Good....but I'm a bit lost
OK, I only started reading X-books last month. I've got X-Men #11 and forward, X-Men: Legacy #248 and forward, but no Uncanny yet. (The last 5-6 are on the way in the mail) So I'm kinda wondering if I'm supposed to know what this thing they're freaking about is or if I haven't found out in the main books and Marvel just didn't want to stretch out the Prelude books after we were introduced to the problem in the main books. I feel like this MIGHT have to do with X-Men Giant Size and X-Men #12, but I don't know. So it's kinda hard to sympathize with this super tough decision that Scott has to make without knowing what the threat is.
That said, it's certainly an interesting dynamic in the X-Men these days, isn't it? I last stopped reading just short of Onslaught (although I'm currently reading it via trade paperbacks) and back then Onslaught's criticism of Cyclops was on the money - he was just Xavier's lapdog. He wasn't a bad leader in the field, but he did whatever Charles asked. Something has changed. I don't know if it was the sense of betrayal from the Onslaught episode or if Prof X had further boughts of bad judgment, but somehow even Charles answers to Scott now. And I think that's really neat: two of the most powerful mutants, Prof X and Magneto, answer to Scott.
The book continues along the same format as the others - interspersing the present with memories from the character's past. I never knew this part of Scott's past. So it was neat to see what happened to him and his family. I have to re-read the book because at first it seems that he's referring to Jean in the beginning when he says he needs someone who's not there anymore. But near the end I wonder if he meant his mother? Or maybe he goes back and forth, I'm not sure.
The present day parts with all the bickering amongst the other top mutants rings true. It reminds me of other works of fiction where people who are used to being men and woman of action are forced to wait around - things usually get rough - and this issue doesn't disappoint.
The only part that I thought was weird was when Scott has Emma tell him if he's ready to go. Woudln't he know? It just seems a little weirdly insecure. But then again, given what he's about to lead his crew into (which is what?!?! back to my first point!) he is justified in feeling paranoid.
Anyway, it's a good book and it'll probably feed well into the actual Schism books.
