Prodigal

• Writer - Chris Claremont
• Penciler - Salvador Larroca
• Colorist - Liquid!
• Lettering - Tom Orzechowski
• Ass't Editor - Mike Raicht
• Editor - Mike Marts
• Editor in Chief - Joe Quesada

Summary

  Sam entered Xavier's school as a teenager (New Mutants special/Marvel Graphic Novel #4, 1982) and is dedicated to the goal of mutant harmony with the rest of humankind. But lately, he's been doing nothing but fighting. He's in the Chunnel, helping in the aftermath of Weapon XIII (X-Men II:130), taking the wounded to the medics. It reminds him of his father.

  Xavier calls him telepathically, saying there are no more survivors; he insists on staying, as a coal miner's son, he doesn't leave till everyone's out, dead or alive. Unsaid, Sam wants to make up for what a mutant did here.

  Wreckage crashes down, and Sam pushes a rescue worker, Ginger, to safety. The news reports on the disaster, an act of mutant terrorism. The British rescue workers congratulate Sam, and they bond around the campfire. They're sappers, explosives experts, and their sergeant (who looks like Sean Connery) is also a miner's son. Sam and Alice agree, they both like Lila's music, and they sing one of her songs together, though he doesn't want to sing the sad ballad, "Sam."

  Ginger tells X-Men jokes; Sam asks why, noting the X-Men came there to save lives; Sarge says this wouldn't have happened if there weren't any mutants; Alice says you could speak likewise about any group; Sam asks why mutant can't be accepted; Sarge says the difference is power: mutants are weapons.

  The team is being pressured by the government to get the Chunnel open again, although they haven't recovered all the dead. Sam hears a voice and crawls through the wreckage, though it's ready to collapse; he uses a focused kinetic blast to break through and finds survivors. He gets a round of applause; the sergeant takes him aside, saying he saw his mutant power, but instead of bigotry, he wants him to continue to use it.

  After all are accounted for, the sappers are redeployed to the desert and say goodbye to Sam. The Sarge has told them about his power, and they get him to use it; he blasts away: "Cor stone the crows--I do believe that man can fly!"

  Next morning, Sam attends Darkstar's funeral (X-Men II:131). Afterwards, he tells Xavier he's leaving X-Corp; he's buried too many friends. Xavier shakes his hand, leaving him with a flyer for Lila's concert in Paris (his girlfriend from New Mutants Ann. 1 to X-Force 19). He attends; she teleports away with him.

  Months later, they return from the stars. She's kept in contact with his mother; she thinks Sam needs some "wild" in his life. On the web, he sees the Garrett incident (iss. 20). They stay a while in Paris, living the high life. Sam sees reports of the riot at Xavier's (X-Men II:136-138). Lila gives concerts. Sam sees that Ororo has split off from Xavier's (X-Men II:109). He goes to a café, where Ororo meets him, descending from the skies in a microskirt. Later, he mentions it to Lila. He says things have changed, and it's like his daddy's old stories about lawless feuds in Harlan, Kentucky, and Ororo's ideas make sense to him. Mutants aren't above the law, and someone has to make them play nice with others. He's joined her team.

  Note: in X-Statix this month, Edie threw up.