"Cable, are we THERE yet?"
Dream a Little Dream...
Moving on to the third issue of the maxi-series, X-Men: The End, by Chris Claremont and Sean Chen, I must say: this issue is packed! Six different locales and numerous new plot elements are introduced in an issue that gives us the first real bit of story development in the series thus far. In this issue, we bear witness to the first death (of many) of an established character, and we also get a glimpse of the whereabouts of Beast, Jubilee, Domino, and a few more of our favorite X-Men. This issue also has significantly more action than the last two issues, and the action is good.
As for the specifics of the issue:
What was good?
Wow, that cover art! Good job Greg Land, your Phoenix rendition is amazing. Aside from the awesome cover, however, the issue itself has a 'lot of good things going for it. Claremont's exposition explaining the background of each character is very well written and a joy to read. Additionally, and as I mentioned earlier, the action is very good in this issue. We get to see the new Marauders in action, the plight of Dani Moonstar, Sage and Malice, and a climactic ending involving Domino, all of which add up to give us a very solid issue that has good fight scenes and also features more plot happenings to wrap our minds around.
What was bad?
Some of the dialogue and pencils seemed to be a little lackluster in this issue. It's usually nothing too noticeable, except for the dialogue in the panels where Phoenix is in the hot tub talking to Carol--pretty sloppy and confusing. I'm really just splitting hairs though--I've definitely seen much worse.
What was ugly?
One thing I really don't like, though, is how Jean is so beautiful on the cover, yet she is still rendered in the panels with a head that looks like the little mechanical spider/baby-doll head hybrid from Toy Story, and I'm not really digging her tattoos either; they work so much better on Rogue.
What's the verdict?
4/5. I promise I'm not going to rate all my reviews a 4/5, but this issue doesn't deserve more or less. It is solid, action-packed, plot-driven, and interesting, yet lacks some of the urgency of a truly wonderful issue.
Death toll: 4
Moving on to the third issue of the maxi-series, X-Men: The End, by Chris Claremont and Sean Chen, I must say: this issue is packed! Six different locales and numerous new plot elements are introduced in an issue that gives us the first real bit of story development in the series thus far. In this issue, we bear witness to the first death (of many) of an established character, and we also get a glimpse of the whereabouts of Beast, Jubilee, Domino, and a few more of our favorite X-Men. This issue also has significantly more action than the last two issues, and the action is good.
As for the specifics of the issue:
What was good?
Wow, that cover art! Good job Greg Land, your Phoenix rendition is amazing. Aside from the awesome cover, however, the issue itself has a 'lot of good things going for it. Claremont's exposition explaining the background of each character is very well written and a joy to read. Additionally, and as I mentioned earlier, the action is very good in this issue. We get to see the new Marauders in action, the plight of Dani Moonstar, Sage and Malice, and a climactic ending involving Domino, all of which add up to give us a very solid issue that has good fight scenes and also features more plot happenings to wrap our minds around.
What was bad?
Some of the dialogue and pencils seemed to be a little lackluster in this issue. It's usually nothing too noticeable, except for the dialogue in the panels where Phoenix is in the hot tub talking to Carol--pretty sloppy and confusing. I'm really just splitting hairs though--I've definitely seen much worse.
What was ugly?
One thing I really don't like, though, is how Jean is so beautiful on the cover, yet she is still rendered in the panels with a head that looks like the little mechanical spider/baby-doll head hybrid from Toy Story, and I'm not really digging her tattoos either; they work so much better on Rogue.
What's the verdict?
4/5. I promise I'm not going to rate all my reviews a 4/5, but this issue doesn't deserve more or less. It is solid, action-packed, plot-driven, and interesting, yet lacks some of the urgency of a truly wonderful issue.
Death toll: 4