November 1986
"Falling Angel"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Artist: Walt Simonson
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Rating: 9.0/10.0
If Uncanny X-Men 211 was the best issue of the crossover, this one is close behind. This issue is packed with action and doesn't let up. I can't think of any real complains, other than the cover is incredibly boring and Louise Simonson simply isn't as dynamic a writer as Claremont.
It opens with a handful of Morlocks just going about their day. Only Erg is recognizable and the rest are just background, but the very next page explodes as Harpoon slaughters one. In the background, we get our first glimpse of Sabretooth who is no longer some bit villain getting his ass kicked by Iron Fist. The very next page we flash away to Angel carrying Jean who ferries an injured Rusty. Cyclops, Beast, and Iceman are moving along, hoping to find Artie. They stumble across Erg and a few Morlocks trying to escape the massacre (like how I tied the name in here?). One is struck down by Harpoon's spear and the others are tripped up, ready to be killed. Beast springs into action, but Harpoon is faster, bringing his spear up into Beast's side, injuring him. Harpoon throws another spear, but Iceman blocks it with a wall of ice. Cyclops fires back, missing the Marauder and Arclight chooses to drop the ceiling between the two teams. It's not fun when someone fights back.
Angel and Jean arrive back at X-Factor's complex and Skids realizes that the X-Terminators are X-Factor. She tries to escape but Jean contains her and explains the truth: X-Factor and X-Terminators are the same. They show up to capture young mutants in order to help them learn how to cope with their powers.
Back at the tunnels, Caliban begins to move away from Leech and Artie, but then Sabretooth attacks, tearing into Caliban, wounding him greatly. Leech and Artie quickly hide in a drain pipe right before Cyclops' optic blast flies by, taking down Sabretooth. X-Factor moves on, trying to find who else they can help, not realizing that Artie is only a few feet away. By the time Artie gets past Leech, X-Factor is gone so Artie and Leech try to drag Caliban into the pipe. Just in time, too, as Sabretooth recovers and goes after the young mutants again.
At X-Factor's complex, they tend to Rusty's wounds, just as Trish Tilby, a reporter, announces that she has discovered that Warren Worthington III (Angel) is the backer of X-Factor.
In the tunnels, another Marauder just introduced, Blockbuster, is attacking more Morlocks. Iceman tries to subdue him but before Iceman can, Vertigo knocks him off his feet. Before Blockbuster can turn to Iceman, Cyclops knocks the Marauder down with a blast. Again, Vertigo causes problems as her power sends Cyclops to the ground. Beast is unaffected by her power and he knocks her down, but the effort causes his injury to rip open again. Still, the Marauders are driven off, leaving a handful of survivors.
A tender moment is shared between Angel and Jean back at X-Factor's HQ. Unfortunately, Angel's girlfriend, Candy Southern, shows up at the wrong moment to announce that Angel's secret identity has become public. She storms off, effectively ending that relationship. Jean decides to go back to the tunnels to help Cyclops and Angel heads after her, instead of salvaging his romance.
Meanwhile, Sabretooth goes after a little old lady who just happens to be the Morlock Plague. She drops Sabretooth with a touch. Harpoon is about to kill her when Apocalypse arrives to collect his very first Horseman. Cyclops finds Arclight and drops her with an optic blast. Beast collides with Scrambler, knocking both for a loop. Prism (the last of the Marauders to be introduced) turns the tables on Cyclops by reflecting and amplifying an optic blast back, injuring Cyke. Jean arrives at that moment and uses her TK to smash Prism into the wall (making him the shortest lived Marauder ever). Arclight flees with Scrambler and collapses the tunnel behind her. Jean lifts both Beast and Cyclops and prepares to head back to base, but Artie is still missing. Angel agrees to stay behind to find the young mutant.
It doesn't take long for Angel to discover the youngster, but he also runs across three Marauders: Vertigo, Blockbuster and Harpoon. He tells Artie to run and charges forward, knocking out Vertigo. Unfortunately, Blockbuster grabs his wings and slams him against the wall. Harpoon delivers the coup de grace as he crucifies Angel to the wall by shoving spears through the winged mutant's wings, ending the issue in one of the most iconic scenes ever.
This was one of the first issues I ever managed to collect of the Mutant Massacre and still is %$^&ing fantastic. The only thing that keeps this from being better than Uncanny 211 is...hell, I'm not even sure I can describe it. Perhaps there just isn't quite as much personality shown of X-Factor. But it's still action nonstop. This was where you first see Sabretooth as a killer and of course Apocalypse sets his own plan in motion. Even though the deaths are of "no-names" they are still horrific and the expressions on the faces of Cyclops and Beast are priceless. I'm not the biggest fan of Walt Simonson, but he is absolutely perfect in this.
And of course the ending. I can't praise it enough. The sight of this former X-Man hanging there, fading into unconsciousness as his precious wings are pinned like some animal on a sick display is just intense and still remains one of my favorite scenes ever. Even better (although readers didn't know it at the time) this would ultimately lead to the creation of one of the better characters ever introduced (at least until they screwed him up in much later Uncanny X-Men issues): Archangel.
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