This is it. We’re at the end of a long journey that started about a year ago with “The Best X-Men Stories of the ‘90s.” Having covered every previous decade and the best limited series, I finally arrived at this decade. I’ve covered a dozen “best stories” and five “honorable mentions” so far. Now, here are the final honorable mentions and (presumably) the final entries in this series of series.
The Cruelest Cut, Uncanny X-Men 450-451, 2004: After an introduction in the X-Men: Evolution cartoon and a stopover in the NYX mini-series, X-23 is added to the regular X-Men continuity in this two-part story by Chris Claremont and Alan Davis. The later X-23 mini-series is what really made me a fan of the character, yet I enjoyed this early introduction as well. Claremont does a good job of playing with the mystery, but not for too long. Davis makes her look charming, even in spite of her uncontrolled feral nature. And I thought that giving her Fang’s costume was a nice touch- a nod to the rich history that she’s now a part of.
Torn, Astonishing X-Men 13-18, 2006: I was torn about what to do with the Astonishing X-Men run by Whedon and Cassaday. I could have included the entire series, I loved it that much. But I decided to give only the best two arcs, Gifted and Unstoppable, the full honors and saved the third arc, Torn for this part of the list. The main story in Torn is the introduction of a new Hellfire Club that invites Emma Frost to rejoin. Frost does so, though she’s apparently torn between her old and new affiliations. As Milligan did with Gambit in “Blood of the Apocalypse,” Whedon teases us as to whether or not Emma has really betrayed the X-Men or is only working with the enemy in order to betray them to the X-Men. Meanwhile, we get some great scenes in which the X-Men are incapacitated and Kitty confronts Emma Frost. This arc contains one of the best panels, as Kitty vows revenge on the Hellfire Club in homage to Wolverine’s similar vow 25 years earlier. It also contains some wonderful humor as Wolverine is mentally reverted to childhood and becomes a prissy, scared little boy.
Blinded by the Light, X-Men 200, 2007: At the time, I enjoyed this issue so much that I decided to do a scene by scene review of it. I loved the way in which it quickly built from a mystery to a huge smack-down fight between the X-Men and the Marauders. I loved the big feel to it, with dozens of characters appearing in the issue. I loved the unsettled nature of it, as we weren’t sure who was on what side. Mystique and Sabretooth had been part of the X-Men but their villainous natures meant it likely they would side with the Marauders. Gambit and Sunfire had been Horsemen of Apocalypse but their underlying decency led you to think that they might jump to the side of the X-Men at any moment. As for big moments, X-Men 200 included a supposed assassination, a major betrayal and a major turning point for the Beast which would lead to the Endangered Species storyline.
Ghost Boxes, Astonishing X-Men 25-28, 2008: This is one reason why it’s hard to do a “best-of” column for a decade that isn’t quite over yet. Some of the stories aren’t finished yet either. That’s the case with Warren Ellis’ “Ghost Boxes,” his first arc on Astonishing X-Men. While the “Ghost Boxes” one-shots are entirely skippable, the main story has been well worth reading so far. It’s imaginative, inventive, creative- everything you would want. The X-Men are dispatched to a graveyard of alien ships in the south Pacific because one of the deserted behemoths has apparently been activated. What they discover is a box that can serve as a gateway to multiple dimensions as well as several new races which just might be competition for the mutant population.
Divided We Stand, Uncanny X-Men 495-499, 2008: After the events of Messiah Complex, the X-Men decide to send some time apart. The main “Divided We Stand” story in Uncanny X-Men is actually two separate stories. In one, Scott and Emma search for Angel in a San Francisco that has been turned into a hippie heaven. In the other, Wolverine and Nightcrawler accompany Colossus on a trip back to
Russia. Both stories are occasionally whimsical- the cover with a hippie Cyclops and Emma is wonderfully amusing- and melancholy- Colossus’ tears at his parents grave for all of the people he’s lost over the years. They highlight the relationships that are now the center of the X-Men, the love between Scott and Emma and the friendship between the others. The stories alternate bringing the action as first Scott and Emma fight the effects of the hippie wave before finding a non-violent solution to their problem and then as the X-Men in Russia find themselves squaring off against Omega Red. The art is beautifully supplied my Mike Choi, who had previously worked on the X-23 mini-series.
And that does it. I’ve had a lot of fun reminiscing. I hope you’ve had a lot of fun reading.
The End.
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