The X-men are scattered and have lost their home in Westchester after the events of Messiah Complex. An adventure in hippie-ified San Francisco leads to the X-men making their home there, while Colossus (along with Wolverine and Nightcrawler) travel to Russia and encounter various problems. The parts of the story dealing with the aftermath of Decimation and the mutant birth are satisfying and provide some character growth, while the stories in Russia (and to a lesser degree SF) are less notable. ( )

Well, needless to say, the very first follow up story to Messiah Complex didn't quite live up to the appeal of its predecessor. Cyclops has decided to disband the X-Men after the events of Messiah Complex, or has he? Why is he sending some of the X-Men remaining on Earth to San Francisco? And more importantly, why is San Francisco reverting back to the 1960s? And how is this a decent continuation of the great story that was told in Messiah Complex? And what's the point of the story following Wolverine, Colossus and Nightcrawler in Russia?

Unfortunately, after such a great comeback (at least in my eyes) that happened with Messiah Complex, this collection falls short. Hopefully it's just staging the groundwork for some better stories in a new location (San Fran). ( )

Missable vignettes. ( )

#495-499 ( )