STORY: "A Skinning of Souls, part three: Harvest of the Innocent" (22 pages)   The X-Men defeat the Soul Skinner, and Vazhin kills him.  Colossus takes custody of the orphaned Illyana.

What you need to know:
The Soul Skinner gives us his origin flashback.  He tried to use his telepathy to help his daughter Oskana, but ended up just sensing her die.  Then he discovered that his wife was actually a Russian government agent sent to keep an eye on him (evidently a particularly devoted one, if they had a child together).  At that point he went nuts, killed his wife, and started his career as the Soul Skinner.

More of the Beast's ennui, as Jean Grey has a chat with him about his feelings.

Vazhin protests innocence as to the murder of Colossus' parents.  He also kills the Soul Skinner once he's been subdued.

Omega Red just escapes in the confusion.

Comments:
Yeuch.  Cluttered and ugly art, hideous levels of melodrama, and a Care Bears ending (Psylocke hits the Soul Skinner with the innocence of all the town's children).  Plus, a really awkward closing page where everyone seems to be struggling to find a decent finish.  And four inkers, though none of them can take the edge off Kubert's excesses.

The idea of this story seems to be that the X-Men are heroic because they've stood up to their angst without collapsing into insanity in the way that the Soul Skinner did.  Fair enough, but the sheer bludgeoning heavy-handedness stops the story from working.

Not the finest hour of anyone involved.

FEATURE CHARACTERS
Cyclops and Jean Grey (last in Uncanny X-Men #298; both next in Uncanny X-Men #299-300)
The Beast (next in Uncanny X-Men #299) and Rogue (both last in issue #17)
Iceman (next in Uncanny X-Men #299-300, then in Uncanny X-Men Annual #17, then in Uncanny X-Men #301-303, then in X-Factor vol 1 #93, then in Uncanny X-Men #304-305, then in issue #25)
Colossus (next in Uncanny X-Men #299-300, then in the second story in Uncanny X-Men #300)
Wolverine (next behind the scenes in Uncanny X-Men #299, then in Uncanny X-Men #300)
Gambit (last in Uncanny X-Men #298)
Psylocke

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
Jubilee
Illyana Rasputin (next in Uncanny X-Men #299)
Alexei Vazhin (next in flashback in Uncanny X-Men #383)

VILLAINS
The Soul Skinner (dies; also in origin flashback which is his chronologically earliest appearance, preceding issue #17)
Omega Red (next in Generation X #8)

GUEST APPEARANCES
Darkstar and Alexei Garnoff (both next in Starblast #1)

OTHER CHARACTERS
Oskana (full name unrevealed; the Soul Skinner's daughter; in flashback; first appearance; dies)
The Soul Skinner's wife (unnamed; a Flagwatch agent; first appearance; in flashback; dies)

Written: 7 September 2004

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