Wolverine and the X-Men #1 – Review

by: Jason Aaron (writer), Chris Bachalo (pencils and colors), Tim Townsend, Jamie Mendoza, and Al Vey (inks)

The Story: Wolverine had the money to build a school with floating towers? So that’s why he is on every superhero team in the Marvel Universe!

Good stuff:

1. Jason Aaron… fun? Everything I have read from Jason Aaron has been dark and serious. I mean come on–his Wolverine #1 started with his character going to Hell. The Hell. I fully expected Wolverine and the X-Men to start with something along the lines of “Every kitten on Earth is killed by Mr. Sinister, who by the way just violated Pixie.” But no…Wolverine and the X-Men makes the reader smile. Not just smile, but feel this warm spark of wonder. From Jason Aaron. It honestly doesn’t feel like his work–instead, it’s like Chris Claremont and Mike Carey co-wrote this. But the fact that the tone is so different than anything Aaron’s shown before is a testament to his talent. He just proved something to everyone: he doesn’t have to write dark to write well.

2. Characterization done right. One of the things I despised about the “last” issue of Uncanny was the completely uncharacteristic immaturity of Beast. Oddly, this was right after Gillen wrote him wonderfully in “Regenesis.” Jason Aaron’s Beast is one I can’t wait to read more of–it’s exactly who Hank McCoy is, and how he would be on the first day of the most technologically advanced school ever made.  But then there’s Professor X’s passing of the torch, a great way to begin the series, Headmistress Kitty Pryde trying to keep things from spiraling out of control. And Toad, the janitor… He’s actually kind of a treat in this. One character that Aaron seems to love to write is Idie, and her brief scene is wonderful. It’s sad and cute all at the same time. Just one thing confused me…I’m behind on some books, but what’s up with the army of tiny Nightcrawlers?

3. Schism is Over! Thank god. And the characters don’t sit around dwelling on how much they hate Cyclops (remember when we all used to hate Cyclops? Oh the 90s). It’s hardly even mentioned…well, not in this way, at least. In fact, Wolverine says a joke about it at one point.

4. Chris Bachalo. Seriously, that’s all that needs to be said. He is perfect for this book.

5. Everything else. After the story is some great extras, including a list of who went to Westchester (faculty and students alike) and a nice course offering (Gambit teaches Sex Ed, for all those who were wondering).

X-Men: Schism #2 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writer), Frank Cho (art), Jason Keith (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher (letters)

The Story: The X-Men race to deal with the global rash of out-of-control sentinels, Cyclops and Wolverine butt heads over Quire, and Kade Kilgore makes plans.

What’s Good: Like many kids who grew up in the late 80s to early 90s, I was an avid X-fan growing up.  That said, I’ve felt increasingly alienated by the last few years of X-Men stories to the point where I only cursorily followed what was going on in the X-verse.  The various creators, many of them quite talented, just weren’t telling the kinds of X-Men stories that I wanted to read.

And so, the first issue of Schism was a revelation as, out of nowhere, Aaron began telling a story that I was interested in.  With this second issue, we get more of the same.

In many ways, with Schism, Aaron appears to realize that a lot of what worked in the past for the X-Men didn’t need fixing and so, we’re getting a story that really brings back the basics of what makes for a compelling X-Men comic.  Namely, we’re getting Sentinels and anti-mutant hysteria.  More importantly, we’re not getting outlandish or bizarre reactions from the X-Men to all this either.  Instead, the mutants are heading out, kicking robot ass, and suffering the slings and arrows of those who hate and fear them all the same.  It’s not re-inventing the wheel on Aaron’s part, but there’s no mistaking that this works.  It’s a central conflict that makes for a relatable and enjoyable comic that pulled me in.

There’s solid character work as well.  An early scene between Wolverine and Idie of Generation Hope is tragic, haunting stuff that his the mark of an excellent writer.  It’s a scene that really punches you in the gut, and Wolverine’s reaction (and how he carries himself, as a result, through the rest of the issue) is a testament to his heart and empathy, beneath all the gristle.