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X-Men: Schism #1 - Schism, Part One

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The story that threatens to tear the X-Men team apart has arrived at last; the question is, will the X-Men really be torn apart?

Over the course of the last few months we have seen Marvel publish prelude comics to Marvel's Schism mini series focusing a lot on what happened to Scott Summers in the past and how his actions and experiences led him to become the current leader of the X-Men. Today we saw the first issue of Schism; the story arc that threatens to tear the X-Men apart. So the big question is, will it really break up the X-Men? And if so why and how?

The Good

The book opens with Wolverine returning to Utopia from what one can presume was a heated battle. As he walks through the beach on Utopia he begins to remove countless ninja stars and arrows that have pierced his skin and since become lodged therein. There is a very funny joke within the first few pages where Wolverine acknowledges just how much responsibility he has by listing off the countless number of teams he is currently leading (including the one that Scott doesn't know about). I thought that was a cute line by writer Jason Aaron. There will be some spoilers ahead, so do not continue reading if you haven't yet read the issue.

Cyclops and Wolverine head to a meeting with international leaders at the International Arms Conference in Switzerland. It is here that Cyclops proposes to offer the help of the X-Men in eliminating the Sentinels originally built by Simon Trask long ago. The response, however, was unexpected. This issue sets up the story for what we can guess will be a big battle. The surprise at the end of the issue is also very interesting. I don't want to say anything that would ruin it for you so I'll stop.

The Bad

I understand that Kid Omega is this supreme being but I can honestly in no way take him seriously with a name like "King Omega." Then I saw the "costume" he is wearing. He did not seem like someone who would pose a great threat whatsoever. Change his name and give him something other than a lame t-shirt, please. I also didn't quite understand why Cyclops and Logan went into an International Arms Conference being held by world leaders dressed in their X-Men clothing. I understand you want to represent the X-Men, but I don't think you should walk into a meeting in the same clothes you wear on the battlefield when you are trying to obtain the trust of international leaders and possibly form a coalition with them against an adversary.

I also noticed that a lot of the teenage girls (mutants) in this issue wore super duper low rise pants, if you know what I mean. I'm just saying, if I were a 14 year old girl and Wolverine sat down next to me, my first instinct would be to make sure my back side isn't spilling out of my mini skirt.

The Verdict

There was a lot of hype from Marvel about this series, and maybe my expectations were a bit too high. I have to admit I was disappointed in this issue. There have been better first issues of a story arc, but I do think that some of the concepts we saw in this issue are interesting. I think the set up was just okay, but I am still interested in the reasons why this team will be breaking up.