X-Men Gold #7

Written by Mark Guggenheim

Penciled by Ken Lashley
Cover by Ken Lashley
Published July 5, 2017

   There was a time when Magneto terrorized the humans in Central Park. But today in that very spot, a team of X-Men play yet another tired game of softball. Kitty talks to her old crush Colossus about his injuries when suddenly, a cloud forms over the New York skyline. Meanwhile inside the mansion, Prestige lets a shocked Nightcrawler know his feelings for her are mutually received. 

Um, Rachel..?

To fight the enemy in the last issue, she had to take her telekinetic powers to a place she'd never achieved before - More powerful than even her future hound self may have ever gotten to. Just then, a student runs in to tell them there's a disturbance outside.
   The team heads back to the mansion, and after a talk with Doctor Strange, the disturbance turns out to be a warp field over the city keeping everyone inside. Kitty orders everyone into small teams to assist but before that, matters in the mansion require their attention. Belen, a young mutant Storm brought to the school, has been murdered. Kitty explains to everyone it's likely part of a mutant serial killer on the loose that Logan and Storm have been investigating. And now, it's apparently inside the mansion.

"I know this is a bad time, but there's a serial killer in the mansion..."

   On the streets of New York, Logan reminisces with Ororo over the things they've seen - things they've been around. Maybe there's an end game for him. The conversation will have to wait as he springs into action with claws drawn. He smells a demon and quickly guts it. It manages to get up pretty quickly and the two X-Men know they're about to have a fight on their hands. Storm hits it with lightning and an injured but older Logan might need a minute to recover.
  Meanwhile Nightcrawler runs from an enraged crowd - a scene that has probably been recreated in the pages of these very books at least 25 times, but like softball games - who's counting? 

Nightcrawler isn't even phased by this anymore.

Back at the mansion, the killer finds the non-mutant lizard man from the Brotherhood as the X-Men find another dead mutant. Rachel can feel the killer's rage. And as he attacks another mutant, this time Kitty is there to confront him. She kicks him with a brutal roundhouse and before he can fire at her, she's able to request help. Rachel punches him as well and he's brought down by a punch to the back of the head by Piotr. The hit isn't long lasting and as he fires a gun at Colossus's head, we're left to hope he managed to turn metallic just in time as this issue is left to be continued.

BOOM!

   All the lame softball games aside, this is finally starting to feel like the real X-Men showed up. Who would have thought Kitty Pryde of all people would be able to lead such a legendary lineup but she's doing it with confidence. Mark Guggenheim is starting to heat up as a writer and Ken Lashley is probably the established X-penciler this series has deserved all along. With all of it finally starting to fall into place, I give this one a well deserved 9/10.

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