5: X-Men #205
• Chapter 6: Uncanny X-Men #493
• Chapter 7: X-Factor #26
• Chapter 8: New X-Men #45
• Chapter 9: X-Men #206
• Chapter 10: Uncanny X-Men #494
• Chapter 11: X-Factor #27
• Chapter 12: New X-Men #46
• Chapter 13: X-Men #207

[Since Mystery Lad asked for a thread to discuss it in. Rather than splitting it between four different other threads...]

I read the one shot and it was...aight.

The mutant is a newborn for sure? It has potential but like every other x-event for the last decade...I don't know who the x-men are.

They are all divided in these different teams but just pop up together in a new team, etc.

It just has a very generic feel to it.

The one shot was okay. Nothing happened, it tried to build tension, but there wasn't much other than wandering mutants. Angel popped in, after being MIA for 2 years. That doesn't bode well for him.

The art was okay, but Silvestri has never impressed me. I'm more eager to see the invidual art teams of each book handle the various characters.

CJ Taylor, Angel is what bothered me. He's my fave X-Men but he just popped in out of nowhere/no explanation.

I'm only going to be reading the X-Factor tie-ins, but I'll post about them in here so as to avoid confusion.

Peter David's Hulk tie-ins during House of M made lemonade out of the lemons assigned to him, and I'm confident he can do it again with Messiah CompleX.

Thing about that is, though, that the Hulk HoM issues were a storyline in and of themselves, albeit set in the HoMverse. Instead, MCX is an old-style straight crossover, making the X-Factor issues of MCX literally chapters in a weekly series, like reading 52 #3, #7, #11, etc.

I still haven't decided what to do. I've read but not bought MCX1 and UXM492, and I'll do as-usual with the XF issues. But once it gets to NXM (with the double-blow of the bad writers and, in Humberto Ramos, one of my least favourite artists) followed by XM (with Chris Bachalo, ANOTHER of my least favourite artits)...

That's true about the difference between HoM and MCX.

I'm going to rely on spoilers, not just in this thread, but anywhere I can find them; I'm also hoping that maybe there won't be long waits for the tie-in issue summaries at uncannyxmen.net.

Its been pretty good so far. Not in my 'top five best stories going right now', but entertaining enough. I'm hoping each title is able to maintain its coherency throughout the crossover.

X-Factor # 25:

First of all, how awesome is Cyclops in this issue? I’ve always liked him, but I love love this new assertive, proactive Cyclops. Now I just hope the change sticks in the long run. Not likely, I know, but I can dream.

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text"> That scene where Cyclops puts Rockslide in his place will go down in history as a classic X-Men moment. </span></span>

But my favorite thing about this issue is that, despite being part of a mega-crossover, it hasn’t lost its distinctive X-Factor identity. I’d like to think this is an indication that all the writers are on the same page.

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text"> I was also pleased to see that there might actually be some resolution in the not-too-distant-future to that vision that Rahne had several issues ago, where she kills Jamie and Layla. Layla becoming the Jamie dupe’s unexpected time-travelling companion is a good sign. </span></span>

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text"> Oh, and there’s more good news: Siryn is alive and well. I guess we’ll find out how she escaped the evil family once the mega-crossover is done. </span></span>

And, of course, there’s PAD’s patented wit:

SIRYN: Do you copy, Cyclops?

CYCLOPS: Loud and clear, Siryn. How’s Wolfsbane?

SIRYN: Complaining that the squibs hurt.

CYCLOPS: Bullets would have hurt more.

and

NIGHTCRAWLER: You should not have run, Amelia.

STORM: You cannot protect them.

AMELIA VOGHT: I wasn’t, you idiots. I was protecting you from them.

All in all, a pleasant surprise that almost makes me wanna read the other Messiah CompleX tie-ins.

Almost.

Depending on how the story turns out, I might buy the trade. For now, I'm sticking to my original plan.

While World War Hulk is still going on, I might add.

Angel sure looked great here, though.

In X-FACTOR, Rictor embarks on a dangerous mission. I'm now worried about him (I want him to get his powers back, but I'm afraid he's going to be the 'see, M-day had consequences' example. Well, Rictor and Dani Moonstar.)

The set-up with Wolfsbane and Cyclops (via radio-phone or whatever) was fun.

Mystery Lad, I was really happy with Angel's Hulk appearance. I rather him and Hercules become Hulk supporting characters than him be on another X-team or Herc on a Bendis Avengers team.

I'm interested on Rictor's mission.

You didn't see the Incredible Herc announcement then?

Read the one-shot last night and already forgot what it was about... definitely not a good sign. The art was much better than current Bachalo / Ramos stuff, very iconic. Still, the book did not make me wish to read the whole story. As a regular X-Factor reader, I guess I will learn enough about what's going on to avoid the other books...

X-Franchise still suffering... I guess somebody has to "Bendis" it up at last!

So far, it's building up in an interesting way between the various factions reacting to the birth of the new mutant. I like the more assertive Cyclops - his leadership role has too often made him a stick in the mud but I remember when he was seen as a strong strategist and leader almost on par with Captain America. The rest seems too disjointed to me so far, but I'm interested enough to see it come together.

.

CHAPTER 5: Well, the last page was interesting, wasn't it? Somebody around here'll be glad, I think.

Apparently, the Rictor bit just went nowhere.

There's something that bugs me about the whole premise, though. The word 'extinction' keeps being used.

I know that mutants or former mutants won't (or weren't) giving birth to little baby mutants or mutants-to-be, but has it been shown that they'd be infertile? Can you really call them on the verge of extinction if they can still reproduce as 'normal' humans? Would they value that offspring less? That makes them decidedly inferior as sentients, IMO.

I didn't get to the comic shop this week, and I'm afraid by the time I go there next week, there won't be any issues left for me to browse through. Could someone please spoil the last page?

By request from Stealth, the last page spoiler:

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">Cable is alive and has the baby.</span></span>

I am not a happy bunny. I do not like that character. In fact, I loathe him.

Thanks, Cali.

I think Messiah CompleX may have jumped the shark.

Chapter Seven: X-Factor # 26

Dear god, has this story failed to live up to the promise it showed!

Except for one funny bit (the "I Brake For Mutants" bumper sticker) and the engaging conversation between Scott and Prof X, this issue is unrecognizable as a Peter David script.

I just can't bring myself to care about anything in this mega-crossover.

Two months until it's over and X-Factor resumes normal programming. I'm counting the days.

I'll miss Rahne, though, Stealth. I loathe that she's being removed from PAD's hands for another crappy X-Force relaunch! Hopefully, Rictor will stay (if he survives this crossover).

Lardy, I agree 100% on both Rahne and Rictor (and they made such a cute couple, too.)

I don't know that I like them as a couple. But PAD writes Rahne better than anyone else I've read.

I like Cable, but not many folks can write him. I noticed PAD didn't give him any dialouge. I did like the way Warpath was written, especially the chat between him and Rahne.

Overall, I'm not impressed with the cross over. It seems spotlight Wolverine, and he's not a favourite character.

Not sure what happened in that last post from early DEC. Oops!

Anyway, Bishop-- whoa! 'Bout time some of those long unresolved time-travel issues resurfaced. I didn't expect them *here*, though.

I like that this 'event' is turning corners, edging into unexpected avenues.

Who would've thought getting tattooed would be as creepy as it is here? I really felt worried about Layla-- a character I've felt ambivalent about at best.

The X-Force stuff hasn't been as painful as it could be. I do see the purpose behind their grouping.

Poor Caliban, though.

Chapter 11: X-Factor # 27

Not nearly as godawful as the last X-Factor issue, but still short on what makes X-Factor special. Monet didn't get any lines, but while I was disappointed, I wasn't completely surprised -- she had very few lines during the issues that resolved the Singularity arc.

We did lose a key member, though...

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">I'll miss you, Layla. I'll think of you every time I look at my Hello Kitty calendar.

She did at least prove her detractors wrong by sacrificing herself for the greater good.

And hopefully her vague connection to the time-travelling Tryp provides a loophole through which she can return.</span></span>

This issue also pretty much gives away who the Messiah is going to be.

<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">

1. The baby's a girl.

2. What little hair she has is red.

3. Young Bishop said the Messiah was female.

4. The Messiah will have the power to kill millions.

The Messiah will turn out to be a reborn Jean Grey with the Phoenix powers. You heard it here first.</span></span>