X-Men Red #7 - Review/Spoilers

[JB]

Changes, changes, and a classic cliffhanger.

We open with the preview pages, Uranos knocked out thanks to Magneto and Storm. She asks him to try not to speak but he's Magneto, reflecting on the irony of one of the world's "new gods" dying for the world that hates and fears them. Ororo suggests resurrection but he won't break his word.
Ororo: "You honestly think what we need right now is a martyr?"
Erik: "No. That's why you have to promise me, Ororo. Promise me you'll watch Charles."

Erik explains that because Moira betrayed them, and that he himself deserted his post, that Charles is alone with his dream. Erik understands that the dream and nothing less will save them. That all of society's so-called undesirables, human and mutant, must fight together. But he's concerned that a day will soon come when their enemies will strike and Charles will feel forced to do something. However terrible, he will see no other choice and he will "martyr us all." We see an image of Charles sitting alone at the Great Ring. Hmm.

Erik: "Watch him."



My heart broke with those panels. I had to wipe an actual tear.

Lodus Logos is speaking over the bones of their fallen, laid out in the shape of an X on the ground, honoring them. Ora, Xilo, Sobunar, Lactuca, and Isca are with him. He says the Dawn Table is empty with two honored dead and, turning to Isca, a traitor. Isca mocks and threatens him. As Ora points out that there is no precedent to a GR seat killing another outside of the Circle, they're unsure what to do. Xilo can no longer access the history to find precedent. Isca mocks them both, essentially saying they have no right to judge her. "We are all being judged, Isca."

Storm and the Night Table arrive. She tells Isca that the Celestial is judging all of them despite them not being on earth. Isca doesn't care and tells Storm to worry about herself. Lodus gives his condolences about Magneto and expresses trepidation that the Night seats now stand in the daylight. The Night seats only appear when times bode ill, and Sunspot suggests the reason why Genesis dissolved the original Night seats is because they appeared a little too often.

He continues, suggesting Genesis had them dissolved because they interfered with her plan of "sitting in one place for ten thousand years", getting high on pomp and grandeur. Isca angers. He double downs, asking her if Genesis ever won anything that actually mattered because if she did, wouldn't Isca have come home? Isca grows angrier, threatening Sunspot and the entire Great Ring. Whether one by one or all together, she rants that she would beat them all, that she could control the entire planet if she decided to. She challenges them on what they would do about it. "Knowing you would lose? Knowing you already lost to me? What would any of you..." Storm brings down a lightning bolt at Isca's feet, shutting her up. "Knowing we would lose... we'd fight you anyway." Lodus, Lactuca, and Sobunar agree.
But Fisher King says there will be no battle today between Isca and the Great Ring... "because that's what the Night Seats are for." Oof! Isca mocks Fisher King as a rat from the prisons, looking forward to finally ending him. FK: "I challenge you to a contest of understanding, Isca. And the winner is the one who most truly understands the meaning of loss." Isca freezes.

Data page covering Isca's life, reflecting on how before her powers manifested she was a regular child playing games and having fun. Life was good until the demons came and the island was split in two. Her string of wins battling the demons brought Annihilation to their gate which led to her switching sides. She had no control of it. She fell in love with a Summoner and together they tortured prisoners. Until she turned again. But she joined the Arakki side so late that she was despised by her own people. She watched her love, now on the losing side, killed. She never had a choice. No freedom. "How could she understand loss?" She remembered the laughing little girl running along the beach.

Only one second had passed. Isca falls to her knees.

"I understand." She resigns from the Great Ring, stating that she does not belong in the Seat of Victory, nor any seat at all, because she is not of Arakko and never can be. A tear streams down her face. The Celestial, in the form of Tarn, gives her a thumbs up. Of course. Storm tries to speak to her but she leaves, telling them not to follow her.

The others discuss all the vacant seats. The Night seats want to remain in the shadows and do not want any of the vacant seats. Ora repeats that there's no precedent for this so Lodus suggests they look to the future. New worlds need new dreams. Ever the optimist, the dreamer. Storm shocks everyone as she declares she yields her seat to Lodus. "The Regent's seat decides the future of the land. Who should chart that future if not the poets and dreamers." Lodus is honored.

Storm says she can no longer hold that seat. She is both of Earth and Arakko and cannot abandon either, which makes her attention divided.



It appears to me that she's honoring Magneto's dying wish and will focus on watching Xavier first and foremost, while remaining on the GR.

We now move to The Keep with Cable and Wiz-Kid. Taki informs Cable that Brand has logged in. She has been resurrected and she's on the other station, the Peak. Her last back-up was 6 days ago and Taki correctly suspects she has daily logs to keep track of her moves in case this ever happened. As she logs in, they can see everything she's accessing. Taki explains that since The Keep is a reality-warped duplicate of the Peak (thanks Jamie Braddock!), it's the same station in two places, which makes it easy to configure their screen to mirror hers. Taki suggests that if Brand killed Gyrich (she did) that they take it to Nightcrawler first, rather than the QC.

Taki: "Whatever Brand's done, she doesn't... deserve.............. Holy crap. Holy crap. Are you - are you seeing this? What she's been doing? Cable? I said, are you..."



I got Jackraow21 goosebumps. Let's gooooo!

[JB]

Storm's decision was very unexpected and I find it hella interesting. Magneto's words are on her mind so I suspect she wants to position herself in a way to help avoid, or counter, whatever is coming next while keeping an eye on Xavier. The exploration of her thoughts and plans is something I'm very much looking forward to.

The deck has been completely reshuffled and I'm excited to see where it goes.

[Leirus]

Also... Isca lover was Tarn, and the time she turned "so late" was over in X of Swords. That is why Lactuca says "Isca-who-does-not-know-us". She had been an enemy for a long, long time, her and Tarn reigning over the vile pits. This was great. And Cable in that last panel...

Great Review for a Great Issue.

[Saturius]

This book has been very interesting. Intrigued over where things are going

[Master of Sound]

Storm's decision was very unexpected and I find it hella interesting. Magneto's words are on her mind so I suspect she wants to position herself in a way to help avoid, or counter, whatever is coming next while keeping an eye on Xavier. The exploration of her thoughts and plans is something I'm very much looking forward to.

The deck has been completely reshuffled and I'm excited to see where it goes.

Wish we knew who would take the empty seats

[Steroid]

That last page and the look on Cable's face was fantastic. It just screamed "It's time to go 90's up in this bitch" and I'm going to enjoy the hell out of it.

[JB]

Also... Isca lover was Tarn, and the time she turned "so late" was over in X of Swords. That is why Lactuca says "Isca-who-does-not-know-us". She had been an enemy for a long, long time, her and Tarn reigning over the vile pits. This was great. And Cable in that last panel...

Great Review for a Great Issue.

Great point about Tarn being her lover. That definitely explains her reaction to him losing to Magneto. Tarn is greatly despised by the Arakki, rightfully so, so it makes sense that they feel the same way about her.

[JB]

That last page and the look on Cable's face was fantastic. It just screamed "It's time to go 90's up in this bitch" and I'm going to enjoy the hell out of it.

Haha yes! It gave that old school 90's cliffhanger goodness. Cable is about to go off.

[Leirus]

Great point about Tarn being her lover. That definitely explains her reaction to him losing to Magneto. Tarn is greatly despised by the Arakki, rightfully so, so it makes sense that they feel the same way about her.

And that also explains why the Celestial looks like Tarn when judging her. I loved this. Isca has been the face of Arakko, but she does not represent them at all. I really want to see what comes next.

[Triniking1234]

Ewing really said "Only one old man allowed".

[Krakoa]

This really brilliantly played off of the plot point from SWORD about Brand preparing herself for if she lost memory in the resurrection process.

[IN-a-Synch]

Cant believe the Old Man is gone

[CGAR]

Gahd this was so good.

Almost teared up a few times w/ Ewings writing.

Ewing deserves another book.

We need more of his influence on the X-Men Krakoa/Earth side.

[JB]

Cant believe the Old Man is gone

My brain hasn't fully processed it yet and it's possible it never will.

[Leirus]

I was thinking that, even if we know most of the dead will come back at the end of AXE, Magneto may choose to remain dead. And the Celestial did show a lot of respect for him. But... When push comes to shove... Would Krakoa not resurrect one of their most powerful Omegas?