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Chuck Austen's second effort for this week
is Uncanny X-Men #427. Fortunately, it's
considerably better than Exiles.
Somewhat unusually these days, this is a
self-contained story. The basic idea is straightforward.
After his rather pointless death two issues ago, Skin has been
duly buried in the family plot. However, on realising
that he's a mutant, the cemetery authorities decide to dig him
up, since it's contrary to their religious beliefs.
Now, I like that idea. That's a good
little concept. It continues Austen's current theme of
criticising religion, but in a much more subtle and persuasive
way. Here, he's raising the perfectly valid question of
just how much freedom religions should have to pursue their
beliefs and the extent to which invoking a religious belief
should give you special licence to perform acts which might
otherwise be regarded as repellent. The authorities are
presented in a thoroughly unsympathetic light, but at least
they're not foaming at the mouth. It's got a point to
it, and it's a sound enough start.
The downside is that Austen reaches for his
sledgehammer by having Warren head off to a local hospital to
experiment with his healing factor, where he happens to save
the life of a girl who just so happens to be the daughter of
the guy who runs the cemetery. The coincidence is a bit
of a stretch, to put it mildly, and the irony is very heavy
handed indeed.
This issue, the Random Artist Generator has
produced Steve Kim. I've never heard of him, and I can't
find anything on Google either. It's blandly okay, the
main glitch being his take on the Angel, who looks way too
young (undermining the "inter-generational relationship"
subplot with Paige). The presence of three inkers
suggests a degree of last-minute panic, by which standards it
looks fine.
Oh, by the way: "You mean Angelo Torres?
This is about ANGELO TORRES?" Skin's name was Angelo
Espinosa, guys. There are four editors credited on this
book, and you can't even get the name of the dead guy right?
All that said, the issue as a whole is
melodramatic but basically acceptable, because for all its
failings, it does have a decent idea at the centre.
Rating: B
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