Uncanny X-Men #535: Ok, this issue totally confirms that all the good we've seen over the last few months in "Uncanny" is thanks to Kieron Gillen. Although I enjoyed "Quarantine," it occasionally got hard to follow given that it was basically running three plots at once. Gillen re-focuses here, giving us one team with one mission (stop the Breakworld cruiser heading for Earth). I didn't read the original Breakworld story in "Astonishing," but Gillen does a great job of giving us the information we need without making it all exposition-y. This issue was exciting and fun. It even featured some character development, finally addressing the Kitty situation beyond just having her and Peter hopelessly stare at each other. Hurrah! It's definitely the best of the three core X-books right now and I'm really looking forward to next month.
X-Factor #217: Meh. This issue doesn't really do it for me. First, JJJ, Jr.'s monologue just goes on too long. Second, I don't really buy it. I've been reading Spidey comics for almost 30 years and, honestly, the guy we see here isn't really JJJ, Jr. It's close to a guy we see every once in a while -- a guy who occasionally rises above his insane megalomania to make the right decision -- but I don't buy that JJJ, Jr. would manage to patiently articulate the ideas he articulates here while facing down a bunch of protesters. Plus, I'm pretty sure JJJ, Jr. would have at least a little something against Muslims. He's never really been the paragon of equality that David is making him be here. The only other significant event here is that Shatterstar seemingly was going to tell Rictor that Longshot was his father, but changed course, telling him they're not related at all. I hope it means we're going to get to the bottom of that mystery, given that it's been something like 15 years coming. All in all, though, it was a pretty mediocre story.
X-Men #9: Gischler answers pretty much all of the questions that plagued me last issue, showing us who's really pulling the strings and explaining why nerdy kids in particular were needed for the experiments. (I actually gasped at the Dark Beast reveal. I mean, who saw that coming?) Both "Uncanny X-Men" and "X-Men" are coming off huge-cast extravaganzas ("Quarantine" and "Curse of the Mutants," respectively) that left me feeling varying degrees of meh, so I'm tickled pink that both have adopted a back-to-basics approach in their follow-up arcs. (Though, I'm unclear how Wolverine can be rocketing to the edge of the solar system in "Uncanny" and in the sewers of New York in "X-Men." But, I digress, since it appears to be his mutant power.) This issue just felt like a gift that kept on giving; every few pages, I thought I had reached the shocking ending only to find I still had more to go. Bachalo's art is again awesome while at the same time occasionally difficult to follow. The only drawback was that Dark Beast's monologues (a theme of late, apparently) went on way too long. I actually accepted that it was in-character, and not just a 1960s "Batman" TV show level of super-villain exposition. But, it just got cumbersome to read after a while, making me impatient for when the action would resume. Also, I have to mention pet peeve #1: for reasons I can't quite fathom, they replace Gambit with Cyclops on the cover. Weird. Can Gambit really not sell a comic book anymore? At any rate, it was a good read and I can't wait for next month's battle royale!
X-Men #10: This issue is a really satisfying conclusion to this arc. The Spider-Man/White Queen combo is amazing. Seriously. I'm not really a huge fan of Emma Frost, but, in the hands of Gischler, she's actually probably the best character in the whole arsenal at this point. He portrays her as unapologetically pampered rather than just imperiously arrogant, which actually (in a weird way) grounds her a bit, making her a bit more human. It never dawned on me that Peter Parker was almost the polar opposite of Emma Frost, but he totally is, and Gischler plays up those differences to great effect. (Bring on the mini-series!) The ending -- even if predictable -- is sweet, and it furthers the larger plot of the X-Men rehabbing their public image. Just like the last issue, I was surprised by how the issue just kept going after I thought it was going to end, which makes it one of the few comics that I feel actually gives me value for my money. The only negative in this issue is in the art department. Paco Medina finishes the issue, and he portrays Max as some sort of future runway model, and not the overweight, nerdy kid who was susceptible to the Dark Beast's overtures in the first place. Otherwise, it was a great issue and a fun arc. This title has significantly risen in my estimation!
X-Factor #217: Meh. This issue doesn't really do it for me. First, JJJ, Jr.'s monologue just goes on too long. Second, I don't really buy it. I've been reading Spidey comics for almost 30 years and, honestly, the guy we see here isn't really JJJ, Jr. It's close to a guy we see every once in a while -- a guy who occasionally rises above his insane megalomania to make the right decision -- but I don't buy that JJJ, Jr. would manage to patiently articulate the ideas he articulates here while facing down a bunch of protesters. Plus, I'm pretty sure JJJ, Jr. would have at least a little something against Muslims. He's never really been the paragon of equality that David is making him be here. The only other significant event here is that Shatterstar seemingly was going to tell Rictor that Longshot was his father, but changed course, telling him they're not related at all. I hope it means we're going to get to the bottom of that mystery, given that it's been something like 15 years coming. All in all, though, it was a pretty mediocre story.
X-Men #9: Gischler answers pretty much all of the questions that plagued me last issue, showing us who's really pulling the strings and explaining why nerdy kids in particular were needed for the experiments. (I actually gasped at the Dark Beast reveal. I mean, who saw that coming?) Both "Uncanny X-Men" and "X-Men" are coming off huge-cast extravaganzas ("Quarantine" and "Curse of the Mutants," respectively) that left me feeling varying degrees of meh, so I'm tickled pink that both have adopted a back-to-basics approach in their follow-up arcs. (Though, I'm unclear how Wolverine can be rocketing to the edge of the solar system in "Uncanny" and in the sewers of New York in "X-Men." But, I digress, since it appears to be his mutant power.) This issue just felt like a gift that kept on giving; every few pages, I thought I had reached the shocking ending only to find I still had more to go. Bachalo's art is again awesome while at the same time occasionally difficult to follow. The only drawback was that Dark Beast's monologues (a theme of late, apparently) went on way too long. I actually accepted that it was in-character, and not just a 1960s "Batman" TV show level of super-villain exposition. But, it just got cumbersome to read after a while, making me impatient for when the action would resume. Also, I have to mention pet peeve #1: for reasons I can't quite fathom, they replace Gambit with Cyclops on the cover. Weird. Can Gambit really not sell a comic book anymore? At any rate, it was a good read and I can't wait for next month's battle royale!
X-Men #10: This issue is a really satisfying conclusion to this arc. The Spider-Man/White Queen combo is amazing. Seriously. I'm not really a huge fan of Emma Frost, but, in the hands of Gischler, she's actually probably the best character in the whole arsenal at this point. He portrays her as unapologetically pampered rather than just imperiously arrogant, which actually (in a weird way) grounds her a bit, making her a bit more human. It never dawned on me that Peter Parker was almost the polar opposite of Emma Frost, but he totally is, and Gischler plays up those differences to great effect. (Bring on the mini-series!) The ending -- even if predictable -- is sweet, and it furthers the larger plot of the X-Men rehabbing their public image. Just like the last issue, I was surprised by how the issue just kept going after I thought it was going to end, which makes it one of the few comics that I feel actually gives me value for my money. The only negative in this issue is in the art department. Paco Medina finishes the issue, and he portrays Max as some sort of future runway model, and not the overweight, nerdy kid who was susceptible to the Dark Beast's overtures in the first place. Otherwise, it was a great issue and a fun arc. This title has significantly risen in my estimation!
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