Also this week:

UNCANNY X-MEN #498 - Mainly an issue about the Russia storyline, with the San Francisco plot treading water somewhat.  I'm all for a story that deals head-on with M-Day, a concept that most writers have been studiously ignoring or working around.  But the Russians are coming across as real cartoon villains here, and I was hoping for something a little more inspired than the return of Omega Red.  The San Francisco arc - presumably more important in the long run, because the X-Men are staying there - feels more entertaining, but doesn't take us much further.  Still, it plays more to the strengths of artists Mike Choi and Sonia Oback.  B

WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS #3 - Guest starring the High Evolutionary and the New Men, of all people.  I do wonder whether the First Class books should be relying quite so heavily on guest stars from other titles, but on the other hand, at least it provides some fresh combinations.  This is a straight, traditional superhero story where our heroes encounter weird people and odd things happen.  It's nothing new, but then it doesn't claim to be.  Taking it on its own terms, this is good fun.  B+

X-FORCE #4 - Ehh.  This isn't really working for me.  To be fair, there's more to the book than just people running around fighting.  There's a well-developed plot, and the writers are trying to do something with the idea that Rahne, as the relative innocent, represents everything that X-Force should be trying to avoid becoming.  But I think, in a different way, it's falling into a similar trap to Kyle and Yost's New X-Men run by being so unremittingly bleak, and going so far over the top without any apparent sense of humour.  It's just trying too hard, and Clayton Crain's art only strengthens the impression of a book that takes itself far too seriously.  Both literally and metaphorically, this book needs more light and shade.  Oh, and the story hinges on you knowing that Angel that used to be Archangel, which was years ago, in another series, and isn't actually explained.  Not good.  C

X-MEN: LEGACY #212 - Boy, there's something seriously odd about Jean's proportions on that cover.  Anyway, we're getting into the details of Professor X's origin story here, as Carey picks up on some long-forgotten plot threads about the Alamogordo base, dating from Fabian Nicieza's run in the early nineties.  (Nicieza also touched on the plot in his Gambit series, which might explain why Gambit has been brought into the story as well.)  This is very much a series for hardcore fans, and while I'm happy to have it, I confess that I can't imagine it holding much interest to a casual reader - not when it keeps making random, unexplained cutaways to flashbacks from the Alan Davis run and other such obscurities.  B

There's more from me at If Destroyed, and apparently the Ninth Art archive is going to back online at some point...

Next week, Cable reaches issue #4, and he's still fighting Bishop.  Wolverine: Dangerous Game is just what we've all been waiting for - a Wolverine one-shot about the evils of foxhunting.  Young X-Men #3 sees the kids face off against the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.  Ad there's also something called the Astonishing X-Men Sketchbook Special, which is basically a trailer for the next relaunch. 

back | continue