X-Men #16 – Review

By: Victor Gischler (writer), Jorge Molina (artist), Guru EFX (colors), Jordan D. White (assistant editor), Daniel Ketchum (associate editor)

The Story: A very old flame sends a distress signal to Cyclops and Magneto. It is delivered by FF, who are now sporting their new Dr. Doom look.

What Good: I was a fan of the art. Although I am usually allergic to the Rob Liefeld-esque posturing of heroes (see Cyclops, Wolverine and Thing at various moments), they looked good. Cyclops was an imposing leader and everyone looked heroic. The action sequences had a bit of an anime feel to them with the sort of frozen still-shot with bits of motion blurred beyond recognition. The fastball special was a good example, and it worked. On draftsmanship, I had no complaints. The figures, background and tech were clean and detailed, and the faces, while often expressionless (except for Franklin), were attractive. I really enjoyed the sequence in the submarine, and the double splash page with the staples was awesome in opening up a panoramic scope.

Weekly Comic Book Review’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Loose Ends #2 – This series just keeps on bringing it.  I always shake my head at people who anoint a series as “great” after one issue because so many fail to follow through, but Loose Ends seems to be doing it.  For one thing, the art is just electric, but in a very different way than the first issue (which was a showcase for Rico Renzi, the colorist) as Chris Brunner goes into a flashback style that has dot-overlay over the top of his expressive inks.  It’s really nice.  And, Jason Latour is showing that he really understands how to pace a crime story.  After tossing us into the middle of things in #1, he starts to make clear the relationships between all the players.  It’s really good.  If you enjoy Criminal, check it out.  As a bonus, you can order it directly on the 12 Gauge Comics website, so no need to screw around with your LCS and waiting weeks.  Runner-up: Daredevil #2

Most Anticipated: X-Men Legacy #254 – I was very tempted to put American Vampire #18 here, but I give Scott Snyder’s outstanding series plenty of love in this space, so how about focus on the X-title that no one talks about: X-Men Legacy.  The only cool thing to come out of that horrid Age of X “event” was that the Revenant character was a psychic manifestation of Rachel Summers.  X-fans will remember that Rachel (along with Havok & Polaris) have been “lost in space” since the Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire storyline that Ed Brubaker told back in Uncanny X-Men #475-486.  So, this should be fun because (a) Rachel and Polaris are fun characters…..Havok is a big “meh” and (b) we are overdue for some X-Men in Space action.

Other Picks: American Vampire #18, Graveyard of Empires #2, Kick Ass 2 #3, X-Men #16, FF #8

DS’ Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: X-Men: Schism #3 – While Schism #3 wasn’t something I’d put in the top comics of the year, it had good fun, including jetpacks, car theft, calorie-reduced Hellfire Club members, and guns that shot face-sucking aliens. It ain’t Tolstoy, but it wasn’t boring. And Acuña on art was a delight.

Most Anticipated: X-Men #16 – C’mon! Doctor Doom? One of Marvel’s premiere super-villains of all time? Against the X-Men? I can’t wait!

Other Picks: Avengelyne #2, Astonishing X-Men #41, Kevin Smith’s Bionic Man #1