Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia #1: Review

Marc Silvestri had pencilling help from Eric Basaldua, Michael Broussard, Tyler Kirkham and Sheldon Mitchell.
Joe Weems had help with the inking from Eric & Rick Basaldua, Marco Galli, Jason Gorder, Jay Leisten, Sal Regla, Jon Sibal and Ryan Winn.

I've not been following the X-books for some years so I used the Marvel Chronology Project, uncannyxmen.net, marvel.wikia.com and comicbookdb.com to guide me as to who some of the less-identifiable characters in this issue are. Of course I found that these sources didn't always agree, so I've made my own informed choices where necessary. As a result I put names to some of the mutants in the crowd scene where they're watching the news in Graymalkin Industries. Those who don't play any other part in the story include:- Dr Nemesis, Kavita Rao, Madison Jeffries and Yuriko Takiguchi, scientists of the X-Club. Cannonball, Magik, Moonstar and Sunspot of the original New Mutants. Domino, Elixir and Warpath of X-Force. Blindfold and Gentle are a couple of Xavier Institute students who didn't lose their powers on M-Day. Despite all this there are still bodies there I can't name, and chars who sources say are in the issue somewhere but I can't pin down.

Simon Trask is the brother of Bolivar Trask who invented the Sentinels. *His* method of dealing with the mutant problem was to start a movement called Humanity's Last Stand and a fake enemy to oppose called the Mutant Liberation Front. Lately (UXM#509) he created the Humanity Now! Coalition to demand Proposition X be made into law.

Cooperstown was where the 1st mutant baby since M-Day was born (in the Messiah CompleX event), and the 'dire results' were various forces fighting over her. Cable took the baby into the future and raised her as Hope Summers.

It was during Messiah CompleX that Xavier's Westchester mansion/school was destroyed by Sentinels (UXM#493). The X-Men split up in the X-Men: Divided We Stand arc until San Francisco offers them and the few remaining mutants (since M-Day) a home in UXM#500 at the start of Manifest Destiny. Graymalkin Industries was built as their HQ (I don't think the 'Industries' actually produce anything).
Mayor Sadie Sinclair was previously glad to host California's Initiative team The Order, but apparently she wasn't so keen after Norman Osborn took over (and their comic ended).
Although this issue is called Utopia the only time the word is used inside is when Nekra complains that that is what they were promised when they all came to San Fran. But this whole crossover is all called Utopia, and by the time we reach the end in DAv/UXM: Exodus we will see the founding of a new haven which will *actually* be called Utopia.

Norman Osborn and his Dark Avengers are involved because this all takes place within Dark Reign when post-Secret Invasion he was running HAMMER (the replacement for SHIELD), the Avengers, the Initiative and Thunderbolts, plus much else via his villainous Cabal including Emma Frost.

The fake Prof X is Mystique recruited by NO in Dark X-Men: The Beginning #3.