New X-Men #33
New X-Men #33 opens the 'Mercury Falling' arc, one of the most Mercury- and X-23-centric storylines in the Kyle/Yost run, giving Cessily Kincaid her longest spotlight to date and deepening the bond between her and Laura Kinney. The issue reframes the threat of the Facility — the organization that engineered X-23 — as something that can reach outward and devastate an innocent bystander, shifting the emotional weight of X-23's traumatic past onto a friend who did nothing to deserve it. The misdirection at its core (Kimura appears to be hunting X-23 but has actually come for Mercury) is a quietly devastating structural choice that forces both characters to grapple with guilt and solidarity in equal measure. That same issue plants the seeds for Predator X, a mutant-hunting creature assembled partly from Mercury's stolen biometal, who would go on to play a significant role in the line-wide Messiah Complex event.
In "Mercury Falling Part 1," Beast guides Hellion through the challenges of mastering his volatile powers, while Emma Frost makes a difficult decision about X-23’s place at the mansion—prompting tension and emotional fallout. As the New X-Men grapple with shifting dynamics, Cyclops confirms Surge’s leadership, and X-23 confronts her past when an unexpected attack reveals Kimura’s true target: Mercury. Written by Craig Kyle and Chris Yost, with dynamic art by Paco Medina and Juan Vlasco, and a cover by Medina and Vlasco, this 2007 issue blends personal stakes with high-octane action.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost had taken over New X-Men at issue #20, reorienting the title toward a darker, survival-focused tone in the wake of the Scarlet Witch's 'No more mutants' decree. 'Mercury Falling' was designed as a sequel to the limited series X-23: Target X, extending the Facility's reach from Laura's solo continuity into the shared student cast. Paco Medina, the arc's primary penciler, had already established a visual language for the post-M-Day student body in earlier issues of the same run; editor Nick Lowe and editor-in-chief Joe Quesada oversaw the production. The arc ran across issues #33–36 and was later collected in the trade paperback New X-Men: Childhood's End Vol. 4: Mercury Falling.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First chapter of the four-part 'Mercury Falling' arc (New X-Men #33–36, cover-dated February–May 2007).
- Written by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost; penciled by Paco Medina; inked by Juan Vlasco; colored by Brian Reber; edited by Nick Lowe.
- The issue's central scene has Cessily Kincaid (Mercury) publicly confront Emma Frost for attempting to drive X-23 (Laura Kinney) away from the Xavier Institute, establishing an enduring antagonism between Cessily and Emma that persists into later storylines.
- Kimura — X-23's indestructible former Facility handler and primary antagonist — leads the assault on the Grind Stone Café in Salem Center, capturing Mercury after a feint that convinces both Laura and readers she is targeting X-23.
- The issue reveals that the Facility — the clandestine program that created X-23 — has been commissioned posthumously by William Stryker to build a mutant-hunting biological weapon, later identified as Predator X, using Mercury's organic metallic skin as a key biological component.
- Kimura had debuted two issues earlier in New X-Men #31; Predator X itself does not physically appear until the following issue, #34.
- The full New X-Men roster at this stage — Dust, Elixir, Hellion, Mercury, Prodigy, Rockslide, Surge, and X-23 — appears as featured characters, with Beast, Cyclops, and Emma Frost in supporting roles.
- The arc was later collected in New X-Men: Childhood's End Vol. 4: Mercury Falling and is an essential reading-order companion to X-23: Target X.
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Reprinted in New X-Men: The Quest for Magik - The Complete Collection #[nn] (2019)
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