It's an interesting experience, reading Uncanny X-Men. Of late, it has that "everything including the kitchen sink" feeling to it.
In some ways that's good. We're getting looks at lots of different mutants and getting updated on what they're up to.
We're seeing new recruits to the team, including a surprise or two.
Several plots are moving into place, including the search for a way to end the block that's been put on the mutant gene and the team settling into its new home.
We have a new menace emerging, and something of a shocking ending, although it would probably be more of a shock if I had any idea what the story was behind the character at the center of it.
And that's one of the big problems with the X-Men. The team's backstory is so overloaded with twists, turns, characters returning from the dead, getting killed, disappearing from stories for years and suddenly reappearing - it all makes it difficult to keep everyone straight. I've read all 508 issues of this comic, and I'm still confused.
The good news is, one gets the feeling that writer Matt Fraction has a handle on things and is moving the characters and plots into position for a killer story. But he's not quite there yet.
The art by Greg Land is terrific in some ways - he draws amazingly beautiful women, and the rest of his work is strong, too. The problem is, almost every panel is static - beautiful women smile at us, pose dramatically - and that's about it. I'd like to see more movement in there, frankly.
So far, this comic shows lots of potential. Hopefully it'll pay off soon.
Grade: B-
4 comments:
No doubt you've seen the cover image of #511. Thoughts?
Well, my immediate thought was, "It's about dang time." Assuming the rumors are true and they're bringing back you-know-who, I'm very happy. I thought killing her off was not one of Grant Morrison's finest moments, and she's long overdue for a return. Hopefully this will be the last time she's "killed off."
I am so glad to see that someone agrees with me! You-know-who is my favorite comic book character of all time1 I'm just afraid that this is some big stupid trick and I'll be getting back into the X-books for nothing.
I share your fears! My basic rule about killing characters is that a writer / artist should only kill characters they created. (See Frank Miller; Elektra.) If someone else created him or her or it, then tell all the stories you want, but leave that character around for the next writer to work with. Oh, and no character assassinations, either. (See Jim Shooter and Brian Bendis: Hank Pym.)
Post a Comment