This may be foreshadowing the upcoming debut of Revanche (who first appears wearing Psylocke's old armor) and the various retcons to Psylocke's transformation.Дespite 'X-Cutioner's Song' doing a lot to put to rest lingering plotlines from the post-relaunch, pre-Image Exodus days, the Upstarts plotline, once seemingly the signature plotline of the Lee/Portacio X-books, lingers, and gets some play here, as the group gets its own entry, two of its members appear for the for the first time, and the group (and their goals) get referenced in a handful of other entries. This bit of foreshadowing is a bit more tenuous, but Psylocke is depicted in both her armor-wielding Outback era form and her current ninja assassin form. He also says of Moira that when mutants are at their worst, she will be at their best, a hint at her deep involvement in the Legacy Virus storyline as well. Regarding Beast, Stryfe declares that his legacy will bring out the best in him, a reference to the way Beast will take a leading role in fighting the Legacy Virus in the months ahead (though it could be argued this somewhat sidelines the characters and ultimately leaves him damaged, as it takes forever to actually cure the virus). I believe this is the first place Fabian Cortez, Magneto-killer (or an accessory, at least) and leader of the Acolytes, is mentioned as being a member of the Upstarts. In a line I completely overlooked as a kid, that defection is teased here, as Stryfe references the defection of an X-Man to the Acolytes. Presumably, that idea was already in place, as Stryfe teases Magneto's 'inevitable' resurrection here.ДЄs part of that return, Colossus will end up leaving the X-Men to join the Acolytes (the culmination of the months-long 'shit on Colossus' plotline that's already began with the death of Mikhail). Reportedly, there was at some point in time talk of bringing Magneto back for 'X-Cutioner's Song' that idea was eventually tabled, though the character does return in the next crossover event, to celebrate the franchise's 30th anniversary. Some things never really come to fruition, I've heard reports that some comic shops gave this issue away to customers who ordered all chapters of the story, but it was available for regular retail, presumably released, at least in part, as a way for subscribers and newsstand buyers (remember them?) to experience the cards, as those issues didn't include them (of course, it was also a way for Marvel to milk more money out of the crossover).ДЄdditionally, the issue serves as a bit of a preview for various post-'X-Cutioner's Song' plotlines, including the Legacy Virus, the return of Magneto and bits of 'Fatal Attractions', and a handful of new characters. At its core, it's built around the twelve trading cards included in each chapter of the story, reproducing both the art and the text from the cardbacks, then padding out the issue with new art and information, written in Stryfe's voice/from his perspective. This one-shot tie-in to 'X-Cutioner's Song' is a cross between the old Marvel Handbook and those various 'file pages' used to fill out issues of X-Factor and X-Force. In the end, he declines to share the information he learned with Cyclops & Jean Grey, and destroys the disc. In the aftermath of Stryfe's assassination attempt, Professor X reads through Stryfe's files. Inkers: Jimmy Palmiotti, Al Milgrom, Mark Farmer, Andy Kubert, Harry Candelario, Dan Panosian, Mark Pennington, Scott Williams, Art Thibert Pencilers: Larry Stroman, Andy Kubert, Greg Capullo, Brandon Petersen, Jim Lee, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri. A collection of Stryfe's dossiers on his allies and enemies.

Stryfes strike file cards