Finally, X-Men: Divided We Stand #2 is the second of two anthologies, catching up on members of the X-Men's extended family of supporting characters while the team are dissolved.  The first one was a mixed bag, elevated largely by a Matt Fraction story. 

This one is just a bit average, I'm afraid.  Individually, the stories are perfectly inoffensive; but collectively, the series can't help but feel superfluous.

The opening story is the strongest.  Mike Carey and Scot Eaton's "Lights Out" is simply a monologue by the Beast as he recovers some possessions from the wreckage of the school (and retrieves the disembodied brain of Martha Johansson, who apparently hasn't been forgotten about after all).  It isn't really a story, just a vignette.  But with the team apparently about to relocate to the west coast, saying goodbye to the old school seems to have fallen through the cracks.  This story does it, and that's something.

"Planting Seeds" is the first of two stories written by C.B. Cebulski.  It's a Magik story, and the basic point is "Hey, remember how we brought Magik back in New X-Men?  Well, so do we."  This story seems to be taking the line that the Darkchilde is actually Magik, which I recall was a bit more ambiguous in the original story.  The plot, if you can call it that, involves her plucking up the courage to visit the X-Men, finding the school ruined, and going home again. 

But basically, it's just a reminder that this plot is still alive despite the cancellation of New X-Men, and will be picked up... well, somewhere or other.  Daniel Yardin contributes some lovely art, but there's not much else to it.

Cebulski's other story, "The Sun Also Sets", features Surge and Dani Moonstar.  It's one of those rather awkward scenes where characters proclaim philosophies at each other, and without more context to it, it's difficult to take terribly seriously.  All I really got out of this is that Surge, a character who seems to have been written out altogether, is feeling a bit emo.  Oh well.

"The Hole", by Andy Schmidt and Frazer Irving, picks up on the Starjammers, who have been languishing in a Shi'ar jail since the Emperor Vulcan miniseries ended.  If you're wondering what that could possibly have to do with "Divided We Stand", well, the story sees Vulcan gleefully breaking the news to Havok.  Havok then gets a bit annoyed. 

At best, this is a trailer for a Havok/Vulcan story, to appear in some unspecified place at some unspecified time.  However, the art gives it some value.  Colouring his own work, Irving produces some lurid lighting effects and goes to town on Havok's powers.  Irving's not always a comfortable fit for superhero stories, but the sheer oddity of Havok's design seems to play to his strengths.

Finally, we have "Idée Fixe" by Duane Swierczynski and Chris Burnham.  This really has nothing to do with "Divided We Stand."  It's a prologue to Swierczynski's Cable series, explaining from Forge's perspective how Bishop got that artificial arm.  Obviously, for readers who thought Bishop's flashback in Cable #2 just wasn't detailed enough, this will be essential reading.  The rest of us and shrug and move on.

A mostly average collection, including a couple of borderline trailers, raised somewhat by artwork stronger than the stories really deserve.

Rating: B

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