Uncanny X-Men #4: Honestly? I have no idea why this issue exists. I want to say that it's an interesting meditation on humanity or something similar, but I can't. It's not only a filler issue, but it's a filler issue that serves as an epilogue for an event that happened almost 20 years ago. Don't get me wrong: I loved the "Phalanx Covenant" when it happened. But, in the fourth issue of this rebooted series, I'm left wondering what exactly this issue accomplished. I guess it's supposed to show us how Sinister discovered the ability to replicate himself. But, did we really need that sort of background, particularly when it served as the second of three issues in a one-month period? I don't think we did.
X-Men #23: OK, I have to say, Gischler really delivered a pretty good arc here. I was kind of meh about it over the first few issues, but, particularly when compared with the opening arcs of the other core titles, it's really the best one. It told a coherent story, showed details of the X-Men's new status quo, and set up future storylines. Not bad, really. I can't say anything really Earth-shattering happened but, again, compared to the other title's mediocre arcs, I'll take a coherent story and be happy. Speaking of future storylines, can you really blame Jubilee for ditching the squares and going with the dark, mysterious and sexy guy?
X-Men Legacy #260: This series has been a few issues behind, chronologically and emotionally, from the rest of the X-books, as a result of Rogue struggling over which side -- Logan's or Scott's -- she was going to chose. (Even the intro page is in the old style.) To buy her time, Carey concocted the main plot of this arc, saving Ariel from the in-between dimension she created to flee Bastion's attack during "Second Coming." It's a pretty good distraction, particularly since Carey uses it as a vehicle for the various characters who've featured in this series to address some lingering issues. (I'm sad to see Korvus go, but I'm hard pressed to think of the role he'd play in the new status quo; Carey at least gives him a great new job.) In the end, I think it was pretty clear all along Rogue would go with Logan, though I hope Scott listens to her speech, because I have to wonder if she's the only one who's ever understood him. (Also, a final note: I'm fairly certain that Dr. Nemesis refers to the "Spider-Man: Edge of Time" video game, which I'm currently playing, when he says, "Especially if there's a chance of spider-squid-hybrid-phase-beasts showing up." Awesome.) I've never been a huge fan of this series, but, given my mild to serious disappointment with the other two core titles, I'm interested to see where they go with it.
Hey JW, I have to admit that you have one of the FEW comic book sites I actually visit on a regular basis... I mean between work and my own blog(which is a part-time job in itself!) I really don't have the time to check out a lot of other comic sites. With that said, I have NO idea how X-Men #23 ended up. I dropped the series at #22. I was enjoying it and all(and I agree with you, out of Uncanny and Wolvie and... it was the WAY better series!) but I felt like paying $4 for what was basically a secondary X-title was too much... You'd think it would be priced along with New Mutants and X-Men Legacy, but I digress... Anyway, I was wondering if you could shed some light on how this storyline ended, as well as what you meant by that rather cryptic Jubilee line. Since we tend to have pretty similar ways of thinking, I figured that you'd be the best person to give me a brief rundown as to how this one went.
ReplyDeleteDude, I feel you. Sometimes I feel like the blog IS my job, too!
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly, you predicted exactly how this issue ends! The general tries to arrest the governor, but she has her men murder his men and put him in handcuffs. Colossus and War Machine use a modified version of the fastball special to take down a few Sentinels while Storm maintains the hurricane. Jubilee takes down a few more Sentinels by taking out their thrusters (which she says Forge taught her how to do?), and, upon landing, encounters a group of mysterious, sexy armored people who offer to "show her a whole new world" (of bondage, maybe?). Psylocke and her team attack the governor and her men. The governor flees, and the general prevents the chief scientist from escaping. Psylocke uses her powers to upload the scientist's knowledge of the Sentinels to Madison, who tells her the scientist needs to enter in a coded shutdown command. (Can Pyslocke do that? Shunt someone's brain to someone else across two continents? That seems pretty...omega to me.) Before the scientist can enter the command, the governor assassinates him. Psylocke has Madison take control of her to enter the command, and they shut down the Sentinels just as one is about to take down Storm. The general becomes the new Puttanescan leader, the governor is thrown in jail, and Storm's team's next mission is to find Jubilee.
To be honest, I was totally going to cancel this title after this arc, because, like you, I liked it, but it just wasn't enough to justify $3.99 a month. I wound up forgetting to do so while I was on vacation, and, after this issue, decide to stay with it to see how the Jubilee arc goes. Given how much I'm disliking the two core titles, I'm pretty much just keeping this one because I at least don't actively hate anyone in the main roster!
HA! Yeah, I'm actually looking forward to the upcoming week because I'm only getting like half of the books I normally do. This past week was especially tough since I had like 17 books to get through. I seriously need some time to recharge the old batteries, and I think this may be the week to do just that!
ReplyDeleteAwesome, thanks a ton for the write-up. I've been racking my brain on the Jubilee/Forge thing, and I have to admit, I can't recall them ever really being on the X-Men together... I THINK(and I could be off) Forge and Banshee were on the support staff when the X-Men split into the Gold and Blue teams, but I don't think Forge stuck around all that long. If Jubes learned anything from Forge, it would have been during a VERY condensed time, unless I'm blanking on a time they were teaming. As for Psylocke, I think(and again, I could be off) the Jean Grey from the AOA opened up Psylocke's telepathy, making her a bit more powerful... But then Psylocke is such an odd character power-wise... The writers can never seem to agree on where her power limits should be. I mean there was a time when she could teleport!! :D
Hmm... If I can remember, maybe I'll snag issue #24 off the stands at the comic shop(if there is an extra issue left). I won't add it to my pull list yet, but I'll give it a shot. Who knows, if it's good enough, maybe THIS will be the X-book I stick with after the AvX event.