Back Issue # 161 September 2025

As new editor Roger Ash points out, previous editor Michael Eury had a new X-Men edition in the works for some time and here it is in fruition.

Writer Matt Merante has a look at their romantic relationship between Alex ‘Havok’ Summers and Lorna ‘Polaris’ Dane from their beginnings to current time. It is also a tale of their rising powers and being manipulated by others. I’m surprised neither of them ended up under psychiatrists to sort them out. I often wonder why Larry Trask or his sentinels hadn’t had more credit for his first costume which could gauge his power output giving him better control.

Writer John Kirk looks at the mercenary assassin Arcade, who takes more pleasure in the games he plays with his victims than actually killing them. You do have to ask how he can maintain his client list but, then, the Marvel Earth is prone for people to come back from the dead. His creator, Chris Claremont, described Arcade as being a character designed to have fun which has been forgotten over the years. I tend to agree with him that if Arcade is resurrected that he gets back to his true colours and not left as a tragic character.

Writer Christopher Larochette looks at ‘Marvel Comics Presents’ and the multi-part story by Barry Windsor-Smith on how Wolverine’s bones and claws were infused with adamantium. I’m not sure if history is being rewritten here but I do remember X-Men writer Chris Claremont wasn’t that happy with Wolverine’s origin being taken out of his hands without even being told or consulted as he wanted to maintain the Canadian’s mystery a lot longer. There is some clarity that Windsor-Smith didn’t realise the implication only the idea of liking to do a story in 8 page lengths.

Now writer Doug Zawisza’s look at the first ‘Nightcrawler’ mini-series shows how much his creator/writer/artist Dave Cockrum enjoyed playing with his character. I’ve got two of the original pages in my collection, including the one where the giant Lockheed dragon appears across the page. This really is how Nightcrawler should have stayed throughout his run, a playful imp, not someone bogged down with religion.

Writer Joseph Norton has a look at the Brood, probably one of the most dangerous species in the Marvel Universe. An infection from them gives you their look and more because they would also have your mutant power if you have one and gives birth to more of their own kind. If anything, you do have to wonder why more use of them hasn’t been done over the years, especially to the likes of the Shi’Ar, Skrull and Kree Empires.

Writer Ed Lute looks at the ‘Rogue Mini-Series’, explaining that it was really the sequel to the ‘Gambit Mini-Series’. What you also have here is Rogue’s history from her first appearance in Avengers Annual # 10 and part of Mystique’s Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants to eventually joining the X-Men so Xavier can help her come to terms with her power. One of Claremont’s odd strengths with his characters is not to start off with an origin story but just bring them in and drip-feed their past over the years. It’s pretty effective because it makes things flexible to change waiting for the best ideas to develop. Thing is, both mini-series give more of their background although their writer Howard Mackie explains he only expanded on things he saw in Claremont’s stories.

Lastly, Tom Powers interviews Ann Nocenti about her ‘Storm Mini-Series’ as she goes back to Ororo Munroe’s punk days and the effect of taking over the leadership of the X-Men after Cyclops left and the effects on the team, especially Kitty Pryde. Now this isn’t a story I’ve read yet but like the way she respected what was done in the past but addressing the problems of friendship over leadership.

If you like a dash through some of the New X-Men’s early history then this one will undoubtedly already be on your buy list.

GF Willmetts

January 2026

(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 82 page illustrated magazine. Price: $10.95 (US). ISSN: 1932-6904. Direct from them, you can get it for $ (US))

check out websites: www.TwoMorrows.com and https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_54&products_id=1825&zenid=13moiraou1j9dho0vsjqt9mki0