It’s hard to shake the impression that at some point last year, Brian Bendis broke a mirror. One instance of parallel plotting by writers who seed their stories far in advance might be dismissed as unfortunate, but with the arrival of Necrosha, there definitely seems to be a curse at work here. After both Bruce Wayne and Steve Rogers were catapulted back through time by their apparent deaths, the similarities between Blackest Night and Chris Yost & Craig Kyle’s X-Force epic means that we now have two major event comics satirising the comics staple of restoring dead characters to life. Thankfully, the storytelling here is strong enough to justify the duplication, even if this opening chapter is a slightly murkier brew than expected.

Artistic delays on the regular X-Force ongoing means that this one-shot opening chapter follows on directly from this week’s conclusion of ‘Not Forgotten’, with the undead making their long-trailed assault on Utopia. Meanwhile, Archangel and Warpath go in search of their book’s forgotten plot thread and Selene indulges in a considerable amount of exposition.  Returning X-Force artist Clayton Crain brings his usual combination of strengths and weaknesses to the book, with an overly dark atmosphere more than compensated for by his truly spectacular splash pages- the cliffhanger scene is a particular highlight. This opening chapter’s greatest success is in the portrayal of the main villain, and the creative team make a very good fist of building up a half-forgotten X-enemy into a significant threat. The writers obviously have a considerable amount of ground to cover here, having to cater for new readers at the same time as keeping the attention of those who have followed the story’s build-up. It’s possibly this challenge that leads to the slightly fragmented feel the book possesses, with many strands being juggled. In contrast to the unremittingly focussed X-Force #20, Necrosha feels a little scattershot at times, with almost too much happening to take in. Hopefully the story will streamline itself as the threads spun out to New Mutants and Legacy go their separate ways.

Speaking of which, the book is bulked-up by two short stories from Zeb Wells and Mike Carey, designed to act as preludes to their tie-ins. You can understand Kyle & Yost’s desire to keep hold of all the threads in the first of their two parting shots to X-Force, given the line-wide nature of the Second Coming crossover. The move, however, undeniably weakens these spin-off tales, leaving them entirely dependant on the reader’s affection for the figures featured. As someone who has read little of the original New Mutants series, I found the vinaigrette featuring the Joss Whedon-created Blindfold more compelling than Doug Ramsey’s return from the dead.

For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, Alex Ross’ current obsession is to dredge up long-forgotten bits of the past that everyone else has seem fit to forget, and try to drag them into modern continuity. The results are hit-or-miss projects that would barely survive without Ross’ name to them. Avengers/Invaders was the most recent of these for Marvel, and it’s fair to say that it at least did sell well. The Torch is its apparent sequel.

And, as predisposed as I am to dislike this sort of project, it’s actually quite entertaining. Perhaps that’s the work of scripter and fellow continuity-enthusiast Mike Carey. Perhaps it’s simply the unique nature of the premise. But for whatever reason, I ended up enjoying this comic far more than I expected to.

The Torch sees Toro, the original Human Torch’s one-time sidekick, adjusting to life after a cosmic cube-fuelled resurrection at the hands of Bucky Barnes. I assume this happened in the Avengers/Invaders miniseries which, despite being in-continuity, doesn’t seem to have been referenced anywhere else (which is odd in itself, given how well it sold). Toro is now a man out of time, made living but without a life, since his resurrection failed to alter the fact that his wife re-married, nor did it reverse his legal status (though that does beg the question – in the Marvel Universe, wouldn’t there be lawyers who could deal with this sort of thing?)

With nothing else left to focus on, the Torch decides to go after The Thinker, the man who killed him. And hi-jinks ensue. Appearances from the Golden Age Vision and Jim Hammond (apparently he’s dead again, though with him, who can keep up?) keep it rooted firmly in Avengers/Invaders territory but with enough passing reference that they don’t alienate new readers. It’s actually all quite intriguing, and very similar territory to Brubaker’s Captain America.

Patrick Berkenkotter provides the art, and although providing the art on a title with Alex Ross’ name on the cover can’t help cast you in a bad light, Berkenkotter’s half-sketch, half-painted style recalls Ross’ just enough that it feels fitting. The storytelling in particular is very strong. With his good art, a compelling mystery and a strong character at the centre of the book, all the ingredients for a decent read are in place, and even though I’m not really interested in the idea of a new Human Torch, well… as a story, it might actually have won me over.

This week has been all about one book: Captain America #600.

However, we already know it was a damp squib, so we’ll save a review until later on and instead focus on something we actually find interesting this week. And if you’re me, that’s X-Men: Legacy #225.

After wrapping up the storyline featuring Rogue and Danger, which went on slightly too long but gave welcome resolution to a couple of ongoing X-Men plots at the same time, Carey brings the book full circle and takes us back to Xavier and the Acolytes. The last time we saw them, Xavier was leaving after turning down a leadership role. This time, he’s coming back to finish the job of dismantling them once and for all.

The opening sequence features some typically inventive uses of Xavier’s powers.  It’s been a while since anyone did anything with one of the most powerful telepaths on the planet other than have him speak into people’s brains, so in X-Men Legacy, Carey has taken delight in showcasing other uses for the power, from a traditional battle on the astral plane, to co-option of the available fauna, to this issue’s all-out mental assault on the Acolytes, who are left reeling from an attack conducted on various levels. It’s an enjoyable start to the issue, and it’s a pity the rest of it slows down somewhat.

Artist Phil Briones isn’t given much material to work with throughout the issue, and after the opening sequence there’s a fair amount of talking heads. At least one squence is hard to decipher (A post-hypnotic suggestion causes Random to, er, something) and the best moments tend to come when he is allowed to illustrate the group fights between the X-Men and various warring factions, rather than the dull, featureless Acolyte base.

If Carey’s good at anything, it’s giving the status quo enough of a push that there becomes room for some new stories. That, if anything, is the consequence of the story arcs on Legacy, and this one is no different. The idea of a few former Acolytes joining the X-Men in San Francisco is an intriguing one, so hopefully Carey (or Fraction) will pick up on it – although it’s fair to say the really big moment in the issue the ending tie-in to Dark X-Men. It feels odd saying it, but if that team goes the way I’m thinking it will, perhaps this issue should’ve had a Dark Reign banner on it?

This chapter of the Rogue arc takes the rather odd step of not actually including its main villain, Danger, in any direct capacity. Instead, Danger’s role is altered so that she is orchestrating the environment, replaying Rogue’s memories through the use of Danger Room simulations. The technique acts as a far more elegant way to weave the series’ trademark flashbacks in and out of the story, though as ever, if you don’t have the knowledge to identify what you’re seeing, you’re not going to get it here.

The arc isn’t quite what it should be yet – so far, Danger’s targeting of Rogue makes very little sense, nor the manner in which she attempts to subdue her. Likewise, Mystique’s appearances in Rogue’s psyche seem positively confusing – in a story stuffed with holograms, Mystique is actually a mental projection of Rogue’s, but it clashes to have both going on at the same time.

Carey’s stories on X-Men Legacy have been of uneven quality from arc to arc – at its worst, Carey’s writing is incredibly transparent in its attempt to correct the “mistakes” of continuity, and even at its best, it relies on somewhat gimmicky ties to history. Whether the book really does exist purely to serve Carey’s own sense of continuity, it certainly wasn’t designed to serve the majority of fans, and it’s probably for the best that “Legacy” – entertainingly nostalgic as it is – is only a limited story.

The one element of the book that has consistently improved is the artwork. This issue might actually be my favourite yet, with both present and flashback sequences cleanly pencilled and brightly coloured -  a far cry from the title’s earlier, shadowy look. There’s no part of the book that fails outright, but levelled against the rest of the X-line, it distinguishes itself purely by being, well… a bit mediocre and forgettable.

Now that the crossover with Wolverine: Origins is over, X-Men Legacy can get back to the mission at hand – sorting out Professor Xavier. This issue, Carey turns his attention to a fairly controversial issue by placing Xavier’s half-brother, the Juggernaut, back on the path to villainy.

The reformation of the Juggernaut was fairly gradual over the years, but largely took place in Chuck Austen’s much-maligned run. Over the years, he got de-powered, moved into the mansion, settled things with Charles and finally joined the X-Men. That lasted until World War Hulk: X-Men where Cain decided to accept the full power of Cyttorak again so that he could beat the Hulk, but quit the team as a result.

Carey touches on Cain’s power-problems as a way to explain his flip-flopping reformation. Whether or not you agree with Carey’s opinion that Juggernaut needs to be a villain, he does, at least, make the effort to reconcile both versions of the character with one another. It’s easy to get upset about the re-villainising of Juggernaut, but in all honesty, it’s just as easy to see Carey’s side of the argument. There’s little that can be done with a Juggernaut who’s gotten over himself, and with a clear motivation and simple-yet-effective powers, he makes a good villain for Xavier and the X-Men – something currently in short supply.

Ultimately, it’s a good character piece for Cain and, unusually for this series, places Xavier quite unambiguously in the role of “hero”. The twist ending was quite easy to see coming, though it brilliantly demonstrates exactly why Cain doesn’t like Xavier – Charles ultimately wins their argument not by force or trickery, but by simply tricking Cain into admitting something about himself that he doesn’t like to admit. It’s a great single-issue story, and one that nicely re-establishes the relationship between Juggernaut and Xavier.

The art comes from Phil Briones, who depicts both action and conversational scenes nicely. His work is completely in-step with Eaton’s, and he doesn’t have the annoying Patrick Stewart thing going on that Eaton tends to, so I’m happy. I’m still not sure I agree that the Juggernaut needs to be a villain, but I’ll give it to Carey – he’s made a convincing case for his side of the argument.

As miniseries go, Secret Invasion: X-Men has managed to hit just the right balance between stand-alone enjoyment and relevance to the crossover, as the X-Men repel a skrull invasion of San Francisco. Carey’s wise decision not to do another Skrull-infiltration story gave the series a distinctive, militaristic feel, and that is ultimately reflected in the character material given to Cyclops in this, the concluding issue.

Of course, the problem here is that previous issues focussed not on Cyclops, but on Nightcrawler, who was wrestling against the brainwashing of a Skrull “bible”. That plot thread is entirely absent from this issue, as Cyclops’ decision to use the Legacy Virus against the skrulls take precedence. In fairness, it’s a perfectly sound climax to the story, but as an issue, it’s oddly out of step with what came before. The real surprise comes from Carey’s resolution to the plot, as the Skrulls blow themselves up rather than surrender to the X-Men. Presumably, the plan was to get rid of what would otherwise be an inconvenient number of Skrull prisoners without the moral problems of having the X-Men actually kill them, but it’s still a confusing moment.

The artwork from Cary Nord and Ma Sepulveda takes a bit of a downturn this issue, too. Nord’s usually deliberate images seem wonky and rushed, and it all feels like somewhere along the line this issue had to be rushed through a little. Again, it’s nothing overly poor, but after the first few issues there’s a noticeable drop in quality for the final part.

Still, as the definitive answer to what the X-Men were doing during Secret Invasion, it’s ultimately a passable series. Carey’s presence gives the series both consistency and legitimacy, and ultimately it justifies its existance by filling its role in continuity, telling the right story without making too much of a mess of it. It’s not amazing, but if you want X-Men fighting Skrulls, well, it’ll do.