First and foremost, I want to say that anything worth doing is worth doing whilst intoxicated. That being said, let’s get this review underway. I will make no apologies for the year of my birth, nor will I make apologies for becoming a fan of the X-Men during the oft reviled 90’s. Temporal restrictions aside, I went back and became a fan of a rich well of some of comics most prolific stories. As is often talked about on this site (via comments and podcasts by the illustrious trio of its founders) there is the continuing discussion of “these are or are not MY X-Men” and what Jason Aaron has done for me in this one double sized issue is restored the X-Men’s identity. I KNOW these characters and I understand their motivations and actions. This is not Chuck Austen’s ruminations on Nightcrawler’s hellish beginnings nor is it Grant Morrison’s post-modern team of iconoclasts. What Jason Aaron has done so successfully is presented a setup story that doesn’t feel like a setup story. It both reintroduces the dynamics of the team and characters that comprise the X-Men, as well as moves their story forward in a compelling way. The issue lays the foundation for what their future holds, but still delivers a satisfying story that demands its readers return in two weeks. Despite the title, their is no raw divide between the team’s General and its Lieutenant in this issue, but subtle allusions to philosophical differences. A gentler, more battle-weary Wolverine suggests Hope go back to bed, while an equally battle-worn Cyclops states that she should see the harsh realities of the world that he has known since he was sixteen. A simple premise and a short scene in appearance, but clearly a complex and integral tenet of the Schism to come. I would be remiss to not mention the excellent pencils of Pacheco here, as his wonderful ability to convey feelings of tenderness (ice cream and a doll with Wolvie during sunset) and kinetic action (Sentinels attacking an Arm’s Conference) tied the themes of duality together with Aaron’s bricklaying of big ideas meeting head to head. Welcome back X-Men, it’s nice to see you again.