Wolverine: Weapon X #16 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writer), Davide Gianfelice (art), Dave McCaig (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Logan goes on a journey to fulfill Nightcrawler’s last wish.

What’s Good: I remember being pleasantly surprised a few issues back, when Jason Aaron’s Wolverine did a better job of welcoming Steve Rogers back to the Marvel Universe than any Avengers-related title.  Perhaps it’s not as much of a surprise now that with #16, the series’ final issue, Aaron’s Wolverine does a more touching, proper farewell for Nightcrawler than any of the X-books have managed.

Aaron, as he did with Rogers, makes his two characters’ personalities very clear, allowing their natural chemistry to tell the story and deliver the mood and message.  This is about two contrasting personalities more than anything else, and how they remained opposed, yet interlocking, through the years.  Better still, Aaron conveys a real sense of history between the two, but not in a way that requires any real awareness of actual continuity; impact isn’t determined by how many back-issues of Uncanny you’ve got stored in your longboxes.

As expected, much of the book finds itself focused on Logan and Kurt’s opposed religious beliefs.  At first, I was a bit underwhelmed by their dialogue and arguments over this subject due to the simplicity of their stances.  There’s not a lot of nuance to either character’s argument.  As I read on, though, it became obvious that this was rather the point.  Again, the issue isn’t about theology, but who Logan and Kurt are as individuals, and in this sense, their religious beliefs are only meant to represent who they are as people.  Kurt is filled with hope and optimism, while Logan is filled with a sense of doom; thus, this naturally translates to the faithful and the damned.

Similarly effective is Logan’s quest for Kurt, which sees him drag a piano up a mountain to a remote church.  This clear metaphor for the character’s burden, again reflecting on that above difference in stances, is one that’s been used very well in a great many stories, recently in Disney/Pixar’s movie Up, of all things.  There’s a reason for that, which is that it’s an effective one that carries a good deal of resonance, and that’s the case here.

X-Men: Second Coming #2 – Review

by Matt Fraction, Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, Mike Carey & Zeb Wells (writers), Terry Dodson, Ibraim Roberson, Esad Ribic, & Greg Land (artists)

The Story: With Bastion’s assault on Utopia and the X-Men over, the mutant community mourns their fallen and ties up loose ends.  By the end of it all, friendships lie shattered and a new generation of mutants looms on the horizon.

Thoughts: Just as I mentioned in last week’s review of X-Force #28, this concluding chapter of Marvel’s latest (and greatest) X-epic is more of an epilogue to the story than a conclusion.  That fact didn’t affect my enjoyment of this issue in the least, though, as Second Coming #2 is still filled with the wonderful character beats and “Oh crap” moments that we’ve come to expect over the last three months.  This issue is separated into four separate chapters, each produced by the creative team of each X-title involved in the crossover.  I was struck with the fear that such an arrangement might give this installment a disjointed, anthology feel but my fears were misplaced.  The X-creators deliver their usual (well, almost) seamless storytelling here and the story flows with nary a bump in the road. Let’s break it down, shall we:

Chapter 1:  Wells and Roberson pick up from the cliffhanger and, smartly, decide to show this from the POV of Professor X.  The Professor has been getting short shrift as of late and it’s nice to see his reaction to some of these events.  The creators also deliver what has to be one of the saddest moments of the story as we see Hope cradling Cable’s bionic arm, reminding us of the little girl she truly is, despite all the messianic hubbub about her.  It’s nicely framed by Roberson.  Extra kudos go to Wells for Magneto’s somewhat sinister advice to Hope.  It’s one of many small moments in this issue that makes me excited for where the characters and their relationships will go next.

Chapter 2: Carey and Ribic get the emotional scene, as they deliver an appropriately dour funeral for Cable.  Carey, as he always does, gets all of the character beats right, from Cyclops’ failure to deliver a eulogy for his son to Hope’s flashback and her thoughts about her “father” to the rift formed between Rogue and Scott, an argument in which I found that I agree with both sides.  The choice of Ribic as penciller here was a nice choice.  His somewhat loose, sketchy linework works well in visualizing the funeral.

X-Force #28 – Review

by Craig Kyle & Chris Yost (writers), Mike Choi & Sonia Oback (art)

Spoiler Alert, people.

——————

While in chapter designation, this issue serves as the penultimate installment of the Second Coming crossover, it might as well be the conclusion because the only thing that’s left after the events of X-Force #28 is the clean-up.  Let’s discuss the two big events of this issue.

“Please…  Please…  Please come back to me.”

First, Cable’s death.  It might seem that he died fairly suddenly and ingloriously within the context of the issue, but in the context of the entire storyline, Cable went out like a hero.  If this crossover’s A-plot was all about Hope’s return, then it’s B-Plot was definitely about Cable’s mission being accomplished and his letting her go.  While his death might have been telegraphed like all hell from the beginning, ruining a lot of the emotional weight of the event, it still gave me the necessary pang of sadness.  A lot of that sadness has to do with Kyle’s, Yost’s & Choi’s handling of the sacrifice.  Letting Nathan give in to the techno-organic virus, which has been pretty much a constant since the character premiered, served as a nice reminder of how much the character has struggled and of his long history.  The smile he gives Hope at the end, and Hope’s reactions to her mentor’s return and immediate destruction, also added a huge amount of feeling to the scene.  The cherry on top was the writers’ decision to throw in a flashback after Cable has died, of Nathan explaining to Hope how she’ll know when it’s time to go home.  Letting Cable’s words “play” out over Hope’s confrontation with Bastion  was a smart move, as that final action scene could have been nothing but a loud, colorful dust-up.  This way, Hope’s defeat of the big bad was about Cable as much as it was about Hope.

“It’ll be like a switch turned on inside you.  Like a fire.  And once that fire’s lit, everything will change.”

Uncanny X-Men #525 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Terry Dodson (artist)

The Story: Hope hates Cyke for maybe killing her dad.  Utopia starts exploding.  The X-Men battle Nimrods on the streets of San Francisco. X-Force arrives in the future and finds out, yep, it blows.  Then they decide, screw it, let’s just kill everybody.  The Avengers and the Fantastic Four show up to help, but that don’t really work out.

What’s Good: Fraction redeems himself with this chapter of Second Coming by delivering a near perfect script as we enter the third and final act of the crossover.  Whereas the writer has had problems with keeping characterization consistent in the past, especially with characters from other titles, here he gets everybody almost right and the story’s breakneck pace benefits from the lack of distraction.  (Okay, Archangel acts a bit of a wuss, but I’ll chalk that up to stress for now.)  One point that Fraction seems intent on spotlighting is that Hope is, despite years of military training and being on the run, still a teenager, prone to a teenager’s angst and mood swings.  While that doesn’t always fit with her pre-established character, it works well here as she flips her lid when she discovers that Cyclops has sent her father-figure, Cable, on a suicide mission into the future.  This is exactly how a young person would react in such a situation, and the scene is strengthened by this portrayal of Hope.  Another benefit of the script is the injection of some humor into the proceedings.  While the storyline has succeeded primarily on its unrelenting direness and desperate, last stand-like tone, a little humor never hurt anyone.  If anything, it serves to make the serious scenes more weighty.  Dr. Nemesis’ reply to Mr. Fantastic’s appraisal, Cable’s first thought to the odds stacked against them in the future, and possibly the only time that I have ever liked the character of Fantomex.  “Ha Ha.  That film was stupid.”  Indeed.  Notable mentions go to raising the stakes by bringing in the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, the Professor’s peace with Scott, the “red sky” battles of the Bay Area, and the allusion to Days of Future Past.  All admirably visualized by the Dodsons.

X-Men: Second Coming – Revelations: Blind Science #1 – Review

By: Simon Spurrier (writer), Paul Davidson & Francis Portela (art), Chris Sotomayor (colors) & Rob Steen (letters)

The Story: The X-Club gets a taste of a nasty future where Hope wasn’t quite the savior of mutants.

What’s Good: I really enjoy Dr. Nemesis, so it was good to see the X-editors give the X-Men’s science team (the X-Club) a chance to shine in this one-shot tie-in to Second Coming.  This issue picks up right after the events in Second Coming where the X-Club is investigating a strange oilrig kind of apparatus that Bastion had created.  When we last saw them, it looked like they were going to get blown up, but instead they seem to get whisked off into a possible future.

And what a future it is.  I won’t spoil the set-up, but let’s just say that in this future, Hope wasn’t quite the savior that Scott Summers had hoped.  Of course, this future is bleak as hell.  Is there any other kind of future that is featured in an X-book?  However, as routine as the “bleak future” is in X-books, this has a pretty neat set-up.

One of the other things that I enjoyed about this issue is that it brought back the mutant “cure” that Dr. Kavita Rao developed during the first story arc of Astonishing X-Men.  What is more, the cure get’s used in a very interesting way.

Uncanny X-Men #524 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Terry Dodson (artist)

The Story: The X-Men regroup and mourn their fallen teammate as Bastion continues to push his machinations against mutantkind forward.  Meanwhile, now that Hope, the so-called mutant messiah, has finally returned, she finds that she wants no part of the expectations that come with the title.

What’s Good: The breakneck pace of the Second Coming storyline has come to a halt with this chapter, and, surprisingly, the story doesn’t suffer from it.  If anything, Fraction has used this issue’s primary plot (the mourning of Nightcrawler) to transform that high tension from action-oriented to character-oriented.  Not only that, he utilizes the fact that Kurt sacrificed himself to save Hope in a such a way that he can also explore how Hope’s return affects Hope herself.  Not only has she fallen headfirst into a crowd that expects her to be their savior, but she’s also looked upon as responsible for the death of their friend.  Not an easy first impression to have to live with.    As is usual with every chapter so far of Second Coming, there are many wonderful small moments thrown in amongst the forward momentum of the tale.  Beast’s return to Utopia and his condemnation of Scott, Colossus’ catering to Kitty, Pixie’s annoyance, Scott’s look on his face as he finally meets the one person he’s hedged everything in his life on, including his morals.  The strongest character work here, as expected, falls on Wolverine.  His reaction to his best friend’s passing is a slow burn that works it’s way subtly through the book until he finally explodes on the final page.  Everything that he says and, more importantly, doesn’t say is excellently portrayed by both Fraction and Dodson.  If most X-fans had to imagine what Logan would speak at Kurt’s funeral, I’d imagine it would read a lot like what’s presented here.

X-Force #26 – Review

by Craig Kyle & Chris Yost (writers), Mike Choi (artist), Sonia Oback (colorist)

The Story: While the X-Men’s Alpha Team helps Cable act as a decoy to Bastion’s forces and the New Mutants hurry home after one of their own has been gravely injured, Rogue and Nightcrawler race to get Hope to Utopia before it’s too late.  However, when confronted with Bastion himself, one of them doesn’t  survive.

What’s Good: I’m running out of ways to heap praise on the X-titles these days, but I’ll give it another go.  This chapter of Second Coming, the conclusion to the first act of the storyline, comes to a mournful denouement that is every bit as riveting as the previous installments have been.  Kyle and Yost, back to form on this title after the shaky Necrosha crossover, deliver a nail-biting script full of (forgive the pun) killer moments that make you happy to be an x-fan these days.  From Bastion’s silent tactical epiphany that Hope would be placed with Nightcrawler and Rogue to the variation on the classic Fastball Special to Colossus’ single-minded concern for his sister to Logan’s extending of his claws at the end, this issue is littered with pitch perfect character beats and events that make you smile to yourself in that special way that lets you know you’re reading good comics.  The most unexpected bit has to be Bastion’s early entrance onto the theater of war.  I’m going to assume most readers, like me, figured we’d have to get through a few more of his cronies until we got to see the big bad show up to chew bubblegum and kick some ass.  However, with his sudden appearance and subsequent murder of a beloved X-Man, the stakes have been appropriately raised and things have gotten very personal.  And really, what x-fan who slogged through the crap-fest that was Operation Zero Tolerance thought they’d ever think of Bastion as badass?  Kyle and Yost did it!  They get kudos for that feat alone.

Mike Choi delivers the goods this issue and boy am I happy to see him back on this title.  Choi has always been my preferred artist on X-Force.  While Clayton Crain has his moments, Choi consistently delivers wonderful artwork that always tells a strong story.  From his kinetic action sequence involving Rogue and Bastion to his well-handled “acting” and facial expressions.  Take a look at Rogue’s and Hope’s reactions at the conclusion of the battle with Bastion and the look on Wolverine’s face at the end of the issue.  The man knows his stuff.  Of particular note is Choi’s depiction of Bastion.  He truly looks like an artificial man here, and the way that he continuously reforms, bringing him closer and closer to the Nimrod appearance is magnificently handled by the penciller.  He also draws a cool-looking Warlock.  I’d be remiss to not mention colorist Sonia Oback’s contribution to the artwork.  It’s her colors that really make Choi’s pencils pop on the page.

The Death: Okay, here we go:  SPOILER ALERT!  Do not read any further if you haven’t picked up the issue yet and don’t want to be angry with me.  Although you could be angry with me for a completely different reason, so, carry on then.

X-Men Legacy #235

by Mike Carey (writer), Greg Land (artist)

The Story: Karma’s out for the count, and in order to save her and the rest of the New Mutants, one member of the team must cross a line.  Meanwhile, Rogue discovers a link to mutant messiah Hope and so joins the X-Men’s Alpha Squad to track down her and Cable.

What’s Good: Wow.  I keep waiting for this crossover to lose steam or to go off the tracks and this issue has just about cinched what I’ve suspected for the last few weeks:  Maybe it won’t.  I’ll hold off any definitive prejudging until next week’s chapter, though, as I figure if they can keep up the breakneck pace for an entire month, then maybe they can do it for another two.  Here’s hoping.  Anyhow, there’s a lot to like in this month’s issue of Legacy, and the plot was full of “Oh crap!” moments that had me on the edge of my seat for the whole read.  Carey does a magnificent job of ramping up the suspense in the scenes concerning the New Mutants’ suicide run against Hodge and his Right soldiers, in particular.  Any comic reader worth his salt is well-aware that it’s highly unlikely any of the primary kids are going to take a dirtnap (at least not without Marvel plugging it for three months beforehand) but boy, was I almost convinced that it could happen here!  The scribe effectively sells the team’s desperation, and when they pull the wild card of using Warlock as a game changer I have to admit to being caught off-guard.  While it seems perfectly obvious in retrospect (not only is Warlock a member of the race who’s techno-organic circuitry is responsible for reanimating Hodge, but Hodge himself “killed” Warlock twenty years ago during the X-Tinction Agenda crossover), I still never saw that ending coming.  Warlock’s lethal force and Cypher’s speech to him about the needs of war also flowed nicely with the “excessive force” sub-plot running through the crossover ever since X-Force’s existence was revealed.  Combine all of this goodness with additional kick-ass moments like the sudden death of another Utopia resident and Rogue’s multi-powered reveal, and well, this issue is a blast to read.

New Mutants #12

by: Zeb Wells (writer), Ibraim Roberson (artist),

The Story: The X-Men’s Alpha squad battle William Stryker and his soldiers, The Purifiers, in order to save Cable and Hope.  Meanwhile, the New Mutants go on  a suicide mission in the heart of Cameron Hodge’s headquarters so that they can buy their fellow X-Men valuable time.

What’s Good: After a perfectly serviceable entry last week that seemed to tread water somewhat, Zeb Wells delivers a fast-paced, exciting installment of the Second Coming saga with this issue.  Yes, the story is back on track, folks, and my faith in this crossover has just been refocused.  Wells has addressed some of my misgivings with the story-line here, and it’s heightened my enjoyment of the story.  In one fell swoop, not only does he explain why Cable continues to ditch the X-Men at every turn, despite reaching them being his primary goal, but he also does what no other writer so far has done: he’s made the villains of the piece actually seem threatening.  Both Fraction and the writing team of Kyle & Yost weren’t able to imbue Bastion and his forces with any attributes that would elevate them above the level of cackling villains.  However, Wells depicts Hodge and Stryker as formidable tacticians.  The military tactics in general, actually, that we see both the X-Men and their enemies utilizing is effective, really conveying the feeling that we’re witness to a war fought by equally intelligent forces.

Ibraim Roberson is not a name on my radar.  That, I’m sure, is about to change.  He has a style reminiscent of Salvador Larroca, yet it still manages to have it’s own unique charm.  His “acting” is well-handled, as well.  There’s a silent moment between Wolverine and Archangel that says all that it needs to, and not only does the artwork service the plot point, but it also manages to speak volumes about what these two teammates have been through together and the secrets they’ve shared.  On a somewhat related note, can someone please write an Archangel-centric issue of X-Men or X-Force  The things this character has been going through over the last two years have been riveting and I’m eager to find out how he actually feels about it all.

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.