Young X-Men #6- Summary (SPOILERS, "cuz".)

[worstblogever]

Young X-Men #6 -

Our issue opens with a two page spread of Rockslide uppercutting Cyclops in the jaw, sending him sprawing the length of a football field, and breaking his jaw in three places.

The Young X-Men, Dani Moonstar, Cannonball, Magma, and Sunspot are all in shock, reacting to the death of Nicholas Gleason, Wolf Cub, last issue. Santo's anger is really more towards his killer, Donald Pierce, who's loaded onto the Blackbird by Wolverine, as Beast applies some Nanotechnology devices to repair Cyclops' jaw.

And Santo's immediately looking for someone else to take his frustrations out on, before he can even debrief Cyclops, he wants to know from Ink, how he knew exactly where to find Donald Pierce. He's onto him, and how he was helping play the whole team.

It seems Ink already went through being interrogated by Magma, Dani, Roberto, and Sam, finding out that he did club Blindfold, and deliver her to Donald Pierce. He knew he was working for him, but not that "Cyclops", the man leading the Young X-Men, was the same person. While Sunspot wants to kick his teeth in personally for it, Magma would rather feed him to Rockslide. It's only Cannonball who asks them to consider that Ink is coming from the same place he did once, when he was conned by Donald Pierce into working as one of his Reavers (back in Marvel Graphic Novel #4). Is he any worse than Rogue when she joined the X-Men? (good example) Or Mystique or Sabretooth (bad examples, Mr. Guthrie... bad examples...) So, they consider keeping him around.

As such, the senior X-Men in San Francisco sit down with Dani Moonstar, and Sunspot, and try to sell them on the idea of becoming teachers for this team. Not a school, but as a military unit, like all the X-family will be taught now. Different locations, throughout San Francisco, each set up strategically to operate together. No one target to be hit by their enemies. They'll use the Young X-Men on a case by case basis. Sunspot knows his position as Lord Imperial of the Hellfire Club just makes him a target. Cyclops wants him to teach everything he's learned in a place he belongs. And Dani, as he tells her, "needs something that reminds her that losing your powers doesn't make you any less of a hero".

Dani is shown to be explaining her situation to someone else she wants to bring in to her classroom. They're more curious as to what happened with Ink and Santo before they agree to come, though. So Dani explains how it went down...

Santo told Ink, "They want you on the team, apparently. I don't get a say in that. But if you so much as twitch funny, I'm gonna turn you into paste. You got that, "cuz"?"

Ink replies, "Got it. But Santo... Assuming I don't twitch? That's the last time you lay hands on me again. You feel me?"

Dani's not too worried about it, though. The X-Men have always known their fair share of internal squabbling, after all. (I mean, they keep Surge around, right?) Her take on Ink is that he's not bad... he's just... lost.

And, Dani's recruit wants to know all there is to know about Jonas Graymalkin. There's a few odd quirks to him, of course. First off, he is confirmed, by the Beast, to be a mutant. His X-gene is right at the 1p23 band, where it's supposed to be. But, the catch is this... it seems that Graymalkin is an ancestor to Charles Xavier. Yes ancestor, not descendant. He's somehow 200 years old (Beast carbon-dated his fingernails to confirm). Don't ask me how this is at all possible, or where Chucky McBrokenlegs' great-great-grandpappy has been all these years... but there it is.

Dani also tells her new recruit over the video-phone about their new base... it's built inside of a Church of the Episcopal Diocese of California, and Nightcrawler helped make the deal philosophically with the church, Warren Worthington helped pay the cash to smooth things over with a little donation to the basket on a Sunday, it seems. The kids on the team have a place to live in the rectory. Angel is also customizing the cathedral's belfries to house their training facilities.

Unbeknownst to anyone else, Rockslide made it a point to go meet with Cyclops, who asks that outside of missions, Santo call him "Scott". He opens up by apologizing for shattering his jaw, but Cyclops let's him know it was okay, he should've known better to come in person, what considering Pierce just was impersonating him and things were still a bit heated. Santo just is confused about who to trust anymore. Scott tells him he can trust his friends, but Santo, breaking down, starts stammering about his friends keep dying. Cyclops tells him, it's okay if he needs to, you know.

And we learn that Rockslide is made out of stone only literally. And the supposed grade "A" hard *ss, Cyclops, lets one of his students have a good cry on his shoulder. And it's an interesting one page shot, really, given how Rockslide dwarfs Cyke in size, and he's giving the proverbial tears from a stone.

I know, I know, this issue needs more of the girls, right? Well, we cut to the cell that's housing Donald Pierce, who still has a metallic skull and eyes, and hasn't had the good fortune to grow his flesh back yet. He's unnerved that he's being stared at through the bars by Dust.

You know what? Sooraya was too awesome for me to not just talk about the exchange...

Pierce: You probably didn't hear it in that backwards country you grew up in, but it's considered rude to stare.

Dust: Yes, please lecture me on etiquette.

Pierce: What do you want?

Dust: To look you in the eye.

Pierce: Well, I'm afraid you're a number of years too late for that, my dear. I haven't had organic eyes in years.

Dust: I want to look you in the eye and tell you that you failed. You didn't ruin us.

Pierce: Dog Boy mught disagree.

Dust: Wolf Cub reminded us all that we're not like you.

Pierce: No, you're not. You're mutants. You're perversions. You in particular, Sooraya, with your unholy, oppressive religion.

Dust: I enjoy talking to you, Mr. Pierce. Your unbridled prejudice and hate, to say nothing of your tragic misunderstandings of Mohammed's teachings.. it reminds me of home.

Score: Dust 1, Pierce 0.

And Blindfold? Well, she's already quitting the team, too. She makes it a point to again, tell Ink "You're not what you think you are." She'll be around, but she's not combat material, to be sure. But the team isn't meant to be a combat team, per se... it's supposed to, as Sunspot puts it on their first day, "A team that can defend itself and can defend others." Like a pacifist X-Force?

Rockslide and Ink are bristling at each other again, right out of the gate, and if he quits... well, that just leaves Ink and Dust. So, Dani put her call out to a student who she thinks will maybe help with that chemistry... and who she's been trying to sell the team to is...

ANOLE! Duh. When he finds out the digs are in San Francisco, he's intrigued.

Not that he's a gay stereotype, or anything. But yeah, Anole's gonna join.

Thoughts: A coldly angry Dust. A Rockslide who's bearing a grudge, and showing a vulnerable side. The bizarre mystery of Graymalkin. Ink trying to find himself. Dani and Roberto as the teachers for this team. New HQ. And Anole on the horizon.

Honestly, I wish this was issue #1. Because for me, it had more character development in it than the first five combined. Sure, there wasn't any action, other than Cyclops getting slugged, but really, these moments needed to happen. And with the team's line-up changing, and still filling out accordingly (in my gut, I know Surge will end up here) I have hope for this book still.

It's just a shame that the actual mission statement of the book doesn't show up until the sixth issue. The HQ from the first arc in the Danger Cave is out the window, as well as the team's goals. A lot of readers threw their hands up during the first arc, when it looked like this was a team out to kill the original New Mutants. Now, they have to hope the little "New" New Mutants cell that's being set up captures lightning in a bottle.

But it'll be better than we've seen. Art was also greatly improved this issue, with Ben Oliver on pencils. I'll go ahead and give this a 8/10. And that might be just because of how it was superior to what I've seen on this title so far. I just hope it keeps moving in a positive direction.

[frog]

Not the return of "cuz"!

[worstblogever]

Originally Posted by frog

Not the return of "cuz"!

The moment we've all been dreading, I know.

[chemicalx]

Originally Posted by worstblogever

The moment we've all been dreading, I know.

truly a darker day in x-history has not been seen.

You know honestly after what santo has been through i wouldnt be surprised if he lashed out at scott. even if it wasnt him the guy (we thought was cyclops)was blasting Rockslide out a window or something every issue....

[worstblogever]

Originally Posted by chemicalx

truly a darker day in x-history has not been seen.

You know honestly after what santo has been through i wouldnt be surprised if he lashed out at scott. even if it wasnt him the guy (we thought was cyclops)was blasting Rockslide out a window or something every issue....

Santo comes full circle by issue's end. Trust me, wait until the summary's done, you'll see.

[chemicalx]

Originally Posted by worstblogever

Santo comes full circle by issue's end. Trust me, wait until the summary's done, you'll see.

*sits back and waits patiently*

[jarrod]

*taps foot impatiently*

[LawGiver]

Originally Posted by jarrod

*taps foot impatiently*

*chops off tapping foot and enters jarrod in Boston Marathon*

[Seres]

"You feel me"? As it stands, we're only a few issues away from Ink asking Cyclops to smell what he's cooking.

[worstblogever]

Originally Posted by Seres

"You feel me"? As it stands, we're only a few issues away from Ink asking Cyclops to smell what he's cooking.

Or if he tells Dust to "know her role and shut her mouth", yeah.

It takes real skill to make Rockslide seem like the eloquent one.

[chemicalx]

Originally Posted by LawGiver

*chops off tapping foot and enters jarrod in Boston Marathon*

thats cold... Yay DANI!!!

[HellFrost]

This issue just looks like it's going to be painful to read...

[worstblogever]

Originally Posted by HellFrost

This issue just looks like it's going to be painful to read...

Not really, it jumps around a bit, but the emotions in it really carry it.

[CMBMOOL]

I hate to say it but I just can't buy into this series as it seems like a watered down version of it precessor title.

[chemicalx]

Originally Posted by HellFrost

This issue just looks like it's going to be painful to read...

Really I'm actually looking forward to picking it up now...