The suggestion here is that Prelude happens before Fear Itself #1 when the sense of dread is creeping in. The X-Men don't know what the threat is, they're just freaked out a bit.
That's the problem, the X-Men, know the what the threat is, and that it's coming (even if we don't). The threat is imminent and they're just waiting for Cyclops to decide whether to evacuate or engage and once he does, they go into action. This isn't about some kind of looming threat or sense of dread.
Tying it an event that specifically isn't implied is making up the story. All we know is that a threat that the X-Men have not faced before is coming and going to be attacking from above and there is a good possibility that they won't survive, then they leave to fight.
And if it's not connected to something specific, I'd place this as close to Schism as possible because of the title, I don't understand the push for before Fear Itself?
I wanted Cyclops to set up his Extinction Team before all of the other stuff happened. BUT, two weeks pass between pages 9-11 of UX2 1, so how about this:
UX2 1 (1-9) (Cyclops establishes his Extinction Team)
GENH 13 (Emma Frost just fine)
GENH 17 (Zero dies)
UX2 1 (10-27) (Hope's team appears, but not Zero)
UX2 2
UX2 3 (Emma loses an arm)
Any reason GENHOPE 13-17 can't happen between UX2 8 and 9? In UX2 9, Namor's concerned about Emma because her reattached arm still itches, so it may have been a while since she got the arm back. For all we know, that arm could have been itching in GENHOPE 13-17, yes?
I agree with Frans' assessment about fear itself also.
Also, that gap in UX2 1, that lasts 2 weeks, we might have to consider some things happening prior. We'll have to consider Storms team that are flying around which includes Colossus and Psylocke, with Cyclops making contact every once in awhile, and the first Arc of Astonishing X-Men after regenesis which features Cyclops traveling to the alternate Earth, rather trying to cram in everything in this gap.
Zero is on page 10 of UX2 1 (I think we're a page off here; 28 pages in UX2 1, yes?). Anyway, it's UX2 9 in which Zero is conspicuously absent, not UX2 1. (And see above suggestion about placement of GENHOPE 13-17 between UX2 8 and 9.)
Col_Fury wrote:Emma Forst loses an arm in UX2 1-3. UX2 4 happens shortly, within a few days, after UX2 3 (or rather, UX2 4 happens immediately after UX2 3 and a few days pass between pages of UX2 4 before the X-Men appear again). UX2 5 happens shortly after UX2 4; Emma is noted as recovering from her arm loss. Also, UX2 5 refers to UXFOR 14 as "yesterday" (UXFOR 10-35 crosses over with W&X 4; Psylocke appears in UXFOR 10-35 and UX2 5-8). Sometime later in UX2 9 Emma already has her arm back, but it still itches. In UX2 10, Captain America questions Cyclops' priorities.
I wondered about this when I first read it - it seems like the Extinction team appears here out-of-sequence:
1) New-Sinister appears directly after UX2 3 (the previous issue)
2) There's a long gap after the New-Sinister scene while the Phalanx rebuilds itself
3) The Extinction Team show up with Psylocke in place of Frost. The scene where she's asked to fill in is **at the start of the next arc and in response to the appearance of Tabula Rasa**. And that arc ends with Frost's arm still in the process of being reattached.
I suspect the order goes:
UX2 1-3 [Sinisters arc]
UX2 4 (4) [Sinister disposes of lab]
UX2 5-8 [Tabula Rasa arc] ~ UX2 4 (5) [Phalanx rebuilds itself]
UX2 4 (6-20) [Extinction Team destroy Phalanx]
X-Club was part of the Regenessis brand and should either come before UX2 1 or between your gap depending upon the time frame, unless it can't. This also keeps it closer to publication date.