What do you think?
Rate this book
The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix #1-4
X-Men: Cyclops & Phoenix - Past & Future
Collects Adventures Of Cyclops And Phoenix #1-4, Further Adventures Of Cyclops And Phoenix #1-4 And Material From Marvel Valentine Special.
Join Scott Summers and Jean Grey on a pair of wild adventures in time! First, the newly married couple faces a honeymoon like no other when they're pulled 2,000 years into the future! There, Cyclops and Phoenix must raise Scott's son, Nathan, in the shadow of Apocalypse! Can this post-nuclear family overthrow the ancient tyrant and his sadistic protege, the boy called Stryfe? Witness the story that sets Nathan on the path to becoming Cable! Then, Cyclops and Phoenix are thrown back in time to Victorian England to witness the rise of another mutant menace! Meet scientist Nathaniel Essex, and learn for the first time how his obsession with evolution and his own encounter with Apocalypse transform him into…Mister Sinister!
Join Scott Summers and Jean Grey on a pair of wild adventures in time! First, the newly married couple faces a honeymoon like no other when they're pulled 2,000 years into the future! There, Cyclops and Phoenix must raise Scott's son, Nathan, in the shadow of Apocalypse! Can this post-nuclear family overthrow the ancient tyrant and his sadistic protege, the boy called Stryfe? Witness the story that sets Nathan on the path to becoming Cable! Then, Cyclops and Phoenix are thrown back in time to Victorian England to witness the rise of another mutant menace! Meet scientist Nathaniel Essex, and learn for the first time how his obsession with evolution and his own encounter with Apocalypse transform him into…Mister Sinister!
237 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 10, 2018
About the author
Scott Lobdell
1,626 books234 followersScott Lobdell (born 1960) is an American comic book writer.
He is mostly known for his work throughout the 1990s on Marvel Comics' X-Men-related titles specifically Uncanny X-Men, the main title itself, and the spin-off series that he conceived with artist Chris Bachalo, Generation X. Generation X focused on a number of young mutant students who attempted to become superheroes in their own right at a separate school with the guidance of veteran X-related characters Banshee and Emma Frost. He also had writing stints on Marvel's Fantastic Four, Alpha Flight, and The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix mini-series with artist Gene Ha. He wrote the script to Stan Lee's Mosaic and an upcoming film from POW Entertainment featuring Ringo Starr. He also participated in the Marvel Comics and Image Comics (from Jim Lee's WildStorm) crossover mini-series WildC.A.T.s/X-Men.
He is mostly known for his work throughout the 1990s on Marvel Comics' X-Men-related titles specifically Uncanny X-Men, the main title itself, and the spin-off series that he conceived with artist Chris Bachalo, Generation X. Generation X focused on a number of young mutant students who attempted to become superheroes in their own right at a separate school with the guidance of veteran X-related characters Banshee and Emma Frost. He also had writing stints on Marvel's Fantastic Four, Alpha Flight, and The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix mini-series with artist Gene Ha. He wrote the script to Stan Lee's Mosaic and an upcoming film from POW Entertainment featuring Ringo Starr. He also participated in the Marvel Comics and Image Comics (from Jim Lee's WildStorm) crossover mini-series WildC.A.T.s/X-Men.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 14, 2018
The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix by Scott Lobdell & Gene Ha - 4 Stars
Given that a lot of Lobdell's X-Men work was not very good, he actually does a solid job of straightening out Rob Liefeld's Cable / Stryfe quagmire from X-Force. Cyclops and Phoenix get sucked into the far future by Rachel Summers to raise Nathan Summers (Cable). He was sent into the future to save him from the techno-organic virus he was infected with as a baby by Apocalypse. Yes, X-Men continuity is very confusing. Anyway, Lobdell actually writes a straight forward story with a lot of character moments. The one thing I still don't understand is why they never tall Nathan they are his real parents in clone bodies. Gene Ha's art is fantastic. He has a unique style I really dig.
Marvel Valentine Special by Tom DeFalco & Kyle Hotz - 3 Stars
A little throwaway flashback story from when Cyclops and Phoenix were raising Cable in the far future. They're attacked by marauders in the desert and need water. Meh.
The Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix by Peter Milligan & John Paul Leon - 2 Stars
This is really the origin of Mr. Sinister with an appearance by Cyclops and Phoenix. The book follows Nathaniel Essex as he crosses paths with Apocalypse eventually transforming into Mr. Sinister. I've never really been a fan of Peter Milligan's writing and the trend continues here. Between his writing and John Paul Leon's dark, sketchy artwork I couldn't tell what was happening half the time. This is early in Leon's career before he refined his style. The panels are at weird angles and often zoomed in way too close to be able to make sense of what is being portrayed. He uses way too much shadow to the point of obscurity. I pretty much hated his art throughout the 90's.
Given that a lot of Lobdell's X-Men work was not very good, he actually does a solid job of straightening out Rob Liefeld's Cable / Stryfe quagmire from X-Force. Cyclops and Phoenix get sucked into the far future by Rachel Summers to raise Nathan Summers (Cable). He was sent into the future to save him from the techno-organic virus he was infected with as a baby by Apocalypse. Yes, X-Men continuity is very confusing. Anyway, Lobdell actually writes a straight forward story with a lot of character moments. The one thing I still don't understand is why they never tall Nathan they are his real parents in clone bodies. Gene Ha's art is fantastic. He has a unique style I really dig.
Marvel Valentine Special by Tom DeFalco & Kyle Hotz - 3 Stars
A little throwaway flashback story from when Cyclops and Phoenix were raising Cable in the far future. They're attacked by marauders in the desert and need water. Meh.
The Further Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix by Peter Milligan & John Paul Leon - 2 Stars
This is really the origin of Mr. Sinister with an appearance by Cyclops and Phoenix. The book follows Nathaniel Essex as he crosses paths with Apocalypse eventually transforming into Mr. Sinister. I've never really been a fan of Peter Milligan's writing and the trend continues here. Between his writing and John Paul Leon's dark, sketchy artwork I couldn't tell what was happening half the time. This is early in Leon's career before he refined his style. The panels are at weird angles and often zoomed in way too close to be able to make sense of what is being portrayed. He uses way too much shadow to the point of obscurity. I pretty much hated his art throughout the 90's.
November 7, 2025
Ok the only reason I'm giving this two stars is because Scott and Jean are written super well in this book. Scott and Jean are often a hot mess of a couple, Jean has died, Scott has died, he's cheated on her, she's been weird with Wolverine, and overall they've been the corner stone of X-Men soap opera drama. However, Lobdell actually does an excellent job with writing them. This book is where they're sent to an alternate future (Age of Apocalypse stuff) after getting married, and end up helping raise Cable. Since there isn't any relationship triangle stuff, their relationship actually comes off a lot healthier. Adding cable to the mix gives a great dynamic on raising a kid together too!
With that being said, the rest of this comic is a slog, with pretty bad art, and page layouts that give me a headache. This for the most part is very 90s, and I really didn't jell with that. Scott and Jean is what kept me reading to be honest. At this time X-Men comics were pretty awful, and were a far cry from Claremont's 80s run with the characters. I guess if you really like Scott and Jean together you might be able to stomach this comic.
With that being said, the rest of this comic is a slog, with pretty bad art, and page layouts that give me a headache. This for the most part is very 90s, and I really didn't jell with that. Scott and Jean is what kept me reading to be honest. At this time X-Men comics were pretty awful, and were a far cry from Claremont's 80s run with the characters. I guess if you really like Scott and Jean together you might be able to stomach this comic.
August 13, 2023
Both stories are interesting, though I prefer the Sinister story for its moodiness. The first, future-based tale has nice, 90s art and an "epic" sense of relationship between all the characters. The past story has much more stylized art that feels right out of a Vertigo title and Sinister's origin really is an interesting one.
September 11, 2024
I remember reading comics when this book was coming out, and seeing "see Cyclops & Phoenix limited series #1" and wondering if the Cyclops and Phoenix go into the future to raise Cable story would be interesting. There is a ton of story potential, and I knew nothing about it.
Twenty years later, when Cable went into the future to raise The First Mutant Born After Decimation, I remember thinking "I wonder if this is anything like that old Cyclops and Phoenix story. Maybe the whole thing is a cool homage."
No, Cable time traveling in the future to raise Hope was am interesting storyline, where they gave us new glimpses of characters' personalities, and seemed to be having fun writing an adventure story.
Cyclops & Phoenix in the future is a dull slog. While it's interesting to see what happened to Rachel Summers after she disappeared in Excalibur, the main plot of Cyclops & Phoenix in the future doesn't add anything to their lore, Apocalypse's lore, or the Ch'Vayre who we initially meet in X-Men: Phoenix #1. Really, the only interesting thing is finding out that Rachel is Mother Askani, which...ehh.
The second half of the book, where Cyclops & Jean end up in the past where Nathan Essex is slowly evolving into Mr. Sinister is also a slow-moving, uninteresting story which manages to add things to Sinister's lore that just don't make the character any more exciting. He had a sick wife? Ok. His kid died? Sure. He knew Charles Darwin? What is their relationship? Oh, they argue a couple of times when it's convenient for the plot but otherwise don't have a relationship? I guess that's fine.
The best part of the Mr. Sinister story is John Paul Leon's art, which evokes Mike Mignola in the best possible ways.
Overall, though, unless you're a completist, this is a completely skippable pair of side stories.
Twenty years later, when Cable went into the future to raise The First Mutant Born After Decimation, I remember thinking "I wonder if this is anything like that old Cyclops and Phoenix story. Maybe the whole thing is a cool homage."
No, Cable time traveling in the future to raise Hope was am interesting storyline, where they gave us new glimpses of characters' personalities, and seemed to be having fun writing an adventure story.
Cyclops & Phoenix in the future is a dull slog. While it's interesting to see what happened to Rachel Summers after she disappeared in Excalibur, the main plot of Cyclops & Phoenix in the future doesn't add anything to their lore, Apocalypse's lore, or the Ch'Vayre who we initially meet in X-Men: Phoenix #1. Really, the only interesting thing is finding out that Rachel is Mother Askani, which...ehh.
The second half of the book, where Cyclops & Jean end up in the past where Nathan Essex is slowly evolving into Mr. Sinister is also a slow-moving, uninteresting story which manages to add things to Sinister's lore that just don't make the character any more exciting. He had a sick wife? Ok. His kid died? Sure. He knew Charles Darwin? What is their relationship? Oh, they argue a couple of times when it's convenient for the plot but otherwise don't have a relationship? I guess that's fine.
The best part of the Mr. Sinister story is John Paul Leon's art, which evokes Mike Mignola in the best possible ways.
Overall, though, unless you're a completist, this is a completely skippable pair of side stories.
October 1, 2019
The first half of the compilation was decent (Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix). Redd and Slym go to the future to raise a young Cable and fight Apocalypse, with appearances by Stryfe. Decent story, and neat to show how Jean begins to feel like Cable's actual mother.
The midway story (Valentine's special) was kitchy, mediocre, and unnecessary.
The last half of the book (Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix) pulls Cyke and Jean into the 1850's where they meet Nathaniel Essex and watch his transformation into Mr. Sinister. The story is neat, to learn of Sinister's past and why he cares so much about genetic manipulation, however, the story is very long and drawn out, and the artwork is atrocious. This could have been covered in one book, rather than drawing the tale out over 4... still, neat to see his beginnings. Appearances by Hellfire Club and Apocalypse.
All said, a worthwhile read for any Cable or Cyclops fan, or a fan of Sinister or Apocalypse. For anyone else, I'd skip it!
The midway story (Valentine's special) was kitchy, mediocre, and unnecessary.
The last half of the book (Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix) pulls Cyke and Jean into the 1850's where they meet Nathaniel Essex and watch his transformation into Mr. Sinister. The story is neat, to learn of Sinister's past and why he cares so much about genetic manipulation, however, the story is very long and drawn out, and the artwork is atrocious. This could have been covered in one book, rather than drawing the tale out over 4... still, neat to see his beginnings. Appearances by Hellfire Club and Apocalypse.
All said, a worthwhile read for any Cable or Cyclops fan, or a fan of Sinister or Apocalypse. For anyone else, I'd skip it!
October 6, 2019
These are two very different stories collected in one volume- both in tone, style and message.
The first collection is a time in the future where Jean and Scott must pass in order to help raise Cable to be the leader he is (a la Terminator). The artwork is simply confusing sometimes and I can’t tell who is bad guy or a good guy in the schemes of the plot or character so I found it a bit messy.
The second collection is a gem- shining diamond of an origin story of Mr Sinister and it takes place in London. Heavy inks reminiscent of Mike Mignola and so stylized and perfect for the creepy Victorian vibe- and I love the depiction of Apocalypse.
Overall a stunning collection that is taking chances and expanding on a vision of a world where the future affects the past and the present ever expanding to encompass hope.
The first collection is a time in the future where Jean and Scott must pass in order to help raise Cable to be the leader he is (a la Terminator). The artwork is simply confusing sometimes and I can’t tell who is bad guy or a good guy in the schemes of the plot or character so I found it a bit messy.
The second collection is a gem- shining diamond of an origin story of Mr Sinister and it takes place in London. Heavy inks reminiscent of Mike Mignola and so stylized and perfect for the creepy Victorian vibe- and I love the depiction of Apocalypse.
Overall a stunning collection that is taking chances and expanding on a vision of a world where the future affects the past and the present ever expanding to encompass hope.
December 5, 2018
Oh, man. I get that this is now an established part of X-men lore. Well, two parts.
But, yikes, what a mess. Things just keep happening and they're not remotely believable even in context. And the depiction of Apocalypse is inconsistent with everything else, even though he's a super-critical character.
But, yikes, what a mess. Things just keep happening and they're not remotely believable even in context. And the depiction of Apocalypse is inconsistent with everything else, even though he's a super-critical character.
June 1, 2023
If you can get past the 90s tropes of overwritten prose and indecipherable artwork, both miniseries collected here are actually pretty good.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews