The sales figures for June are in, and the numbers for Nightcrawler #7 are not exactly encouraging.  If the bizarre "go on hiatus for several months" scheme was supposed to help sales in some way, it emphatically hasn't worked.  The numbers are just where they were before, making it likely that the book will follow Gambit, Rogue and District X into cancellation in early course.

In the meantime, at least we have a storyline which addresses one of the problems with this book.  Up till now, the book has come across as a series of stories where Nightcrawler is randomly plugged into a pre-existing story simply because it happens to be his book.  The vague theme of mystic investigations doesn't really leap out as a natural subject for Nightcrawler, whose gimmick is, after all, that he looks like a demon but isn't one.

This time round, the story is revisiting Kurt's childhood.  If nothing else, at least it's clearly apparent why this is a Nightcrawler story.  Of course, Kurt's origin story isn't without its difficulties, not least those inflicted by Chuck Austen.  But it seems, for the moment, as if Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is going to tactfully ignore that stuff, in favour of focussing on Kurt's relatively underdeveloped relationship with his late brother.

We're digging into fairly obscure continuity here - the history of Kurt's brother was the springboard for Margali Szardos' first appearance, but that was in an old X-Men annual from some 25 years ago.  But the creators are laying the groundwork pretty well, working on building up the characters so that when we get to the big conflict, it'll hopefully mean a bit more.

What's missing here, though, is any real sense of menace.  There's meant to be a looming threat which influenced Vermin last issue, and which is playing with Kurt's dreams this issue.  But it's just too woolly to really take off.  The story comes across more as an excuse to do a load of flashbacks while Kurt and his supporting cast go for a ramble in the woods, and the tension really doesn't come through.

Nonetheless, the flashbacks are good, and Darick Robertson is once again turning in some excellent artwork, proving that he's one of the best storytellers Marvel have on their books.  The issue doesn't quite click, but there's still a lot to like about it.

Rating: B

back | continue