Uncanny X-Men 237 - Inferno Prologue

The rest of the X-Men arrive in Genosha as Wolverine and Rogue seek to regain their powers and Madelyne proves harder to mind read than expected.

Uncanny X-Men #237

Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Rick Leonardi
Inker: Terry Austin
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Much of this issue is focused on the flight of Wolverine and Carol Danvers (Ms. Marvel) in control of Rogue's body as they seek to evade the Genoshan magistrates for long enough until the rest of the X-Men arrive. In the process they come across Philip Moreau getting into a drunken fight with magistrates in a bar and coming off the worse for it. Seeking revenge upon his father the magistrates throw him on the "Mute train" that takes mutants away to a camp beyond the island's mountains out of sight and out of mind. Once again the parallels to the real world are all too clear and it's a strong contrast to the propaganda video Wolverine watches whilst waiting. The video instead tells the story of a success story that has conquered poverty and built a thriving industrial and agricultural economy that is the envy of the world. Wolverine comments on the omission as he turns to see a mutate collecting rubbish and treated like it by a pair of magistrates. Later as he admits that without his healing factor he'll soon be dead he determines to take down the whole country.

Elsewhere we get a very human encounter as Dr David Moreau, the Genengineer, meets with Jennifer Ransome who was going to marry his son before it was discovered she was a latent mutant and her test results had been switched. It's a chilling sign of how the oppressive society destroys even families as he sadly but calmly tells a woman who would have become his daughter-in-law that the whole country is based upon the use and conversion of mutants and that everyone has a duty to the state. Despite her please he calmly orders her to be sent for final processing. This issue is titled "Who's human?" The answer from this scene is not Dr David Moreau.

The other X-Men arrive on the island and face down a squad of magistrates when there is a massive psychic shock caused by a telepath's attempts to probe Madelyne. Throughout this story arc there have been further hints that there is more to Madelyne than it seems and the attempts to find out present great danger.

This chapter of the arc is more focused on the individuals as they seek to deal with the true nature of the supposed miracle of Genosha. Wolverine and Carol Danvers make for a highly resourceful team as they continue to outwit the magistrates and explore deeper whilst the presentation of the mutate process through how it affects and destroys one individual family really reinforces the horror of it all. This continues to be one of the strongest X-Men story arcs in quite some time.