Plans within plans unfold in S.W.O.R.D. #11, by writer Al Ewing, artist Jacopo Camgni, colorist Fernando Sifuentes, and letterer Ariana Maher. It looks Ewing was finally allowed to take this book in an exciting direction, but the whole thing is so abrupt that it makes everything else that has happened in this book that much worse.

Lots of things happen in this issue- the S.W.O.R.D. Station falls at Australia, but Manifold and Cable work together to stop it. On Arakko, Storm is able to stop the entire Lethal Legion singlehandedly. On the Alpha Flight station, Gyrich and Guardian argue more, Wiz-Kid reveals his true spots, and a surprise ending completely changes everything.

S.W.O.R.D. has been one of the most disappointing X-Men books. Not because it's bad; Ewing is one of the best writers in the X-stable at this point, and while the book has been plagued by crossover issues, it's also often been well done and entertaining. What makes it so disappointing is that Ewing has really been able to cut loose. While there have been issues that show just how good the concept of this book could be, for the most part, the whole thing has been wasted.

This issue does its level best to salvage all of that. A late issue reveals changes everything readers thought they knew while also being completed in character. The problem comes in that it's far too little, far too late. The biggest problem with the review is that it should have been strung throughout the book's run. This could have been a great slow-burn reveal; instead, Ewing crams it all into one issue. It will make things more interesting in the long run for the upcoming X-Men Red, but it doesn't really save S.W.O.R.D. from being one of the biggest missed opportunities of the X-line. This twist is a legitimately great development, but it would have been so much better if it had been layered into the series instead of dropped as a teaser for what's to come.

Camagni is a good artist. His style is clean and uncomplicated, but it's also a bit uninspired, and that's evident throughout this book. Everything looks fine, but it doesn't get any better than that. His style is inoffensive, and the visuals are competent.

S.W.O.R.D. #11 almost feels like a futile gesture, a Hail Mary pass in the fourth quarter in a game that's already been lost. Stretching the football analogy further, it's a great play, but it does nothing more than show that the team is good and the next game will be better. Ewing finally does something worthwhile with this book, and while it bodes well for the future, it just makes one wish he was doing this sort of thing the whole time. Camagni is a good artist but nothing special. Hopefully, this book's developments will allow X-Men Red to be better than it was.

Grade: B-