Behold the Eyes of Sauron

The X-Men have barely had time to calm down since the excitement of the mutant genocide and they’re about to face a monster. This isn’t a lost, hapless mutant. This isn’t some guy in a suit with a fancy gadget. This isn’t a bank robber, a robot, or some pathetic megalomaniac plugging the holes in his ego. This isn’t Magneto’s crazy face. This is a god damn monster. Sauron is one of the first villains they’ve faced that could easily rip them limb from limb. He is a villain to fear, and I’m excited to see where he comes from. Issues 60 and 61 tell the story of his origin, his tragedy, and his first encounter with the X-Men.

The Sentinels Wreak Havok

Getting back to the X-Men and their impending doom, issues 58 and 59 are going to up the ante. There are more villains, more heroes, more danger, and more action than anything we’ve seen up to this point. It’s an epic story with high stakes, resulting in both triumph and tragedy. There will be secrets revealed and plots set in motion, as the events of these issues will shape a large part of the X-Men universe in the decades that follow. Get ready for the mutant genocide, finally put into motion by a revengeful, grieving son. Trask Industries is back online.

When Mutants Clash

The adventure continues in issue 45, before spilling over into the pages of Avengers for their second crossover. The teams will again battle with each other when they should be stopping super villains. Our story begins with Angel still looking for help after his run in with Red Robin. The rest of the team is still being held captive by Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Will Angel return in time? Will his team be forced to help themselves? Is this the best panel of Magneto art that I’ve seen yet? YES!

Red Raven, Red Raven

Thing weren’t looking too good for the X-Men once Magneto had them in his evil clutches. In this issue a member of the team will make a daring escape, and set out on a quest to find help. Starting two issues ago, each installment is focusing on a different character or two, and their names get top billing. First it was Charles, and then Magneto, but here it is Angel. Issue 44 is the first time the series ever spends a considerable amount of time focused on just his character.

The Power of Magneto

Issue 43 begins a new ongoing story arc that will continue for the next few issues. That alone is pretty great, but what’s even better is that this is the return of Magneto! The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants lives once more. With the Professor gone and the X-Men in mourning, Magneto will now exact his revenge. But wait, where’s Quicksilver?

A Stranger Walks Among Us

The first appearances just keep on rolling. Issue 11 brings us the Stranger. He’s some old man who can walk on air and through walls and do who knows what else. And this time they don’t find him by watching TV. So far the villains we’ve seen have been a mixed bag, and I didn’t expect much out of this guy. I was pleasantly surprised.

So Long, Bros!

The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants meets its end (for the first time) in issue 11. It’s a pretty pivotal issue for this time period. The Brotherhood is, of course, reformed and defeated again and again over the years, but this was their first disillusion. So, the next time someone asks you how they met their first defeat, you can tell them that:

1. First of all, Mastermind gets turned into a block of solid ‘matter’, whatever that means.

Magneto gets his own club.

He didn’t want to be in your silly little club of do-gooders anyway. Seriously. And just to show you Professor X, he’s going to start his own club. They’re called the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Only they’re not so much a brotherhood as much as they are a bunch of bickering brats and they’re not as much evil as they are either enslaved or just desperate to be friends with the angry eyed guy in the cool helmet.