It seems Marvel are still trying to kill me.  Eight X-books this week, but with rather less filler than last week.

Agent X is still coasting towards cancellation, and in the grand scheme of things what happens in the remaining issues is of no real consequence.  The previous two issues were fairly standard filler material; this time round, Marvel have opted for a slightly more unusual approach.  Consequently, we get something I never thought I'd see: the X-Axis opening with an Evan Dorkin comic.

Dorkin does make use of the supporting cast set-up inherited from Gail Simone, and although he gives Sandi a rather drastic overhaul for plot reasons, the characterisation is pretty good.  But principally this is a comedy story, and a very funny one.  Since Agent X has supercharged healing abilities, that gives Dorkin the freedom to go for completely over the top Lobo-style slapstick.  Agent X is hired to kill an invulnerable superhero.  Not surprisingly, everything backfires on him in spectacular fashion.

This sort of thing can easily become obnoxious and obvious, but Dorkin makes it work by having all the characters play it totally blase.  Plus, the timing is spot on and the one-liners are great.

Artists Juan Bobillo and Marcelo Sosa may not sound like the ideal match for this material.  They were the artists on the recent Mekanix miniseries, where their work was perfectly effective but stuck mainly to straightforward storytelling.  However, this issue shows a whole other side to them - they've got a real knack for comedy.  They've grasped that the basic gag is ludicrous violence contrasted against total banality, and play it perfectly time after time.  The result is, odd as it may sound, understated ultraviolence.  It's great stuff, and this is definitely something they should be looking to do more of.

Very funny, and when it comes to comedy, that's the important thing.

Rating: A

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