Cable #14 (Messiah War Chapter 4) – Review

By Duane Swierczynski (Writer) and Ariel Olivetti (Artist)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’ve pretty much given up on any hope that Messiah War is going to end up being a truly worthy follow-up to the fantastic Messiah Complex event. While the crossover has been entertaining enough, it lacks the sense of urgency and intensity that made Messiah Complex one of my all time favorite “X” stories. Still, I know I’ll stick with the X-Force/Cable crossover regardless of my disappointment. And that’s because I’m genuinely interested in finding out what direction Hope takes following the War being fought because of her.

The Story: Warpath is stuck in a torture device designed by Stryfe. Hope is a captive of both Bishop and Stryfe. Cable, Deadpool, and most of X-Force try to work out a plan to get inside Stryfe’s citadel. On top of all that, Archangel answers the call and confronts Apocalypse…

What’s Good: I’ve been pretty hard on Duane Swierczynski in the past. Most recently, I thought he really dropped the ball when first handed the reigns of the Messiah War crossover (for chapter two). That said, I give credit where credit is due. And credit is definitely due in this case.

In Cable #14, Swierczynski does a really nice job of ramping up the tension of a storyline that definitely needed one more push to get to the next level. He effectively uses a mix of dialogue and internal monologue to bring out the best in a number of the characters. A few scenes in particular really stand out, like Warpath’s reaction to torture, Archangel’s reunion with Apocalypse, Cable’s battle with remorse, and Bishop’s reaction to the current situation. They feature character moments or bits of information that leave me thinking that the Cable/X-Force crossover might actually be able to overcome it’s rocky start.

What’s Not So Good: Unfortunately, there are two things holding Cable #14 from earning a higher grade. One of them is the artwork by Arial Olivetti. The other has to do with how Hope is handled.

The artwork looks either far too static or, in some cases, downright silly. I understand that it can be difficult to show pain or surprise, but a few of Olivetti’s character shots are just simply hilarious. Two choking scenes are the main offenders, but Warpath’s torture scene doesn’t exactly make a great visual impact either. Sure the device looks nasty, but the results are less than spectacular. I mean it looks as though Warpath is just having a particularly nasty visit to the dentist in one panel.

The problem with Hope (outside of looking really odd) is that she is written in a way that is really inconsistent. She is either sounds too much like an adult or too much like a dumb teenager. It’s like Swierczynski sort of dances around a desirable sweet spot for the character, but never really nails it.

Conclusion: Good, but still not great. That’s the best way to describe both the issue and the crossover that it is involved in. A lot of it works, but enough of it doesn’t to keep it from earning higher than a…

Grade: B-

-Kyle Posluszny

X-Force #14 (Messiah War Chapter 3) – Review

By Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost (Writers) and Clayton Crain (Art)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The Messiah War crossover event really hasn’t even started yet. So far, it’s been a whole lot of expositional dialogue and very little action. I’d expect that to change in chapter three, especially considering how chapter two ended.

The Story: X-Force, Cable, Hope, and Deadpool fight off Stryfe’s warriors in a bloody battle. During the fight, Archangel hears a voice calling out to him. Meanwhile, Stryfe waits for the best moment to attack. As for Bishop, well he’s in charge of most of the exposition.

What’s Good: The latest part of Messiah War is definitely a step up from the last one, though that really isn’t saying much. While most of it is driven by crazy action sequences, the writing team does a nice job of balancing the book by effectively using character moments and slower scenes to move the plot along. It helps that Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost have a very good handle on the fairly large cast. The characters could easily be lost among the bloody violence, but that is, thankfully, not the case. Everyone gets a chance to make an impact under Kyle and Yost. Especially in the case of Vanisher, who manages to bring dark humor to the story more successfully than Deadpool, a character that pretty much lives and dies by how well a writer handles his particular style of black comedy.

What’s Not So Good: The artwork in the third chapter of Messiah War is very much a mixed bag. While I firmly believe that Clayton Crain is a great fit for a series like X-Force, he tends to be his own worst enemy. When everything in his work manages to click (which it does quite often), it looks extremely good. But when something is off, an entire panel can be ruined. And too many panels are ruined in X-Force #14. Sometimes the work is far too dark. Other times everything looks very muddy and undefined. The worst though, is when the character work bounces from one extreme to another, sometimes in the same panel. The art looks either too hyper-detailed, and over-exaggerated or so indistinct that characters look like little more than blobs of color.

As for the story, it still feels like it’s plodding along. While the action in X-Force #14 is welcome and the ending is intriguing (if a bit too predictable), the whole thing lacks the kinetic urgency that drove the Messiah Complex along. I find that a bit surprising, especially because the stakes are just as high, if not higher in some ways.

Conclusion: The Messiah War is definitely gaining momentum, but it’s still a ways behind the Messiah Complex in terms of both scope and excitement.

Grade: B-

-Kyle Posluszny

Cable #13 (Messiah War Chapter 2) – Review

By Duane Swierczynski (Writer) and Ariel Olivetti (Artist)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Messiah War got off to a solid start last week despite the fact that half of chapter one was spent on recapping the past. Now, with the pieces in place and the main players introduced into the event, I look forward to where the Messiah Complex sequel will go next. Hopefully, it’s somewhere good.

The Story: Much like the first chapter, the second part of Messiah War spends a lot of time going over past events. Only this time, the past events offer up information that’s new, regardless of whether or not the reader has been following X-Force and/or Cable. What that means is that Cable #13 reveals just what future-Deadpool has been up to all these years. Also, the issue reveals how the present future came to be and what is up with the partnership between Stryfe and Bishop.

What’s Good: The Messiah War story continues to hold quite a bit of potential. Thanks to the funny segment featuring Deadpool and the bits of effective narration from Bishop, it’s possible to come up with a fairly clear picture of what type of future the characters are operating in and how it came to be that way. In other words, with the set-up hopefully finally out of the way, it seems as though the X-event can finally start moving forward comfortably.

What’s Not So Good: In my review of the Messiah War one-shot, I expressed concern over how the event would fare in the hands of the Cable creative team. As it turns out, Cable #13 proves that my concern was more than justified. And Duane Swierczynski and Ariel Olivetti are both at fault.

With the exception of how Stryfe is written, Duane Swierczynski does a pretty poor job of handling his series’ guest stars. Deadpool comes off way too strong (his comic fan “in jokes” are more annoying than funny), Wolverine’s dialogue is at times, atrocious (asshat?! honestly!?), and I really can’t picture X-23 expressing much concern about how someone feels when such an important mission is going on. Two chapters in, and I’m already starting to think that Marvel should have just let Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle handle the entire event.

As for Ariel Olivetti’s work…well…he uses a very “love it or hate it” style. As a whole I can’t really stand it and as a result, I’m not a fan of the visuals in Cable #13. That said, I will give him credit for an appropriately hideous looking Deadpool and some pretty cool looking scenery.

Conclusion: Cable #13 pretty much justified and made real my fears about what would happen when Swierczynski and Olivetti took the reigns of an interesting story. I look forward to what’s coming next in the Messiah War, but at the same time, not really because of anything that took place in its second chapter. Consider me currently disappointed, but optimistic for the future.

Grade:  C–

-Kyle Posluszny

X-Force/Cable: Messiah War One-Shot Review

By Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost (Writers) and Mike Choi & Sonia Oback (Art)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The X-event The Messiah Complex was one of the reasons I got back into reading comics. So, needless to say, I’ve been looking forward to the sequel. That said, I’m not really sure what to expect from it, quality-wise. I really like what Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, Mike Choi, and Sonia Oback (along with Clayton Crain) have done with X-Force. However, Duane Swierczynski and Ariel Olivetti have left me feeling fairly indifferent towards Cable. While I’ll readily agree that Cable has improved quite a bit since its rocky start, I can’t help but wonder if the crossover will maintain a level of consistency between the different creative teams.

The Story: The Messiah War kicks off with…well… mostly a summary to get readers caught up on the events that have lead to the crossover. Cyclops sends X-Force into the future to help Cable protect Hope, where they run straight into a familiar, unstable mercenary. Meanwhile, Lucas Bishop hits a bar in an attempt to persuade a returning “X” adversary to help eliminate Cable and Hope.

What’s Good: Event one-shots are something of a necessary evil. They must accomplish the rather tricky task of explaining enough about the past in order to make new readers feel welcome while at the same time advancing the story enough to satisfy longtime fans. And as far as that task is concerned, I have to consider the Messiah War one-shot to be a success. Simply put, the creative team manages to present a comic that keeps the old information from feeling stale and the new stuff from feeling too stunted. The narration and dialogue from Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost adequately sums things up by establishing what’s at stake. As for the visuals, Mike Choi and Sonia Oback do a nice job telling the story while, at times, putting forth some of the best work I’ve seen them do. Especially worth noting are the scenes featuring Deadpool, as they are almost worth the price of admission alone. Hilarious and disturbing, just like something involving the Merc with a Mouth should be.

What’s Not So Good: Despite being well handled by the creative team from both a writing standpoint and an artistic standpoint, there is no shaking the “been there, done that” feeling the first half of the one-shot gives off. It seems as though the whole section might have been better suited to being part of one of those free Saga releases so more time could be spent on advancing the War plot. In all honesty, the situation is understandable. But it still warrants a mention or else I wouldn’t be doing my job.

Conclusion: Messiah War definitely gets off to a slow start, but things pick up well enough by the time the first chapter reaches its conclusion. I look forward to seeing where things go next. Hopefully it involves more Deadpool.

Grade:  C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Cable #5 – Review

By Duane Swierczynski (Writer) and Ariel Olivetti (Artist)

Last month I gave this series some credit for finally feeling as though things were moving forward (after months of going absolutely nowhere). Issue #4 was a much needed step in the right direction and, as a result, I found myself actually looking forward to the conclusion of the “War Baby” arc. Unfortunately, Cable squanders any good will it had built up last month with a far too hasty conclusion that suffers from poor storytelling and inconsistent, confusing art direction.

Basically, Cable #5 is all about the inevitable showdown between Bishop and Cable for the fate of the “Messiah” child. But first, the two mutants must prepare, so the first half of the book deals with that. Bishop takes over a unit of the Turnpike Authority in order to have some backup for the big fight, while Cable heads to Cannonball’s lab to stock up on weaponry, destroy Cerebra so he can’t be tracked, build some baby armor, and arm the waitress Sophie so that she can protect herself should she get involved. To be honest, while reading the entire first half of the book, I couldn’t help but feel I should have some sort of montage worthy music playing in the background. It definitely has that vibe going for it.

The second half of this issue is the fight itself and boy, does it feel  disjointed. Simply put, the action never gets its rhythm going. There are a few cool moments spattered about, but as a whole, the action is nothing special and it is actually hindered more by an abrupt, hilariously stupid ending. Also, on a personal note, I have to mention that I really hate it when the seemingly innocent bystander turns out to be well trained in weaponry… it’s a cliché and tired formula.

The writing here is kept at a minimum, but it works as long as there isn’t any actual storytelling involved. Allow me to explain what I mean. The dialogue/narration is fairly amusing from time to time; Cable and Sophie make a pretty decent character pair, but this story has no depth whatsoever. Every beat that is meant to move the story forward is usually just a one or two line explanation about why something is or must be done. Bishop is on the warpath in order to kill a baby and instead of exploring the complexity of that particular situation, he just keeps saying he has to stop his future from occurring. Another example is how the conclusion of this issue is a “oops, I forgot” moment that just sort of happens without any previous explanation about how Cable’s time mechanism works.

This whole arc has felt less like a story and more like a series of events held together by the fact that Bishop is hunting Cable. Sure the dialogue is fairly interesting, but it’s as though Duane Swierczynski forgot that he had to tell a story as well. Maybe the start of a new arc will lead to some actual story development, but, at this point, I can’t possibly get my hopes high. The way this issue concludes leads me to think the next arc will just be more of the same.

As for the artwork, things look decent enough during slower moments as Arial Olivetti has clearly improved his character work, but the direction in this issue is just sloppy. It feels as though there are gaps in continuity during the entire action sequence and it ultimately destroys any flow the scenes may have. Also, there are a few inconsistencies, the most glaring of which involves a guy getting shot in the head. It shows the bullet go through his head and then one panel later his head is completely gone, as though it had exploded or something. It is always good to see something improve with each new issue, but, in my opinion, this series would be better off with a new artist or art team.

Cable #5 is just a huge disappointment all around. The storytelling is incredibly weak, the art direction is a mess, and the conclusion just left me shaking my head at how ridiculous it was. I thought things would be looking up after a decent showing last month, but, as it turns out, I was wrong. (Grade: D)

-Kyle Posluszny

X-Men: Divided We Stand Book 1 #1 – Review

By Mike Carey, Matt Fraction, Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, Skottie Young (writers), Brandon Peterson, Jamie McKelvie, Sana Takeda, Skottie Young (pencils/art)

I honestly do not understand the point of this mini-series. X-Men: Divided We Stand is an anthology of short stories that showcase a number of C-List mutants who’ve been put out to pasture following the events of the Messiah Complex. One of the stories isn’t even about one of the mutants, either. I just don’t know, maybe I’m missing the point.

I mean, do people really care about an eight page story where Cannonball gets into a bar room brawl? Or how about a story where Scalphunter’s become a cook and Nightcrawler comes to lecture him about history and art? A lot of these stories are completely soulless and feel forced when it comes to playing to its audiences’ sympathies. It’s as if Marvel came up to these writers and asked, “Hey, wanna make a quick $200? Write me an 8 page story and we’ll make a ton of money because this’ll be a #1 issue.” I almost feel insulted.

It’s a shame, too, because there’s some diverse talent here in the forms of Jamie McKelvie, Skottie Young, and Sana Takeda that just feels wasted. In fact, I found it kind of funny that Scottie Young, who drew and wrote a chapter, himself, had the strongest story, yet the worst art!  All the other stories felt contrived, too cliche, and too filler.

Ultimately, we don’t need a book like this. We don’t need to see what the lesser X-Men characters are doing during their time off. There’s a reason why New X-Men was canceled: It sucked and so did the characters. This issue does little to prove otherwise. (Grade: D)

– J. Montes

X-Men: Legacy #209 – Review

By Mike Carey (writer), Scot Eaton (pencils), John Dell (inks), Frank D’Armata (colors)

Oh yes, I am digging this story arc! This book is the best thing to come out of Messiah Complex and for the first time in almost 5 years (Grant Morrison’s run), I’m actually hooked on an X-Men story line. I’ve read lots of Mike Carey’s past works, but nothing’s ever come across as memorable to me until now. This isn’t a mindless brawl fest we usually get from our mutant books – it’s a stripped down character driven piece that explores the relationship between Magneto and Xavier. And I know we’ve seen this told before, but with the aftermath of House of M, Magneto losing his powers, and now Messiah Complex, the world is a different place. The questions and answers Carey poses to the characters are fascinating and engaging.

One mutant poignantly states that the original dreams these men had are over. Times have changed and so now must the dreams. This brilliantly sums up what’s happened and foreshadows what’s to come in the mutant world. With Exodus and his gang having lost any respect for Magneto and now threatened by a reawakened Professor X, I can’t wait to see what happens next. Will this eventually become the Erik and Xavier road trip show? I won’t lie. I’d love to see it happen!

John Romita Jr. isn’t around to do the dream sequences this time, so everything falls into Scot Eaton’s capable hands. He not only does a spectacular job throughout, but seeing him do the dream sequences and the old school renditions of our favorite mutants is a lot of fun. Again, here’s another person who’s previous work never left an impression on me. Well, you can now consider me a fan of Mr. Eaton. Excellent work!

I realize a lot of people feel cheated about Professor X’s supposed death in Messiah Complex (I know I was), but the way Mike Carey’s built this story around him is nothing short of excellent. And in the end, that’s what really counts. (Grade: A)

– J. Montes

Wolverine #63 – Review

By Jason Aaron (writer), Ron Garney (artist), Jason Keith (colors)

After a very rocky debut, Jason Aaron and Ron Garney unleash their second collaborative effort with Wolverine #63. Sadly, it’s more of the same. It’s well documented that I am a big fan of both creators. Jason Aaron’s work on Scalped is superb and Ron Garney has always delivered top notch art – especially on his latest Amazing Spider-Man run. There’s a persistant problem that’s plaguing this book and it’s not one, but both creators’ fault.

Ron Garney’s is the lesser problem and could easily be rectified. Get him a damn inker! I don’t know who’s decision it was to let him pencil this book without an inker, but it was a poor choice. The pencil work is, at times, muddy, uneven, and undefined. If you had an inker on this stuff it would undoubtedly look so much sharper. It’s a shame, too, because Garney is doing some excellent storytelling and it’s all going to waste.

Jason Aaron, however, is the bigger problem. Much like Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost (the writers of X-Force), Aaron’s portrayal of Wolverine is just awful. Wolverine continues to trot around Asia and Africa on the heels of Mystique only to be fooled and foiled time and time again. There’s even a point where he actually catches up to her (again) and has a drink. He retardedly (is that a word?), like a James Bond villain explains the plans he has in store for her only to see her slip away (again). Is Wolverine really this stupid? How many times is he going to fall for this crap before he catches her? Why is Marvel’s editorial staff approving stories like this? You think just because a writer has a good resume it gives him free license to do what he wants? This is just awful work.

To be fair, there are a few moments that I liked. The flashbacks between Wolverine and Mystique are getting more interesting. Also, the scene where Wolverine’s looking for an excuse to smack down an American solider in Baghdad is pretty hilarious. But fleeting moments like these don’t make a good story. Until Aaron starts treating Wolverine with the respect he deserves, this book isn’t worth your $2.99. Sorry, this book fails, but I’ll give it a “plus” for humor and the flashbacks. (Grade: F+)

– J. Montes

Wolverine #62 – Review

By Jason Aaron (writer), Ron Garney (art), Jason Keith (colors)

A little rant before I begin. Wolverine has to be a Skrull. He’s in Europe in Uncanny X-Men, Afghanistan in his own book, New York in New Avengers, Running around X-Force in their book, and off in space in Astonishing X-Men. There’s no way he can be in that many places!

Because of his overexposure for more than two decades, let it be known that I’ve not bought a Wolverine comic off the stands since Wolverine #1 back in 1987. So what motivated me to pick up this issue? Three words: Aaron and Garney. If you’re not reading Jason Aaron’s Scalped, you’re missing out on one of the best Vertigo titles being published today. And Ron Garney? Well, I’ve been a fan of his since his Captain America days. I like his work so much that I also own a piece of his original art from his Amazing Spider-Man run. As you can see, picking this book up was very much a no-brainer to me.

But is it any good?

Our new creative team begins a story arc exploring Wolverine and Mystique’s past and present relationship. Now, I’m not good on mutant continuity as I used to be, but I had no idea these two knew each other since 1921! Is this something new or is this common knowledge?

In the present, Wolverine’s in Afghanistan looking for Mystique after the events of Messiah Complex and he’s determined to get his payback. He chases her across Africa and into Asia, and every time he gets close, she slips away. What I don’t understand is why Wolverine is running around in his X-Men uniform to all these places. I mean, doesn’t he want to at least try to blend in with the locals and get the jump on her? Because of logic problems like this, this first chapter ends on a disappointing note. Wolverine is not stupid, and yet he’s portrayed as a complete idiot. I really expected more from Jason Aaron, and so should Wolverine.

Garney’s art does not disappoint. But as good as it is, it lacks the refinement that Bill Reinhold gave it when they were together on Amazing Spider-Man. His Wolverine and Mystique, however, are excellent. Jason Aaron brings his trademark “natives speaking in languages we don’t understand” routine. He does this a lot in Scalped and he does it here, too. We get the gist of what the Mexicans and Afghanis are saying, but it’s never fully translated. As I said, his script is lazy and there are logic problems, but I have hopes that he’ll find his footing and turn things around. (Grade: D-)

– J. Montes

X-Factor #28 – Review

By Peter David (writer), Pablo Raimondi (art), Jeremy Cox (color)

After all the super hero / mutant antics of Messiah Complex, a storyline that derailed, and even stole some of X-Factor’s identity and momentum, the series is finally back on track with issue #28. It’s very much welcomed, too. This is probably the only consistently good book amongst Marvel’s X-titles. Don’t get me wrong, the cast here is definitely feeling the ramifications of the Messiah Complex – Layla Miller is still stuck in the future and Rahne is leaving for X-Force, but the on-going subplots are finally back in play.

Speaking of X-Force, Marvel really dropped the ball by not promoting this book. In a way, it feels somewhat as a prequel to the X-Force #1. In Uncanny X-Men, Wolverine is on vacation in Europe – at least Peter David was smart enough to respect current continuity with Rahne.

So Rictor is out wandering around Mutant Town when he finds a girl who resembles Layla. But she’s not Layla. Instead, she’s a (very) fashionable prostitute who proceeds to hit him with a stun gun while her pimp beats the crap out of him. Strong Guy comes to the rescue, but I’m still wondering how Rictor recovered from the stun gun so quickly. Must have been those mutant genes!

Anyway, Madrox finally loses it and does more damage to the Purifiers (by himself, no less) than anyone in X-Force #1 ever does. Sure, we don’t see blood, but his butt kicking in 2-3 panels had me more excited than that book ever could. Now, is it me or are the Purifiers just a device Marvel created so the X-Characters had mindless fodder to kill. They’re like the Battle Android Troopers in G.I. Joe – it gave the Joes a faceless enemy that they could destroy with their guns, because heaven forbid they kill any *real* people or *real* bad guys! This same idea applies with the droid army in the Star Wars prequels! I honestly don’t like it. It’s such a lazy idea.

Tangent aside, Peter David’s dialogue is fun, as always, and you can tell he loves writing Strong Guy. Pablo Raimondi’s art is outstanding. His painstakingly detailed backdrops (especially Mutant Town), are beautiful and well complimented by Jeremy Cox’s colors. And as much as I hate pop cultural references in my comics, there’s a scene involving an iPhone that’s hilarious! This is how an X-Book is done. Way to go, guys. (Grade: B+)

– J. Montes

Uncanny X-Men #495 – Review

By Ed Brubaker (writer), Mike Choi (art), Sonia Oback (colored art)

This issue kicks off the X-Men: Divided story line. Reeling from events of Messiah Complex, Cyclops and Emma Frost now live in seclusion in the Savage Land. I don’t know if Marvel is trying to expose Iron Man as much as possible before the movie’s released or if it’s just because he’s that important to Marvel continuity now, but Tony Stark makes an appearance in this book (surprise, surprise). He asks Cyclops to get his team registered to which he gets snubbed off (as usual). From here, we catch up on the rest of the X-Men. Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Colossus are off making mischief in eastern Europe. And Angel stumbles onto something odd in San Francisco.

New to the book is artist Mike Choi. Backed with Sonia Oback’s colors, this duo creates a lot of eye candy. If you’re on the fence about picking up this book, Choi’s art should be enough to sway you – he’s that good.

This isn’t your typical Brubaker story. There’s usually an agenda in every book he writes, so this being an “X-Men on vacation” story, it feels a bit off. There’s some character building going on here and Brubaker tries to liven it up with some humor, but most of it falls a bit flat. The ending isn’t your typical cliffhanger; it’ll most likely leave you feeling perplexed, but I’m sure there’s some method to Brubaker’s madness. I’ll stick around and see what happens next. (Grade: C+)

– J.Montes

A Second Opinion

I agree with Jay on many aspects here. The story doesn’t have any action, mostly character development, which is nice and all, but I hope to see more action next issue.

I hated the whole Civil War storyline and Iron Man, himself, and his “registration” act. Why must he still pop up in almost every other character’s comics. Enough already! “They are pushing me to officially register all of you,” he says twice in this issue. Just grow a pair already!

Choi and Oback are great as usual on art chores. (Grade: C+)

-Daniel Yanez

X-Men #207 (Messiah Complex: Part 13) – Review

By: Mike Carey (Writer), Chris Bachalo (Pencils)

I didn’t think the X-writers could pull it off, but they did. They, for the most part, wrapped up this storyline and showed us a taste of things to come. The “Messiah” child’s identity isn’t exactly revealed, but people will draw their own conclusions. And that’s fine, I can live with that.

The Madrox storyline is left unresolved, however but it looks like that story will unfold in X-Factor very soon. Predator X was almost a useful plot device here, but the person I thought he killed was left alive. The reveal is held until the last 4-5 pages of the book, and boy is it a big one! I’m not gonna say what happens, but let’s hope Mephisto doesn’t show up in the X-Books anytime soon. It really came out of left field, but one nagging thing that wasn’t answered is if the antagonist was left alive or dead. More questions, ugh.

All in all, this is a fitting end to the Messiah Complex. I’ve never expected much when X-Titles crossover, but this one’s been pretty good. It started off slow and chugged along for 10 issues, but the last three chapters have paid off. I also liked the way they ended this book – not all hope is lost for mutant kind. (Grade: B)

-J. Montes

New X-Men #46 (Messiah Complex: Part 12) – Review

By: Kyle Yost (Writer), Humberto Ramos (Pencils)

Messiah Complex is coming to an end! After two months of non-stop chase scenes, the pay offs are finally here. This is easily the best X-Men storyline I’ve read in a decade, but what I don’t understand is why Marvel planned to wrap up this series in the last three issues. There’s no reason why Messiah Complex had to be 12 issues with what we’ve seen. Also the mutant Predator subplot has been a waste up until this point. In fact, this story could have done without it.

To its credit, this issue reveals more plot revelations and gives us some much needed answers; It’s good to see everyone finally converging on the climax of this arc. This is a war and it’s nice to see people actually getting hurt (and even dying). But Humberto Ramos’ art is a mess for most of the story. His action sequences are awful and at many points, it’s hard to tell what the hell is going on.

I’m not sure if the next part will be a double-sized issue, because there’s still a lot of lingering questions that need to be answered. Knowing Marvel, we’ll have to wait for the upcoming X-Men Divided arc to get the answers we need. (Grade: B)

-J. Montes