The last time I reviewed NYX was in May.  It's now been a year since the book started, and we're still only on issue #5.  The perpetual rescheduling of this title has been embarrassing to watch, and the book is now being axed with issue #7.  At this rate, that will take us through to autumn 2005, although Marvel are rather optimistically promising issue #7 for January.

The result is that it's rather difficult to take this title seriously.  With new characters still being introduced (and yet another one to come next issue), it's clear that this is an introductory, gathering-of-the-forces arc.  But with the book ending immediately after this arc, it's an introduction to nothing.  Who cares?  That overshadows everything between its covers, to the point of irrelevance. 

Whatever good intentions and great plans Quesada may have had for this title, it is now nothing more than an industry joke, and the sooner it's put out of its misery, the better. 

Original artist Joshua Middleton has already disappeared, leaving the unfortunate Robert Teranishi to take over.  Naturally enough, Teranishi tries to stay reasonably close to Middleton's style.  So does colourist Felix Serrano. 

But Middleton's art is nothing if not distinctive.  He seems able to give a sense of grace and beauty to almost anything he draws.  Teranishi's art isn't bad, as such, but it certainly suffers in comparison.  You just know it's a pale shadow of what Middleton might have done with the script.  Teranishi is in an invidious position.  He had to try to mirror Middleton's style, but it's an impossible task.  The humanoid animal designs for Tatiana miss the mark - they'd be fine in most circumstances, but they just seem wrong in a book where the tone was set by Middleton.

Just get it over with, please.

Rating: C+

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