I'm not really sure how I feel about the idea of the Dark X-Men. The idea of Norman wanting his own team of Dark Avengers makes sense. In the Marvel Universe, the Avengers should be a household name. Plus the fact that there's been so many different members and they often change costumes, there's no reason the general public would suspect anything shady was going on. The X-Men are another story. Most people seem to hate or fear mutants. For Norman to try to have his own team of mutants, it's a harder sell. But then, Cyclops has tried making mutants more welcome among the normal folk. And Norman is just the kind of guy to want to have a piece of every pie. I've joked before but I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to create a Dark Power Pack someday.
While I was on the fence with the Dark X-Men, the last mini-series didn't do much to sell me on the idea either. Their defeat and near disbandment during Utopia wasn't a good sign for the team either. With this series it will be interesting to see if Norman can keep the team together and use them as a positive P.R. device. You may have heard or have already read this issue and know that a certain X-character is dropping by. If Norman can persuade this person to join his team, it's a pretty big ace to have up his sleeve.
Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk have quite a task on their hands. They need to keep this team of misfits interesting, at least to keep me reading the rest of the series. With the return of this certain character, I am, indeed curious. This issue starts out a little slow but I do see how it's necessary in order to get the payout of the last few pages. This could change things for Norman and his " Dark Reign." Or it could just blow up in his face.