This is going to be another relatively short set of reviews, since it's a light week and I'm very tired after moving house...

After the slight detour from the format in the last couple of issues, Exiles resumes normal service with the start of "Fantastic Voyage."  Of course, given that Exiles has long been displaying worrying tendencies towards formula, "normal service" may not be such a good thing.

This issue is a bit mixed.  The Exiles turn up at the origin of the Fantastic Four.  The twist, such as it is, is that the Thing is a raving lunatic and promptly charges off to go and smash stuff in the style of the Hulk.  On the bright side, at least it's not another world overrun by nasty monsters.  On the other hand, it does look like Winick has gone back to plugging the Exiles into random pieces of continuity selected mainly for their coolness. 

The basic angle is that the Exiles are in awe of the legendary Fantastic Four, even though the FF are neophytes who don't have much of a clue.  But again, it's the sort of set-up where the plot drags the series away from the sort of character work where Winick is strongest.  And the FF themselves are written rather sketchily - despite being the guest stars, they spend most of the story just standing around while the Exiles commentate on them.

Regular penciller Clayton Henry returns, and his bright, clean artwork is perfectly at home with old school superheroes.  He's an artist whose work looks ideal for primary colours.  His choreography is still questionable in some of the action sequences, but for the most part the attractiveness of the art carries him through.

Presumably we're heading for a great big fight scene next issue, which should be okay if you like that sort of thing.  As is often the case with this series, it's eminently readable, with pleasant art and some snappy dialogue, but seems mired in the limitations of its formula.

Rating: B-

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