Uncanny X-Men #422 is a double-sized issue.  Um, why?

It's not an anniversary, it's not a particularly important issue, and it's not like it's in desperate need of the page count.  Much of the issue is a rather awkward gratuitous fight scene with Alpha Flight, which rests largely on Alpha Flight agreeing to act like idiots for the convenience of the plot.

Although this is billed as the second half of a two-parter, it's really a freestanding story.  The basic idea is that after the New York government discovers that the Juggernaut is living with the X-Men, the racist governor sends in the authorities to take the kids into care.  Alpha Flight are there to provide the muscle, on the tenuous basis that supporting character Sammy Pare is from Canada.

Unfortunately, it's all done with the typical level of subtlety that we've come to expect from this series.  The whole tone of the story is so unequivocal about the X-Men being in the right that it pretty much precludes any real tension.  The government's argument is actually fair enough - the X-Men have taken in the Juggernaut, a dangerous and wanted criminal, and are letting him play with schoolkids.  This is not the sort of behaviour liable to attract favourable publicity to any private school, mutant or otherwise.

But the story never gives any serious consideration to the possibility that the government might not be right - their spokeswoman is a gratuitously obnoxious one-dimensional character, and the governor's attitude is eventually explained away by calling him a racist.  Their argument is used simply as a plot device to justify the story.

And one consequence of this is to make Alpha Flight look like gullible morons, since they're denied the possibility of offering any credible justification for their actions.  Their behaviour is all the more ludicrous when you consider that they were on great terms with the X-Men in this week's X-Men Unlimited, also written by Chuck Austen, which appears to take place between scenes of the previous issue - ie, a couple of days ago.

Unimpressive.  And why is it so damn long?

Rating: C

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