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| Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 5:00 pm Post subject: Secret Invasion: X-Men #4 (Spoilers, Summary, and Poxes) |
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_Secret Invasion: X-Men #4_
The X-Men are given an ultimatum by the Skrulls: Show up and surrender, or they mass execute most of the population of San Francisco, that’s been herded into buildings. After the briefest of discussions, Cyclops suggests they go ahead and use… DUM DUM...
<div><font size="5"><u>Secret Invasion: X-Men #4</u></font><br />
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The X-Men are given an ultimatum by the Skrulls: Show up and surrender, or they mass execute most of the population of San Francisco, that’s been herded into buildings. After the briefest of discussions, Cyclops suggests they go ahead and use… DUM DUM DUM… the Legacy Virus on the Skrulls.<br />
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Beast adds, “Isn’t there something else you want to ask me, Scott?”<br />
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Quick page of anonymous confused humans, all freaked out, hoping the X-Men deliver a miracle. (Setting a mood, or filler? You be the judge.)<br />
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Cyclops gives his orders to all the assembled X-people. It sounds like this plan will be the most epic battle that mankind has ever had upon its soil. And against the odds, the X-peeps go out.<br />
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And, while the Skrulls are jumpy and suspicious, the X-Men quietly, methodically, surrender. The only thing that throws the Skrulls for a loop, is that the X-Men’s teleporters breoke them all up intosmaler groups, that are surrendering throughout the city, rather than just at their home base. But whatever, right? The Skrulls will take a win any way they can get it.<br />
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The only scuffle is when a Skrull gloats over Nightcrawler, telling him he thought they’d die in battle like men in faith, and Kurt responds by trying to be a Jehovah’s Witness, and tell him about the Book of Job. That gets him punched… somewhere in his anatomy. I’m not sure where. But it may have been below the belt. Colossus and Iceman are ready to take up the fight, after all, at this, but Cyclops calms them, and tells them to stand down.<br />
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Then, for about six or seven pages, the X-Men stand around, captive, while the Skrull commander meets with Cyclops. It’s awkward, particularly when it begins by pointing out they meet as “brothers and equals”. Scott seems to acknowledge this as ironic, considering he has a brother named Vulcan who he doesn’t think to highly of, either.<br />
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Anyway, yeah, over the next few pages, a Skrull ship outside crashes, because its pilot passed out, and other Skrulls start falling over, ill. Scott points out he never actually said, “I surrender”, and that the X-Men all coated their clothes in the special Legacy Virus for Skrulls. It’s not quite giving pox blankets to the Native Americans, but it works.<br />
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Scott does offer the commander a cure they can use, though, if they surrender to HIM. And, like the zealot he is, the Skrull commander opts for death over the dishonor of defeat, and orders all his fleet to give their controls to him. He uploads a self-destruct sequence, hoping that none of his men will spread the Legacy Virus to the rest of the invasion fleet, or through the Skrull Empire.<br />
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The X-Men just use the time the Skrulls waste dying of sickness, or blowing themselves up to all escape by breaking down walls and flying away or teleporting to safety.<br />
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As the people of San Francisco thank their saviors, Beast voices his displeasure that Cyclops was willing to use the virus before Hank ever even said there was a cure. Cyclops just says, “Your conscience is one of the things I value about you, Hank. Really, never stop challenging me on things like that.”<br />
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And that’s it. That’s the big Scott/Hank fallout we were all expecting. <br />
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Then the X-Men get embraced by the people of SF, who love their mutants.<br />
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FIN.<br />
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<u>Thoughts:</u><br />
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Isn’t there some expression about “not going out with a bang, but with a whimper”? Well, both this miniseries, and this issue seemed to do that. Unless you’re content to see half of an issue’s content involve Cyclops talking tough, while stalling and waiting for a biological weapon to kick in. But I suppose there was a BANG when the Skrulls self-destructed. But really, that's hardly the fireworks display one would expect.<br />
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The plot where the Skrulls tried to convert Nightcrawler to Kly’bn ended with Kurt throwing the good book back in the Skrulls green, scaly faces and Kurt getting jackslapped for it. Hardly the battle for a man’s soul we were expecting.<br />
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And Beast sternly lectured Scott. Who just smugly smiled, and was like, “That’s cute, when you try to tell me I don’t know what’s best, and try to keep me moral, Hank. Go shtup Abby, and I’ll lecture you about that later this afternoon. It’ll be a thing we do.”<br />
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For how many characters “appear” in group shots, this was low on action, and pretty underwhelming for a finale. Most of the cast was given A panel, or a headshot, rather than a real role, while Hank, Scott, and Emma were given more spotlight.<br />
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That and it was so “War of the Worlds” it hurt.<br />
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<b>5/10.</b></div>
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