STORY: "Down the Rabbit Hole" (22 pages)
The X-Men and Sunfire are split up and appear in another dimension, where there is a war between the rebel Posse Comitatus and the Triumvirate led by the evil Queen Sha-Har-A-Zath. Everyone picks sides and Jean, Colossus and Storm meet Colossus's long lost brother Mikhail Rasputin.

What you need to know:
Colossus's brother Mikhail Rasputin makes his first appearance. Previously we'd been told that he was dead.

Comments:
See my comments for the previous issue, really. Again, we're in rather average territory here. The plot also begins to hinge on an astonishingly unlikely series of coincidences. It's one thing for Colossus's long lost brother to show up alive and well after all these years, but to accidentally stumble into the same alternate dimension and happen to blunder across him?

The issue does flesh out the Posse Comitatus (who are the goodies) and the Triumvirate (who are the baddies) a bit, though. Incidentally, "Posse Comitatus" is a Latin term for the people who enforce government decisions. I'm told it has certain other connotations in the USA which are to do with some nineteenth century statutes about the use of the army, but the relevance of the term is a bit of a mystery here. Perhaps some American readers can e-mail me to explain. Presumably Portacio wasn't thinking of the present day Posse Comitatus organisation, an anti-semitic hate group.

FEATURE CHARACTERS
The X-Men: Archangel, Colossus, Jean Grey, Iceman and Storm

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
Colonel Mikhail Rasputin (Colossus' brother, long believed dead; first actual appearance, although he was referred to many years before this story; a mutant with energy-manipulating powers, as revealed next issue; chronologically last in his origin flashback in issue #286)
Sunfire
Bishop, Malcolm and Randall (all next in issue #287)
Trish Tilby (last in X-Factor #65; next in issue #294)

VILLAINS
Queen Sha-har-a-zath and the Triumvirate (first appearance of all)
Two criminals from Bishop's timeline (unnamed and deceased; both presumably last among the horde of villains in issue #283)

OTHER CHARACTERS
Primate, Adjunct and the Posse Comitatus
Captain J Walker Kyle (a New York police officer; first and only appearance)

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