Summary
Bishop wakes up from a dream in which he’s killed the x-men. His sister Shard has been brought back as a hologram and both realize that mountjoy poses a threat which the x-men are ill equipped to deal with so he quits the team to go and kill mountjoy which is against the x-men’s edict.
Mountjoy meanwhile has commandeered a new body and makes plans to kill Bishop. They meet up at the police station and Bishop and shard stage a trap and almost get the villain. Right as the car they are riding explodes Bishop awakens in the future to an alive Shard who says he’s passed out in battle and he’s been there all this time.
The Good
Pacheco’s art is still top notch complimenting the story in every panel. Characterization for Shard is a highlight easily being the “Badder” cop to Bishop’s “Bad”. She is not as devoutly loyal to “Xavier’s dream” as Bishop is and the revelation that she was the one who had originally imprisoned Mountjoy validates the level of skill and power she commanded in life. This also foreshadows her involvement in the X.U.E which went contrary to the commands of the X.S.E which were more staunchly devout to “Xavier’s dream”.
Mountjoy continues to be a very entertaining villain worthy of his panel time. Pity he was so underused in the years to come.
Bishop continues to grow in strength as a character it’s easy to empathize with him here as he interacts with his little sister. Sure they are both cops but there is a tenderness he has with Shard even though she’s just a hologram that speaks volumes to the history they have which unfolds later.
Another high point of the issue was the action, this was a heavily action focused issue worth it’s weight in adrenaline junkie heaven. The story and action went together well.
The Bad
Xavier gets characterized badly! He hears Bishop say he’s going to leave the team and go and kill someone and you know what he does in this story? Nothing! That’s right Xavier allows Bishop to leave and go and “handle business” without freezing him in place or shouting at him. Xavier was just concerned in passing about losing an X-man WTF? Sorry but THAT is a hard sell to me.
The last page intended to be a cliffhanger has no punch now and none then because Bishop had already appeared in all the mainstream books making this moment a throwaway.
The Ugly
3/5