Uncanny X-Men #700
Marvel Comics
Written by Ed Brisson, Matthew Rosenberg and Kelly Thompson
Art by Mahmud Asrar, Mirko Colak, Ibraim Roberson and Mark Bagley
Colors by Rachelle Rosenberg and Guru-eFX
Inks by Andrew Hennessy
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Plans are in motion that will shake the very foundation of the X-Men.
Jean is distracted by a haunting vision of the team fighting an army of insane Madrox duplicates. What makes it even more haunting is that all the dupes are screaming the same thing; Where is Kitty Pryde? The answer is; taking a Blackbird full of recruits on a training mission to stop Forearm. As they approach their target, something goes wrong with Kitty’s powers. Not only does she phase through the ship in flight, damaging the instruments, but she disappears completely.
The recruits are under attack by the Mutant Liberation Front and when backup arrives to take the MLF out, Madrox shows up looking for Kitty. In Manhattan, at a debate Kitty was supposed to be counter-point on, Madrox arrives again and interrupts the speech only to attack the crowd and his former friends in an attempt to get to a senator. When that senator also disappears, we discover that he and Kitty are being held by a mysterious figure powerful enough to capture one of the X-Men’s greatest foes.
The next part of this huge issue deals with separate events in the lives of the X-Men, but all of them seem to be connected to a specific event in X-Men history. Bishop finds himself tracking Dark Beast back to his hideout only to find him gone and confronted by another Age of Apocalypse refugee. Jean Grey is meeting Storm for coffee when a kindly old woman who wants to have a conversation with her about the state of the world before disappearing completely confronts her and leaving an attack of mind controlled civilians in her wake.
Armor and Anole are sent to investigate an issue in the sewers and find themselves face to face with a terrified Dark Beast who is on the run and screaming that he will not go back. When the young mutants emerge, they are right in the middle of the melee between the X-Men and the civilians controlled by a mystery man hiding in the shadows.
Whatever is building in this issue is going to be huge for the mutants. There are subtle moments in the dialogue that hint at specific characters in this issue and I appreciated them as a means of expanding and adding to the growing mystery being crafted. Brisson, Thompson and Rosenberg are gearing up for something huge and if this issue is any indication, I want to take that journey to find out. This issue was exciting and fun and a reminder of how interesting and unique these characters are and can be.
The art is breathtaking in this issue and all of the art styles complement the story and the characters.