X-Men Legacy #255 is the second issue in an arc that has Rogue, Gambit, Magneto and Frenzy on a mission to recover Polaris, Havok and Rachel Summers from the far reaches of space. Nothing ever goes smoothly for the X-Men, however, and they quickly find themselves in the middle of a civil war between the Shi’ar and the Grad Nan Holt, with Rogue separated from the rest of the group. To make matters worse, the space station where they’ve ended up is in danger of being destroyed as it’s pulled in towards a collapsing star.
With all of the Post-M Day changes that have happened in the X-titles, X-Men Legacy #255 feels a little like a more traditional X-Men story. The X-Men have a long history with the Shi’ar, both as allies and as enemies, and it’s uncertain in this issue which side they’ll fall on this time. When Magneto, Gambit and Frenzy find Polaris and Havok, they discover they are on the side of the Grad Nan Holt, serving as protectors for them as they force the Shi’ar to torture and kill themselves as retribution for unnamed crimes committed during their civil war.
Meanwhile, Rogue has her own problems to face, and she does so with the help of Rachel Summers, who she’s found on the opposite side of the space station from the others. We learn from Rachel that she ended up on the space station with Havok and Polaris after answering a distress call and that something there “packs a mind punch” that was strong enough to knock her out for a week.
The issue ends with more questions than answers as the reader is left to wonder who the Grad Nan Holt are and why Polaris and Havok are defending them so ardently, even as they coldly and gruesomely murder their Shi’ar prisoners. It delivers a strong finish that leaves the reader anxious for the next issue to see if this is a rescue mission where everyone can get out alive.
Sara started reading comics in the third grade, and now puts her English degree to good use talking about them on the Internet. She currently resides in Western Massachusetts with a roommate, three cats, and an action figure collection and spends the time she isn’t reading comics working for a non-profit. You can visit her blog at Ms. Snarky’s Awesometastic Comics Blog.