X-Factor #11 (Mutant Massacre)

X-Factor #11 (December 1986)
Rating:  ★☆★☆
"Redemption"
Writer:  Louise Simonson
Artist:  Walt Simonson
Inker:  Bob Wiacek

First of all, I goofed a little bit.  This issue was released prior to Uncanny #213 and actually takes place a little before.  So thankfully, this isn't how the Mutant Massacre ends, because that would have been a really crappy ending.  Instead, I should have ended with Uncanny 213.  My bad.

Second, this is the last of the Mutant Massacre issues and I'm going to resume only reviewing every few issues I read.  It's taken me about a month or even longer just to get this crossover out.  I might do this again for Fall of the Mutants, but I'm not sure.  It drives my wife nuts because the comics of the crossover are left out on the desk for over a month.  Thank you to all who have checked these out, mostly from the X-Men Comics page on facebook.

The story starts out with Iceman and Beast carrying Caliban and Leech and they are attacked by several mutants as they near the exit of the Morlock tunnels.  One of them, Masque, is recognizable from his Uncanny X-Men appearances.  Leech blocks powers so Iceman sends him off, hoping his powers will give him an edge.  Of course, it backfires as the Morlocks have powers too.  The Morlocks quickly gain the upper hand, but then Cyclops and Jean show up, turning the tables.  The leader, Berzerker, calls it quits realizing that they aren't Marauders but rather they are the X-Terminators from TV.

Although Berzerker wants to head off on his own, his group convinces him to stick with X-Factor.  The rather large group now quickly heads for the exits.  Shortly before the exit, Caliban wakes up and realizes that he cannot sense any mutant life in the tunnels.  He swears vengeance, but before anything can be said, the thunder of Thor can be heard.  The group quickly hurries out of the tunnels just before the lightning storm wipes everything clean.

Once in X-Factor's HQ, Berzerker decides that they should not stay with the "human loving drain dwellers" and leads his group outside.  They sneak past the police guard (who are there because of a Morlock attack a few issues ago).  They head off to the docks of the bay and are confronted by a gang seeking to earn some easy cash.  When Berzerker's group is revealed to be mutants, the gang attacks.  The first shots kill Blow Hard (the guy with the pipe who creates wind) and wounds Masque.  Berzerker kills the leader and Masque disfigures another.  Berzerker kills another who is trying to call for help.

Back at X-Factor's complex, Jean and Cyke catch a news cast about a disfigured gang member and a firefight at the docks.  They quickly don their X-Terminator uniforms and head off.  Elsewhere, completely unrelated to the story, Apocalypse shows up at a VA hospital to visit a paralyzed Abraham Kieros.  Apocalypse offers him a chance to walk again and Abraham accepts.  Apocalypse and the newly christened War vanish in a flash of light.

Cyclops and Marvel Girl arrive and Jean uses her TK power to separate the cops from the Morlocks.  Cyclops heads after the two remaining members (Masque is down for now).  He fires an optic blast at Berzerker, scattering him and the girl, Scaleface.  Scaleface is knocked clear of Marvel Girl's shield and faces off against cops.  In reflex, she transforms to her dragon self and the cops fire, killing her.  Berzerker sees this and goes...well...berserk.  He tries to kill the cops but Cyclops strikes him with an optic blast, knocking him into the water.  When he hits the water, his body is torn apart by the electromagnetic forces and killed.

Cyclops and Jean flee the scene taking with them the only surviving Morlock, Masque.  Once they are back and resume their vigilance over the wounded Angel, they are greeted by a doctor who gives them some very disturbing news:  Angel's wings will have to be amputated.

Unfortunately, this issue had very little going for it.  The last one was so incredible with great art, character and action.  This one had unimpressive art (the issue may have been the inking).  The characters introduced were boring (Blow Hard was crap and Berzerker was a white guy with a rediculous mohawk who was mad at everything).  The action just wasn't impressive and yet still took up too much of the issue.  The few moments of humanity involved Cyclops crying over Berzerker's death which made no sense considering the two barely had any interaction.

I didn't hate this issue...but I came pretty close.