reprints: 2008 year in comic books, pt. I

The birth of the first mutant baby after M-Day caused a rippling effect in the entire X-Verse. Townspeople were brutally massacred. A few X-Men were either decommissioned early on, severely injured or worse, killed. Traitors time-traveled, old villains resurfaced. Some teams were disbanded but new ones were formed - same old faces, new mission and new costumes.

The following are the year's top ten OMFG moments in the X-Verse:

X-FACTOR: LAYLA MILLER #01
Stuff Happens

"If you weren't all busy dying, I bet we'd share a big laugh over it."

Layla Miller knew stuff. She knew that she had to tag along a Madrox dupe who was sent to an alternate future by Cyclops to gather information. She knew that they have to be detained in the mutant concentration camp. She knew that the then-young Lucas Bishop was also there. She knew that it was from him that they would get the info. She knew she had to sacrifice the dupe to send the report back to Madrox prime. Then she knew she had to draw some lines on the ground and stand at the center for ten days. When the guards came to bring her back to the cells, they asked what her deal was. She told them of the satellite that was blasted out of orbit by China eighty years ago, and that the debris are due to fall into the lot anytime now. And it did, effectively killing all the guards and enabling her to walk away from the prison unscathed. She knew stuff.

WOLVERINE #65
Get Mystique

"While you're crawling around out here, slowly bleeding out, you just think about who you are and what you've done with your life. And I'm sure you'll figure out what the pistol's for."

After betraying the X-Men for the umpteenth time, Cyclops tasked Wolverine to hunt down Mystique and take her out by any means necessary. Logan gladly obliged and tracked down the shapeshifter who was presently in the Middle East, holed up with a cache of weapons, waiting for him as well. A fight ensued with Wolverine fatally wounding the traitor. However, he did not deliver the killing blow and let her bleed badly instead. He walked away but not before leaving a pistol near Mystique.

X-INFERNUS #01
Soul Survivor

"Finally."

Due to an unexplained twist of reality, the New X-Men found Illyana Rasputin, the young sister of the X-Man Colossus, in Limbo fighting to get her throne and her soul back from her captor, Belasco. Together with the other mutants, she defeated Belasco. And with her brother arriving, she sent everyone back to Earth rejecting his offer of help. Magik reclaimed the throne of Limbo and informs her servants that they need to get her soul back. Back on Earth, Pixie accidentally pulled the mystical soulsword out of Nightcrawler's body. Sensing her own weapon, Magik teleported to the X-base and demanded that they hand it back to her.

UNCANNY X-MEN #503
All Tomorrow's Parties

"Who's next?"

With the powered-up Empath successfully taking down most of the senior X-Men, the beaten up Pixie contacted Beast and asked where her teammates were after realizing that she indeed belongs with the X-Men. The young girl raced to the fight scene and engaged the psychopath in a battle. She took him down, drew her soul dagger and plunged it into Empath's head rendering him blind.

X-MEN LEGACY #216
Walkthrough

"We're in my mindscape now. And at the risk of sounding vulgar - I own you."

Cyclops turned the table on Xavier when the former secretly invited Emma Frost to their meeting. Before Xavier could attempt to scan Summers' mind for traces of Mr. Sinister's influences, Frost crept into their former mentor's subconscious and started making him relive each of his morally ambiguous decisions made under altruistic pretenses. This made Xavier realize his arrogance. And for all his decisions that were morally wrong, he should now face its consequences. He gives in to Summers being the official leader of the X-Men and leaves.

TO BE CONTINUED.