X-MEN #102 (July 2000)

The Cruelest Cut

Credits: Chris Claremont (writer), Lenil Francis Yu (penciler), Mark Morales (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters), Liquid! (colors)

Summary: Wolverine and Dani Moonstar investigate the remains of Mr. Sinister’s base in Sage, Nebraska. Using her powers, Moonstar recreates Domina’s assault on Sinister and Sabretooth. In Brooklyn, Cecilia Reyes attempts to fight off the Neo with the aid of the drug, Rave. Rogue’s team of X-Men arrives as backup, soon joined by Archangel and Wolverine. Domina channels the powers of her fellow Neo, embarrassing the X-Men in battle. The Neo known as Barbican seals up the church complex, forcing the X-Men to escape through a disappearing tunnel, leaving Reyes and Charlotte Jones behind. Elsewhere, Senator Kelly visits his wife’s grave. Tessa appears, broaching the subject of his presidential run.

UNCANNY X-MEN #382 (July 2000)

Lost Souls

Credits: Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Raney (penciler), Scott Hanna (inker), Comicraft’s Saida Temofonte (letters), Brian Haberlin (colors)

Summary: Cable offers the team psychic protection to enter Phoenix’s mind. Soon, he must also defend her body from a new attack by the Shockwave Riders. Phoenix successfully defends herself inside the mind of the dying Shockwave Rider, but is unprepared for the astral arrival of the Lost Souls. The shadowy Neo faction invade the minds of the X-Men, manipulating their greatest fears, pressuring them to give in to despair. Phoenix overpowers their dark force, then uses her powers to revive the dying Shockwave Rider. The X-Men attempt to part peacefully with the Neo soldiers. Later, Gambit urges the team to join him on a mission he declares more important than the Neo.

UNCANNY X-MEN #381 (June 2000)

Night of Masques

Credits: Chris Claremont (writer), Adam Kubert (penciler), Tim Townsend (inker), Comicraft’s Wes Abbott (letters), Richard Isanove (colors)

           

Summary: In the midst of Venice’s Carnival, Phoenix takes Cable to an abandoned, underground “library” she first visited as a youth with Professor Xavier. While reminiscing, she notices psychic calling cards left by Gambit. Beast and Storm soon arrive, citing notes from Gambit, directing them to Venice. Suddenly, a Neo faction called the Shockwave Riders targets Phoenix and Cable. Their Psishark enters Phoenix’s mind, consuming her memories. Most Neo teleport after their defeat, but one remains for questioning. He wills himself to die; to the team’s shock, Phoenix enters his dying mind, determined to retrieve her memories.

X-MEN #100 (May 2000)

End of Days

Credits: Chris Claremont (writer), Lenil Francis Yu (penciler), Mark Morales (inker), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters), Liquid! (colors)

Summary: Praying inside his church, Nightcrawler is ambushed by Rax, a member of a mysterious collective known as the Neo. Wounded, Nightcrawler locates Dr. Cecilia Reyes, unaware another Neo, Jaeger, is now hunting him. Reyes, panicked, shapes her forcefield into a spike and impales Jaeger. Elsewhere, a team of X-Men has joined Dr. Peter Corbeau’s crew in repairing the High Evolutionary’s orbital base. Seth, an undercover Neo, plants explosives and destroys the base. Combining their powers, Psylocke and Thunderbird rescue the crew inside a shuttle. Left behind, Shadowcat uses Seth’s spare space suit to return to Earth, certain it will take her to the Neo.

Parties Weren't Meant to Last - The Road to (X-Men) Revolution

Before stepping into the strange, distant land of early 2000, I thought it best to examine the context of the times.

In the year 2000, a president has emerged from a sex scandal with his highest approval ratings, the pop charts belong once again to actual pop acts, cable TV is attracting mainstream audiences with content too extreme for network broadcasts, and the average American has taken AOL up on those trial discs and ventured online.

The overall culture is recovering from the world-weary, ironic distance of the 1990s and embracing…mostly garbage, it seems. Or, at the very least, material that would’ve been deemed too vulgar for polite society only a few years earlier.

You Say You Want an X-Men Revolution?

Okay, I'm relenting. I'm submitting to the public's demand of...2014 or so and finally delving into the rather infamous return of Chris Claremont to the X-Men in the year 2000.

Or am I?

The truth is, I've avoided looking back on these titles for a reason. I felt the comics internet of the time had already thoroughly dissected the aborted run...and wasn't eager to look into comics firmly not associated with the 1990s anyway.

As time has passed, I've noticed much of the commentary of that era has disappeared. And we're now approaching the twentieth anniversary of these comics. Also, I can't deny I've felt an increased desire to revisit this failed launch. To examine why it didn't connect, the context of the times, if there was anything of merit the cool kids overlooked...

There is a catch, though. I am an independent novelist. With a new book out. As such, I am in need of reviews for my novel, Black Hat Blues.

Amazon forbids bribing readers for reviews. Meaning, I can't promise to email you some exclusive story or blog post in exchange for leaving an Amazon review.

What I can do is predict a feeling that I'd be willing to post a review of an X-Men Revolution comic, for free for all to read, for every Amazon review of Black Hat Blues I receive, as of this date. These will be posted in appreciation -- to the universe -- sometime in May.

At the time of this writing, I'm at ten reviews. Amazon's algorithm apparently ignores books that have under 15 reviews. (Some people say you need as many as 50 reviews for Amazon to notice you.) To review the entirety of Claremont's return, that would take around thirty blog posts. So, that would mean 40 reviews on Amazon, given that I'm already at ten. But, hey, I'll throw in five freebies.

Understand you're not being obligated to purchase anything. My book is available for free to Kindle Unlimited members. Which itself offers a free trial membership. And you're not obligated to pretend you love the book if you don't.

I do think the novel is of interest to comics fans (you can read more about it here.) But everyone has different tastes and I respect that. All I can ask is for an open mind.

So...to sum up. Expect at least five X-Men Revolution reviews in May. Whether or not there are any more after that...this depends on forces beyond my control. But for everyone who's supported me in the past, you do have my appreciation.