Thought I’d try something a bit different this week and do a bunch of quick reviews for all the X-Books Marvel puts out. Boy, are there a lot of them. Stuff like the third ongoing of Wolverine we will forget. Criteria, they have to have an issue through September and only ongoings. Without further ado, part one:
Uncanny Avengers- Ok, we’re cheating a bit with this one as it’s also an Avenger’s book, but it signaled the beginning of the collaboration of the two different franchises. Rick Remender, who’s gotten huge in the past few years with his epic run with X-Force uses UA as a somewhat continuation. While a few of the villains have crossed over it’s the big shock at the end of the first issue that grabbed everyone. The Red Skull. Stole. Professor X’s. Brain. What can a super-Nazi with the powers of a mutant god do? Soon enough, anything he wants. Beyond the incredible foes that are growing Remender is a master with character development. I believe every one of these characters are where they should be. Havok growing as a leader, Rogue’s complete mistrust of Scarlet Witch, and the Witch’s so-over-it attitude ring true. An epic book for an epic cast. A-
A+X- It’s a series of vignettes. Each issue has two stories about X-Men teaming up with Avengers done by a different creative team. It’s a bit of a throw-a-way book but sometimes the stories are very fun. The last issue with Shadowcat/Spider-Woman and Deadpool/Hawkeye parings was a particular highlight. B-
All-New X-Men- This book was not supposed to work. At all. Taking the original X-Men and planting them in the present not only causes untold damage to themselves (especially since two of their modern counterparts are dead) but to the timesteam as well. Brian Michael Bendis has taken those two points and everything that should be wrong with it and uses it. He’s made this book the main X-book to be reading. The characters are going in unexpected places and incredible stories. There’s no telling where this book will go and how it will get there. A+
X-Men- Still missing the days of Cleremont’s fun, exciting and brilliant X-Men? Look no further than this book. Brian Wood knows and loves these characters and it shows. He has an old-school sensibility with a youthful, vibrant writing style. Of course, there’s the cast, all women, Storm, Rogue, Psylocke, Marvel Girl, Shadowcat and Jubilee pull you in and keep you there. A
Uncanny X-Men- Brian Bendis’ other X-book is the doosey. A much darker book than All-New, these are fugitive X-Men beginning their own school. Whereas Wolverine’s Jean Grey School is about teaching Cyclops’ Xavier School is all about training the next gen of X-Men. Their powers going haywire, their minds traumatized it’s something to have Cyclops and Magneto working together to raise these young students. With S.H.I.E.L.D. working to take them down at the same time there is quite a bit going on that you don’t want to miss. A
Jo