By 1) Mike Carey (Writer), Michael Ryan (Penciller), Victor Olazaba (Inker), and Chris Sotomayor (Colorist); 2) Skottie Young (Writer), Daniel Panosian (Artist), and Nick Filardi (Colorist); 3) Chris Yost (Writer), Paco Diaz (Artist), and Matt Milla (Colors)

The Story: 1) After being shot by Mystique in the last issue, Iceman is hospitalized. However it doesn’t seem to be over as Mystique catches up with him there and shoots him full of a nerve-killer that will either “kill or cure” him. 2) The Juggernaut sits in a bar somewhere out west, talking with the locals about whether he should be “good” or “bad.” 3) Emma Frost has a long, boring internal monologue because she’s afraid that the other X-Men don’t like or trust her. Boo hoo.

What’s good: Juggernaut is always cool, especially in scenes like this where he’s taking a break from being an unstoppable engine of destruction.

What’s not so good: Emma Frost is always cool, except here, where she’s acting totally out of character. If you’re a world-class telepath, how can you not know whether or not people like you? And since when does she give a damn? The whole point of Emma Frost is that she doesn’t care.

Conclusion: Comics are so short already, Marvel really isn’t doing themselves any service by splitting books like these into even shorter vignettes. There’s no reason the last two stories couldn’t have been placed in the context of one of the many other X-books. The Iceman/Mystique storyline is obviously leading up to something, but I have no idea what. Reversal of the Decimation? But didn’t Bobby already get his powers back? And the two of them have zero chemistry. Manifest Destiny feels like a grab-bag of lukewarm leftovers.

Grade: C+

- Andrew C. Murphy