X-Men: First Class – Movie Review

One of the most fundamental sticking points of the X-Men is their outsider status.  It’s what defines a lot of how we view the team and mutants in the Marvel U in general, but it’s also the very thing that limits real progress for their fictional civil and social rights.  To preserve the X-Men as unappreciated outcasts, most writers have maintained the human intolerance of them for decades, offering them few truly human, non-heroic allies in their quest for peace.

Ultimately, First Class largely overlooks this human element, and that’s what prevents the film from being better than it is.  Nearly all the human characters in the film get portrayed as either easily manipulated buffoons (Emma Frost making the Russian general grope thin air) or overly rash decision-makers (the entire higher US military).  This almost forces you to sympathize with the mutants in the film, even the obviously twisted ambitions of Shaw.

Part of the problem lies in using the Cuban Missile Crisis as a premise, or at least inspiration, for the plot.  Anyone who’s put some effort in studying that volatile period knows how many complicated political/intelligence factors were involved.  The film depicts the event by making it pretty much the results of Sebastian Shaw’s manipulations, making the ugliest, most dire nuclear confrontation in history the outcome of mutant meddling.

This really undermines the climactic finale of the film, which serves to dramatically play Xavier and Magneto’s conflicting ideologies.  Humanity gets brought to the brink of global apocalypse by mutant whims, and they’re saved by mutants more personally motivated by vengeance (the deaths of Mag’s mother and one of the X-Men’s own) than by justice.  Any way you look at it, humans became pawns and near victims in this deadly game, fairly just cause (in addition to the atrocities committed against US soldiers in the second act) for the resentment, which encourages their hasty actions at the end.

What the film really should have done was give Moira MacTaggert, the sole non-mutant with a significant role in the film, more interaction with the X-Men than mere tagalong.  She is the character driven most to do what’s right (her actions are basically responsible for saving everyone, human and mutant alike), and her sensitivity and even love for the mutants gets grossly unappreciated and unacknowledged by them, even by Xavier to a certain extent.

The film’s plot also gets hampered by several major logistical gaps.  Given Shaw is obviously a psychotic megalomaniac, maybe we should be unsurprised that his plan to simultaneously destroy humans and uplift mutants is so incredibly ill-conceived (it would’ve likely doomed both races).  His logic is simply bad; if atomic energy caused mutation, then wouldn’t all mutants be largely Japanese, Pacific Islander, or American Southwesterners?

Uncanny X-Men #530 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Greg Land (penciller)

The Story: A dangerous flu virus has begun to infect the population of Utopia, forcing Cyclops to issue a quarantine of the island base.  The remaining mutants that were off-island at the time have decided to form a de facto team of X-Men to protect San Francisco for the duration, while Emma Frost, Fantomex and Kitty Pryde (also off-island) continue their clandestine mission to cover up Emma’s dirty little secret, a.k.a. Sebastian Shaw!  Also, the Collective Man makes a play for Chinatown and the Sublime Corporation create their own versions of the original five X-Men to capitalize upon the X-Men’s absence.

What’s Good: After the repetitive and bland previous story-arc, “The Five Lights”, Fraction has kicked into gear most of the sub-plots percolating in the background for the last few issues.  As a result, Uncanny X-Men starts off strong this month.  The actual “virus” events on the island are rife with suspense and I think Fraction was right to begin that scene and our introduction to the whole ordeal through the eyes of Anole.  Not only does it show him utilizing the large cast of characters afforded him, but also it puts a personal touch on the problem that pulls us in immediately.  I’m curious if this event will force Cyclops to take another look at the tactic of placing 95% of the mutant population so close together.  It’s full of negative possibilities, as we’ve seen recently in Second Coming as well, and even a man as stubborn as Scott Summers has to be open to the possibility that it’s a mistake.

Other things I’m happy to see in this issue:  The interesting combo of Angel, Northstar, Dazzler, Pixie and Storm as an X-team.  I hope we see more of them in this arc, although I’m nervous they’ll mainly be used to deal with the ersatz original X-Men also running around San Francisco.  The Collective Man sub-plot, touching upon a story element that Jason Aaron introduced back in his Wolverine: Manifest Destiny miniseries a couple of years ago, was also welcome.  At the time it promised to be a development with plenty of story potential, possibly opening up a chance to meet a Madripoor-like cast of characters.  However, it was quickly forgotten and a return to it makes me smile.

X-Men: Original Sin #1 – Review

By Daniel Way (Writer), Mike Deodato (Art), and Rain Beredo (Colors) and Mike Carey (Writer), Scot Eaton (Pencils), Andrew Hennessy (Inks), and Jason Keith (Colors)

The Story: This one-shot serves to get readers up to speed on what’s been happening in both X-Men: Legacy and Wolverine: Origins, the two books involved in the much-hyped Original Sin crossover event. Wolverine, searching for Professor X, calls in a favor from an old acquaintance to provide shelter for his amnesiac son, Daken. What little peace Daken finds is quickly shattered by the appearance of the “Sebastian Shaw controlled” Miss Sinister. Meanwhile, Wolverine confronts Charles Xavier in order to “convince” him to help repair Daken’s mind.

What’s Good: Quite a lot actually, especially for something that mainly serves as a foundation. I was only slightly interested in the crossover prior to reading this one-shot, but it definitely looks to be something worth following. The writing by Daniel Way and Mike Carey flows together smoothly, the artwork in both chapters is fantastic, and at five parts, the whole thing will require a minimal investment. Also, it’s worth mentioning that the story is extremely easy to pick up on whether you’re a new reader or someone like me who only follows one of the X-books (X-Men: Legacy).

What’s Not So Good: The fact that this story seems to be for a specific audience despite the easy-to-follow introduction. I honestly can’t imagine this hooking too many new readers as many suffer from Wolverine fatigue as it is. In addition, while it has been said that this crossover will have an effect on the X-Men as a whole, I don’t really see how this can fit into the larger scheme of things as it stands at the moment. This looks to be an entertaining, self-contained story that doesn’t need to be shoehorned into the larger picture unless it can fit comfortably.

I also have to add that I think Daken looks ridiculous (outside of his cool looking claws), and Miss Sinister seems to offer little more than sex-appeal. They are decent enough as character concepts, but this book does little to show why I should care about either.

Conclusion: This visually attractive, high quality one-shot does everything it needs to do in order to get readers interested in the Original Sin crossover. While nothing groundbreaking, it provides the necessary background and enough hooks to grab those willing to check it out. Definitely worth a look for “X” fans or those already picking up either X: Men: Legacy or Wolverine: Origins.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

X-Men: Legacy #214 – Capsule Review

Mike Carey, (Writer) Scot Eaton, Ken Lashley, (Pencils) Andrew Hennessy, Paul Neary, (Inkers) Frank D’Armata, and Edgar Delgado (Colorists)

Another month, another entertaining issue for the X-Men: Legacy series. This second arc wraps up with Gambit and Sebastian Shaw working together to help Xavier reclaim his mind from the recently awakened genes of Mr. Sinister. Meanwhile, Amanda Mueller attempts to take over Sinister, herself!

Carey, once again, effectively pulls from X-Men history to frame the struggle going on inside Xavier’s mind. His storytelling works extremely well, whether it’s done in a hallucinogenic flashback, a mindscape struggle, or a present day fight scene. Particularly impressive is how Carey makes sure all the major players get time to make an impact amongst a chaotic battle.

Art duties are, as usual, shared between two teams and they both do a nice job with the material. The action is strong, the flashbacks are fun, and the color work by both Frank D’Armata and Edgar Delgado is fantastic. All in all, this is another good looking chapter in Xavier’s story.

If you are an X-Men fan you owe it to yourself to check out one of the most consistently entertaining books in the X-Line. While this isn’t a great issue to jump onto (it concludes the current arc), it is worth checking out just for the teaser of where things might go in the near future. (Grade: B+)

-Kyle Posluszny

X-Men: Legacy #213 – Capsule Review

Mike Carey, (Writer) Scot Eaton, (Penciler) Andrew Hennessey, (Inker) and Frank D’Armata (Colorist)

All the pieces of the puzzle come together in this issue of X-Men: Legacy as the connection between Professor Xavier, Sebastian Shaw, Carter Ryking, and Juggernaut is finally revealed. The issue moves quickly as Gambit and Shaw form an unlikely alliance as they search for Xavier – who has fallen into Hydra’s clutches while suffering from strange hallucinations that may or may not be caused by Mr. Sinister.

For those that have stuck with his occasionally confusing story, Mike Carey’s story comes full circle and the bread crumbs he has dropped throughout the last few issues lead to a great payoff . As usual for this series, this issue features two different art styles, one for the present situation (strong, but marred by some silly facial expressions) and one for scenes taking place in Xavier’s mind (fantastically surreal and incredibly impressive). This is another strong issue and I expect great things to come out of the big reveal on the last page. (Grade: B)

–Kyle Posluszny

X-Men:Legacy #212 – Review

Mike Carey (Writer) Present Day Sequences: Scot Eaton (Penciler), John Dell, Andrew Hennessy(Inkers), and Frank D’Armata (Colorist) Flashback Sequences: Mike Deodato (Art) and Rain Beredo (Colors)

I honestly can’t believe how quickly Marvel’s been churning out these X-Men: Legacy books. It seems like I have a new one to read every other week. Don’t take that as a complaint, however; the book is consistently entertaining and is always one of the better reads in my comic pile. With issue #212, however, X-Men: Legacy may have hit a slight speed bump.

Professor Xavier’s quest to reassemble both the past and his shattered mind has always had a sense of urgency attached to it. With the reemergence of Gambit in this issue, that urgency is kicked up a notch as we find out Xavier is one of four people being targeted for assassination by an unknown force. The two hit the road looking for answers as Professor Xavier continues to make sense of the past. There are more hints that something larger is at work pulling the strings connected to Xavier’s quest as well as a few striking flashbacks. It all feels quite “business as usual” in relation to other issues of this series and, to be honest, the action sequences almost feel out of place. Had it not been for a fairly huge reveal near the end of the book, I would have been tempted to say that the story was in risk of becoming repetitive. Luckily, I can say that it’s nice to see the story picking up momentum with the arc continuing to show Professor Xavier in an entirely new light. Now to explain what I meant about the slight speed bump.

X-Men: Legacy has tasked the reader with making sense of Xavier’s complicated history through both the present and the past. While I appreciate leaving some things for the reader to figure out, when I finished this issue I felt as though I had missed something. Now it is possible that more will be explained and fleshed out with subsequent issues, but I worry that the gaps in my knowledge of both Professor X and X-Men continuity are starting to catch up with me. To put it simply, this issue made me feel like the story was moving too fast for its own good. I wanted more information on the people on the assassination list, as well as more information regarding some of the events shown through the flashbacks. I hesitate to fault the writer for this because the writing continues to be strong, but it like Mike Carey has certain expectations of those reading the story. I am starting to wonder if I do not meet those expectations.

The core of this story is a character study of Professor Xavier and, as a result, much of the story rests on dialogue and interactions. Mike Carey continues to shine in that regard as Xavier is given even more layers of characterization through his conversations, inner monologues, and flashbacks. Gambit is shown as someone who respects and cares for Xavier, while at the same time remaining wary of the professor because of his recent instability and past manipulations. It really creates an interesting dynamic and I’m interested in seeing where it goes from here.

As usual for the series, the artwork is quite attractive. Scot Eaton continues to draw detailed, moody settings that really compliment the tone of the story. The characters look, for the most part, fantastic and the bits of action flow quite well. If I have any complaint about Eaton’s work it is that some facial expressions look a bit odd. The colors by Frank D’Armata are impressive as always and continue to be one of the highlights of this series. As for the flashback sequences, this month they are helmed by Mike Deodato. While not quite as impressive as his recent work on the Thunderbolts series, the sequences are quite striking. I like how this book continues to get guest artists for the flashback sequences. It allows each issue to have a distinct feel.

Overall, this was another good outing for X-Men: Legacy that is tripped up only by the pace at which it is moving. That said, the writing and artwork are strong enough to keep things gripping even when it feels as though it’s relying too much on X-Continuity knowledge. (Grade C+)

-Kyle Posluszny

X-Men: Legacy #211 – Review

Mike Carey (Writer), Scot Eaton (Present Day Penciler), Jon Dell, Andrew Hennessy, Dave Meikis (Present Day Inkers), Frank D’Armata (Present Day Colorist), Brandon Peterson (Flashback Art), and John Rauch (Flashback Colors)

As some of you readers may know by now, I have been really enjoying the X-Men: Legacy storyline and, in a lot of ways, consider it to be one of the strongest books to spin out of the Divided We Stand lineup. The story of Professor Xavier’s shattered mind has been an excellent combination of strong writing, storytelling, and artwork. This retooled series continues to impress (while confusing a bit) as it kicks off it’s second arc.

This issue follows a structure similar to the previous issues with jumps between the present, the Mindscape, and the past. Xavier tries to piece together bits and pieces of his past, sometimes using other methods in the process. Also, we find Xavier is being hunted by some group, which creates an intriguing dynamic for future issues to work with. Sebastian Shaw gets some time in the spotlight as we learn a bit more about the mysterious machine that started a reaction in the previous issue. One thing that’s been consistent with this series is how well Mike Carey has paced it. The story never lingers – it’s always on the move and I find that to be very satisfying.

As has been the case since Xavier took front and center in this X-Men book, Carey does a great job moving things along while still keeping the reader in the dark about the various forces working against or around Xavier. While I do wish we were given a little more information regarding some characters that show up, as well as some what’s being referenced in flashback and Mindscape sequences (Wikipedia came in handy), I find myself drawn into this story regardless of the information gaps. The whole book has an almost noir-like feel to it and Carey makes the reader want to piece together the puzzle as bad as Xavier does.

The story is greatly complimented by the artwork, which absolutely nails the tone of Xavier’s desperate search for information. The various Mindscape sequences are sufficiently surreal, thanks to a mix of the bizarre and the mysterious moods conveyed by the coloring and art teams. The shadowy, moody artwork of the present day sequences create a feeling that serves to remind the reader that this is a tale far removed from the usual superhero fair. Both teams deserve praise for the work here, as this is a visually impressive book.

This is a worthy book all around and I definitely look forward to what Carey has up his sleeve for future installments. While I wish some things were explained a little better, I never once felt completely lost, which says a lot about the way the story is presented. I have a feeling someone with a deep knowledge of Xavier’s history will find even more to like with this story than I did. Check this series out if you are looking for a different type of X-Men story. (Grade: B)

– Kyle Posluszny