The premise of this issue was all about the White Queen's role in Dark Reign, and how she is linked to Osborn's group of evil cronies that he grouped together in the Dark Reign one shot, most particularly, Namor.
Be careful, if you havent read this issue, this review may contain major spoilers.This issue was a really interesting and well written read, it had some great characterization for Emma, it reminded you how manipulative, seductive, clever, sly and down right evil she can be!
The characterization of Namor as well was brilliant, as was it with Sebastian Shaw too!
This issue kept switching between the past and present. In the past it showed how Emma first got to know Namor, and how Shaw and Namor never got along and were always at each other's throats.
The parts of the book set in the present were basically continuations of what happened in the past, but applied to the politics and Osborn's new rule over the MU today.
Both parts were very well written and this book did come across as a little complicated to follow at times, as it was a very well written story and had a lot of ground it needed to cover to explain Emma's role in Dark Reign from past to present.
The ending proved how evil Emma Frost is, she ends up gaining the protection and lifelong trust of Atlantis for mutant kind, through her manipulative nature, in return for the head of Sebastian Shaw which Namor wants. She uses her powers to create the illusion that she did this right infront of Namor eyes, but actually did nothing of the sort.
It was very cool to see past fights between Namor and Sebastian Shaw, that was a very cool battle to see!
All in all, this was a very cleverly written issue and it got a lot of ground settled as to the X-Men's role in Dark Reign.
Now that mutant kind has the protection of the Atlantian race, this should prove to make some exciting stories in the future!
The artwork was okay, Mitch Breitweiser's artwork was great for the stories set in the present, but David Acuna's wasn't so hot for the stories set in the past. Although both artists did make Emma Frost look very sexy!