X-Men: Blinded by the Light

X-Men (2004) (Collected Editions) #8

by Mike Carey, Chris Bachalo, Humberto Ramos (Illustrator)

The X-Men face meltdown from within and from without... and their leader, Rogue, faces something worse. Meanwhile, a mysterious strike force is taking out the few remaining mutants one by one, with ruthless efficiency. But who is the ultimate target?

Featuring a plethora of mutant guest stars, the return of several fan-favorites and a devastating face-off against the deadliest villain team in the X-Men's 44-year history!

Collecting: X-Men 200-204

Genres: Comics, X Men, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 2, 2008

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.

Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.

Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This leads into Messiah Complex. The Marauders attack the X-Men from all sides, pretty much mopping the floor with them. We don't find out why until Messiah Complex though. It's a shame to see Rogue's X-Men team go. I really loved what Carey was doing with them. Carey took them out of their X comfort zone, giving the team some new villains to fight. Humberto Ramos's chaotic art fits in well with the blitzkrieg battles within.

[Baba · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seriously? Two of the X-Mens deadliest opponents join forces! And this was the best Marvel could do? Damn! And the art... I just can stomach Humberto Ramos.. because I can't tell who is who, and can't actually tell what is going on.. I was blinded by the art, blinded by the script. 6 out of 12.... as this is the major prologue to Endangered Species, so X-readers can't leave this out!

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Marauders are the X-Men's polar opposites. Formed to carry out the will of their patron, Mr. Sinister, this team was built to kill. When they returned after a long hiatus to battle the X-Men, the team returned better and bigger.

This arc serves as the direct lead-in arc to Messiah CompleX and it's a great story in itself. The X-Men don't leave this one unscathed.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

So the art work in the first 3 issues were not the best I’ve seen in the X-men series. But the art work in the last issue was amazing! The story line is good can’t wait to read the next book to see how it goes.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man I dug this. Loved Rogues team. Plus I was digging the duo of Cannon Ball and Iceman. That betrayal tho, I did not see that coming even tho I should have. Looking forward to Messiah Complex next.

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Humberto Ramos's art is ruining the X-Men, though Mike Carey's story isn't helping. This volume is a five-issue long prelude to Messiah Complex. Rogue's team of Cannonball, Mystique, Iceman, Omega Sentinel, and Lady Mastermind falls apart by the end of the first issue when the Marauders (best known for showing up in Mutant Massacre, a crossover from 1986. The New X-Men and the Astonishing X-Men show up, but the Marauders keep beating up all of them. Why? So that they, like the readers, have no idea what'll happen in Messiah Complex. Ramos's art helps the Marauders' obfuscation. The last issue, with art by Mike Choifeels like the best written, but that may just be due to Ramos's poor anatomy and storytelling making everything so incomprehensible.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly a tease for Messiah Complex, but there's nice characterization, a nice conclusion to the SuperNovas team, and overall a good setup for what is to come.

[Rylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

this volume is crazy there’s so many pieces of the story being moved forward as we gear up for messiah complex. carey continues to deliver great character moments especially for mystique who manages to steal every page she’s on

[merve]

Çizimler gözlerimi kanatmasa fena hikaye değildi aslında.

[Roman Colombo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading this, I realized that without Messiah Complex, it would mind if feel random and almost pointless, but it is still a lot of fun and really intense, especially Iceman and Cannonball's stand against the Mauraders.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

leads into the mutant Messiah story.... was okay.

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

In reviewing the last Carey arc, I talked about being pleased with his decision to use new villains, but disappointed that the stories didn't go anywhere, apart from some character developments.

In this arc, we get "fan favorite" villains: Mr. Sinister and the Marauders.

Name a Marauder.

The Marauders were a one-time use set of villains who wreaked major destruction and then disappeared. Occasionally mentioned in the context of Sinister, Sabretooth, or Gambit (the only three interesting characters involved with the initial Marauders storyline), they were best left in the past.

Similarly, this story involves Destiny's diaries, a Claremont plot device that was quasi-interesting in his initial X-Men run, was so badly used in his X-Treme X-Men title that he pivoted completely away from the storyline, presumably to hope the whole idea rotted in obscurity.

Carey's use of them here is...dull.

This whole run is filled with the lead-up to the forthcoming Messiah Complex crossover, which I remember really enjoying when it came out. But the journey there has been fairly dull. I read the whole run when it was coming out, but I have zero memory, so it's like reading the run for the first time, which will likely happen if I ever read it again.

Oh, god. Am I being mindwiped by Mike Carey?

I recommend it for fans of the Mystique/Rogue/Gambit nonsense that Claremont and Milligan kept exploring, and fans of Bachalo and Ramos's art, which elevated this from a two to a three star book.

[Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great continuation to Mike Carey's amazing X-Men run. Once again, he seamlessly brings old plot threads together and capitalizes on them in a big way. There is also a huge amount of setup for Messiah Complex. I especially enjoyed the very foreboding last issue where we get a break from the action to unpack everything that has happened, and foreshadow what will happen in the coming event.

As for the art, I've gotta say this is the best I've seen Humberto Ramos so far. He's generally hit or miss with me, since his pencils can look messy and rushed a lot of the time, with odd proportions and unclear action sequences, but he really nailed it here. Everything looked neat and clean. He's still not as good as Bachalo, in my opinion, but I definitely liked his work. And the last issue by Mike Choi was a real treat. The more realistic look really suited the more serious tone of the issue.

All in all, very good work. Can't wait for Messiah Complex and Carey's X-Men Legacy run.

[Tomás Sendarrubias García · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cegados por la Luz es el gran antecedente de Complejo de Mesías, y la verdad es que a pesar del dibujo de Humberto Ramos, no me he podido resistir a ponerle mejor nota que al anterior volumen, Supernovas. Y es que la historia , con lo sencilla que es, mola tanto y tira de tantos conceptos y personajes clásicos, que no he podido evitarlo.

Como era de prever con la alineación que Pícara había escogido, la Patrulla-X se encuentra de pronto siendo víctima de un ataque a traición, con los Merodeadores de Mister Siniestro y los Acólitos del desaparecido Magneto unidos para atacar unos objetivos concretos: Cable, Vendas, Bishop... aquellos con la capacidad de ver el futuro o que han participado de él, y además, buscan los Diarios de Destino, ¿por qué? Porque hay algo muy gordo a punto de ocurrir y no quieren que la Patrulla esté informada sobre ello...

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

C0ntinuing the great x-read if 2017/18...

What do you know? Someone finally freaking remembered that Destiny's diaries exist.

This volume is a decent read with some really great things happening and some confusing, poorly plotted moments. Odd character choices and some exciting surprises.

Worth it but with some issues.

[Michael T. Christensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost unintelligible if you haven’t been keeping up with the series, but there’s just enough to catch you up and keep you invested. Mostly they’re setting the stage for the villains in Messiah Complex, but there’s still a lot here to like.

[Mariano · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Marauders are attacking and the X-Men are defending themselves and... that's pretty much it, because this is a Messiah Complex prelude! Anyway, it's a solid 3, pretty fun, a couple of surprises and Humberto Ramos at top level

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eponymous 5part return of the Marauders & Acolytes

[Jamil · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art ruins the good writing

[Lilli W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. I think I actually enjoyed this arc more! It was awesome seeing the Marauders and the Academy X kids! I loved Cannonball and Iceman’s last stand! Can’t wait for Messiah CompleX!

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mike Carey is challenged to help get the X-Men ready for the upcoming Second Coming story arc. To that end, he is asked to close down Rogue's oddball team of X-Men with this volume. The team is already battered and beaten, having lost Sabretooth and left Cable on Providence Island. What should be a little downtime turns into the perfect time for an ambush by the Marauders! Cable is attacked by Gambit and Sunfire, while Mystique and Lady Mastermind turn on their X-teammates; even Karima Shapandar gets compromised, being digitally hacked by the Marauder Malice. With only Iceman and Cannonball able to escape the fracas, the duo is sent to discover why the Marauders and Acolytes have joined forces. With hints that include Destiny's diaries and the deaths of precogs around the world, the truth is hinted to be something Sinister. Humberto Ramos and Chris Bachelo handle art duties on this volume, which is a mixed bag. When in open space, the art is visually stunning and infused with modern pop art tropes. Scenes that require backgrounds and multiple characters get bogged down and murky. Despite my enjoyment of this offbeat X-squad, the editorial staff was blinded by the crossover event and ended a unique run of X-Men.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I loved about this arc is that it had a rather unlikely team. Instead of Cyclops or Wolverine leading, Rogue is in charge. The roster includes Cannonball, Iceman, Omega Sentinel, Sabertooth, Lady Mastermind, Cable and Mystique. Quite an odd team but one that I really loved, it shows that writer Mike Carey was going out on a limb not including most favourites but still had enough intriguing characters to peak audience's interests. There are many villains these characters face and I loved each encounter. Chris Bachalo and Humberto Ramos pull art duty and each does something different to make a great story. Bachalo has an anime style to his drawings which I love, it makes the series unique and he has a gift for crafting great action and drama sequences. Ramos' art takes a bit of getting used to since his characters have sharp angles to them like they're complex polygons but his art works as well although it takes a bit of getting used to.

[Jeff Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following up directly on where Mike Carey's "Supernovas" left off, "Blinded By the Light" is when the X-Men are caught up in a series of carefully orchestrated schemes by a group of powerful and classic adversaries with some new faces mixed in who seem to know more about what the future may hold than their heroic counterparts. Traitors are revealed, alliances are formed, and all of this leads in dramatically to the sweeping sequel crossover event, Messiah CompleX. Although I prefer Bachalo's pencils to Humberto Ramos's work, and this isn't quite as enjoyable a read as Supernovas (which set the bar so impossibly high), it's still a pulse-pounding storyline made all the more enjoyable by the amazing team-up of Cannonball and Iceman, who may be the X-Men's last hope of heading the villains off at the pass and stopping them from getting their hands on the prize they've been desperately searching for...

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume is really just one retcon-heavy mass of preparation for Messiah Complex. Having said that, there is some fun involved in figuring out whose side everyone is on, and Messiah Complex is probably good enough to be worth some bridging. So: fair enough.

[Lord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humberto Ramos is probably the worst artist that ever worked on X-men. His art is ugly and I always have problems recognizing the characters in his panels. Otherwise an interesting story and good build-up before Messiah Complex crossover.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 2 out of 5]

Este tomo está bastante mejor que su contemporáneo de Uncanny X-Men, pero sigue teniendo varias pifiadas que me hacen promediarlo para abajo. Reseña más o menos justificada de ambos tomos, acá.

[Ruddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great art by Bachalo and looks like something big is coming for the X-men. I just hope Bachalo stays on board.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guess now I can finally read Messiah Complex.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rogue is in trouble and the maruders are after Destiny's diaries. A decent plot with many twists and turns. Artwork is decent too.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Mike Carey, but: huh?