A Reader's Guide to Books and Reviews

Title: X-Men Red (2018-) #10
Author: Tom Taylor, Paolo Villanelli (Illustrator), Jenny Frison (Illustrator)
Format: Epub
Rating: 4.7/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: November 14, 2018
Book Summary: In the aftermath of a showdown between Jean Grey and Cassandra Nova, the rules have changed — and the battle is nowhere near over! It’s all hands on deck as the building wave of hatred against mutants crashes down on the X-Men!
Book Review: Jean has a message for the world and in her message, there seems to be an echo of the sentiments once belonging to that of Magneto.

Yet the image doesn't really belong to that of Jean Grey. In fact, the message is meant to shatter the innocent image of Jean Grey and prove that she is just like the mutant Magneto sharing the same sentiments of mutants having the superior beings.

Unfortunately the real Jean Grey and her ragtag group of X-Men are sequestered below in Atlantis. For a moment there, Jean seems to be willing to take the bait but it is one of her X-Men, Honey Badger, that actually halts her from doing so and the group plans a strategy that will finally bring an end to Cassandra's reign of terror.

With the help Namor and Tony Stark with the Avengers, the group sets their feet upon the shores of Genosha ready to confront Cassandra.

The cameras are rolling and the world is watching and Jean Grey is set to end Cassandra's reign forever.

Although this portion of the series is meant to be a build-up for the climatic end and hopefully future filled with new villains and different direction of storyline. Don't get me wrong it was great seeing Cassandra Nova. It has been quite a long time since I had been in the X-Universe that I had not realized that Professor Xavier had a twin sister. I don't ever remember ever hearing him mention of her but then again I kinda left the X-Universe during the time of the Onslaught storyline so she might have been mentioned or appeared afterward.

I am really hoping that if this is to be the end of this series that the next issue doesn't disappoint.

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.