Review: Uncanny X-Men 526
I feel like I should preface this review by stating that I’ve been longing for a new “power discovery” story for a while now. After watching G-Man’s interview with Matt Fraction, I was sold on this story since it sounded like exactly what I wanted. I was not disappointed.
Pros:
-Hope (and the readers) finally gets some answers about who she is. She learns more about one of her parents, along with meeting one of her relatives. I thought the entire journey for Hope to discover her roots was a well done, emotional ride. From Cypher giving Hope bad news in the most detached and robotic way possible, to the normally somewhat abrasive Dr. Nemesis showing compassion and helping Hope meet a relative.
-This story also details the manifestation of X-gene in one of the five mutants that appeared at the end of Second Coming. In the past, the X-gene has typically presented itself around the onset of puberty, but this girl is nineteen years old, making her changes abnormal. The idea that this may be a new step in mutant evolution, one that seemingly requires Hope to interact or touch the mutant to actually activate the powers, is an extremely intriguing idea with quite a bit of potential.
-I’ve been a little underwhelmed with Fraction’s previous Uncanny issues, but I felt this story turned that around for me. This issue is light on action but the conversations between the characters kept the story moving at a reasonable pace.
-I also enjoyed the art in this issue quite a bit. With the exception of Tony Stark, I thought the characters all looked great, especially Hope. She’s seemed to get older or younger with each new artist, but I hope that future artists use Portacio’s Hope as a reference.
-I’m normally not a fan of most backup stories, but the Rebuilding back up story was a solid lead-in to Children’s Crusade. While I have already read Children’s Crusade, I think this story could definitely serve as a way to get X-fans interested in the Children’s Crusade books.
Cons:
-I didn’t care much for Tony Stark’s appearance in this issue. Despite my praise for the art in the rest of the book, I didn’t think Tony looked quite right. Besides that though, it was such a brief appearance that it almost wasn’t worth including in the issue. It was easily the most forgettable moment in the book.
-While I’m not a stickler for minor continuity flaws, I know that some people absolutely hate it. In this book, Colossus is lacking the sling from the injury he got at the end of Second Coming. Also, for those that also pick up X-Men Legacy this week, Cyclops sends Rogue out to get away from Hope for a while. I decided to view this more as one story taking place before the other, despite the books being released at the same time.
Overall:
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this issue. My desire to see a new mutant discovering her powers occurred, so that was a big factor in my enjoyment. I’ve also been following the entire Hope story pretty heavily, so to finally get some answers about her parents was extremely satisfying. I realize this arc is probably going to be used mainly to set up the “New Generation of Hope”, but I’m completely alright with that. This book definitely deserves a…
4.5/5
