X-Men: Outback #1 Spoilers

Spoilers: Following their battle against the Adversary in Dallas, the X-Men sacrifice themselves in order to defeat the Dark Trickster.

Meanwhile, Sabretooth visits Wolverine’s old cabin in the Canadian Rockies, refusing to believe that Logan is truly dead. There, he finds a lock of Logan’s hair and deduces that Wolverine has been there recently. Convinced that his old enemy is still alive, Sabretooth sets out to find him and celebrate their annual tradition: a ruthless birthday brawl.

In Cooterman’s Creek, in the Australian Outback, the X-Men are adjusting to their strange new reality in the ghost town. Psylocke, Havok, and Madelyne Pryor drink together, while Colossus reflects on the living death they now seem to be enduring. Dazzler and Rogue, meanwhile, clash over Longshot’s attention. Far from the base, Storm visits an Aboriginal community that receives her with respect, while she reflects on her perceived failure as a leader. Wolverine joins her and encourages her, telling her that the team needs a symbol of hope — a goddess.

Storm returns to the base and finds chaos, as the tension between Rogue and Dazzler has erupted into a fight. Wolverine interrupts the argument when he picks up the scent of an intruder: Sabretooth.

Sabretooth has brought with him Mister Sinister’s Dire Dogs — experiments born from degraded prehistoric DNA, capable of tracking their prey across the globe and feeding on fear. He unleashes the beasts, and the X-Men assemble for battle. While the team keeps the dogs occupied, Logan lunges at Sabretooth, and the two rivals engage in a brutal, bloody fight.

Storm realizes that their fear is feeding Sabretooth’s mutant hounds. The X-Men also notice that Logan has gone berserk with rage. Psylocke warns the team to control their fear, and Storm manages to master her own, channeling her powers against the dogs. Intimidated by her command and presence, the creatures are ultimately defeated.

The X-Men place themselves between Logan and Sabretooth, both to spare Logan from losing himself completely and because they are his friends — something Sabretooth does not have. Taking advantage of the distraction, Dazzler charges her powers and blasts Sabretooth, frying him with a concentrated burst of light.

Logan then releases his fury by tearing through Creed’s remaining hounds, until Storm reaches out to him. Her presence brings him back to himself. Logan thanks her and tells her that this is exactly why she matters: because she leads.

Psylocke insists that the secret of the X-Men’s survival must be protected. To ensure that Sabretooth cannot reveal the truth, she performs a telepathic surgery on him, erasing his memory of the day’s events and of the fact that the X-Men are still alive.

Later, beneath the moonlight, Storm and Wolverine reflect on the team’s uneasy adjustment to their new existence. Storm concludes that each of them is fighting their own private battle, but that they cannot waste this second chance to defend mutantkind as living myths. Wolverine encourages her to embrace her place as the goddess at the heart of that myth.

Storm agrees. Using her powers, she transforms her punk look into her new Outback costume — a form more fitting for a goddess.