Marvel Mangaverse: X-Men #1

Issue Date: 
March 2002
Story Title: 
X-Men : Equinox
Staff: 

C. B. Cebulsky (writer), Jeff Matsuda (penciler), A. J. Jothikumar (art assist), Andy Owens (inker), LIQUID (colors), RS & COMICRAFT’s Oscar (letters), Brian Smith (editor), Ralph Macchio (consulting editor), Joe Quesada (editor in chief), Bill Jemas (president)

Brief Description: 

Rogue has run away from the X-Men and has sought the aid of Amanda Sefton. The X-Men inquire about her whereabouts and are attacked by Nightcrawler. He escapes but without a tail. The X-Men find out that Rogue was looking for Sefton. Storm is very shocked and tells of the evil demon named Magnus. She believes that Sefton is trying to summon him to kill him, thus getting her revenge. The X-Men go to the Xavier Institute and are attacked by the Azure. The X-Men kill the Azure and Magnus takes the body of Colossus. Rogue absorbs Phoenix’s power and defeats Magnus.

Full Summary: 

(One Week Ago)

A figure in a green cloak knocks on a large door. Amanda Sefton answers the door. The person in the green cloak is Rogue and she asks Sefton for help.
(present)

At a club, Moonstar is showing the bartender a picture of Rogue and asking if she has been seen around. The bartender is not responsive until Wolverine slams his head against the bar. Nightcrawler comes in with some of his cronies and Wolverine asks him what he has done with Rogue. Nightcrawler grabs Moonstar and holds a knife to her throat. One of Nightcrawler’s cronies tried to sneak up on Wolverine but he stabs his claws through his stomach. Nightcrawler teleports into the air and Moonstar uses her hex powers distract him. A red blast knocks everyone down and Cyclops walks into the room. Nightcrawler teleports down and punches Moonstar in the face and she counters with a kick in the stomach. Nightcrawler flips back and heads for the exit, but Wolverine tackles him and ends up cutting Nightcrawler’s tail off. Cyclops lifts the bartender off and asks him again if he saw Rogue. He says that she was looking for Sefton, and Moonstar says Storm is not going to like this.
At the X-mansion, Wolverine is about to tell Storm what they learned when Phoenix comes downstairs holding Rogue’s diary. In it, they read that Rogue felt like an outcast at the mansion, and that someone has been calling her at night, saying he needs a body. The body cannot be flesh. The diary says that she wants to help Magnus like he helped her. Storm drops the book and screams out, unleashing a powerful elemental blast. Wolverine tells Storm to tell them everything.
Storm says she and Sefton were once sisters in a coven of witches. She says that Sefton’s urn for power grew so great that she started delving in the black arts. One night she summoned an electromagnetic demon named Magnus. Sefton could not contain the demon’s power. Together, Storm and Sefton were able to banish Magnus to the earth’s electromagnetic field where he remains without a body. Wolverine then offered them both a spot on the X-Men, but only Storm accepted. Storm says that Sefton will try to bring Magnus back so she can kill him. But flesh cannot contain him, the X-Men think that a metallic body might work, and Wolverine has a bad feeling.
Aboard the X-jet, we learn that when they were kids, Wolverine poked out one of Cyclops eyes, and Cyclops shot off one of Wolverine’s arms, where he now has a robotic prosthesis. In the back, the girls discuss Phoenix’s now-over relationship with Wolverine, and her current crush on Cyclops. The X-Men arrive at the Xavier Institute and are met by the Azure, an evil group of mutants including Sefton, Nightcrawler, Beast, and Mystique.
Mystique shoots Cyclops down and Nightcrawler sics Beast on the X-Men. Wolverine tackles Nightcrawler but he manages to slice Wolverine in the back. Storm chases Sefton, but when she catches her, it turns out to be Mystique. Storm kills her with a bolt of lightning. Beast is about to bite down on Jean when Cyclops lets out an extremely powerful optic blast, which annihilates Beast. Nightcrawler is winning in his battle with Wolverine, but then Wolverine pops his claws into his head. Storm finds a room where Sefton has Rogue grasped in magic, and she says that Magnus has already been summoned. The energy rushes underground, hitting a metallic sumo wrestler, Colossus. Before Sefton can kill Magnus/Colossus, Magnus kills her.
Magnus is about to go after Rogue when Cyclops knocks him back with an optic blast. The X-Men all take on Magnus, but none of them are successful. Finally, Rogue takes Phoenix’s power and becomes powerful enough to banish Magnus once again. Rogue cannot handle her new power and flies away. Moonstar says they have won, but Wolverine says he still has a chill in his bones.

Characters Involved: 

Cyclops, Moonstar, Phoenix, Rogue, Storm, Wolverine (all X-Men)

Beast, Colossus, Mystique, Nightcrawler, Amanda Sefton (all Azure)

Magnus

Story Notes: 
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