Writer: Joseph Harris Artists: Tom Raney (p), Scott Hanna (i)
Publisher: Marvel
Plot: Cyclops didn't die after all but then neither did Apocalypse. Now they are one, in one body fighting for dominance.
Why can't they just let heroes die? Jason Todd will never come back from the dead, I can't see Oracle walking again (unless real-world science bears it out), so why the hell can't X-Men die? When Jean Grey died (Uncanny X-Men #137) it was poignant. When Scott died, it meant something; his death, although embedded in a poor tale (after twenty-odd years building up to that moment, it felt a little rushed), seemed as if it had a purpose.
Being one of the first X-Men, I didn't honestly expect Marvel to have the guts, the courage of its convictions, to be strong and decent enough to stand by Cyclops' death. If they had, then it would have proved that comics aren't cheap and cheesy, but mean something. Maybe it's only DC that are brave enough to take these steps? But, hey, on with the review itself...
We've got a weak, pathetic man, plagued by nightmarish visions of a horrific past. He's afraid he'll give in to the darkness within him, and free a terrible evil. From his eyes pour forth a power he can barely contain...
A servant of Apocalypse gently guides him to salvation, or damnation, and Ozymandius calls Jean and Cable for help. It's good stuff, I suppose, if you like this kind of thing, certainly there's little to complain about from the creators' POV, but it doesn't do it for me.
Let's face it, Cyclops will come back, he'll be tainted by the demons he fights inside for a while, then we'll all get back to normal (Superman changes to an energy being "forever", then is back to his old self within a year) .
