The X-Axis, 23 February 2003
Part 5 of 11: UNCANNY X-MEN #419

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Also in the "business as usual" column, Uncanny X-Men.  This is part three of "Dominant Species", and it's not remotely interesting.

The point Chuck Austen seems to be trying to make is that mutants don't constitute an indivisible whole for the purposes of evolution and therefore they'll compete against one another.  So far, so good.  Therefore everyone with similar powers will hook up together and split into power-themed factions who'll fight one another.  Nope, that's just stupid, Chuck.  Sorry.

Austen doesn't help his case with those damned werewolves, who have yet to demonstrate any personality at all.  This plot is heading nowhere fast.  The villains are simply dull and characterless, and we're given no reason why these people have supposedly grouped together.  Given that it's an arbitrary motivation designed to illustrate an extraordinarily fuzzy understanding of the concept of evolution, it's easy to appreciate the difficulty in giving the werewolves personalities where any of this would make sense.

Meanwhile, in the B-plot, it's histrionic melodrama agogo.

Sometimes this title delivers acceptable soap opera.  Sometimes it's just melodramatic nonsense spliced with bad adventure stories.  This is the latter.

Rating: C-

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UNCANNY X-MEN #419
Marvel Comics
April 2003
$2.25 US / $3.75 CAN

"Dominant Species, part three"
Writer: Chuck Austen
Artist: Kia Asamiya
Letterer: Paul Tutrone
Colourist: JD Smith
Assistant editors: Mike Raicht and Nova Ren Suma
Editor: Mike Marts

Cover art: Steve Uy

LINKS
Marvel Comics
Kia Asamiya's Studio TRON