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Kinda with Merin on this. Liked (but not loved) the story (I am spoiled by Astonishing, I think). Did not care for the art.
As to the story, perhaps, as Kurt says, it was a bit too much introduction, not enough throughput.
This 495th issue of Uncanny X-Men introduces readers to the world of Marvel’s Merry Mutants after the events of Messiah Complex. In short, with Charles Xavier absent – though likely not dead – Scott Summers struggles to redefine the team and lead in his mentor’s absence. His first order of business is to lie to Tony Stark about the existence of the X-Men, telling the Iron Man and S.H.I.E.L.D. director that the team has disbanded. Stark, of course, wants the team to cooperate with the Superhuman Registration Act (SRA). But, Summers points out an obvious, gaping question about the SRA – should you force someone born with powers to register, even if they don’t act as vigilantes? Stark leaves without answering the question, but Summers confides to Emma Frost that the team will continue to operate. He just doesn’t know what to do with them. All the while, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Wolverine are road-tripping to Russia, and causing no small amount of mischief on the way. Logan gets in bar fights and hacks Nightcrawler’s image inducer to make him look like Angelina Jolie, thus leading to an unexpected tabloid appearance. But, the real story comes when Angel lands in San Francisco and discovers a neighborhood that may still be literally stuck in the 1960s. Adventure awaits, I’m sure.
Ed Brubaker’s decompression really makes the story a bit thin. It’s a fun read, but not a lot happens other than an introduction to the post-MC world, complete with corrective revelations. This probably could’ve taken up half the page count and included more about the mysterious neighborhood Angel discovers, rather than more images of Emma and Scott frolicking in the Savage Land. Everyone likes to see Emma, but we should all know by now that she’s not getting naked. More story and less fun in the sun, please. Regardless, Brandon Choi and Sonia Oback work miracles on the issue’s art, making this one of the best looking superhero comics I’ve seen in quite some time. This is as good or better than Steve McNiven’s work on Civil War. Despite the somewhat decompressed story, this 495th issue of Uncanny X-Men is never less than a pleasure to look at.
New readers should probably take this opportunity to jump on with the mutants. This isn’t the best single issue I’ve ever read by a long shot, but it serves as an agreeable introduction to the X-Men following Messiah Complex.
Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at comicscape@mania.com.
