X-men: Schism #2 Review

The X-Men event of the decade starts here! It’s never been a more dangerous time to be a mutant. Even with their numbers at a record low, the world refuses to trust mutant kind…and after a mutant-triggered international incident, anti-mutant hatred hits new heights. Of course it’s at this moment, when the mutant race needs most to stand together, that a split begins that will tear apart the very foundation of the X-Men. From superstar writer and Marvel Architect Jason Aaron and a full roster of comics’ top artists, this is an X-tale that will reverberate for years to come! Come October, the X-Men landscape will be irreparably changed.

Summary

All over the world the sentinels distributed by Killgore rage uncontrollably, the X-men scramble into action to save the very people who purchased said machines to kill them. On Utopia Wolverine tries to keep the children out of the clearly escalating conflict, Kid Omega then shows up on Utopia for sanctuary. Wolverine thinks they should hand him over to the Avengers immediately, Cyclops thinks differently.

Elsewhere Killgore’s friends broker a deal with some aliens and double cross them in the end to both get three billion dollars from the hellfire club and secure their cargo.

They keep Omega’s presence on Utopia secret much to Wolverine’s dismay. In San Francisco the mayor is opening a museum dedicated to Mutants, Cyclops decides to use the opportunity to show all who would do harm to mutants and Utopia that they are not afraid. He sends Magneto, Emma Frost, Namor, Iceman and Colossus with a contingent of mutant students.

Killgore predicted that Cyclops would send those exact mutants and prepares his team to crash the museum opening and exterminate the mutant race at once. Wolverine upset about his disagreements with Cyclops takes off on his own instead of accompanying his friends to the Museum opening, he watches from a bar on tv.

 

The Good

Art-Frank Cho’s art is lovely; it illustrates the action and emotion needed for this very volatile tale.

Cover-I enjoyed both the standard and the Variant cover, especially the variant which found the scantily clad Emma Frost and Psylocke flanked by hotrods Sunspot, Gambit and Namor.

Threat- Kade Killgore is a psychotic little monster hiding in a child’s body. Lat issue I said how unimpressed I was, this issue I am very impressed. He has such a childlike joy in causing mayhem and death. Highly reminiscent of the Joker from Batman running around in sheer bliss of the destruction he causes or Sabretooth destroying everything about wolverine’s life. How later writers handle his character will clearly make or break his long term villain potential. I’m also reminded of Fabian Cortex from the early 90’s. When he was introduced he was a formidable and very series character under Claremont but other writers literally made him a whiney coward who had “lucked out” in killing Magneto.

Killgore also has quite the like minded brood in his accomplices. The young blonde girl in particular is a very entertaining psycho of the highest order.

Morality- This issue presents us with another straw on the hump of the camel with Cyclops harboring the criminal Quentin Quire. Now I understand why Wolverine would want to hand him over to the authorities immediately since it would take all the targets now being aimed at Utopia elsewhere, on Quire.  For the safety and betterment of the nation of Utopia and ensuring the safety of its inhabitants Quentin Quire should be handed over to the Authorities.

On the other hand, Quire’s little spectacle has exposed the UN nations for the hypocrites they are. In X-men Schism #1 Cyclops made a speech that asked the UN to disarm all their sentinels. They claimed they had none, yet, when Quire made his display they armed and made ready sentinels they claimed they never had. Quire can be seen as a terrorist by humans yes but he can also be seen as a hero by the mutant race. He made them ready for the looming threat of extinction via Sentinels.

Now if Cyclops handed him over to the authorities he would be prodded, poked, tortured, experimented on etc. Why would Scott subject one of his people to human “justice” after all that’s taken place?

 

The Bad

Idie okonkwo– Hated this character up until Schism honestly. This issue she continues her mantra of “oh mutants are monsters” oh “I’m a monster”.  (Shudder) Can we give this pony a new trick please?

  

The Ugly

3.5/5