X-Men: Gold #19

Issue Date: 
January 2018
Story Title: 
The Negative Zone War – part 4
Staff: 

Marc Guggenheim (writer), Diego Bernard (penciler), JP Mayer (inker) , Chris Sotomayor (colorist), VC’s Cory Petit (letterer), Ken Lashley and Federico Blee (cover artists),  Jay Bowen & Anthony Gambino (graphic designers), Chris Robinson (assistant editor), Daniel Ketchum (editor), Mark Paniccia (X-Men group editor), Axel Alonso (editor-in-chief), Joe Quesada (chief creative officer), Dan Buckley (publisher), Alan Fine (executive producer)
X-Men created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby

Brief Description: 

The X-Men fight the god called Scythian but cannot contain his destructive fury. Ink finds, heals and returns Nightcrawler. The X-Men gather and formulate a plan. After they receive their promised ship from the Dartayans, Kitty uses her phasing power to attach Scythian to their ship. They head towards the vortex in the Negative Zone, where they cut Scythian loose. However, their ship has become too damaged and they crash on a planet.

Full Summary: 

Laughing, Kologoth recalls how his life was minted by hardship. How his mentor and lover Auror taught him about their fallen god Scythian, how Kologoth harnessed belief to resurrect him. And now that Scythian is here Kologoth orders him to slay.

Watching the giant god being shot at and shrugging it off, Old Man Logan remarks he doesn’t seem so tough for a god. Ink disagrees and asks Kitty if she has a plan. Kitty orders him to go find Nightcrawler, while she needs Armor, Storm and Colossus. She specifically tells Logan to take care of Kologoth. Storm and Ink fly upward with Armor, Colossus and Kitty.

Auror is unsure. This isn’t the Scythian of the holy texts. That thing is unconscionable, without mercy. Kologoth corrects him: it is the Scythian of the ancient texts and he finds him glorious! Is he saying he knew what they were raising? Auror asks. Kologoth reveals he knew the god was a force of absolute destruction. He has brought forth the instrument of his vengeance. On the planet that marked him from birth as other! That condemned him as a criminal!

As Logan attacks, he suggests he keep on monologuing. “Old Man,” isn’t that what they call him? Kologoth snarls. Yeah, Logan agrees, but let him show him what he used to be called…

While the others are keeping Sycthian busy, Ink has spotted Kurt lying unconscious on the ground. Kitty orders him to get him. Scythian hits Kitty and swats her away. Next, he hits Storm.

On the ground, Ink tries to treat Nightcrawler while psi-linking the others. He informs the that Kitty landed in the city and phased through the ground. She’s gonna be a while before she’s back. He fears they are out of their league. Angrily, Colossus gives the order to fall back.

Logan, in the meantime, walks up to Kologoth, who mocks him for looking tired. Unsheathing his claws, Logan agrees that he is exhausted, which is more than Kologoth will be able to say of himself soon. He attacks but Kologoth hits him hard and vows he will wear Logan’s hide for distracting him while he was savoring his vengeance.

His vengeance? Logan snaps while kicking Kologoth in the face. He’s turned the whole planet upside down, killed a bunch of people, hurt even more… including friends of Logan, all because he was born hated and feared? He stabs him in the back and tells him to get over it.

Soon, the X-Men gather back at the parliament. Colossus summarizes that Kitty is heading back but they need to find a way to beat a god. The alien who betrayed them before warns them they can’t. Scythian is the all-being. He regrets the part he played in his return. He was deceived. He thought they were working to free Dartayus, not destroy it. Armor suggests he can make up for it now. How did his leader turn Scythian from stone? And how do they get Scythian back that way? Logan adds.

The traitor admits, he does not know. The story of Scythian’s entombment is confined to the ancient texts of which he was unaware until today. Logan unsheathes his claws. The alien gulps and quickly adds he stole them from Kologoth’s quarters and he is a quick study. Be a quick talker! Logan orders him. How was Scythian turned to stone? Ancient and extinct magic, is the reply. Magic has not been used on Dartayus in generations. Logan sighs they should have brought Illyana along.

It’s too late for second-guessing, comes a new voice. Kitty stands in the doorway and informs them it’s a nightmare out there. People are running for their lives. Kologoth has unleashed doomsday out there, with Scythian happily attacking anything. The military is decimated and the X-Men are the only game in town. She asks about Kurt and is told he is recuperating. From what she heard, she figures they cannot hurt Scythian but he can be imprisoned. Ink points out they were told there is nothing on the planet that can do the job. Kitty replies going off-planet is what she has in mind, so the Dartayans have to give them a ship.

Soon, most of them are aboard the ship, with only Storm flying along outside. Still weakened, Nightcrawler still pilots it. Kitty asks Storm to keep the jetstream on their side.

Logan outfits Kitty with a harness whipped up by the Dartayans. Piotr asks her to come back to him. Damn, she jokes, he always says the sweetest things when she is about to die.

Kitty jumps out of the ship, a cable from the harness attaching her to the ship. She jumps toward Scythian, detaches the cable, which she then attaches to Scythian by phasing through him. She calls for Ink to get her. Storm clears an atmospheric pathway and then the ship gets busy towing Scythian off-planet.

Kitty phases back inside the ship and reminds everyone they need to get him to the vortex at the heart of the Negative Zone. However, Colossus struggles with the mounting coming loose, and Nightcrawler with the somewhat reluctant engines. Kitty joins Peter and announces that, when they get close enough, she will phase them both so they don’t get thrown into the vortex. Kurt gives the signal. They manage to hurl Scythian into the vortex but, moments later, the engines fail and they crash land.

Characters Involved: 

Armor, Colossus, Ink, KItty Pryde, Nightcrawler, Old Man Logan, Storm

Kologoth
Augor
Scythian

Dartayans

Story Notes: 

While the traitor seems to be the same character as last issue, he is drawn differently with red hair and facial hair.

Written By: