Another chunky X-Men trade, seven issues and a crossover one too, and well worth it.
MacKay's X-Men run continues to impress. The character work is well done while keeping the action flowing, and the little seeds he's planted earlier in the run start sprouting as we move forward. 3K's threat is only growing, and across these two major storylines, a hell of a lot happens.
Alpha Flight's reintroduction builds nicely off their Fall Of X book, then we get the crossover issue, before 3K's own X-Men attack, while the subplot surrounding Piper Cobb boils over into a big, literally big problem. It's all done with MacKay's usual respect for continuity and care to ensure that we're not just bouncing from big fight scene to big fight scene without dealing with the more personal moments in the middle. Cyclops gets some fun stuff with his dad, Beast has a whole thing, and Idie and Quentin Quire continue their tumultuous relationship even as things explode.
The art team's firing on all cylinders as well. Netho Diaz and Ryan Stegman are almost indistinguishable at this point, while Emilio Laiso's single issue fits nicely at the end, even if it stands out a little for the difference in style.
While all the other From The Ashes books seem to be dropping like flies, X-Men (and Uncanny) continue at full speed, and they're easily the best of the bunch.