A Reader's Guide to Books and Reviews

Title: X-Men Red (2018-) #8
Author: Tom Taylor, Carmen Carnero (Illustrator), Jenny Frison (Illustrator)
Format: Epub
Rating: 4/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: October 6, 2018
Book Summary: In the wake of an unprecedented assault on Atlantis, the X-Men must react and recover...while at the mercy of a world that grows more hostile to mutants every day, and a foe who is determined to keep it that way!
Book Review: This issue picks up where issue seven ended.

The world now knows about Cassandra Nova was behind the assassination of the ambassador and the mutant hatred that is currently broiling around the world because of it. Unfortunately for Jean and her crew, this has angered Cassandra Nova and she sets out on revenge against them and releases a swarm of sentinites that would kill off mutant kind.

Jean and Trinary try and locate the sentinites but Trinary cannot do this without help. So Jean has Gabby, a.k.a. Honey Badger, to be the conduit because her mind can handle the many sentinites due to her mutant ability.

It is then Cassandra connects with Jean interrupting their work on taking down the sentinites. Storm pulls Trinary to save her but Gabby's mind is overwhelmed and she ends up falling unconscious. Laura Kenny steps up to the plate and offers to take Gabby's place as Storm heads out to take down Nova.

And Storm finds her and does what she came to do - interupt the link that Nova has made with Jean so that Jean and her crew can finish up their job.

But this fight is far from over especially with the ending of this issue. It is about to become a family affair.

This series continues to surprise me. The series reads more like those thriller/suspense novels that are really popular. Nova is also proving to be the villain that proves to be pretty much more of a killer than that of the other villains the X-Men have faced in the past (except Dark Phoenix. Dark Phoenix was a huge bitch on an emotional trip that sent her out to kill an entire planet of beings). She seems to have no remorse for any life and as she sets her sights on ruining the X-Men name, she doesn't realize that X-Men have "done this, done that and have gotten the t-shirt for it" from the other villains they have faced.

Title: X-Men Red (2018-) #6
Author: Tom Taylor, Carmen Carnero (Illustrator), Travis Charest (Illustrator)
Format: Epub
Rating: 4.5/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: August 5, 2018
Book Summary: From deep beneath the ocean, Jean Grey’s X-Men watch as waves of anti-mutant hatred wash over the world! Can the X-Men quell the tide? Or will they be swept away in its wake?
Book Review: Cassandra Nova has come to crash the party and she is going to make sure that she leaves behind a trail of death in her wake.

We learn from Cassandra Nova that while she and Charles Xavier were in their mother's womb, he tried to strangle her with the umbilical cord. That is really our first taste of her reasoning behind her clear hatred for her brother and the team he created.

With Charles not around to torment, Cassandra Nova has set her sights clearly in Jean Grey and she makes her appearance to Jean when Jean uses Searebro for the first time. This gives Jean a glimpse of her enemy as she tries to once more clear her name. The thing is Cassandra is not going to allow it one bit and she has one more ace up her sleeve and it is about to go out with a bang.

Recently we met Nezhno Abidemi, a mutant named Gentle. His history has been quite placed in the background up until now. We learn that his mother was a Wakandan and his father an American. It seems that even though he is with her, she doesn't want him and neither does his step-father. And the feeling seems to be a bit mutual with the latter. Nezhno doesn't like the idea his step-father beats on his mother but his mother simply hits him and tells him to stay out of it.

Jean has broken down the barriers in his mind and his first touches do not hurt him in any way.

This series continues to entice me further and I am loving this series. I have not really touched the other X-Men series (other than the wedding issue of Gambit and Rogue and their new title together). I am glad to see Jean alive and I cannot wait to see how she will handle Cassandra Nova now that she knows she is the one behind it all.

By the way, can we have some Jean and Ororo friendship-love? I have always loved their relationship together. They are friend goals.