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X-Men is the last monthly title to
join the "Messiah Complex" crossover, which is now a third
of the way through.
And so far, so good, for the most part.
Thirteen chapters is a sprawling amount, but the writers
seem to figured out the solution. They could have
written an insanely complicated storyline that actually
required thirteen issues. Instead, they've written a
very simple storyline, but dolled it up with enough action
sequences and red herrings to make it look more complex than
it really is.
Arguably, the plot hasn't advanced a
great deal in the first month. The first part told us
that there was a new mutant baby which had disappeared after
a fight between the Purifiers and the Marauders, and the
rest of the month was largely devoted to the X-Men trying to
figure out which group had the kid. This issue answers
that question, with a well-judged twist that reveals that
the story has been misdirecting us for the whole month.
So now we know who's got the baby and we
can get on with the next stage of the plot. It may not
seem like a huge step forward, but for a weekly schedule,
it's just fine. They've answered the question, and
they've swerved the audience without cheating. Works
for me.
In the meantime, they've taken the
opportunity to let the X-Men spend a few issues running
around fighting bad guys. It actually makes a change
for the X-Men to charge in, beat up some villains, and look
effective. We probably don't see enough of it, given
that the team spend most of their time on the back foot.
It's quite nice to see the X-Men actually achieving
something for once.
Chris Bachalo returns to provide the art
for this storyline. He wouldn't have been my first
choice, for two reasons. Firstly, the trade paperback
is going to read very oddly with rotating chapters by Billy
Tan, Scot Eaton, Humberto Ramos and Chris Bachalo.
Secondly, this is mainly an action story, and that's never
been Bachalo's forte. In fairness, his work here is
much clearer than it usually is. His visual
storytelling hasn't been so easy to follow in quite a while.
Still, even when he's on form, I don't think this sort of
story plays to his strengths. He's better with stories
that are quirkier and more character-driven. That
said, the closing sequence is beautifully drawn.
Another perfectly solid issue. The
crossover is delivering so far.
Rating: B+
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