Interesting but Not Important

X-Men Blue #15, 17-18 (Marvel, January-February 2018, $3.99)
This is another X-Men comic series that emerged out of Inhumans vs. X-Men. It comprises the original X-Men—Marvel Girl, Cyclops, Angel, Beast, and Iceman—displaced in time and joined by Jimmy Hudson, son of a Wolverine from another universe. Confused yet? It's a fun read, although not the return to the original team I was looking for, and a good example of how complicated and convoluted an X-Men comic can seem if you haven't immersed yourself in the world for awhile.

#15 is the last part of the Mojo Worldwide storyline and was written by Cullen Bunn and drawn by Jorge Molina. Broadcast terrorist Mojo has left the Mojoverse to terraform New York as his new base of operations. Given that this is the last issue, most of the action is behind us, but a lot still happens. Iceman and Magog face off while others on the team get Longshot to the control room to disrupt transmissions. "Take the fight to these broadcast technicians!" The battle with Mojo himself takes a turn with the arrival of Danger, Magneto, and Polaris, but Mojo's defeat isn't complete—opening up a fascinating new opportunity for stories.



This was a great comic to read so soon after the Astonishing X-Men run featuring the Shadow King. Mojo and Farouk have a lot in common! I will have to seek out the preceding issues, as well as other Mojo greatest hits.

#17-18, then pick up in the Cross Time Capers storyline, again written by Bunn and now drawn by R.B. Silva. Because of the paradox that the X-Men Blue team represents, the time stream is crumbling, and the group has been thrown into 2099. There, they meet another X team, which includes Skullfire, Bloodhawk, Cerebra, Metalhead, and Krystalin. (It's awesome to see a writer creating new characters, even if it's in an alternative timeline or universe!)

The team learns that they—in this timeline—took over a company called Alchemax, which led to massive class division and suffering, Sentinel-like killer robots, and perhaps the destruction of Xavier's school, run in this timeline by Banshee and Emma Frost. (Confused yet?) Despite some interesting possibilities, it all feels a little unimportant and unreal given that it's in an alternative time stream. And if the team's very existence is having such deleterious effect on time itself, the group—and this title—might not be long for the world.



This series is kind of a What If? series, only focusing on the X-Men, and with a consistent roster. It's interesting, but perhaps not as important as Astonishing X-Men or X-Men Gold.

Availability: X-Men Blue #1-6 were collected in X-Men Blue Vol. 1: Strangest, and #7-12 are available in X-Men Blue Vol. 2: Toil and Trouble. Otherwise, you can buy the issues online. The Mojo Worldwide storyline will be collected in February in X-Men Gold Vol. 3: Mojo Worldwide. Cross Time Capers will come out as X-Men Blue Vol. 3: Cross-Time Capers in April.