Goodness, it's almost like old times again.  Once again, only four X-books this week!  And four again next week!  Why, it's almost... manageable!

Of course, it's not deliberate; it's because a whole load of them are running late.  In two weeks time, we get nine X-books in one week.  The week after that, ten.  There's nothing like taking a healthy franchise and beating it into the ground, is there? 

Back in May 2001, Brotherhood #1 entered the charts at number 10.  That's a book which featured no previously established characters, an anonymous writer, an artist who wasn't particularly well known.  It got into the top ten because of the strength of the X-Men brand.  Granted, the book tanked within a year, but that's because once people actually saw it, they realised how bad it was.  It had initially high levels of interest because it was an X-book, and because the line was being competently promoted at that point.  It's taken Marvel less than four years to destroy the value of the line through overexposure to the point where they can't even successfully launch a Gambit book.

Talking of failed launches, let's start this week's reviews with Jubilee #5.  This is, of course, officially a six-issue miniseries, something that Marvel conveniently forgot to mention until the book was underway and the horrifying sales for the first couple of issues had come in. 

Jubilee is an odd little book, seemingly based around the central idea that Jubilee never actually really does anything much.  While her aunt runs off and appears in big action stories, we only get to see snippets of them, and Jubilee is oblivious to the whole storyline.  So, having completely failed to notice the plot right in front of her nose, she shrugs her shoulders are resumes teen high school stories instead.

All of which would make reasonable sense if this were the first arc in a projected ongoing series, building up to Jubilee finally twigging next issue and setting up a new status quo for her, helping out her aunt and balancing it with her daily life.  There's something quite appealing about the idea of Jubilee failing to notice this stuff until it's completely unavoidable.  But as a six-issue miniseries, it makes you wonder how this is ever going to be pulled together in a satisfying way in the remaining time.

That said, this issue comes closer than most to pulling off the formula.  Shane, a minor teenage criminal with not-dissimilar powers, is a good foil for Jubilee, and Kirkman is building their relationship well.  There's a neat little scene with Shane realising that the car he's supposed to be looking for (from last issue) has been mysteriously returned anyway, seconds too late to get away with taking the credit.  Kirkman also finally gives us a bit more of Aunt Hope's story, which breaks things up a bit and makes for a change of pace.

But it still feels like we're reading a six-issue prologue to the point where Jubilee actually gets around to doing something.  And since we'll never actually reach that point, it doesn't feel like the best use of six issues.  This is a Jubilee book where the central premise is that she doesn't have adventures - isn't there something wrong there?  There's a nice gag on the opening page, where the comic happily recaps the plot of a completely different story about Jubilee fighting off alien invaders who are trying to conquer her mall.  Problem is, it actually sounds like a better idea for a series than the one we're currently reading.

As the first six issues of a series which was heading somewhere, I could appreciate it; but as the only six issues of a series heading nowhere, it can't help but feel like a missed opportunity.  Still, it's pretty entertaining on its own terms, and the closest the book has come so far to making its gimmick work.

Rating: B+

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