A two-parter X-Men tale wraps up this week in X-Men #12, right in time for X-Manhunt to send the entire line into a frenzy. The problem is Cyclops is very close to being kidnapped after his father brought a horde of headhunters from space to Earth. Thankfully, the world’s greatest superhero team is at the ready to save the day: Alpha Flight!
It was bound to happen that Alpha Flight would crossover into this series since the team is set up in Alaska. To catch us up, writer Jed MacKay reminds us of where we last saw them. Criminals in their country for helping mutants, they’re now active, but a team is usually locked up when not on duty. Once caught up on their whole deal, the issue turns into a knock-down, drag-out fight comic.
Once again, if you like Netho Diaz’s ’90s stylings, you’ll dig this book. Juggernaut gets a formidable fight, Magik is sent off dizzy, and it’s not looking good for Cyclops, with most of his crew in trouble. Everything looks super detailed and high quality, from a lesser-known villain to the inner workings of a whale spaceship being the linchpin in the fight. Diaz will be drawing a Marvel event in no time if he keeps up this level of quality.
Alpha Flight really is flying.
Credit: Marvel
As far as the events of this issue, Phoenix fans will need to read this one. One might assume a reveal will play into a future story, but this issue does suffer as a story filler. Did we really need a two-issue fight comic arc with a Phoenix connection and not much else? Sure, we read superhero comics for the fights, but the story is quite thin.
Still, MacKay continues to write great dialogue, and the pace is great. There just not enough meat on the bones of the issue to feel like it has a point beyond biding time for the X-Manhunt event.
While X‑Men #12 impresses visually and with its energetic fight sequences, it ultimately serves more as a transitional piece than a standalone, deeply engaging story.
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