Generation- X #5 and #6 Review

Bring your lunchboxes and have your permission slips signed, cux the Gen. X kids are going on a field trip to the big apple! But when they run into members of the Gene Nation, they may never make it back to class!

Summary

At the School Gateway beckons Chamber to befriend Husk. Elsewhere on the school grounds Banshee and Penance/Husk bond over some apples.

In New York M (M-twins disguised as M) goes catatonic and Jubilee, Synch and Skin can’t move her. Skin threatens a gang member he knew to keep the fact that he’s alive a secret from his friends back home and particularly “Torre”. Unable to move M they make their way to Frost Enterprises to meet Emma Frost. Upon arriving the car crashes and they discover a massacre of the security guards. Emma tells them to find the X-men and flee but the trio suit up and try to find survivors. Here they battle Hemmingway a member of gene-nation and find Artie who uses his powers to show them the location of his attackers.

What I liked

Art- Chris Bachalo during his best. His work is often chaotic and detailed but back when this title launched his style reflected the more anime-esque details reminiscent of Joe Maduiera, huge fan of this style of his and everything looks great! Unlike the crossovers with Uncanny X-men the personalities of all the characters used are front and center. Jubilee is still the trademark mall rat ex-x man who never shuts up, Synch is level headed, Monet has her trademark “trances” etc. This is a very solid issue as the next generation of Morlock and X-men clash in epic fashion. Meanwhile Paige and Chamber grow close thanks to Gateway who’s taken a very keen interest in young Mr. Starsmore. This is a well written classic far better than what Lobel did in the X-men line at the time. 3.5/5

The White Queen has been taken prisoner by the Malicious Marrow and the hideous Hemingway – and its up to the Gen. X kids to save her! Plus, a special quest appearance by Wolverine!

Summary

 Emma Frost is a captive plaything of Marrow and Hemingway while her powers are dampened by Leech. At the institute Jono helps Husk with her hangover. Jubilee, Synch and Sin arrive just in time for Emma to escape and Dark Beast to cause an explosion in which Marrow and Hemingway escape, Monet arrives just in time to save them. Emma takes Artie and Leech as students at her school and informs Xavier of the Threat Gene Nation pose. Jubilee has a tearful reunion with a feral wolverine who wants her to remain at Generation-X so she can learn how to control her powers.

Back at the institute as Banshee and Penance continue to bond the girls dorm is blown up by Chamber.

What I liked

This cover is one of my all time favorites from this series. Emma Frost perched on top of a brain fried Hemmingway and Marrow in bright neon colors? Yes please!!  Art was very easy on the eyes.

Classic Gene nation are such great villains in a mass murdering horror movie kinda way. I also liked how Lobell tied the AOA refugees Dark Beats into established continuity. Dark Beast (that is Henry McCoy from the Age of Apocalypse) came to our world with Amnesia and Emma Frost was the one who restored his mind. That’s why when she’s captured by his “soldiers” they don’t chop her head clean off. He was also the reason that the morlocks were massacred in the “mutant massacre” storyline since sinister recognized his own methods had been used to create/modify these creatures. Dark Beast had learned these techniques as Sinister’s right hand in the AOA. All this came out of this mini crossover between Gen-x and Uncanny both under X-scribe at the time Scott Lobell. It was always intriguing where he would have gone with the characters he introduced while in charge of the x-men had he not left marvel comics.

Synch! Oh how I miss you! This issue showed his inherent leadership potential and just how butt kicking cool his powers were! Marvel screwed up big time allowing his death.

This stands the test of time with an engaging cast, great characterization, good art and cover and Villains you can’t help but hate/be intimidated by. 4/5