X-Men 96

The Gathering

logo13.JPG (90654 bytes) Creators -
Writer: Alan Davis
Artist: Alan Davis
Inker: Mark Farmer
Colorist: Marie Javins
Letterers: Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Sadia Temofonte
Editor: Mark Powers
Editor-in-chief: Bob Harras

Date Published -
January 2000

Cover -
X-Men (Archangel, Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, & Jubilee) vs. Death (Wolverine)
By: Alan Davis

Plot -
In Genosha, Magneto is awoken from a dream from Professor X, telling him that they must talk. Calling Fabian Cortez to his side, he tells his Acolyte, that he needs a hypercharge. Empowered, Magneto prepares to leave. Cortez laughs, telling him that Magneto is nothing without him. Magneto slaps him and vanishes into the night. Back at the X-Men's mansion, Cyclops and Storm survey the team's progress with the war on Apocalypse. Rogue and Shadowcat are busy training the young Skrull, Fiz. While Colossus and Dr. Mactaggert take care of his brother, Mikhail, the other X-Men look for clues as to Apocalypse's whereabouts. And Psylocke and Phoenix prepare to hunt down the missing members of the Twelve. Phoenix finds Iceman first, but before she can tell him anything, he is attacked by Deathbird, now known as War. She attacks him ruthlessly, but Iceman freezes her. War frees herself, knocking Iceman out in the process. They disappear completely from Phoenix's senses. In the midsts of the Atlantic, Magneto arrives at the ruins of the submarine Leningrad. There, Professor X tells him that Apocalypse is gathering the mutants of the Twelve, and that both he and Magneto are a part of that group. Magneto tells him that he is help the X-Men, if for nothing else to end Apocalypse's game. Back at the mansion, Phoenix suddenly senses a doorway opening within the mansion, and Colossus, Moria, and Mikhail can only watch as Wolverine, now known as Death, appears. Colossus tries to stop him, but is blinded by a blast. Mikhail attacks, but is knocked out. Moria pulls a blaster on him, but Death simply throws her aside. He grabs Mikhail and heads for the portal. But Storm and Cyclops appear, Storm's winds stopping Death from entering the portal. He does, however, manages to throw Mikhail in. Meanwhile, in Japan, Sunfire is busy warning his bosses about the evil of Apocalypse, when the mysterious Famine appears. Sunfire blasts him, but his nuclear fire is simply absorbed. Famine takes Sunfire. Back at the mansion, Shadowcat confronts her former mentor, but is taken out. Rogue knocks Death for a loop, and Fiz and Nightcrawler join the fight. But the X-Men lack the mercy necessary to kill him. Death nearly kills them all with a powerful bomb, but Fiz saves them from the collapsing ceiling. Death is gone, but Archangel, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, and Jubilee go after him. Phoenix sends her mental image, telling the X-Men she's found Apocalypse, in Egypt. And in Egypt, Apocalypse is making his finally preparations, waiting for the arrival of the final members of the Twelve.

Even More -

Professor X