Uncanny X-Men#2 - Kieron Gillen/Carlos Pacheco, Jorge Molina, Rodney Bechemi
The ideas are good (they're actually very good). The pacing and action are effective. The art is clean and attractive. But this book is lacking something. I do feel like Wolverine and the X-Men is the fun book, with the fun characters, and the quirky edge to it. I have a lot of
respect for Kieron Gillen, but this book lacks a team dynamic. There is nothing to grab onto in the interplay between these characters. As I mentioned last time, these may notionally be the more important characters to the X-Men "story" these days, but this feels like the "B"-team that none of them wanted to be a part of. It feels cold and depressing. There are moments that shine through - unlike everyone else, Hope seems genuinely excited to be there. And it was fun to see Emma to tell Scott to lighten up (she should tell the creative team of this book). And there's still a lot of good here. I love the idea of Sinister as a consciousness, embodying every body under his control, and jumping between them as the X-Men (rather brutally) kill them. I'm excited to see where this concept is taken. Gillen does well with Sinister's portrayal, as there's a playful element to his grand villainous speeches. And the pacing and action is efficient and effective throughout. Sinister's exposition is nicely balanced by some very brutal action scenes. I'm actually surprised how far things are taken - Danger is blasted into pieces, Emma's walking around with one arm, Colossus crushes one of Sinister's heads with one hand. And I'm fine with the art. Yes, Carlos Pacheco has gotten rid of any unique elements to his art, but the smooth, rounded look here is still strong, and creates some very attractive action shots. Molina and Buchemi step in to help, and, outside of the distinctive flashback scene, the transition is pretty seamless (still, three artists are needed by #2?). That said, this book still feels cold and unfriendly on every level, and it starts with the fact that the characters have no dynamic or tangible relationships with each other. Marvel has been relentlessly pushing "extreme, militant Cyclops" on us since 2008, and this is that portrayal taken to its furthest point. I don't know if it's the right hook for the flagship X-book. There's nothing human to latch on to here. It's dour and depressing and it's turning me off, even as the plot and action are enjoyable.X-Men: Legacy#259 - Mike Carey/Khoi Pham
When it comes to the X-Men, this is more like it. Mike Carey's final story returns Rogue's group to Earth in time for them to decide where they sit on the side of the "Schism." Typical of Carey's work on this book, it's thoughtful, nuanced, and insightful without being heavy-handed. The scenes where Rogue discusses whether to stay with Cyclops or go to Wolverine with Gambit, Magneto, and Frenzy are
well-paced and thoughtful. We see the human feelings that go into the decision with far more depth than the recent X-Men: Regenesis one-shot, which featured snap decisions with no thought behind them. It also feels like Scott is desperate to have Rogue stay. There's a nice scene between reunited brothers Scott and Alex that gets into the emotions behind the schism with more depth than the Schism mini series managed to in its five issues. From these scenes, a plot grows, in which Rogue senses that a mutant presence has returned from space with the X-Men. The methods through which the team investigate this make for a compelling mystery and the steps they take to learn more about their mysterious companion follow a logical trail. This all leads to a final page revelation of this mystery mutant. Unless you've been reading closely, you'll have no clue who it is. Even if you have been reading closely, I doubt you'll care. But Carey ensures that these climatic moments, when Rogue encounters this person, are taut and suspenseful, so the odd choice of person is somewhat charming in how random it is. I'm curious to see where Carey takes this in his final issue. Pham's art looks sharper than it has yet on this title, with a softer look to his figures and faces. But the unique aspects of his style still come through. It's another strong issue from Carey, with a surprisingly effective mystery wrapped around a strong core of characterization.FF#12 - Jonathan Hickman/Juan Bobillo
I had read a lot of negative advanced reviews of this, mainly focusing on the art. I have to say I disagree - I absolutely loved this, and the art played a big part in that. Juan Bobillo is probably best known for bringing a clean, quirky style for Dan Slott's humourous She-Hulk title.
His style has changed a bit since then. Yes, some of the characters' faces are a bit squishy, but this is a book staring a bunch of eccentric (and some non-human) kids, and he nailed their expressions and body language. He has fun with page layouts and sparse backgrounds, playing with white space to create some unique pages. But I was more excited by the story - things are finally moving somewhere in Jonathan Hickman's never-ending Fantastic Four odyssey. We're learning how pieces fit together here - the warnings Valeria received from the future Franklin, Nathaniel's role, Doom's role, what the alternate Reed really wants (is it lame to say I gasped on the last page?). It feels like there is forward momentum involving some of the key players. I have to say I find all of this intrigue, which Hickman has been building since the very beginning, far more interesting than the Inhumans/Kree/Galactus intergalactic war stuff happening in Fantastic Four. This book is also fun. The kids have usually been crammed into subplot pages, but here they take centre stage and it's fun. Their trip across snowy mountains in the opening scene is full of funny banter. The moment where Val and Franklin run with glee towards their grandfather is great - a little slice of humanity in the middle of Hickman's clinical and methodical saga. Valeria is really stepping up as the central figure, and I'm loving her portrayal here. I had a ton of fun with this, and the fact that the story is finally reaching a climax excited me. And I liked the art. 
No comments:
Post a Comment