This new X-Men book is exhausting.
Professor X is kidnapped by a new villain named Hazard, while attending the funeral for Alexander Ryking, who is another character introduced and then killed quickly. Hazard is Ryking’s son, and he’ll also die before this story ends. And to make matters worse, we learn that Professor X’s father, Juggernaut’s father, and Hazard’s father were all part of a government nuclear test that created mutants (like the Professor himself). This basically means Professor X is similar to Wolverine, in that he is the creation of a secret government program. But wait! There’s more!
It turns out, Daddy Xavier’s government program was a predecessor to the Weapon X program.
Wolverine’s origin, in the early ’90s, keeps being mysteriously and vaguely expanded but we never really get answers–instead we get introduced to dozens of disposable (and disposed of) characters. There’s no need for any of this.
Aaaaand Stryfe is searching for an artifact…
…And doing some weird kind of ab exercise that makes them look like giant kidney beans.
Anyway, the X-team rescue the Professor. And most of these subplots are never resolved. This is bad writing, and bad editing.
But X-Cutioner’s Song is starting up so that will help.
No it won’t.
You’re right! You’re dead right! All this origin-expansion is as exhaustive to follow- and to care about- as it is unnecessary! The “secret government program” that produced Charles Xavier was the Manhattan Project, as established in ‘X-Men’ volume one, #12, which was also the only issue of ‘X-Men’ to be drawn by Hanna-Barbara animation titan Alex Toth! I seriously doubt the ‘Weapon X’ program pre-dated the Manhattan Project, which totally invalidates this issue’s entire premise! As noted, pre-established origins seldom require expansion, and this is not one of them. Charles Xavier’s parents, Brian and Sharon Xavier worked on the Manhattan Project where they got dosed on heavy radiation, which is why their son Charles was born a mutant! That’s easy stuff! Keep it simple! Wolverine was the result of a top-secret Canadian military project to give that country it’s version of Captain America! ( Captain Canuck?? ) Does it have to be any more complicated than that?? I say thee NAY!!! Just as the greatest speeches in history were the briefest, ( Example: The Gettysburg Address, at a mere 269 words ) so are the greatest origins! Superman: Strange visitor from another planet! The Incredible Hulk: Belted by gamma rays! Batman: Corporate heir’s parents murdered! Spider-Man: Bitten by a radioactive spider! Daredevil: Blinded by radioactive goop! The Fantastic Four: Dosed with cosmic radiation! Aquaman/Sub-Mariner: Agents of Neptune! The X-Men:Born that way! No, this stuff doesn’t need to be hard! I hate people who try to make things hard! Like the US Army likes to ( painfully ) remind it’s recruits: “Keep It Simple, Stupid!!!!” Works for me! I’m going to go and take it EASY, now, and I would suggest you all do the same! As a matter of fact, Have A Very Brady Day! X-Celsior!!