Uncanny X-Men #509 – Review

By Matt Fraction (Writer), Greg Land (Pencils), Jay Leisten (Inks), and Justin Ponsor (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Uncanny X-Men frustrates me. Read my review of Uncanny #508 for an explanation of why that is. The series is very close to being good (or even great), but a number of kinks must be worked out before it can make the jump.

The Story: The mutant community gets quite a jolt when news of Proposition X, legislation that would make chemical mutant birth control mandatory, hits the airwaves. Meanwhile, Beast’s X-Club learns that the key to solving the mutant birth problem may actually lie within one of the science team’s members. As for the Sisterhood? Madelyn Pryor’s plan gets revealed a bit more as they begin to take the fight to the X-Men.

What’s Good: While many of the usual flaws of the series still pop up, Uncanny X-Men #509 is definitely an improvement over the last issue. Especially in regards to the pacing of the various plots. What that means for the reader is that the storylines finally progress enough to feel somewhat satisfying and are also left dangling at logical, suspenseful moments. I still wish the plot segments weren’t so broken up, but I’ll take whatever improvements I can get.

Matt Fraction continues to do an extremely good job of using his large cast to explore big ideas. From Proposition X and the Sisterhood’s goals, to the X-Club’s mission, Fraction fuses plot and personality in a way that makes Uncanny #509 fun to read even when it falters or frustrates. Heck, even the artwork contributes to the feeling at times (turns out Colossus fits right in with the Oakland Raiders faithful), though I can’t help but wonder where Greg Land gets his source material from, because some of it cannot possibly be safe for work (Emma Frost in bondage restraints is just one of the questionable images).

What’s Not So Good: Even though the latest issue of Uncanny is an improvement, it still disappoints from time to time. The biggest reason for that is because the headlining Sisterhood story arc is proving to be a bit vague with the details and at times, too reliant on knowledge of X-continuity. Also, the artwork remains firmly inside the “love it or hate it” category. And as for the writing, Fraction can rightfully be accused of trying too hard to be hip or clever with some of the dialogue choices.

Conclusion: Uncanny X-Men #509 is a step in the right direction in almost every way. The flaws still prove to be distracting, but the good manages to outweigh the bad for once.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny