Zero Tolerance

Before the re-read, I was expecting a significant drop off in the quality of the issues post-Onslaught.  I don’t have many memories of these issues, let alone fond ones.  Let’s see if I was right.

X-Men 58-61

Filler issues while waiting for Carlos Pacheco to take over on art.  Cutting 60 and 61, a truly inane story with Storm and Chandra fighting at the NY MOMA.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes (No for 60, 61)

Rating: Fine (Boring for 60, 61)

X-Men 62-65

Carlos Pacheco joins the creative team, and the art finally matches the quality over on Uncanny with Joe Madureira (and with much more reliability). 

Another addition to Storm's sweet wardrobe.

Just a nice two page sequence...

The story starts out as a fun action romp with Shang-Chi and a wonderful core of elder statesmen X-Men: Storm, Wolverine, Jean Grey, and Cyclops (with Cannonball thrown in for some reason).  But the latter half gets bogged down in way too much exposition.  65 is a great start for the Zero Tolerance storyline, but things are about to go downhill super fast.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Uncanny X-Men 339

A fill in artist issue.  I’ve already forgotten what happens in this issue.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Uncanny X-Men 340-344

Joe Mad’s back as the X-Men once again find themselves saving the day for Lilandra and Deathbird.  (Seriously, they’d have lost their empire 5 times over by now if it weren’t for this tiny band of mutants.)  Also, Iceman’s father stops being a bigot after other bigots start directing their hate towards his son.  Heavy handed, but it’s got enough genuine heft behind it to work.  

The metaphor still works today.

As concise of an explanation as you'll ever see.

Heh.  Why "Gambit" indeed?

Aww.

Makes no sense.  Sending Trish Tilby is the better call?

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice to Pretty good (because of the art.)

X-Factor 130

Graydon Creed is assassinated.  A big deal plot wise, but poorly executed.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Didn’t suck

Onslaught Epilogue 

Bastion tries to psychologically break Professor X.  A cute little mutant named Nina steals the issue, quick research indicates that she only shows up one more time.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Uncanny X-Men 345-346

Wolverine 115-117

X-Men 66-69

This started out with promise - The US government finally cracks down on mutants, hunting them all down with state of the art Sentinels.  Things are entertaining enough in Uncanny (only tangentially related to the arc) and Wolverine (which is where the core of the X-Men are fighting Bastion).  But it’s a total shitshow in X-Men, which boils down to an interminable chase sequence with Iceman, Marrow, and Cecilia Reyes.  It all ends anticlimactically when Henry Gyrich and Robert Kelly stop Bastion with a bureaucratic maneuver.  Whee.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes (No for X-Men)

Rating: Nice.  (Stupid for X-Men.  I might cut these if more issues suck afterwards.)

Uncanny X-Men 347-350

Even Joe Mad can’t make this storyline interesting.  The space-stranded X-Men arrive back on Earth, and Gambit’s oft-referred-to dark past finally sees the light of day.  (He helped Mr Sinister gather the Marauders, kicking off the Mutant Massacre.)  Sure, it’s bad, but is it really any worse than anything any number of other reformed X-Men have pulled off?  Anyway, it’s bad enough that Rogue ditches Gambit in the middle of the Antarctic.  (She’s in a vulnerable place.  She just had sex with Gambit the night before.  In front of an audience, too, apparently.)

Rogue, Gambit, Spat, and Grovel were all chained together during this tryst...

It’s sad that Joe Mad took the previous issue off to work on the mega-sized 350, but even then couldn’t finish it.  Sad fill in work by Andy Smith.  

WTF with Spat's proportions?  Also, that's Magneto dressed up as Erik.  WTF???

I’m not expecting good things for Uncanny with Joe Mad’s departure from the title.

Psychic knife 15.  Awesome pose by Bachalo.

Rogue's summation of the X-Men gives me chills.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes 

Rating: Fine