Next, Magneto pines for the mutants on the surface, though rescue operations are underway, including one at Camp X-Factor, where Xavier and Nightcrawler are being held. Wanda and Pietro, unfortunately, have joined forced with Magneto's enemy, and therefore won't be joining their dad in the great post-humanity era.

Then we see Forge again. He's a little iffy about the whole genocide thing, but Magneto strong-arms him into silence. Forge is a bit younger here, but he's still got a cybernetic leg.

In the infirmary of the big floating rock, two doctors discuss the events occurring. They go to check on patient 118, and one of them recognizes him as -gasp!- that traitorous scum Cyclops! The mean doctor is suddenly blasted by a red beam, and Cyclops delivers another cheesy attitude line. Stupid female doctor threatens him, and she gets blasted, too. Cyclops second cheesy line isn't as bad as the first. Non-mean doctor still not blasted by red beam is scared out of his mind by a six foot toned mutant in his underwear. He agrees to take Cyclops to Magneto.

Back to Mr. Ego, his power is growing immensely from the power amplification machine that Forge built. He's erasing children's videos in Japan and talking about how much in awe he is of his power. Cut to Camp X-Factor, where a Brotherhood cell is breaking in and rescuing prisoners with Magneto' s help. The Professor is freed.

Magneto is still expanding his power, and he's very excited; until a red beam hits him in the back. Enter Cyclops. We know it's Cyclops because we' re treated to yet another bad line, this one calling Magneto a meatball! Then Sabretooth exhibits his spelling ability, and Magneto begins his verbal assault of Cyclops. While his assault is very mean-spirited, Cyclops is laughing. Why-is it because he's in his underwear holding onto a doctor and talking to a man in a purple suit with a red cape? No, it's because he's not alone, and has contacted his X-Buddies.

The X-Jet crashes through the giant glass room (didn't I mention is was a giant glass room? Oh well) and the X-Men attack. Pun after pun while Magneto talks to himself. Iceman doesn't seem to be doing anything but sliding around on ice and quipping phrases followed by "dude." Storm electrocutes Magneto. Jean gives Scott temporary vision with her powers (is there anything that girl can't do?). Wolverine decapitates Sabretooth, and then ruins it by calling him a meatball. Finally, Magneto's had enough, and disables enough of the X-Men to get back to his machine. There's enough power for one jolt more, and Magneto uses it to destabilize the core of a nuclear reactor near Miami. Best line of the issue: "No matter what happens now, the East Coast of America has just been given her death sentence."

Review: Intense issue, little predictable, but not terrible. Cover was cool, but why is Cyclops standing on top of a sinking pick-up truck? Wonders abound. While I liked this issue, there are a few gripes I have.

First gripe: Does this whole plotline seem a little familiar? Well, I don't think this particular one has been done before, but it has all the elements of past stories. Power amplifying machine has already sort of been done in the X-Men movie. Magneto trying to destroy the world was done every six months by Marvel for a pretty long while-though it's still entertaining. X-Men coming to the rescue at the last minute-okay, this is expected. Can't argue with it I suppose.

Second Gripe: The panel with Beast punching while Jean's in the background firing off some telekinetic green beam-where have I seen Beast like that before? Is it just me, or did that look really familiar? Like maybe it was in X-Men #1, with Jim Lee? I don't have the issue handy, but I though I remember seeing a panel similar to that in the early Jim Lee X-Men issues. Why has Beast's look changed back to a big, grown beast man? I liked him much better when he just looked like a frat boy with blue hair. My favorite panel of him was when that kinda-manga artist came in for a couple of issues, and Beast was chatting in a tree with his pseudo-chick on his laptop.

Third Gripe: The dialogue is getting a bit corny. I know Cyclops is supposed to be that way, but is Magneto, too? Wolverine calling someone a meatball? Is there a special code where certain phrases mean dirty words that I'm missing? Oh, and too many people use the word "Mister." It sounds like something out of the sixties, or earlier. Like my mother is in the comic and shaking her finger back and forth. Now, I don't want dirty words thrown in, but the ban on @*$&#!! has been around for awhile now and others have found better ways to accentuate a command or quip. What's with Magneto talking about idiocy and idiots and using all the language of a second-rate Batman the original TV series villain? "This all ends here, you little ingrates! I've had enough of this idiocy!" "What's the matter with you X-Men, anyway?" (omitted from the comic-"All I wanted to do was wipe out an entire race, but no! You have to come and ruin it all!")

Now, most of Magneto's dialogue isn't like this, so it's not all bad. But I think the writer, in trying to keep up with the current lingo popular among teenagers, has been watching too much Happy Days and not enough Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Well, at the end of this issue we're left with a cool, if predictable, cliffhanger. Let's hope the dialogue and artwork gets a little more original-otherwise we might have to start calling it Ultimate X-Men: The Animated Series made for little children as a complement to their Saturday morning sugar pops.

Two of four stars.