Essential X-Men Vol 1 152

Sage has gone missing and the X-Men track her scent to the abandoned, yet infamous, "House of Hellfire." They are surprised by Emma Frost's arrival, who is there to help them navigate through her former domain. Tension grows between Marvel Girl and Emma, but is swiftly halted by Storm's crackling fury. The group then enters a transmat system that leads to all the clubs worldwide, but unbeknownst to them, a threatening figure materializes in the shadows. At the end of the portal, Emma Frost and Marvel Girl arrive (alone) at a lush Asian mansion. Blaming Emma for the team's separation, Rachel impulsively attacks her, and a psychic battle ensues on the astral plane. Each humiliates and attacks the other with their formidable minds; but although Rachel surpasses Emma in raw telepathic strength, Emma's finesse and experience allows her to prevail in the challenge. The two women call a truce and later travel to a Hong Kong casino at the behest of the Hellfire Club. They arrive at an auction of mutant prisoners and assume the roles of White Queen and White Warrior Princess. Emma confronts the guests of the evening, Viper and Courtney Ross, and they then proceed to play a card game, with Emma's freedom on the line. Marvel Girl scouts ahead and tries to free the prisoners, but is unknowingly pursued by Selene, who has escaped her imprisonment of the catacombs. Meanwhile, the rest of the team are transported to a Paris sewer system. Wolverine instinctively grows concerned and urges Nightcrawler to teleport them out of the area... but suddenly, Bishop shoots all of his team-mates without warning.

Appearing in "Chasing Hellfire! Part 2: Cardinal Betrayal"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Uncanny X-Men #453

Featured Characters:

X-Men
- X.S.E.

Supporting Characters:

Hellfire Club
- Warrior White Princess (Ophelia Sarkissian)
- White Queen (Courtney Ross)
- White Queen (Emma Frost)
- Unnamed mutant woman
  (Death)
- Red Lotus (Paul Hark)
- Lord Imperial (Sebastian Shaw)
- Lady Tessa
- Black King (Roberto da Costa) (First appearance as Black King)

Antagonists:

Black Queen (Selene)
White King (Donald Pierce) (First appearance as White King)
- Donald Pierce's henchmen

Other Characters:

Casino staff and associates
X-Corp
(Mentioned)
Excalibur
(Mentioned)
Magneto (Erik Magnus Lensherr)
(Mentioned)
Galactus (Galan)
(Mentioned)
X-Force
(Mentioned)
- Cable (Nathan Summers)
  (Mentioned)
Professor X (Charles Xavier)
(Mentioned)
Cyclops (Scott Summers)
(Mentioned)

Races and Species

Locations:

Earth
- Europe
  - France
    - Île-de-France
      - Paris
        Paris sewers
        
        Boulevard Saint Germain
        
        X-Corp Paris Headquarters
        (Mentioned)
        
        Hellfire Club Mansion
        (First appearance)
  - London, England, United Kingdom
    (Mentioned)
- Australia
  (Mentioned)
- Asia
  - China
    - Hong Kong
      - Hellfire Club Mansion
        Fortress Casino
  - Afghanistan
    (Mentioned)
- Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, Salem Center, North Salem, Westchester, New York, United States of America
  (Mentioned)
  - Danger Room
    (Mentioned)

Items:

Wolverine's Suit
X-Uniforms
Viper's Nannites
Tantalus webs (restraint)

Synopsis for "Chasing Hellfire! Part 2: Cardinal Betrayal"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Uncanny X-Men #453

After shooting all his team-mates, Bishop commands a confused Nightcrawler to teleport them out of the catacombs they had just been transported to. They jaunt to an ancient Roman Bath display, where Bishop explains to the X-Men that he neutralized the nannite spores they were infected with. In Hong Kong, Emma draws at the card game she was playing, using her own life as the wager, whilst Marvel Girl continues to search for mutant slaves being sold at auction. Rachel uses her telepathy to scan each room, but is repelled by a formidable psi-shield in front of a door. A pair of Fortress Casino employees steps out to stop the "White Princess" from going any further. Fortunately, Marvel Girl is whisked off to safety by Red Lotus. Selene then emerges from the darkness to warn the staff not to pursue her prey. In a Paris café, Nightcrawler and Wolverine talk about Sage's suspicious actions. Meanwhile Bishop and Storm travel to a large mansion where they are hospitably greeted by Sebastian Shaw, Sage and Sunspot (who is introduced to them as the newest Black King). At the same time, Red Lotus tells Marvel Girl that he is working with Viper and Courtney Ross to put the casino's slavers out of business. The Hellfire Club have difficulty trying to convince the X-Men that their group has turned over a new leaf. Back at the café, Wolverine and Nightcrawler are tracked down and attacked by the group responsible for the nanites in the sewers. The same group of tactical soldiers surround Shaw's courtyard, capturing him and his company in tantalus webs. The commander of these aggressors steps out into the sunlight... it's Donald Pierce.

Appearing in "Golgotha Conclusion: Fall Out"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men (Vol. 2) #170

Featured Characters:

X-Men

Supporting Characters:

Gazer
General Micky O’Shea
President of the United States

Antagonists:

Golgotha

Other Characters:

Daap
(Behind the scenes)

(First appearance)

Races and Species:

Mutants
Humans
Golgotha
Aliens (Behind the scenes)

Locations:

Earth
- North America
  - United States of America
    - Texas
      - Houston
    - Washington, D.C.
      - White House

Items:

Wolverine's Suit

Synopsis for "Golgotha Conclusion: Fall Out"

Reprint of the 1st story from
X-Men (Vol. 2) #170

Synopsis not yet written

Notes

This is a UK title that features reprints of American X-Men titles.

Links and References

References

Essential X-Men Vol 1 152

Appearing in "Chasing Hellfire! Part 1 of 3"

Synopsis for "Chasing Hellfire! Part 1 of 3"