Origins of The Immortal Man!
The X-men fight against the “Immortal Man” in the strange, foreign world of Tabula Rasa. The origin of their adversary is revealed and the X-Men struggle to keep up against his attacks and the wild life of this foreign land.
Good
The overall star of this issue is the action. The threat and power of the villain is well demonstrated and the continuing fight between him and the X-men is escalated well. Magneto has a specific moment showing off his veteran status and mutant powers that serves as a reputation cementing moment.
The art pairs well with the action and the character’s powers are demonstrated well. There is a good level of detail in the pencils and the designs of this foreign world and it’s inhabitants has a cool style to them.
Bad
I really didn’t feel like there was a lot of characterisation in this issue, a lot of what happens is characters saying what has happened and what they must do. The moments of good characterisation such as Magneto in the opening fight stand out due to this.
The art gives off a very static or still feeling, like I’m looking art screen caps of a video and not a scene in motion. I feel there needs to be just a small element of motion or atmosphere to give the art some more life.
The origin of the Immortal Man was told quite flatly and with little drama, so much so I had to reread it to remind myself of it.
Verdict
A disappointing second issue of the Tabula Rasa arc, Some great moments but hampered by static art and emotionless dialogue.