X-Men Red #17 - Review/Spoilers

[JB]

Oof!

We open with the preview pages, Vulcan having just been released by :-I A I-:. He asks if he'll be A's Death but A says it's time for older concepts and he needs the fire to be fire. Blue energy emits from A's hand and envelopes Vulcan as A says Vulcan is now bound to him. These confines will teach him restraint. Vulcan angers and starts to proclaim how he's a king and all that but A's hooded companion tells him to simmer down. A says he easily released Vulcan from his months-long prison, nothing but a small challenge to him. The hooded figure deduces that A is in need of magical elements, fire, water, air, and earth. He guesses that Storm is the air but A says Ororo is not a mere ingredient, but the magic herself.

At the coast of the Autumn continent of Arakko we see the last of Storm's retreated forces. They lost the western front to daemons and White Sword's army took the Morrowlands in the east. Some earth mutants were evacuated to Shi'ar space by Craig of NASA and Corbeau. Vastly more were captured and enslaved by Genesis and others died fighting. We're told Genesis is readying her final assault via Sobunar's sea.

Uranos is asking Storm what her decision will be as Jon Ironfire walks over and demands she give him the Uranos trigger. Storm reminds him that Uranos will call everyone under Genesis' banner but Jon says they have no choice, that with Annihilation they can't convince anyone to leave Genesis' side anyway. He says they have to end the war with Uranos, that he'll do it if Storm is not strong enough. Storm brings down a bolt of lightning directly on the trigger burning it out. Uranos says it's her choice and he hopes she doesn't regret it. She tosses the trigger at Jon who is beside himself, saying using Uranos would have been victory. Storm says it would have been genocide and he says it would have been mercy, that it's either the innocents under Annihilation's control or the innocents on Storm's side. A difficult decision no matter what. They go back and forth a bit more until Jon leaves to face White Sword and his army, ordering Syzya to teleport him back to the mainland.

Sunspot approaches Storm telling her that she could stop Jon. She agrees but she'd have to kill him to do so. Sunspot updates her and the reader about Nova, who is still alive thanks to the Nova Force but is in great pain and has basically retreated into his own mind. Sunspot says Nova didn't take Pestilence's arrow for Storm to press some "kill a million mutants" button. Storm agrees, knowing Nova knew she wouldn't use it.

Someone in the crowd says, "He's here! Apocalypse is here!" The crowd parts as A approaches. Sunspot powers up wondering if this is Genesis playing her last card but Storm says A would have been with her from the beginning and notes that he's unarmed. Death walks over to A, touching his arm. A acknowledges that Death has chosen Storm's side and says he is impressed by his son. AW!! Death says the honor of Arakko is here, with Storm and her people. He tells A that to preserve it he killed his sister, Pestilence.

Death: Pestilence is dead - at my hand. Well? Do you even care? Father, say something...
A: Life teaches. You have learned. Continue your lessons.

Storm approaches A from above, calling him his Krakoan name, and asks if he's not standing with Genesis. He says he will not stand against Genesis but he won't stand aside either. He says Arakko needs and deserves more than Genesis offers. It needs magic. It needs Ororo.

In the Morrowlands White Sword says that the residents of the art colony that stayed to slow him down fought well and killed twelve of his troops. He raised them from the dead already though. A trooper says if he had Purity there would have been even less of them killed but WS says it doesn't matter cause death doesn't matter. He believes when Genesis eventually puts Purity down it will return to him. Jon Ironfire appears and says Genesis will never let it go. White Sword says so be it, Genesis is his queen now. He says his army will make Jon's death quick since he was once one of his 99. Jon starts cutting them down. 98, 97, 96. WS commands ten more to attack, to wear Jon down.

A and Storm are walking together and they're back at the burned out, barren area where the Autumn Palace once was. Storm says Uranos offered the illusion of clean hands. That she can accept blood on her hands, but they must be her hands and not his. A says Genesis is coming for Storm's people, perhaps as they speak. Storm says she has to trust her people, thus trusting A. A says trust can be a liar as he trusted that his children would one day be standing at the four points of the X before them in the ground (same configuration he used in Excalibur). He says Death still has promise but Pestilence is lost and the other two are not suitable. He must work with what fate has provided.

The hooded figure says hello to Storm, removing his hood. It's Shiro! She asks if he was able to rescue Redroot and he says more than that. He says that it's funny because when we came to Arakko he took land for himself and killed to keep it. Now, he is the land Redroot grows in and removing her from his chest would kill him. A says Rictor was his original choice (my boo!) but it is what it is and here they are. Orc, his daemon friend, will represent air and A himself water. A pulls Vulcan over and places him in his designated spot. He yells at Storm for imprisoning him and she says the billions dead at his hands would call that mercy. He yells some more and then they get started.





Incredible.

Back on Arakko Prime Genesis is telling Sobunar that it's almost over, that they're gonna win and then they'll wait for the humans to come to them, come to their own red slaughter. Sobunar has been trying to tell her something so he finally yells her name to get her to stop talking. He says he can feel something wading through his blood, through the ocean, towards them. Something big enough for him to feel it. He tells her to "Look! Look!" Narration tells us that across the world only a small archipelago remains of the Autumn continent.



"Then raise your island and fight" says Storm, hovering in front of Kaorak's eye. Let's goooo!

[IN-a-Synch]

Yowzers!!!!!!!!!

[MarvelMaster616]

Apocalypse calling Ororo magic is just...so...perfect.

[IN-a-Synch]

I am really sad to see this book end in December. It showed alot more than just mutants on Earth but mutants on a different planet entirely. It showed Ro, Being her own Entity her own boss. And look how many beings gravitated to her.
She has made decisions that have questioned her leadership in the past. But dammit she has shown She has grown from Xavier!!!

IMO X-men Red was more like the modern day Shiar Story Adventures arc in a sense.

Well done AL Ewing if you are reading this.

[Cyclone_Ablaze]

This was 10/10 Another Fantastic Issue.

I feel so bad for Jon having to face that he might have to kill his Boyfriend. I can't imagine the heart ache he might be going through.

I'm Happy Nova isn't dead so I hope The White Sword can come over and Heal him.

The Horseman Death and the Interaction with his Father Apocalypses was a let down, but eh.

I knew that was Shiro as the Hooded Figure I mean it makes logical sense when we saw him and Apocalypse together in the Previous X-Men Issue. But, i'm glad we got a little explanation as to why Rictor wasn't chosen.

And Last, STORM. I just LOVE how Al Ewing writes Storm this has to be some of the Best Characterization we have gotten in the past what 15ys? I LOVE the call back. Storm used as a Focal Point for Magic and Life itself. Only to Breathe Life and created her own Giant Island. This was AMAZING. Genesis was really shitting herself.

OH! Glad to see Vulcan. :-)

[Alex.]

She tosses the trigger at Jon who is beside himself, saying using Uranos would have been victory. Storm says it would have been genocide and he says it would have been mercy, that it's either the innocents under Annihilation's control or the innocents on Storm's side.

This reads like a current event in the world... but they're choosing to press the button while commiting genocide.

[Viteh]

Amazing issue.

That Rictor line felt very meta. I wonder if Ewing intended to gather more x-men for his magic ritual but was unable to do so because of editorial constraints.
Vulcan for fire, Rictor for earth, maybe Bobby for water? It could have been cool to have the Iceman solo to tie into X-men Red just like Jean's solo is tying into Immortal X-Men. Iceman played a big role in terraforming Arakko, so it would be fitting for him to come back in its hour of need. Maybe Angel/Archangel for air? Given his existing ties to Apocalypse.

[CGAR]

Not my fave issue but Ewing still brings the magic.

Is next issue the last one?

[Viteh]

Not my fave issue but Ewing still brings the magic.

Is next issue the last one?

Yeah, it's X-Men Red's last issue. Although Ewing will continue writing Storm in Resurrection of Magneto. There's also the possibility that another mini by him will be announced soon.

[davetvs]

This issue was absolutely beautiful.

[CGAR]

Yeah, it's X-Men Red's last issue. Although Ewing will continue writing Storm in Resurrection of Magneto. There's also the possibility that another mini by him will be announced soon.

Well it is November. Hopefully it is a Al Ewing New X-Men book. Wishful thinking.

[Quill-Han-Vos]

Well it is November. Hopefully it is a Al Ewing New X-Men book.

So there's not a New X-Men teaser at the end of this issue (even the one used month ago, saying there would be a reveal in November) ?
Since the new issue is the last, it would be more logical to put it a the end of this one (after November's reveal).

[jwatson]

Ewing just does not miss. This whole issue was just a delicious treat. The flashback page before the making of the island was just a chef's kiss and that last page. Jbenito pretty much said it all. Let's go indeed. wow. The art was really on point too.


my fave scenes.

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[charliehustle415]

walk like a mutant

[Agent Grayson]

This issue was pretty good. Good to see Sunfire and Vulcan back in play, and of course, Ewing’s Storm continues to be a badass. He’s really nailed her voice - her unapologetic destruction of the Uranos trigger, her quiet frustration at impending defeat, her confidence in facing down Apocalypse on his arrival. Now let’s see her destroy Genesis!

I found the ending a little cheesy given the gritty nature of the war so far, but I’m on board for the ride. It’s a good job the Krakoan era is coming to an end, because they must be running out of anagrams of Krakoa by now