Big Revelation and Minor Devastation
Much of the action in this volume of Uncanny X-Men has been building to this moment. S.H.I.E.L.D. has tracked the mutant radical, Cyclops, to the Jean Grey School. Now a hellicarrier, sentinels, and S.H.I.E.L.D. forces are fighting mutants to get at the one responsible, but Bendis has a twist we've seen coming for a while...though you won't guess who it was.
The Good
With all the rising action in this book, readers who've been on board from the beginning get resolution on a problem that has inconsistently plagued Scott's team of mutants. Hank McCoy is in rare form and the jokes in the most dramatic moment merely cement what all X-Men fans have known: there are too many of them out there.
There are some fabulous pages drawn by Chris Bachalo with support from a variety of inkers and a supporting colorist. Where Bachalo colors his own work is noticeable in a good way. The shadows are deep, the mood sufficiently dark, and the art all works in perfect harmony. Tim Townsend's inks are still as crisp and complementary to Bachalo's pencils as they were two decades ago in the pages of Uncanny X-Men.
During the rising action, Bachalo's tilty, off-kilter pages remind you (in the midst of the action) that he can build a lot of intensity just by adding some angles to the panels.
The Bad
While Chris Bachalo pencils all the pages, none of them have the same quirky intricacies we've seen in his best work. Some of the inks are quick and the colors flat compared to the supernal work of complementary artistry. As you flip between pages to follow the break-neck speed of the action, the inconsistencies become apparent. A few pages suffer from odd, awkward, or pedestrian layouts.
There are characters who come rushing in and are set up for big moments, but seem to merely be window dressing during and after the epic conclusion. This is disappointing since they seemed to be set up earlier in the issue to do more.
The way Bendis writes for trades is never more apparent than in this issue. You are dropped in during the middle of the action, if you haven't been following, you may be at a loss at what is happening or why the big reveal is such a big deal. In a collection this may make the wait from one page to the next negligible, but the space between this issue and the last seemed to be just enough to dim the flow. Perhaps that was why Bendis chose to have many of the people in the panels narrating what is happening. While a couple characters had some solid moments, there was a lack of Brian's witty banter and a glut of commentary.
The Verdict
This issue provides answers, closure, and a few great character moments that we've wanted for a while, but even in the midst of a crescendo, the pages felt a bit rushed. If you've been following the series since Bendis first made Scott the revolutionary, then you'll welcome the resolutions contained herein.
Despite inconsistent art and a few harried moments, this is still an important piece of the X-Men narrative, even if it's only to set up all the mutants for what comes next.
