X-Men: Legends #1 Review

[SJNeal]

Was this a masterpiece? Nah, but I enjoyed it more than I expected to.

Maybe they should have given Nicieza (or Lobdell?) X-Men Forever instead of Claremont? This felt more like an actual continuation of the writer's vision than the latter ever did.

[patch]

How did they even explain why Corsair never went back to Earth?

Who's Eve?

This story has no connection to modern stuff so Leah Williams is goona have to answer the Mojo stuff.

Christopher Summers/Corsair's history is well documented during Claremont's run. During a Summers family outing/plane trip, when their plane was attacked by the Shi'ar, Katherine gave Scott/Alex the only parachute on the plane and pushed them out while Christopher piloted. The parachute caught fire as the boys plummeted, and Corsair believed his sons killed in the fall. He later witnessed Katherine gutted and his unborn son extracted by D'Ken and incorrectly believed the child (Gabriel) also to be dead. Full of grief and believing nothing was left for him on Earth but sadness, he lived his life as a space pirate (and by that time was also involved with Hepzibah).

"Eve" is more a concept that an actual character. in the AOA universe (Earth-51518), Adam/Burner reveals that he escaped the lab where he was created (and where the "Eve", "Cain" and "Abel" variants perished):



Fabian provides fans a fun Easter egg in X-Men Legends in the panel where Jonath is stealing Adam away (hints of an "Eve" pod below):



Again, I don't think they'll come back later as developed characters, just a fun tidbit from Fabian.

[MAR420X]

book was fire!!

best x book of the week

[Harasar]

I really liked this issue. I always thought that Adam's existence as son of D'Ken and Katherine actually made more sense after Vulcan's revelation, not less. Vulcan was artificially aged by Shi'ar, so there is a possibility what some of the scientists discovered that he is a mutant and would develop powers. Wanting to integrate this genetic potential into Shi'ar royal family, scientists then utilized Katherine's and D'Ken's DNA to create a child - Adam. Potential existence of Eve, Cain and Abel could also be explained by scientists trying different combinations of genes to get the most powerful child. For example, Adam is Katherine + D'Ken, Eve is Corsair + D'Ken, Cain is Katherine + Lilandra or Deathbird and Abel is Corsair + Lilandra or Deathbird. It also can be that Shi'ar somehow used DNA of three people to create a child, so Adam was created from combination of Katherine, Corsair and D'Ken. Eve, Cain and Abel then can be results of combination of Katherine, Corsair and other Neramanis - Lilandra, Deathbird and their third - only ever mentioned as killed by Deathbird - sister.

There are even few already existing characters who could be revealed as Eve, Cain and Abel:
1) Lifeguard and Slipstream - it was already established that they are half-Shi'ar, and allegedly their mother is part of Shi'ar royal family.
2) Black Light and White Noise - children of Deathbird who could be revealed as partially human, they even have energy-related powers.
3) Gambit - I just like this idea from Claremont's X-Men the End that he is Summers as well. While he doesn't have any physical attributes of Shi'ar, he does have energy-related powers and he is also somewhat faster, stronger, flexible, etc. than normal humans, which is normally treated as sife-effect of his main power, but can be easily revealed to be result of his half-Shi'ar origin. Adam's battle-style in this issue somewhat reminded be of Gambit's.

If anything, Marvel should also create children of Corsair and Hepzibah, they spent decades together, so it would make sense that they have kids. I just love this complicated Summers family, the more members the better.

[Mutant101]

Is the story here canon?? Or alternate reality since Gabriel is the third summers?

[Uncanny X-Man]

Is the story here canon?? Or alternate reality since Gabriel is the third summers?

Everything in X-Men Legends should be canon, just "untold stories" from the characters' pasts.

[Triniking1234]

Christopher Summers/Corsair's history is well documented during Claremont's run. During a Summers family outing/plane trip, when their plane was attacked by the Shi'ar, Katherine gave Scott/Alex the only parachute on the plane and pushed them out while Christopher piloted. The parachute caught fire as the boys plummeted, and Corsair believed his sons killed in the fall. He later witnessed Katherine gutted and his unborn son extracted by D'Ken and incorrectly believed the child (Gabriel) also to be dead. Full of grief and believing nothing was left for him on Earth but sadness, he lived his life as a space pirate (and by that time was also involved with Hepzibah).

"Eve" is more a concept that an actual character. in the AOA universe (Earth-51518), Adam/Burner reveals that he escaped the lab where he was created (and where the "Eve", "Cain" and "Abel" variants perished):



Fabian provides fans a fun Easter egg in X-Men Legends in the panel where Jonath is stealing Adam away (hints of an "Eve" pod below):



Again, I don't think they'll come back later as developed characters, just a fun tidbit from Fabian.

Didn't know about the parachute catching fire (or forgot). Thanks.

[danielsan52]

I really liked this issue. I always thought that Adam's existence as son of D'Ken and Katherine actually made more sense after Vulcan's revelation, not less. Vulcan was artificially aged by Shi'ar, so there is a possibility what some of the scientists discovered that he is a mutant and would develop powers. Wanting to integrate this genetic potential into Shi'ar royal family, scientists then utilized Katherine's and D'Ken's DNA to create a child - Adam. Potential existence of Eve, Cain and Abel could also be explained by scientists trying different combinations of genes to get the most powerful child. For example, Adam is Katherine + D'Ken, Eve is Corsair + D'Ken, Cain is Katherine + Lilandra or Deathbird and Abel is Corsair + Lilandra or Deathbird. It also can be that Shi'ar somehow used DNA of three people to create a child, so Adam was created from combination of Katherine, Corsair and D'Ken. Eve, Cain and Abel then can be results of combination of Katherine, Corsair and other Neramanis - Lilandra, Deathbird and their third - only ever mentioned as killed by Deathbird - sister.

There are even few already existing characters who could be revealed as Eve, Cain and Abel:
1) Lifeguard and Slipstream - it was already established that they are half-Shi'ar, and allegedly their mother is part of Shi'ar royal family.
2) Black Light and White Noise - children of Deathbird who could be revealed as partially human, they even have energy-related powers.
3) Gambit - I just like this idea from Claremont's X-Men the End that he is Summers as well. While he doesn't have any physical attributes of Shi'ar, he does have energy-related powers and he is also somewhat faster, stronger, flexible, etc. than normal humans, which is normally treated as sife-effect of his main power, but can be easily revealed to be result of his half-Shi'ar origin. Adam's battle-style in this issue somewhat reminded be of Gambit's.

If anything, Marvel should also create children of Corsair and Hepzibah, they spent decades together, so it would make sense that they have kids. I just love this complicated Summers family, the more members the better.

I’d be on board for Lifeguard and Slipstream and/or Black Light and White Noise being Summer’s

[Havok83]

Is the story here canon?? Or alternate reality since Gabriel is the third summers?

[Odd Rödney]

I’d be on board for Lifeguard and Slipstream and/or Black Light and White Noise being Summer’s

With all due respect: I really, really hope that this is not the case.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Be interesting where this all goes. Fabian is an excellent writer, and Adam is a good character, but he is an odd fit for the mythos.

But I am glad that Fabian ignored my nagging over the years about what he intended with Adam :P

[patch]

With all due respect: I really, really hope that this is not the case.

LOL...I'm with you there. I'm really enjoying this story and glad this is being told, but I'm not really into exponentially growing the Summers clan. One of bigger selling points of X-Men Legends is that it allows past writers to tie up dangling plotlines and complete intended stories. What I wouldn't want is for this book to become a retcon vehicle (where there is no existing history) or introduce new storylines. Fabian had a good quote about respecting editorial boundaries for a flashback in-continuity story vs. having completely free reigns with an in-sequence or out-of-continuity tale.

I'm just happy for Fabian to finally get to tell his intended story. Fabian's the one that introduced Sinister's 'brothers' slip-of-the tongue, and he created Adam-X specifically to be the long-lost (half-)brother. Fabian really did a good job of dropping a lot breadcrumbs over the course of years, over the spread of many titles (include non X-books), so a lot of Adam X felt unresolved up til now. Ed Brubaker retro-fitted Gabriel (and I'm totally good with Vulcan as canon), but it still left all those loose ends.

I know a lot of fans wanted/want Gambit to be revealed as a brother, but that isn't his history. In X-Men: The End, Claremont is just taking advantage of Fabian's open 'brother' plotline; In one reality Claremont had Remy as the son of Sue Storm and Namor so I definitely don't see anything canon about The End. Claremont even originally created Gambit to be an X-Men infiltrator (with both Sinister and Gambit manifestations of an actual mutant villain's mind) . I'm glad they changed that and love Gambit as an X-Man, but in my mind he's not a Summers.

[Drexelhand]

I know a lot of fans wanted/want Gambit to be revealed as a brother, but that isn't his history. In X-Men: The End, Claremont is just taking advantage of Fabian's open 'brother' plotline; In one reality Claremont had Remy as the son of Sue Storm and Namor so I definitely don't see anything canon about The End. Claremont even originally created Gambit to be an X-Men infiltrator (with both Sinister and Gambit manifestations of an actual mutant villain's mind) . I'm glad they changed that and love Gambit as an X-Man, but in my mind he's not a Summers.

Gambit should be Mr. Sinister's son over him being a Summers. In X-Men: The End, he wasn't a Summers either, as indicated by Claremont making his son date Cyclops' daughter in his sequel. He was essentially a Chimera, a mutant that Mr. Sinister adapted Cyclops' powers into (insinuating that his persuasion is his actual mutation).

[Nobodyworthnoting]

just read it, i enjoyed it tbh. He's so 90's.

[Mutant101]

Wow it is cool, Gambit the first Chimera created by Sinister.