X-Men #4: "Upstarts"

[alliterator]

"Yeah, there are moments for different characters to shine because this is a large team, but you want everyone to be able to do their Claremont stuff, right? So I'm trying to make sure that everyone's getting, if not the focus in every issue, everyone's getting some focus as we go on. So in X-Men #4, we've got some good Juggernaut stuff and we've got some good Magik stuff."
-- Jed MacKay



The X-Men are sent after Fitzroy and the Upstarts, who are now RoxxTube stars who kill mutants for clicks. However, Cyclops, Psylocke, and Kid Omega are busy, so the team going after them are Magik, Juggernaut, Temper, and Beast.

Oh and the Upstarts turn out to be a very obscure team...from a while ago.







After the mission is over (and Fitzroy teleports away), Magik and the others return to the base.

Comments

[angelophile]

Cain really does work as a hero. I wish they'd stop trying to backslide to him being a villain. Hopefully it sticks permanently this time.

[scelestus]

One of the (few) things I liked about Chuck Austen's run on the book was the way he wrote Cain, especially when interacting with Sammy.

[gnarll]

I liked how that aspect of Cains character got picked up on Krakoa, when he seem to have spent more time with Legion that Charles ever did.

[blues32]

It's actually possible this time, given that he doesn't get his power from the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak anymore.

[shakalooloo]

It's sad that I can apply this sentiment in exactly the same way to Beast in this series.

[huntleyhaverstock]

Jed McKay and Al Ewing seem increasingly united in their love for picking up and dusting off deep-cut characters to do something fun with them, and I'm here for it.

[donnblake]

Did the "Piotr's being mind-controlled by sinister (note small s!) Russian forces," thread ever get resolved?

[alliterator]

Yeah, it was resolved in the last X-Force fun.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Digging this take on ol' Jugs. When did he get so gung-ho about mutants, though?

[dan_ingram]

Why wouldn't he be?

All his friends, frenemies and 90% of the people that he likes are mutants.

[mastermahan]

Nothing can stop the Juggernaut's support of mutant rights!

[scorntx]

Don't forget Black Tom.
(whatever he is to Cain this week.)

[super_fly]

I wasn't expecting the existence of X-Statix to be acknowledged outside of a Pete Milligan book, never mind one of their rival groups.

[zylly]

I'm always happy to see Cain being a good guy, let's hope the trajectory on that is that it sticks this time. Even when he was a villain, he was at his best when he was of the "just because you are bad guy does not mean you are bad GUY" temperament.