Magneto #3 – Review

By: Cullen Bunn (writer), Gabriel Hernandez Walta (artist), Jordie Bellaire (color artist)

The Story: It looks like you’re defending the mutant people from their genetic inferiors. Would you like help?

The Review: With this issue the first arc of Cullen Bunn and Gabriel Hernandez Walta’s new Magneto series comes to a close. The past two issues of this series have been fantastic and I won’t bother with false pretense and pretend that this one isn’t as well. The question is not whether it’s a good read, but to what it attributes its success.

One thing that this issue teaches us, or at least reinforces for us, is that this will not be your usual mutant series. Even in the most critical moments of this story, the tone remains somber and restrained. Violence is a means to an end for Magneto and while he, like many readers, may hunger for it, there is no enjoyment, no distraction great enough to get between him and his people. There are those who will be disappointed to hear that there’s no climactic battle in this issue, but those looking for something fresh or a book that doesn’t undercut its tone to satisfy the tropes of the genre will find this story to be a sweet one.

Bunn presents a beautiful portrait of Magnus’ self loathing in this issue. He has blood on his hands and it commands his actions. The mutant revolutionary’s memories of Genosha are beautifully written and stunningly illustrated. The reminder of Genosha throws the character into sharp focus, a man of deep guilt, unwilling to lack the power of responsibility again, unable to deal with his own betrayal of that responsibility. In the winding catacombs of a secret Sentinel factory, he finds his opposite: demure, privileged, afraid, unwilling to accept responsibility for her actions. Like the best Magneto stories Bunn at once shows us why his actions are taken, perhaps even why they were necessary, but also the hypocrisy that he carries with him. Erik has been there, does that give him more or less right to judge?

Uncanny X-Force #26 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Phil Noto (artist), Dean White (colorist), and Cory Petit (letterer)

The Story: Wolverine, Deadpool, and Nightcrawler fight for their lives against the Omega Clan, but Psylocke and Fantomex have problems of their own.

The Review:  It’s amazing just how much ground Rick Remender covers in this issue not so much in plot progression, but in tone and style.

On the one hand, the action in this comic is ridiculously brutal and creative with buckets of gore.  It’s an entertaining and furious comic in this regard.  As has often been shown in this series, Remender is also unflinching and disgustingly inventive with his violence and there’s certainly a scene this month that’ll add to that reputation.  On the other hand, however, the scenes with Psylocke and Fantomex appeal in an entirely different way.  The dialogue and the ordeals these two go through are gut-wrenching, with Remender being absolutely merciless to his characters.  It’s harsh, hard-hitting stuff that has a lot of heft, emphasizing the dark, intimate character-work that sets this book apart.

Exiles #3 – Review

By Jeff Parker (Writer), Salva Espin & Casey Jones (Pencils), Karl Kessler (Inks), and Anthony Washington (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Clever, funny, and visually pleasing, Jeff Parker’s Exiles series is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.

The Story: Imprisoned in an alternate-reality Genosha for trying to overthrow Magneto’s reign, the Exiles must think of an escape plan or else the universe will suffer the consequences.

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: The best thing about Exiles #3 is how Jeff Parker manages to spin the predictable into the unexpected. While I can’t go into specifics, I can say that (outside of the escape attempt) the Genosha conclusion is likely to disappoint a bit. At least until the characters make the “jump” into the next mission; an event which impressively passes the torch from one art team to the next. That said, the latest issue of Exiles is still quite fun.

Jeff Parker does a great job playing with the alternate-reality concept and characters. Sure, some things never change, but the stuff that does is surprisingly entertaining. I say that because Beast and Black Panther continue to be a highlight because of how much they differ from the established versions. Also, though he only appears to narrate the standard recap, Morph gives Exiles a recap page that manages to match (or even surpass) the Incredible Hercules’ on the entertainment scale. Those of you that read Incredible Herc know that that’s saying something.

As for the visuals, Salva Espin continues to be a perfect fit for the tone of the series. Some of the smaller panels look a bit rough, but as a whole, Exiles is a very nice-looking book. I’m not entirely sold on Casey Jones’ more realistic style, but I’ll hold judgment until I see his work over the course of an entire issue.

Conclusion: While not quite a strong as the first two issues, Exiles #3 is still well worth your time and money.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

Exiles #2 – Review

By Jeff Parker (Writer), Salva Espin (Artist), and Anthony Washington (Colorist)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Exiles #1 wasted no time in winning me over. Jeff Parker’s script was informative, surprisingly funny, and featured a solid twist ending. Salva Espin’s lively, expressive artwork proved to be a perfect compliment to the story being told. As for the colors, Anthony Washington’s work made the entire book feel like a breath of fresh air from all the darker, more serious Marvel fare. Simply put, I found Exiles #1 to be quite the creative success because of the fact that everything just came together so damn well. It will be interesting to see if the second issue can keep up all the positive momentum.

The Story: The Exiles mission is to help Wolverine overthrow Magneto’s reign in Genosha. The one catch is that in the reality the Exiles are in, Wolverine isn’t much more than a head on a stick. So what that means is that it’s up to the Exiles to figure out a way to overthrow the royal family of Genosha while blending in with the general mutant population of this alternate reality.

What’s Good: Nearly everything about Exiles #2 works for me. The story that develops successfully threads the line between fun and serious, rarely losing balance. Jeff Parker’s script is clever, humorous (Black Panther has some great lines), and very effective in how it plays around with established character norms. The visuals from Salva Espin look fantastic, especially in regards to the highly expressive characters that show an impressive range of emotion throughout the book. Also, I must mention that Anthony Washington deserves praise for making Exiles one of the most colorful, eye-catching books on the stands.

What’s Not So Good: While rarely losing balance, Exiles #2 does occasionally teeter into melodrama here and there. It doesn’t really hurt things from a story perspective because the drama is used to develop the characters on the team, but it does come across as a bit heavy-handed. Another small complaint is that some panels look a bit rushed. It’s something that’s carried over from issue one and it, while somewhat understandable, still proves to be distracting.

Conclusion: Exiles #2 manages to maintain nearly all of the momentum generated by the strong debut. I highly recommend that you give the series a chance while it’s still early enough (and easy enough) to get into it right from the beginning.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny

Exiles #1 – Review

By Jeff Parker (Writer), Salva Espin (Art), and Anthony Washington (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’ll be totally honest and admit that I’ve never read an Exiles comic before. But since it was a light week for me, I figured a new number one issue would be a pretty good place to start.

The Story: The Exiles are a team of (B, C, and D list) Marvel heroes plucked from their respective realities mere moments before death. The mission? To travel from reality to reality in order to put things right so that existence (as a whole) continues. Beast, Forge, The Witch, Polaris, Blink, and The Panther are given the rundown on the situation in the first issue and then sent to fix the first of many realities.

What’s Good: Exiles #1 really gets the series off on the right foot. From the characterization, to the artwork, to the execution of the necessary plot introduction, everything feels absolutely full of energy. And that, my friends, is a very good thing.

Jeff Parker’s script is clever and humorous while also intelligently dealing with both the dense concept and the unique challenge that comes from introducing characters from alternate realities. It is perfectly complimented by artwork that effortlessly manages to be humorous, clever (Beast’s look rocks), vibrant, and lively all at once. Throughout the book there are great examples of how the visuals can elevate the writing and vice versa. And almost all of those examples involve the brilliant use of the character Morph. I never thought I’d see the “Hitler as a baby” dilemma delivered in such a humorous manner…

What’s Not So Good: Despite the entertaining script and eye-catching visuals, there is no denying the fact that Exiles #1 is a fairly standard “team introduction” comic. The formula is a formula for a reason…because it works. But that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t point out it’s use.

Also worth noting is that some of the smaller panels look slightly rushed and/or lack detail. While excusable for the most part, it proves to be a distraction when the rest of the issue looks so nice.

Conclusion: What else can I say? Exiles is now the latest addition to my pull list. Take a chance with the first issue, I think you will be more than pleasantly surprised.

Grade:  B+

-Kyle Posluszny