STORY: "Phalanx Covenant, book one: Generation Next, part 2 of 4: Drop the Leash" (22 pages)  With the X-Men missing, Banshee, Emma Frost, Sabretooth and Jubilee try to save new mutants from the Phalanx.

What you need to know:
This is part of the Phalanx Covenant crossover, which was a lead-in to Generation X.  In practice, that means that the X-Men get kicked out of their own books for two months so that the new characters can be given a high-profile launch.  The plot device was that the X-Men had been kidnapped by the Phalanx; naturally, they were rescued elsewhere in the crossover.

Steven Lang is worried that the Phalanx are getting out of control.  This leads into other parts of the Phalanx Covenant crossover which don't concern us.

In a token plot development that actually relates to this title, Sabretooth escapes his shackles.  He returns next issue anyway.

Everett Thomas (Synch of Generation X) debuts, as the Phalanx fail to capture him.  They have more luck abducting Paige Guthrie (Husk), who had already been established as a supporting character in X-Force.

In a slightly baffling and rather pointless diversion, the Phalanx reveal that they've assimilated Sara Grey Bailey, Jean's sister.  Sara was reported to have disappeared years earlier in X-Factor, long before the Phalanx arrived on the scene, making this a highly unsatisfactory explanation.

Comments:
Welcome to Crossover Land.  We're now getting into a period where X-Men is in almost permanent crossover with Uncanny X-Men, and any sense of separate identity tends to be lost.  Plus, Fabian Nicieza's departure is now on the horizon, so the next few issues see him introducing several new storylines that disappeared altogether.  We can take some of this stuff fairly quickly.

Issues #36-37 are effectively prologues to Generation X rather than proper issues of X-Men, and can largely be disregarded.  Historically, perhaps the most significant thing about this issue is the debut of Synch.  Like the other Generation X characters, Synch was created by Uncanny X-Men's writer Scott Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo, but he debuts here under a completely different creative team.  According to Fabian, when issues #36-37 were written, he had little information about Synch's powers and personality, since the character was still being developed for Generation X.  As you might expect, Synch feels a bit off beam here.  He's too big, and too strident.

FEATURE CHARACTERS
None.

GUEST STARS
Everett Thomas (first appearance; later becomes Synch of Generation X), Monet St Croix II (last in Uncanny X-Men #316) and Paige Guthrie (last in X-Force vol 1 #36; all next in Uncanny X-Men #317)

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
The Banshee, Emma Frost and Jubilee (all between Uncanny X-Men #316-317)
Sara Bailey (last in X-Factor vol 1 #12; revealed to have been assimilated into the Phalanx; no further appearances)

VILLAINS
The Phalanx (between Uncanny X-Men #316-317)
Steven Lang (between Uncanny X-Men #313 and #317)
Cameron Hodge (between Uncanny X-Men #313 and X-Factor vol 1 #106)
Sabretooth (last in Uncanny X-Men #316)

GUEST APPEARANCES
Lucinda Guthrie (last in X-Force vol 1 #33), Josh Guthrie (last in X-Force vol 1 #36), Elisabeth Guthrie and Jeb Guthrie (the latter two last in New Mutants vol 1 #42; all four next in Uncanny X-Men '95)

Updated: 10 December 2004

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