| So this is it, the
Counter X Shockwave running through Generation X,
X-Force and X-Man. Helmed by Warren Ellis, the
purpose is to give these three books new
direction and focus. We'll just have to see if it
works. Six months have passed
since issue #62 and the team has changed
drastically. The human students are gone, as are
Artie, Leech, Penance and Synch. Parts of the
school are in ruins, the GenXer's have brand new
uniforms and different attitudes.
Not
much actually happens in this issue, it merely
sets the scene for the rest of the 'House of
Correction' story arc as well as hinting at some
of the causes of the radical change to the team.
Banshee takes M & Skin training in the ruins
of part of the school, but M is still upset about
what happened to Synch and it's making her sloppy.
The awkwardness that used to exist between
Chamber and Husk is no longer evident and they
get on well. Emma acts as though she's suffering
from a hangover, calling Paige 'darling'. It also
appears that her financial worries are over and
Adrienne may be dead. (Emma tells someone, over
the phone, that Adrienne doesn't need the money
now. Take whatever meaning you want from that.)
Elsewhere a boy named Jonathan Somers is taken
from his holding cell in a police station by two
strange men and forced into a van.
Comments:
I'm not sure about the new costumes, M's skirt in
particular, but I'll probably get used to them
eventually. I think the art could be quite good
but it's let down by dull colouring and splodgy
inks. Pugh does draw the best Jubilee I've ever
seen, she actually looks Asian; a fact that seems
to have been forgotten by many artists. There isn't
much action in this issue and Paige only
discovers the House of Correction, over the
internet, towards the end. (The House of
Correction is where 'rebellious' teens are sent,
it is governed by Warden Coffin. Those who are
sent to the HoC never return home.) Thank God the
Chamber/Husk semi-romance is over, I was afraid
that it was going to drag on forever. They're
much better as friends anyway. This issue didn't
blow me away, but I am curious about the
disappearance of almost half the GenXer's and how
the team's new attitude will affect their future
battles.
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