Astonishing X-Men #6: Soule delivers a solid ending here, revealing Professor X (not surprisingly) was playing the Shadow King all along. He uses Fantomex, Mystique, and Rogue to engage in a frontal assault on Farouk, explaining their personalities are more suited to the fluidity needed to succeed on the Astral Plane. Conversely, Angel, Gambit, Psylocke, and Wolverine live by identity-defining codes, making it easier for Farouk to exploit them. It’s an insightful take on the characters, a sign Soule is looking to give us something more complicated than the smash-up stories we’ve been getting in “X-Men Gold.” Farouk is overtaxed in defending himself against the assault and trying to spread his infection through London, allowing Charles to break free of the bonds Farouk placed on him. With Farouk defeated, Psylocke instructs Archangel to stop the bombers the British government sent to destroy London. She’s surprised when Fantomex appears next to her, since she didn’t remove him from the Astral Plane. But, it’s really Charles, as we learn Fantomex seems to have provided him with his body as a shot at redemption. (Good job, Charles. If I had to choose a new body, I’d choose Fantomex’s.) All in all, it’s a pretty solid first arc, made all the better in this issue by del Mundo’s dream-like art.
X-Men: Gold #17: At this point, I feel like Guggenheim is thumbing through some sort of book on X-Men history, picking two or three stories, and just taking them for a spin again. I mean, are we really supposed to take Kurt's fear of death seriously, as he's already been dead at least once? To make matters worse, he dies just the same was he did in "X-Men: Second Coming," by getting impaled in the chest. In another example, Amara and Dr. Reyes discuss how Rachel was just in the medical unit, as she is again here. It's one thing to pay homage to the X-Men's history; it's another thing just to repeat it endlessly. (Also, who the fuck is Ink? I'm a serious X-Men fan, and, if I don't recognize someone, we probably need a little intro, particularly when he's drawn just like Professor X. I spent half the issue feeling like I missed Professor X's actual resurrection in "Astonishing X-Men," rather than just him possessing Fantomex's body.) This series has so much potential, but I just feel like we're not realizing it.
Also Read: Iceman #8
No comments:
Post a Comment