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    X-Factor #85

    X-Factor » X-Factor #85 - X-Cutioner's Song; Part 6: Snikts and Bones released by Marvel on December 1, 1992.

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    Continued from Uncanny X-Men #295. In Department K, Bishop and Wolverine attack Cable whom they believe tried to kill Xavier. Cable convinces them to stop fighting and hear him out.

    Apocalypse climbs to one of Cable's safe houses in Switzerland and tries to piece together who is truly behind the plot.

    The X-Patriots knock out one of Madrox's dupes at the hospital Taylor was at.

    Meanwhile, the X-Men, X-Force, and X-Factor find Stryfe's Mutant Liberation Front in an underground complex in Arkansas and a battle ensues. Archangel accidentally decapitates Kamikaze while fighting Forearm. Wildside gets the best of Gambit and Reaper cuts Quicksilver's legs and threatens to behead them both with his scythe. Story continues in X-Men #15.

    Note: This issue comes bagged with a Polaris and Havok Stryfe's Strike File card.

    Synopsis

    Wolverine and Bishop are in the Department K Records Room trying to find information that could lead them to Cable, the suspected shooter in Professor Xavier's assassination attempt. It so happens that Cable shows up at that precise time to find information on possible places Stryfe could be holed up, as he thinks Stryfe is responsible for the attack on the Professor's life. Despite Cable's offer of parlay, Bishop jumps into action to try and arrest Cable. Cable knocks Bishop down with a filing cabinet; Wolverine tackles Cable.

    In a sleepy town in Arkansas, a mutant task force attempts an open approach to finding the Mutant Liberation Front, as Stryfe is now on their radar. Cannonball and Boomer are working with the group and Cannonball asks a man point-blank if he knows where the MLF might be hiding. The tactic is effective - the man, and many, many others, pulls out a gun. A fight ensues and the mutants take down the human forces that seem to protect this MLF secret. Havok, knowing that their pooled intel has placed Stryfe's main operations in this area, blasts the ground and finds that the town is a front an underground facility. He orders his team down.

    At Cable's safehouse in Switzerland, safe can no longer be used to describe it. Apocalypse gains entry and is amazed at the technology that Cable has at his disposal. Not only does the technology seem to be based on his own alien workings, but it seems that it is also familiar with his old Ship, the defector entity that aligned itself with Cyclops' X-Factor. Apocalypse cryptically reasons that Cable can have access to this type of weaponry only because he has no choice in the matter.

    Concerning Cable, the battle at Department K rages on with Wolverine and Cable exchanging blows. Wolverine chops up Cable's gun but then gets hurled into a wall. Bishop rejoins the fight to see Cable pound his way into an armory. Cable makes the mistake of firing an energy shot at Bishop. Bishop is quick to teach Cable that you don't do this, as he fires the energy right back.

    In the underground base of the MLF, Stryfe's forces, led by the Dragoness, meets the X-Teams head on. Cannonball asks to take on the Dragoness himself, as the two have a history. His problem, however, is that he doesn't take the fight with this lady seriously and she slows him down enough to make him vulnerable to attack. Storm, Rogue, and Polaris, on the other hand, have no problem fighting other women. Dragoness ends up being hurled against a wall.

    Elsewhere, Quicksilver is facing Tempo. She's slowed time, thereby slowing Quicksilver down to almost a normal run. Before her lackeys can shoot Quicksilver down, Psylocke and Gambit take out Tempo and her goons, much to the chagrin of Quicksilver.

    In an undisclosed location, Cyclops is completely in the dark. First and figuratively, he has no idea who has captured him. Second and literally, Cyclops is in a dark room with no idea who could be scurrying around. He finally blasts all around the room only to have the lights turned on to reveal children and Jean Grey the victims of his blind fury. He is then knocked unconscious and Stryfe comments on how this sort of leadership and decision making seems to be how Cyclops operates - all that and no regard for the consequences.

    In Arkansas, Archangel fights Forearm. Forearm hurls Archangel away and in the path of Kamikaze. Archangel doesn't see the new assailant and quickly turns to continue the fight with Forearm. As he does so, Kamikaze's head gets chopped off. It rolls and hits Boomer in the foot. She freaks out, but then jokes that his name probably doomed him to begin with. Archangel chides her for her levity.

    Back at Department K, Cable is still holding off Wolverine and Bishop. He is finally able to subdue them enough to state that he did not shoot the Professor. Bishop is not convinced but Wolverine wants to hear the man speak. Bishop goes so far as to pull a gun on a weaponless Cable. Wolverine slices it to bits. The men then decide to talk.

    At the hospital, Prodigal figures that the Madrox dupe is merely there to ensure the X-Patriots don't escape. This is futile, as Lukas knocks the clone out and the X-Patriots end up escaping.

    And in Arkansas, Gambit gets bested by Wildside. Wildside then gets bested by Quicksilver. Quicksilver, in his moment of glory, gets bested by Reaper who slices his calf. Reaper goes in for the kill, looking to kill Quicksilver and Gambit in one act.

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    Average score of 2 user reviews

    Impulses 0

    Though this issue is another "transition" episode between major points along the X-Cutioner's Song plotline, Peter David's emphasis on character moments make this a much more engaging transition than X-Men 14.  The unique (and dark) Jae Lee pencil work makes the melee combat scenes extra taught (especially Bishop's muscles).  Cannonball's decision to help the X-Teams in their investigation into the MLF is a good one (for his maturation), though I would have liked to have seen a scene of him tell...

    2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

    Don't Let That Be the End 0

    Last issue was awesome. This issue was awesome... almost. All the components were there: good writing and solid pencils by the one Jae Lee. You could almost read my review for #84 and know what I loved about this issue. Yet, the ending was terrible. All this beauty and style, and it ends with an old school Batman cliffhanger? Will Reaper do as he says? Read this issue to find out. (Same Bat-Time...) I know, I know, there have been many issues that have ended this way. But this book was really co...

    1 out of 1 found this review helpful.
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