Magneto could give the Trapster competition
The issue begins with the aftermath of the X-Men's battle with the Sentinels.Medical personnel are attending to the X-Men. Jean and Warren are fine, while Hank, Robert and Scott require further medical attention. As this medical subplot unfolds, Cyclops seems to be fine, though he has to convince an opthalmologist that examining his eyes is not an option. Beast has fractured bones in his legs but his healing factor helps him recover within an hour or two following his entry into the hospital.
Iceman has suffered the worse. Concious at the beginning of the issue, he faints shortly after and slips into a coma.He is delirious and thinks he is still batlling the Sentinel and trying to prove himself to his teammates. Dr. John Thomas, the attending physician, has no idea how to treat him. While in ice-form, Robert's entire physiology is stated to be unlike those of any other human on medical record.
Meanwhile, the Worthingtons have let their son know that they are about to visit the Xavier Mansion. The Professor has a "sense of menace" coming out of his own home and feels the Worthingtons might be in trouble. This is an excuse for various X-Men returning to the Mansion alone or in pairs, trying to figure what is going on. An unseen enemy has taken over the Mansion and converted into an extended version of the Danger Room. Naturally, he is Magneto but this is not revealed until the last page.
An interesting aspect of this issue is that Magneto is barely using his own powers. He relies on clever traps to take out the X-Men, one at a time. This really raises him above several X-foes who have just one power and that is all you can expect of them. It is a good way to re-introduce the character, but has one fault. It requires the various X-Men, minus Iceman, to use no teamwork at all. Which kind of undermines the suspension of disbelief.
Anyway, the various traps are pretty good and would fit the Trapster or Mysterio even better than Magneto.
*The Angel easily evades an attack with a battle-axe which Magneto has borrowed from Xavier's collection. Magneto was controlling it with his powers and remained unseen. But then taunted the X-Man, giving away his position. Warren rushes to face his foe. Rushes ,in fact, head-first into a large mirror. Knocked out.
*Professor X sits at his desk and examines Cerebro which has set off its alarm again. He finds out very quickly what was the problem. The entire desk was converted into a trap, a mental-wave distorter which plays havok with his brain. Knocked out.
*Cyclops finds himself in a plexi-glass cell which turns deflects his force beams back at him. Then the lights go out and he has to face his unseen foe in complete darkness. he tries to defend himself but Magneto anticipates his every move. Magneto declines to use any powers or mechanical devices against Scott. Instead he uses his hand-in-hand combat techniques. A couple of punches to the face and Scott is knocked out. (This is easily my favorite scene from this issue. Magneto does in a single page what Juggernaut failed to do in an entire issue).
*Beast rushes into the Mansion through the front door... to find out that Magneto had coated the entire front corridor with a wax-like gloss. Completely frictionless. So he finds himself peeking up speed before crashing into a trap.
*Marvel Girl is the only one allowed to take a good look at her opponent and prepaired herself for a duel. To be informed that since entering the Mansion, she had been breathing an odorless sleeping gas. Preventing her from using her powers and sending her for a peaceful sleep.
The issue ends with Magneto welcoming the Worthingtons as the sole conscious occupant of the Mansion. Great issue for Magneto fans. Not that much for those who like the rest of the characters.
