X-Calibre #3 of 4

Warren Ellis // Ken Lashley
May 1995
**

Doing his best to write a recognizable person, Ellis brings depth to Mystique. Her conscience has warred with her survival instinct, exiling her from salvation & her son till now. But this mini is drawn by Lashley, who has no eye for normal human behavior—it’s all grimaces, screams, & posturing.

last issue: X-Calibre #2 of 4
next issue: X-Calibre #4 of 4

also indexed for May ’95
The Amazing X-Men #3 of 4
The Astonishing X-Men #3 of 4
Factor X #3 of 4
Gambit and the X-Ternals #3 of 4
Generation Next #3 of 4
Weapon X #3 of 4
X-Man #3
X-Universe #1 of 2

X-Calibre #2 of 4

Warren Ellis // Roger Cruz, Renato Arlem, Carlos Mota, & Eddie Wagner
April 1995
**

The ultra-’90s AoA gives Ellis the chance to write a truly dark plot. Demonoid Nightcrawler, tracking a smuggler’s route to an Antarctic X-haven, avenges himself upon human traffickers who dump refugees into the ocean. The many hands of this issue’s artists blend into something nearly readable.

last issue: X-Calibre #1 of 4
next issue: X-Calibre #3 of 4

also indexed for Apr. ’95
The Amazing X-Men #2 of 4
The Astonishing X-Men #2 of 4
Factor X #2 of 4
Gambit and the X-Ternals #2 of 4
Generation Next #2 of 4
Weapon X #2 of 4
X-Man #2

X-Calibre #1 of 4

Warren Ellis // Ken Lashley
March 1995
*

Editorial revamps the mutant line, pitching readers into the grimmest comics they could imagine. For Excaliber, that means Nightcrawler follows a refugee pipeline to the Savage Land. Awful Jim Lee-style art has distended anatomies & weightless bodies; Ellis entertains himself w/ a religious theme.

continued from X-Men: Alpha #1 of 1
next issue: X-Calibre #2 of 4

also indexed for Mar. ’95
The Amazing X-Men #1 of 4
The Astonishing X-Men #1 of 4
Factor X #1 of 4
Gambit and the X-Ternals #1 of 4
Generation Next #1 of 4
Weapon X #1 of 4
X-Man #1
X-Men: Chronicles #1 of 2

Avengers/JLA #4 of 4

Kurt Busiek // George Pérez
December 2003
***

The crossover ends as it must: in an enormous brawl of punching & zapping. Still, the mag’s creative duo amazingly avoid even a whiff of the corporate avarice that must underpin this mini. The grand scope & casual confidence prove a good capstone to the super-teamwork dynamic that defines the Avengers run of Busiek & Pérez et al. Think of it as a victory lap AWA an impressive work of fan-service.

last issue: JLA/Avengers #3 of 4

also indexed for Dec. ’03
Alias #27
New X-Men #148

Avengers #25

Kurt Busiek // George Pérez
February 2000
****

Busiek makes Avs into Marvel Central by picking up other mags’ plots, incl. the climax to a low-profile crossover. A pantheon of uglies, mystically empowered to fight armageddon, was rebuffed by member Juggernaut (in his very own one-off!). Cap bests them not thru combat but by appealing to their humanity. Then he quits the team, acting as scapegoat for their unpopularity w/ the public & press.

last issue: Avengers #24
next issue: Avengers #26

also indexed for Feb. ’00
Avengers Forever #12 of 12

Avengers #24

Kurt Busiek // George Pérez
January 2000
***

Echoes of X-books: protests continue outside the Mansion, linked perhaps to this mag’s lurking cult. And X-foe Juggernaut shows up, threatened by a Kirby-like pantheon of baddies who, like himself, have been mystically empowered. Their flying temple lets Pérez draw his classic stony textures.

last issue: Avengers #23
next issue: Avengers #25

The X-Men #13

Stan Lee // Jack Kirby & Werner Roth
September 1965
***
Having provided exposition last ish, #13 is entirely given over to a rumble btw. Juggernaut & the teens, w/ an assist from Johnny Storm. It builds Juggy as a real threat! Plus using a classic 2×3 panel-grid allows for more action than most ’90s comics w/ a similar content-to-story ratio.
[last issue: The X-Men #12]
[next issue: The X-Men #14]

The X-Men #12

Stan Lee // Jack Kirby & Alex Toth
July 1965
***
#12 benefits from Toth’s shadows, as Kirby provides only layouts for the book. Prof X describes his service in Korea (it was like an Indiana Jones movie), where he & evil step-brother (inauspiciously named Cain) stumbled upon a mystical gem. Now the bro holds a grudge as the unstoppable Juggernaut.
[last issue: The X-Men #11]
[next issue: The X-Men #13]