Uncanny X-Men #523 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Terry Dodson (penciller), Rachel Dodson (inks), Justin Ponsor (colors)

The Story: Time-travelling bodyguard Cable and guarded body Hope, the mutant-messiah-to-be, are on the run from mutant-hating Bastion’s forces, led by a bevy of the X-Men’s past foes. Meanwhile, a squad of X-Men attempt to catch up with the duo but first must deal with strife within the ranks when a dirty secret comes to light. That dirty secret’s name? X-Force.

What’s Good: As a fan of X-Force, it was nice to see Cyclops’ dirty little secret finally come into the light. While the readers were aware that it had to happen some time, it’s nice to finally see it play out. Wolverine’s reply, in both action and words, to Nightcrawler’s demand of answers was well-handled. He definitively places himself on one side of their debate, while leaving very little room for Kurt to fall anywhere but on the opposite side. It’s a powerful moment that has been building for a couple of years in the X-Books, and the payoff shows good signs of deserving the wait. Cyclops continues to be handled well in this story-line, as well. The last few years have really been a renaissance of Scott Summer’s character, showing what he’s capable of when given the reins of an army after decades of hinting at it. When confronted by Nightcrawler about the existence of his death-squad, he efficiently addresses his concerns in a diplomatic yet matter-of-fact way that anyone would be hard-pressed to dish out considering all the other pressures the man is dealing with. Agree or disagree with the leader of the mutant race, you’ve got to give it to him.  He knows what he’s doing.

Speaking of knowing what they’re doing, artist Terry Dodson delivers another wonderful looking issue of Uncanny X-Men. Since Issue #500, Dodson has been switching art duties with Greg Land, who is no favorite of mine. Whenever Dodson gets a turn, my enjoyment of a new issue of Uncanny goes up considerably. He continues that trend here, handling all of the characters ably. His rendition of Hope in particular is strong. Her innocence and the ability with which she can switch it off in order to ensure her survival are conveyed nicely. Her youth is also communicated appropriately in the artwork.  It’s always nice when a teenage girl in comics actually looks like a teenager, and not a sexed-up vixen.