Jean has a short stint at playing God...
Adam Kubert and Danny Miki make a welcome return to provide the artwork for this extra-sized thriller, the fifth and final part of this storyline. Things really arn`t going well for Charles Xavier - His deranged mutant son died recently, killing thousands in the process, which really put a downer on Xavier`s book tour and now his financial backers The Hellfire Club, turn out to be some sort of apocolyptic cult who are bringing about the end of the world through one of his favourite students, Marvel girl (but we knew that already, right?). Grief, this Ultimate Prof X really is a bit of a loser.
And talking of losers, Hank McKoy has really made a mess of things...
But first, The Hellfire Club. The lead-up to the entrapment of the X-Men at the plush function, apparently held in Xavier`s honour, is done well, Mark Millar as I`ve said several times, knows how to write. My only gripe here is (...spoiler coming...) when the Phoenix Force arrives, she makes short work of Shaw and his mates rather too quickly - after the big build-up, suddenly it`s all over...
...and, the return of Magneto. Marvelous. The panels with the cars, metal pipes and lamp-posts rising into the sky and the scene in The Brotherhood`s suite is vintage stuff. Another superb cliffhanger ending...
I didn`t even notice the absence of Cyclops, Wolverine and Kitty - there`s enough to keep you happy here...