X-Men #99
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeX-Men (Vol. 2) #99 is the pivotal penultimate chapter of Marvel's late-1999/early-2000 'Powerless' storyline, delivering the shock revelation that Mr. Sinister had been masquerading as Dr. Essex — the High Evolutionary's partner — and had orchestrated the global depowering of every mutant on Earth for his own experimental ends. The issue also marks the first appearance of Domina and the hidden community of the Neo, a reclusive subspecies of super-mutants whose near-annihilation by the High Evolutionary's gene-switch would fuel X-Men storylines well into Chris Claremont's subsequent run. By forcing each X-Man to cope with sudden, total powerlessness, the issue asked one of the franchise's most resonant character questions: who are these people when the mutations that define — and isolate — them are simply gone?
In "Oh, the Humanity," the X-Men face a new kind of struggle after losing their powers, trying to rebuild their lives in a world that no longer needs them. Meanwhile, Mr. Sinister turns on the High Evolutionary, setting in motion a plan to force evolution on every human on Earth. Written by Terry Kavanagh and Alan Davis, with art by Brett Booth and inks by Sal Regla, this pivotal issue features a cover by Paul Smith.
In "Oh, the Humanity," the X-Men face a quiet but profound shift as they adapt to life without their powers, navigating a world that no longer sees them as heroes. Meanwhile, Mr. Sinister turns on the High Evolutionary, setting in motion a terrifying plan to force evolution on humanity at an unprecedented scale.
ComicBooks.com Value
This exact issue on ebay
Raw / ungraded ▾ $9.5–$105 3 listings
More listings for this title
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was published with an on-sale date of February 16, 2000, carrying an April 2000 cover date, and was produced under editor Mark Powers and editor-in-chief Bob Harras. Alan Davis, who had been serving dual writing and plotting duties across the X-Men titles in 1999–2000, supplied the plot, while Terry Kavanagh scripted; Brett Booth penciled and Sal Regla inked, with Hi-Fi Design on colors and Comicraft's Richard Starkings and Saida Temofonte lettering. The issue continues directly from Uncanny X-Men #379 and concludes in Uncanny X-Men #380, making it the middle chapter of a tightly coordinated crossover that ran simultaneously across both flagship X-titles. Hints about the High Evolutionary's plan had been seeded as far back as Uncanny X-Men Annual 1999.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Domina (Warclan leader) and the Neo community — a hidden, reclusive subspecies of super-mutants — created by Alan Davis, Terry Kavanagh, and Brett Booth.
- Story title: 'Oh, the Humanity.' The issue is the middle chapter of the 'Powerless' crossover, continuing from Uncanny X-Men #379 and concluding in Uncanny X-Men #380.
- Core plot: one week after the High Evolutionary stripped every mutant on Earth of the X-factor genome, Mr. Sinister — revealed to have been posing as the High Evolutionary's colleague Dr. Essex — betrays his partner and commandeers the satellite to launch a planet-wide mutation experiment on all humanity.
- The depowering of the Neo community is presented as a catastrophe: Domina's daughter drowns when her underwater-breathing power is abruptly removed, motivating the Neo's declaration of war on both mutants and humanity.
- Wolverine is depicted as actively dying of adamantium poisoning — his claws and skeleton had only been restored for one week before the global depowering occurred — as he rescues a powerless Jubilee from street thugs.
- On Genosha, a depowered Magneto and Polaris work alongside Beast and Iceman as the island's human factions move to suppress the now-vulnerable mutates; Magneto charges the former X-Men to reassemble the powerless team.
- The issue was later collected in the trade paperback X-Men: Powerless (2010) and in the X-Men vs. Apocalypse: The Twelve Omnibus (2019), as well as reprinted in X-Men Universe (Marvel, 1999 series) #8 (July 2000).
- Editing credits: Pete Franco (assistant editor), Mark Powers (editor), Bob Harras (editor-in-chief); on-sale date February 16, 2000; one newsstand variant exists.
Cast · 27 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in X-Men Universe #8 (2000), X-Men #10 (2001), X-Men: Powerless #[nn] (2010), X-Men vs. Apocalypse: The Twelve Omnibus #[nn] (2019)
Key issues in X-Men
Variants (1)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.