2.158 (523) X-Factor vol 1 #11 ... Marvel ...

There was a time ... a few decades ago ... that whenever it was time for a huge crossover yearly event, it was what it promised to be - an event. Not just recycled old villains going through the motions on a larger scale but rather something new entirely

So this year is the year of a storyline called Mutant Massacre. The thread is straightforward. At this point in time, a hidden figure has sent forth some super nasty cold blooded assassins into the Morlock tunnels to assassinate all mutants living there. The X-Men got involved because Storm, leader of the X-Men at that time is also the leader of the Morlocks while X-Factor got dragged in due to the fact that they enjoyed running through the sewers more or less from their office to the outside world so that no one can linked them to mutant hunters' front that they were presenting at that time. Got it?

This issue is the tail-end of their involvement

We open up with the final bits and pieces of fight scenes between various members of X-Factor and loose factions of mutant-dom with them rescuing sorry looking kiddie muties and kicking ass a lot. Unfortunately, they didn't escape unscathed and one of those in serious medical issues is Angel

The really noteworthy bits about this issue for those of you who only know the team of X in more present terms are actually quite a fair bit and we will highlight them to you SPOILER ALERT as follows:

1. Angel is still Angel and in fact, it is because of this injury that is the opening act in him becoming Archangel

2. Apocalypse is a new villain in Marvel U having just finished his arc with X-Factor in issue 6 and is given cameos here as he goes about recruiting down-and-out mutants who have tremendous power and potential

3. Naturally here we are also introduced to a whole host of mutants like Scalphunter and others but not their enigmatic leader

4. Sinister will be identified as said manipulator and in a typical retcon of story telling, we will in decades to come find out that Gambit, future X-Men was part of the Marauders although throughout its original run, we were not given even a hint of Gambit - hah - bad retcon, eh?

Still, overall, an entertaining chapter in the life of a new comic series

Ratings: 5/10 (would be higher but the artwork didn't quite match this book's requirements)