GENERATION X-23 #10
“Take Me To Church”
Writer: Jody Houser
Artist: Marco Renna
Colour artist: Erick Arciniega
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Editors: Mark Basso & Alanna Smith

COVER: Just a general pin-up of the core cast. This is the final issue of the series.

PAGES 1-4. The teams square off.

We’re picking up directly from the end of the previous issue, where X-Infinite did indeed identify his followers as “the Church of the Generated”. On the opposing team, we have:

• X-Infinite, obviously. As in early issues of this series, he’s sticking to his identity as a genetically engineered creation and claiming superiority over both humans and mutants. Presumably, it’s something of a eugenics-based worldview – he’s better because he was made this way on purpose.
• X-66, and more on her later.
• Bellona. X-Infinite explains in passing that he learned about Bellona as another X-23 clone, and went after her in the hopes of finding another source for her healing factor. In the first arc, he wanted the healing factor so that he could try and stabilise the Generated, including himself. However, Bellona doesn’t have healing powers; he says he’s agreed to give them to her as payment. At any rate, this is X-Infinite’s understanding of the position; see below for more on that.
• “One of the Stepford Cuckoos”. Laura tells us that it’s Celeste, and she’s presumably right, but the Cuckoo herself never confirms this. No particular reason is given for why one of them has shown up alone, but the fact that it’s unusual is flagged to our attention. Presumably this would have gone somewhere if the series had continued. The Cuckoos are basically clones of Emma Frost, and apparently meet X-Infinite’s definition of generated.

Bellona suggests that Laura will be surprised to see her alive, but there’s no particular reason why Laura would think otherwise. They last met in All-New Wolverine #18, when Bellona was working for Kimura. Bellona is probably just meant to be complaining about the lack of interest Laura has shown in her since that issue, which came out in 2017.

X-Infinite is surprised to see the time-travelling X-80. He learned in issue #2 that Laura had seen X-80’s death, and he never actually saw her show up again to help Laura in issue #5. It doesn’t take him long to figure out that since he gave her time travel powers, he must be meeting her out of sequence. It’s not entirely clear why X-80 thinks that sticking around might help him to replicate her time travel power (and give it to himself, presumably) – he’s done it before, so surely he already knows? The idea might be that he needs access to a DNA sample, and the easiest way to get another one is to take it from her.

X-66 was injured by one of Time Bomb’s explosions in issue #5.

PAGE 5. The fight breaks out.

X-66 is mind-controlled by Celeste, as explained later on. Celeste refers to the Cuckoos as the Four-in-One. There are five Cuckoos, but Sophie has been estranged from the group since the last run of NYX and shows up on her own in X-Men United. (Emma seems not to have taken any interest in bringing the others back under her wing.)

PAGE 6. Gabby and Bellona.

Bellona’s comments about having no real choice but to work for whoever pays her are basically in line with her depiction in All-New Wolverine. She and Gabby both seem to be going through the motions of a stand-off while looking for a way out.

PAGE 7. X-Infinite and the Generated.

Port can be seen in panel three hiding behind a tree. As in previous issues, Surprise! continues to shoehorn in internet slang that she’s only just become aware of. X-Infinite seems confident that everyone will come round to him in due course.

PAGES 8-9. Celeste is defeated.

Port and Time Bomb’s double team move has shown up before, for example in issue #7.

PAGES 10-12. X-66 turns on X-Infinite.

Understandably, she’s not very happy about being attached to this scorpion cyborg thing. (We’ll come back to what happened to her later on.) X-Infinite still seems to think that this was a gift to her, and that she’s failing to appreciate it. At any rate, he doesn’t have too much trouble despatching her.

PAGES 13-14. Laura defeats X-Infinite.

All fairly straightforward.

PAGES 15-16. Bellona demands to take X-Infinite.

Bellona is apparently working for the Facility, with some reluctance, and says that “if I take him in, I have an excuse for not taking them”. For the purposes of the plot we’re asked to accept that if Bellona did call the Facility for back-up then the Generated would all be recaptured, which seems a bit pessimistic. But then the Generated aren’t very good in a fight yet, and X-66 is not exactly easy to transport in her present condition. Bellona is essentially offering to cover for everyone else while they escape, so Laura takes the deal.

There’s no room for Time Bomb to meet her family as planned last issue, because the book has been cancelled.

PAGES 17-18. X-66 in hospital.

X-66 is blaming herself for going back to help X-Infinite in issue #5. Laura interprets this as heroic self-sacrifice, but X-66 seems closer to the mark of the original story in suggesting that she somehow felt drawn back to her boyfriend despite knowing what sort of person he was.

Clearly, X-66 has been separated from the cyborg, and from the look of that bed (and the skeleton visible on one of the display monsters), her lower body was in fact intact – the cyborg parts were apparently more a sort of armour.

PAGES 19-20. Laura introduces the Generated to the X-Men.

Logan tags along, having introduced this, but the idea is to introduce them to three X-Men who have the same powers as them – Nightcrawler for Port, Husk for Surprise!, and Boom-Boom for Time Bomb. On a boringly practical level, that means that this story takes place somewhere after the current X-Force arc has ended, since Boom-Boom is on the run right now. These characters may have been the source of the DNA used to give the Generated their powers, although Nightcrawler and Port’s teleporting style is quite different.