Mind Riot
When I picked up X-men Legacy #1, I was pleasantly surprised, but that's about as far as it went. It was interesting, with some neat concepts and a likable main character, but that's about it. Issue 2, on the other hand, is leaps and bounds ahead of it, offering a funny, creative and different sort of book that sets it self apart from the increasingly homogenized X-books.
The book splits itself in two ways. Inside the world David constructed in his mind to keep his personalities under control, and the "real world", where he deals with the consequences of his inner demons breaking loose. Both of these segments are entertaining. The aspects of his mind he has to battle have their own quirks and charm to them, and on the outside David's banter with this... fleshy omnipotent redneck thing (just go with it) also prove to be great fun, but at the same time the ever present humor doesn't take away from the seriousness of his situation. While the overall direction of the book isn't made quite so clear, it does seem to have a goal and an arc it is trying to reach, so while this is all set-up it takes nothing away from how much I like this book
David himself is an endearing character, easy to sympathize with. One problem most heroes with split selves often encounter is making the main personality feel like something separate from the others, but here Simon Spurrier succeeds in making sure we know who exactly David is. The accents he and the others share is probably a highlight of this book, and never feels forced or distracting.
The only real problem is the art. The scenes inside his mind are fine, as well as some of the action scenes, but facial expressions often look a bit deformed, especially when the X-men cameo. which is a shame because it mars an otherwise fun and engaging issue.
This book will probably be overshadowed by some of the other NOW! releases, but it has it's own voice, something few X-titles will ever have. Give it a look if you were on the fence with the first issue.
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