X-Men Legacy #225 – Review

By Mike Carey (writer), Phil Briones (artist), Brian Reber (colorist)

The Story: Xavier comes to Amelia Voght in a dream and tells her that he is coming to New Avalon and that he’s going to tear it down. The Acolytes mobilize and square off against the strongest mutant mind ever known. The end result: a surprise that will feed this story back into the current events of the Marvel Universe.

What’s Good: Xavier is a juggernaut. This book, the entire Legacy series, is about uncovering his failings, but at the same time it is about exposing his strengths. This issue of Legacy is like watching somebody like Yoda or Gandalf coming at you, step by excruciatingly-slow step.

Briones and Reber did some solid visual work on this book. They gave us strong, emotive faces, rapid-fire guns, glowing lasers, static-filled computer monitors, billowing fire, shimmering force fields, and one hell of a final explosion.

On the writing side, this is very much a story about very strong and very noble personalities clashing. Carey gives us a memorable crash of philosophies. There are lots of kinds of nobility and heroism and sacrifice and Carey once again expertly marshals some heavy-hitting adversaries against Xavier, people who have real beefs with him and the firepower to back it up. So our flawed hero pulls no punches as he calls in old loyalties, old arguments and old tragedies to hammer his way psychologically into Exodus. Furthermore, Carey’s writing is not just strong thematically; he plots and delivers a strong story through action and very natural, conflict-filled dialogue.

What’s Not So Good: The scope of the arguments are so big that some of the panels are a little overflowing; too busy to be completely understood all at once, or even after a closer look. On one side, I can understand that Briones is trying to put the epic X-Men history into individual panels, but maybe it’s too much of a goal. He’s so strong with faces and emotions that maybe he should have chosen to do a few representative closeups instead of the wide-angle superhero superbowl we see in a lot of scenes. Also, I found the inking to be a bit too dark. Just because something is underground doesn’t mean it’s all shadowed. But,these are minor points weighed against a really solid offering.

Conclusion: Xavier kicks ass and takes names. Don’t mess with him.

Grade: A-

-DS Arsenault

X-Men: Legacy #210 – Review

Mike Carey (Writer), Scot Eaton, Greg land (Penciler), John Dell, Andrew Hennessy, Jay Leisten (Inkers), Brian Reber and Frank D’Armata (Colorist)

First off, I must mention that I have only recently returned to reading X-Men comics after the Messiah Complex drew me back in. I mention this because it surprises me how much I have enjoyed the X-Men: Legacy story even though it is heavily steeped in mutant history and seems meant more for longtime readers. I have made an effort to catch up with said history that I have missed, but I can’t help but feel that Legacy wasn’t really written for people like me. With that said, however, I have to say that I am quite impressed with the story that has been told so far and this latest issue ensures that I will be keeping this series on my reading list for quite some time.

X-Men: Legacy #210 picks up right where the last issue left off – with Magneto and Omega Sentinel looking on as Exodus and Xavier square off on the psychic plane with Xavier’s mind, and sanity, on the line. As with previous issues, the story is told through three different types of sequences: The present situation involving the Acolytes, Magneto, Omega Sentinel, Exodus, and Xavier, the Mindscape situation involving the mental battle between Exodus and Xavier, and the flashback sequences that are being manipulated by Exodus in an attempt to break Xavier’s resolve. All three sequences are visually gripping in their own way. The choice to use a different art team for the flashback sequences continues to keep the book fresh while adding a distinctiveness of its own. Both art teams do an excellent job all around.

Mike Carey’s writing continues to do a fine job of conveying just how incredibly respected Professor Xavier is as both a powerful mutant and a leading figure within the shattered mutant community. Magneto, Exodus, and the rest of the Acolytes clearly look up to the mentally shattered Xavier and the dialogue that takes place between the characters and Xavier elegantly shows just how complex their relationships have become. The gravity of Xavier’s situation could easily come across as overly dramatic or even hokey, especially when considering how all the characters are intertwined, but Carey deftly handles the dialogue well enough that the book never seems to lose its way.

While both the art and most of the writing score high marks with me, I have some issues with the overall storytelling. To put it bluntly, not a whole lot happens as far as moving things forward. I like where it leaves off Xavier’s tale, but the small teaser of things (and characters), to come feels almost entirely disconnected from everything else. Another issue I have to mention is the appearance of Emma Frost and Cyclops that really doesn’t seem to fit into current continuity in any reasonable way – especially when considering that up until this point no one gave much thought to Xavier disappearing at the end of Messiah Complex. It could be a sign of things to come, but it still felt somewhat tacked on.

Overall, I really enjoyed this issue of X-Men: Legacy despite the few storytelling kinks. I really like Carey’s portrayal of the characters and the different sequences feature some strong artwork that keeps me hooked even if it’s regarding some X-Men history I have yet to catch up on. (Grade: B)

-Kyle Posluszny

X-Men: Legacy #208 – Review

By Mike Carey (writer), John Romita Jr. & Scot Eaton (pencils), Klaus Janson & John Dell (inks), Christina Strain & Frank D’Armata (colors)

As Xavier lays dying on a table, he finds an unlikely savior in Exodus. Though they are enemies, Exodus sees the importance of a man like Xavier. The problem is, even as Xavier struggles to live, he continues to keep his mind shielded from what he deems a hostile threat. We learn this is a self-defense mechanism he has used from a time dating back to the Korean War. Exodus can repair Xavier’s mind, but in order to do so, he’ll have to destroy what’s left of it first.

Mike Carey does a nice job transitioning back and forth from flashback to present events. The events we witness in Xavier’s mind harkens back to the X-Men’s origins and the moral dilemmas he faced. We even see a young Moira McTaggert grill him on his true intentions for the team. It’s character driven stories like this that make the X-Men books good, and Carey deserves praise for fleshing out this story so well. John Romita Jr’s art is an unexpected surprise as he pencils the flashback sequences, while Scot Eaten does a good job keeping an art style relevant to current mutant continuity.

I honestly expected this issue to be crap, but instead I was pleasantly surprised. The issue’s ending is somewhat predictable, but I’m interested to see where Carey takes this story. I’m just hoping they don’t do the whole “Xavier’s a bad guy now” story. (Grade: B)

– J. Montes