Matthew Rosenberg is Tearing the X-Men Apart and That's a Good Thing

Marvel scribe Matthew Rosenberg has warned readers that no X-Man (or woman) is safe during his run. And with Jonathan Hickman poised to reboot the X-Universe, Rosenberg is playing with old toys that are about to be replaced.

He is a bull in a china shop right now. And it's astonishing.

***Caution: MAJOR Spoilers Ahead***

In UNCANNY X-MEN #18, Following the death of Wolfsbane, and the revenge killing of her assailants by Wolverine and Kwannon, the team is struggling to maintain their identity and cohesiveness. Some are questioning their purpose and those questions lead Logan right out the door, cautioning Illyana Rasputin on his way. Meanwhile, Cyclops leads an effort against the Marauders to stop them in their tracks. The fight is brief but after the Marauders surrender, Jono (Chamber) unleashes his frustrations and nearly kills Blockbuster with a fiery energy blast.

As Scott tries to reign him in, it serves as a distraction for the injured Blockbuster to stab Chamber in the back. Hope responds by putting a bullet in Blockbuster's head. Chamber's last words to Cyclops are:

"$%@# you Summers. You killed me. $%#@ you forever."

Since Scott Summers has returned from the dead, he has assumed his place as leader of this ragtag group of X-Men. Chasing down villains and putting them away forever. This time, he's accepted Captain America's help in detaining the villains. He is wise to accept Rogers' help but he's still running the show and making decisions that are altering the mutant landscape.

Which attracts Mr. Sinister's attention.

The encounter with Sinister is brief but effective, as he also surrenders rather quickly but not at the expense of Havok nearly turning himself into a cloud of energy as he unleashed a tremendous amount of power. As Karma decides it's time to leave and go off on her own, the team continues to unravel.

With only a few more months to go before Rosenberg is asked to step out of the sandbox, he's going for broke. That being said, he's not tearing apart the X-Men with some cruel enjoyment, although his trolling of the fans might suggest otherwise. He enjoys an occasional twitter exchange that reminds people that comic books are like "Who's Line is it Anyway?"

The stories are made up and the lives don't matter.

The fact is, for the landscape we're currently in as it relates to mutants, Rosenberg is doing a phenomenal job with the toys he has. He's telling a story that fits and not doing anything that feels like there's an agenda. People have been critical of Wolfsbane's death but he did it within the context of what being a mutant has always been about. He's not afraid to tell stories that people may find offensive or think to be told by a bigot.

The X-Men are characters whose stories are told through a lens of hard truths. People hate them. Yes, even the upstanding Avengers aren't fond of their existence. Matthew Rosenberg's storytelling encapsulates that and is delivering some of the best X-Men stories since Chris Claremont teamed up with Jim Lee.

If you feel it's too late to jump on board, do yourself a favor and look for the trades of Rosenberg's work on Uncanny X-Men. Or buy digital or back issues at your local comic shop. Jonathan Hickman's reputation precedes himself, but as he comes aboard to reboot the X-Universe, he has Juggernaut sized boots to fill.

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