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5 (0) 4 (7) 3 (4) 2 (13) 1 (8) 2.6 starsAverage score of 33 user reviews
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Slightly Sharper Story Is Still Skippable 0
Victor Gischler puts his story into motion with an issue that balances action, exposition, and intrique, but still feels slight. Story & Script Gischler spends more time focused on specific X-Men in this issue and manages to find their voices effectively. Wolverine and Colossus communicate most of their strategy through movement, saving speech for irreverent jabs at each other. Cyclops continues to issue decisive commands that aren't the smartest, much to the chagrin of his “army.” The va...
1 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
The Uneasy Streets of San Francisco 0
In an issue that's more a setup for future action than a stunner in its own right, we're reminded of the X-Men's relatively peaceful status in San Francisco and see a major change in Jubilee's life. Oh, and Wolverine kills some vampires. Story & Script There's not much to react to in this middling script from Gischler. He is moving pieces around the chess board to get to future action. The entire issue seems to be positioned just for Cyclop's final words, “We've got ourselves a Dracula p...
2 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Maximum Security Escapee Hijacks Captain America 0
Captain America's solo title gets sucked into the Maxmium Security story arc for a tie-in issue, though its connection to the main story is tentative at best. Story & Script Dan Jurgens conjures a simple means of tying Cap into the larger arc – maybe a little too simple. The action between Cap and the aliens is unremarkable, his motorcycle ride is pure Batman, and Mecurio makes him look like an utter novice. The issue would have been more enjoyable if Captain America was a little more effect...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Let's have a crossover! 0
Marvel stitches together the spurious motives for a crossover by having all of the sentient extraterrestrials in the universe side against interfering humans – a move that's nakedly meant to anger the reader, since it's mostly predicated on interventionist hijinks of the beloved X-Men and Avengers. Story & Script Kurt Busiek finds himself with the thankless task of fabricating a company-wide crossover from scratch in a single issue. While he's left some threads from both recent and histori...
0 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Quite an introduction! 0
Though I'm mainly an X-fan I begrudgingly participate in every Marvel line-wide event, which is how I happened upon this book – it's the first title in the Siege: Prelude TPB. Having outright despised Secret Invasion I was skeptical of the entire edition as well as anything Bendis. Imagine my surprise when this issue was a taut, engaging intro to a series I suddenly have a deep craving to catch up on. Disclosure: I haven't read any Avengers comics other than Disassembled since the 1990s, every...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
Uncanny and Astonishing – as they should be 0
After two relatively low-key issues, Matt Fraction and Greg Land deliver a blockbuster that utilizes a huge cast of characters to believably deal with five Predator X monsters, when just a single one kept the entire team occupied in Messiah Complex. Story & Script The issue is all action – the climax of two issues of B-plot manipulating Scalphunter into staging an attack on Uptopia. I love that we got that backstory. Fraction could have easily omitted it and jumped directly to action at th...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
X-Man, starring the Dark X-Men 0
The Dark X-Men mini shows its true colors – it's all about resurrecting Nate Grey for a new era of readers. Development of the foursome of X-Darks takes a backseat to finding a McGuffin that can bring Nate back to life. Story & Script This issue is all exposition to get Nate Grey back to solid form – except, he starts out in solid form and has no real reason to wink out of it. So, basically, this is a total waste of an issue. Half the book exposits who Nate Grey is while the other half expo...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Dark X-Men: Right and Wrong 0
Dark X-Men launches with an interesting story and effective art, but is saddled with so many continuity challenges that it lacks a spark. Story & Script The plot in this issue is that Norman Osborn is trying to maintain his takeover of the X-Men “brand,” and sends his team to investigate a possible brand crisis. The story is more convoluted. Osborn somehow “owning” the X-Men brand seems to be an impossibility, since his Dark X-Men and Avengers were seen on television being repelled from U...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Davis & Kavanagh Rush Back to Status Quo 0
Alan Davis and Terry Kavanagh resolve their final X-arc with a issue crammed with expository dialog and little else. Story & Script This final issue of the Powerless mini-arc exposes just how poorly planned the entire story was from the start. The X-Men, who were apparently totally cool with all mutants losing their powers, are suddenly up in arms because the entire world might rapidly evolve with unchecked mutation. Really? No one thought to hold a similar strategy briefing after High Evol...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Are the X-Men better off without powers? (Davis & Kavanagh are.) 0
Alan Davis and Terry Kavanagh ably helm the final issue of their scripting run on X-Men, showing that they understand their cast of characters very well – they have just ran out of anything interesting for them to do. Story & Script Plotwise, Davis and Kavanagh are scraping the bottom of the barrel. They just used the story of the team dispersing in The Shattering a few months prior, and Genosha's continuing revolt was addressed in the Magneto Rex mini-series. As before in Shattering, their...
1 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Powerless Wolverine plot is full of kinks 0
The able hand of Erik Larsen scripts this fill-in tie-in to the High Evolutionary depowering mutants around the globe. He gets the tone right, but I think he missed the mark on a powerless Wolverine. Story & Script Larson contributes a sensible story for a fill-in – Wolverine wants to check out the places his skrull-counterpart hit on missions to make sure no stones were left unturned, but he's slowly dying (presumably from adamantium poisoning?) without his powers. Where Larson stumbles is...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Tabitha and the Flying Boys 0
A subtle, solid fill-in issue that's part of the ongoing High Evolutionary arc, where he rids mutants of their powers. Story & Script I think Joseph Harris did a fine job of crafting this story about Tabitha and her two flying boys – one, Cannonball, a superhero and X-Man, the other Kevin, a little boy who is scared and excited to be different. The parallelism is a bit cliché – Tabitha can't save Sam, but she can save Kevin. That said, it works to show how conflicted Tabitha is – upset f...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
The Usual Flaws 0
In an average issue, Cable is back from fighting Apocalypse with the X-Men, but his problems have just begun. Story & Script There's no point in debating the dull soap opera of Cable's life, as that's been a given for an entire run of issues. If you're reading this era of Cable, that's what you're in for. Banalities aside, this issue hovers around a low-grade of okay. Nothing is egregiously objectionable, but there are some weak spots. Dialog from Stacey and Irene is utterly interchangeable...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Editorially bankrupt proof that X-Men needed a reboot 0
This abhorrent issue checks in on mutants around the globe before rendering them merely human via the lame-as-ever plot device that is High Evolutionary. It's a wonder Marvel chose to reprint this storyline in TPB, as it just cheapens the later M-Day/Decimation plot, which was an editorial masterwork compared to this. Story & Script Having shepherded the X-Men through a Magneto War, a space adventure, and Apocalypse, at this point Alan Davis was all-tapped-out as an x-scripter. And, what do...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Ellis and Bianchi deliver a pitch-perfect issue 1
On the second issue of their Astonishing X-Men run, Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi absolutely perfect the sparse, mature vibe of Astonishing set by Whedon and Cassaday before them. Story & Script In the last issue I was concerned that Ellis was merely aping Whedon's clever wordplay. Here he flexes his scripting muscles, and shows that he appreciates continuity. Plus, he's still clever. On page one we get Emma loading the team with the local language, a nod to Grant Morrison's New X-Men Ann...
3 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Can the X-Men astonish without Whedon & Cassaday? 0
Warren Ellis takes up the reins of Astonishing X-Men from Joss Whedon, though Whedon's sarcasm has seeped through. But the real story isn't the story – it's Simone Bianchi's artwork. Artwork Normally I tackle story and script first, but in the case of this issue the artwork gets the top billing. It's hard to put words to Bianchi's jaw-droppingly astonishing art. With no disrespect to the preceding John Cassaday (who was flawless, in my opinion), no ongoing X-book has ever seen this quality of ...
5 out of 5 found this review helpful. -
Full of flaws and flat characters 0
An awful issue full of plot holes, bad dialog, and helpless women. Per usual, Arana is the only character that can fend for herself. Story & Script The writing in this issue is inexcusably terrible Yes, Puppet Master is a one-note villain, but his retirement plan of selling woman (and the incidental man) into human slavery is disgusting without any redeeming narrative depth. Also, he contradicts himself – first claiming he's not at fault for anything, but later intimating he planned the who...
1 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
By-the-book battle is a little tepid 0
Ms. Marvel battles it out with Doomsday Man, but it's pretty pedestrian in the scope of marquee comic fights. Script One challenge in a solo superhero book is how to keep things fresh. Part of that is having an effective supporting cast that we care about, but a subtler portion is pacing battles effectively. In a solo book you've got one main hero to shoulder the burden of the fights, and more often than not they have to come out the winner. It's the writer's job to make that interesting. From ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Brisk issue sets up many plots to come 0
After a brief dip in quality for the two issue Rogue and alternate-Ms. Marvel plot, Brian Reed sets a brisk pace for the next arc by introducing AIM into the fray. Story & Script One of the strengths of this book is the glib interior monologues from Ms. Marvel. Reed easily gets away with some romantic doting because he strikes a careful balance between Carol's brash pride and constant self-critique. Every time I start to get concerned that Ms. Marvel is coming off as too girlish Reed puts ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
A trio of plots sizzle, all leading to something more 1
Alan Davis, Mark Farmer, and Terry Kavanagh deliver a blockbuster issue filled with action, intrigue, and lingering plot threads that are woven into the next huge X-Men story arc, The Twelve. Story & Script The plotting here is phenomenal – Rogue, Kitty, and Nightcrawler all have separate adventures, and though Rogue's is the only one with action they're all thrilling due to the intercutting between the three stories. Rogue as the main protagonist works like a charm – sure of herself and fum...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Old school, 80s-style, intriguing X-Men 1
This issue feels pulled right out of the mid-80s run of Uncanny X-Men with its set of classic Alan Davis pencils, subdued colors, and layers of subterfuge. Be warned – not only do I have a strong 80s X-Men fetish, but this issue focuses on my two favorite comics characters – Rogue and Kitty Pryde. If you don't share those feelings then this will probably seem a lot less thrilling. Story & Script The script of this issue is outstanding from the very first page. Even based on thought-bubbles ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
The X-Men dissolve before your eyes 0
The Bishop scene depicted on the cover hardly factors into this issue, which witnesses the arrival of Jean and Scott to try to temper Xavier's intractable nastiness and the subsequent dissolution of the team. Story and Script I love issues where the X-Men have downtime when they are written well, and this is a great example. Each member of the team has their own complaint about Xavier's brusk treatment, and their reactions (and factions) show a keen eye for the long histories of these character...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Not all that it appears to be 0
Uncanny X-Men #372 is an issue of transition – both for the team and their storyline. It's also full of a sharp-tongued Xavier, and his berating of the team can be hard to bear. Story & Script Plotter Alan Davis and scripter Terry Kavanagh lay the groundwork for upcoming storylines. They aren't exactly subtle, but without the context of the issues that follow this is a bit of a bore – a book of Professor Xavier cruelly chastising his students, two irrelevant pages of Bishop in space, and an...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Uneven and inessential, unless you're a Magneto lover 0
A trade paperback that collects the entire Magneto War story arc, including the X-Men: Magneto War one-shot, X-Men #85-87, and Uncanny X-Men #366-367. Also reprints Magneto Rex, a three-issue limited series follow-up to Magneto War. By 1999 Magneto had been in mothballs for six years – since late in 1993, when Professor Xavier wiped his memory in the confrontation that left Wolverine sans his adamantium skeleton. In comics, six years is a long time – long enough that half a generation of new ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Handily returns Magneto to status quo 0
I was excited to read the Magneto Rex mini-series, because I had no idea how Magneto came to be the ruler of Genosha at the beginning of Grant Morrison's " E is for Extinction" arc in New X-Men. Rex certainly explains how Magneto got there (in combination with The Magneto War), but with this last issue it doesn't bring much more than that explanation aside from a tell-instead-of-show script. Does a third issue in a three-issue mini series really need two pages of expository introductions? ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
A weak Rogue makes for a weak issue 0
I hoped the first issue of the Magneto Rex mini was leading to some interesting developments, but this one is just weak. The entire plot hinges on Rogue being a helpless, ineffectual romantic, and nothing pisses me off more in an X-book than Rogue being miscast as damsel in distress. Are we really to believe a combo of Amelia Voght and Rogue can't swipe Quicksilver off of the stage as a D-list mutate rally? Also, Rogue is fixated on an inspecific-but-awesome version of Magneto that we as readers...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Genoshan intrigue only midly intriguing 0
Summary This issue follows Magneto as he arrives in his newly christened kingdom of Genosha to find that his chief resistance may not be humans, but a rebel mutant. Story & Script Writer Joe Pruett quickly assembles a who's who of Magneto's supporting cast in Quicksilver, Rogue, Amelia Voght, Alda Huxley, and on-again off-again flunky Fabian Cortez. Magneto's reliance on Cortez is convenient, as by all rights Mags should kill his former captain on sight (he even admits as much on-panel). R...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
A satisfying conclusion to Magneto War 0
Summary This issue has everything a good X-issue should – solid art, a battle featuring every member of the team, and a higher-level of ethical or geopolitical debate. Story & Script Davis and Nicieza turn in a strong effort with a brisk pace, but What really sets this issue apart is its respect for character and continuity. Everyone gets a moment, and many of the moments tie strongly to the history of the characters. I love the quick, decisive action from Nightcrawler (good continuity to G...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
All-action issue is (almost) all-good 0
A super-fast read that's almost all action – and, smartly written action, at that. The main battle between the X-Men and the Acolytes has the team using their powers to great effect – Storm muses that it's good to be leading such an experienced team, and as a reader I think it's good to be reading that team as well. Rogue using Shadowcat for a Fastball Special, Colossus using his brain rather than being a brawny battering ram – it's a fun fight. The artwork is strong – Yu spends time to make e...
2 out of 2 found this review helpful. -
Retconned character eclipses decent issue 0
This issue would be awesome except for the massive retcon and deux es machina that is Astra, displaying Joseph to be a complete editorial blunder years in the making. Not only that, but Davis is at his worst as he leans heavily on throwaway intergalactic mumbo-jumbo to explain Astra's technology. Still, it's good to know where Joseph came from, and the art is strong. Plot-wise, the high points here are the brief, continuity-informed glimpse of Dr. Gabrielle Haller and the fact that the X-Men c...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
A strong issue despite lacking action 0
Summary This packed issue includes only a brief parcel of action from the relatively hapless X-Men, but major developments for both Joseph and Magneto. Story & Script The story here is all setup, and it does the job succinctly enough that reading the preceding X-Men issue or Magneto War one-shot is hardly necessary. The script gets Magneto right – more majestic than madman, not even deigning to visit the UN himself. Ferris is also awesome, from his C3PO style platitudes to his forceful spe...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
A one-shot best left forgotten 0
A dreadful one-shot that could have easily been replaced with a few lines of dialogue in one of the main X-books. The entire point of the issue is that Cortez and the less useful half of the Acolytes are seeking Magneto, while Magneto carries out his plans without them. The hamfisted dream sequences just rehash things we already knew about Xavier and Rogue without adding much insight. Davis and Nicieza resort to making up two entirely new Acolytes rather than developing any of the existin...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Strong art in an otherwise inessential issue 0
Summary Alan Davis provides a classic set of pencils to this slightly below-par story – set-up for the Magneto War arc. Story & Script Though the three storylines in this issue are cleverly interwoven, none of them are especially interesting. The X-Men saving children from a burning hospital is trite, though it rewards the reader with some thought-out detail at how the team can be effective as rescuers instead of attackers. The stock standoff with police afterward is nothing new. The s...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful.
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