TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT FRACTALS

• Writer - Grant Morrison
• Penciler - Frank Quitely
• Inker - Tim Townsend
• Colorist - Chris Chuckry
• Lettering - Richard Starkings
• Lettering - Comicraft
• Lettering - Saida Temofonte
• Ass't Editor - Nova Suma
• Ass't Editor - Mike Raicht
• Editor - Mike Marts
• Editor in Chief - Joe Quesada

Summary

  Note: this is Riot at Xavier's Part 1.

  Xorn introduces himself to his new, "special" class, of particularly oddly-shaped (and disinterested) students. Basilisk says he overlooked No-Girl in the roll since she's "totally conceptual"; he double-checks and suggests she's gone ahead of them. As he leads the students outdoors, they laugh at the "Jack-Ass" sign stuck to his back.

  Xorn takes them on a hike, and they dislike the effort; Angel wishes they could be watching "mind movies" like the other students; Beak says "special" equals "garbage"" freaks and losers. Ernst asks Xorn about being locked up, and he says he was in a dungeon till the X-Men rescued him (2001 Ann.).

  Xavier lectures Kid Omega, objecting not to his purple Mohawk but to his stereotypically "mutant menace" clothing; he doesn't want to provoke strife on Open Day. But Kid insists on being confrontational and reclaiming old, bigoted imagery. Emma says Kid has been using the drug Kick to enhance himself to ten million thoughts per second; he denies it and changes the subject: they shouldn't invite humans to a school full of vulnerable mutants, considering Genosha and Carnation (iss. 114, 134). Xavier won't tell the kids not to do drugs, but he warns them Kick is a neuro-toxin which may damage their mutant X-Gene. Kid says his clothes were designed by Carnation, and he doesn't want to live in a world with his murderers; Xavier counters that not all humans are murderers; Kid asks what would happen if they started following a dream he didn't like.

  Later, Kid is collecting his gang, making them all wear identical clothes (orange and black striped sweater, white Oxford shirt, dark pants and boots). He wants to make humans scared of them again, and he has them all inhale Kick: it enhances mutant powers five times over, for five hours. They laugh off its toxicity.

  In Mutant Town, Kid, Radian, Tattoo, Herman, and Redneck find the punks who killed Carnation, pick a fight, and swiftly kill them all. Kid spray paints a mark: an omega over crossbones. One mutant avenged; 16 million to go.

  Xavier tells the students about the attack, says he won't tolerate vigilante assaults, and institutes a dress code. Kid, in a "Magneto Was Right" t-shirt, says Xavier always wanted them to think outside the box.

  Xavier holds a psi-conference with the staff, including Jean in Hong Kong. He says when Kid learned he was adopted, it shook his sense of identity, and now he's an agitator, who has the ability to develop a cult following. Logan says they're just testing the limits; Scott says they may be watching the genesis of the next super-villain, and kids need role models and limits. Emma says it's all coming from Kick: she's tried it herself, and it make you "angelic and violently insane"; Hanks says 6 mutants have OD'd on it.

  Xorn sits around a campfire with the kids. Basilisk asks him what crime he committed to get thrown into jail; he says he was just different, with a star instead of a brain. Someone watches them.

  Kid has his gang get tattoos of the Omega-X; Redneck worries about looking like frat-boys; Kid says they're the new X-Men.

Summary

  Cover name was changed to "New X-Men" for Issues 114 - 156.