A Great Start to an Alternate Universe
Wow, I was very surprised by this, X-Men: Legacy #245, the first chapter of "Age of X." Alternate universes are hit-and-miss with me, but this one seems like it is going to be a great addition to the X-Men stories. Mike Carey is often praised for his current "Legacy" run, and I am now really glad that Marvel let him do his own thing for this one. But why did it turn out so great? Let's take a look:
What was good?
Character change-ups. And not just for the sake of doing it, these are awesome! Cyclops is now the hot-headed Basilisk (fitting, no?) and Rogue is now Legacy (and Reaper, indeed), just to name a couple. I am also admitting my true colors as a Gambit fan-boy here, but I am really glad Carey is seeming to give him a good amount of attention in this series (I mean, wow. He's actually on the center of the cover!). Some could say that the sheer amount of characters present and the new characterizations detract from the story, but not me--I will always favor character over plot. This is just the kind of story to appeal to someone like me. Also Wolverine's a bartender! Hah!
What was bad?
This really is not Carey's fault 100%, as he could not have anticipated my enjoyment for the character, but I was very excited when Tempo appeared to be a main character in this issue (I think she is a great character with lots of potential) until she was offed without a good reason. Honestly, I thought Marvel writers had finally gotten the hint that you cannot just introduce people solely for the purpose of being killed--it is bad storytelling.
What was ugly?
Some of the art looked a little blurry and nondescript in many places. The art, as a whole, is not bad at all, but I came away from this issue feeling that the sheer amount of characters in this story necessitated sharper detail.
What's the verdict?
5/5. In my opinion, this is a perfect start to a series that is looking to have a 'lot of potential. Carey sets us up with all the information we need to know, advances the plot in a very effective way, and changes up character relationships and characteristics so much that you will not be able to resist seeing what happened to your favorite character.
