New Comics!: The X-Edition

X-Men:  Schism #5:  OK, as I've mentioned before, my problem with this series is that I don't buy Logan's sudden conversion to pacifism.  Aaron is a talented enough writer that he almost sells it to me here.  I could see where Logan hearing Idie explaining that she's OK with being a killer because she already feels like a monster as a mutant would inspire him to feel like they were failing the next generation.  I get that.  Although the conversation happens after the main events of this issue, I'm willing to see it as the most clear expression of what Wolverine's main argument has been throughout the series, that the adults were not preparing the children for the real world at all.  Again, I buy that.

At the end of the day, though, the question is whether or not I buy it enough to believe that Scott and Logan would be wrestling on Utopia's beach trying to kill one another while a Sentinel loomed over them trying to kill them.  Ultimately, no, I don't.  It would all make more sense if it were just a personality dispute between Cyclops and Wolverine, something that wouldn't have even raised an eyebrow for almost all of the X-Men's history, with the exception of the last few years.  But, Aaron's attempt to make it philosophical, not personal, just doesn't work for me.  I just can't believe that it's Cyclops advocating a line like, "Everyone is a soldier." and Wolverine is left yelling, "Would someone think of the children?"  It all feels like the '90s again, when I stopped reading comics, because new super-star authors took over books and changed everyone's personalities.  Logan might believe they could do better training the younger generation and shouldn't be hurling them into the world so unprepared.  But, would he really believe they should sit out fighting for Utopia when they were the only weapons available?  No, he wouldn't.  Storm?  Yes.  Logan?  No.

As such, I'm left only looking forward, since this series is more about the coming days than it is about the events that got us there.  Based on the images I've seen, I'm confused by who chooses which side and why.  For example, it looks like Storm picked Scott's team.  Really?  At the end of "Messiah Complex," wasn't she the one who told Logan they were sharing their last beer because she disapproved of his advocacy of pre-emptive lethal strikes against enemies?  Wouldn't she fully embrace Logan's position?  I mean, Beast and Shadowcat make sense.  But, why would Storm chose the more aggressive side?  Also, some people, like Hope, Kenji, and Psylocke appear to be on both sides.  How does that work?  Are they double agents?  I'm hoping that the four issues previewed at the back of this issue -- "X-Men:  Regenesis," "Uncanny X-Men #544," "Wolverine and the X-Men" #1, and "Uncanny X-Men" #1 -- actually give us some insights into the thought processes of the B- and C-list characters.  I'd like to see an X-Man like Iceman, whose allegiance wasn't as predictable to me, explain why he chose Wolverine over Cyclops.  If we see that in these issues, then I might feel better about "X-Men:  Schism" and what Aaron did here, even if I thought the road that got us there paved over some uncomfortable truths.  But, if we don't, it'll all feel exactly like what it is, a way for Marvel to get me to buy more comics. 

(P.S.  I have to say that, although I still think the kid angle is a tired trick, I thought the reveal that the Hellfire Club manufactured this event to sell new Sentinels was genius.  Full applause, Jason Aaron.) 

(P.P.S. When exactly did "X-Men:  Prelude to Schism" happen, given that none of the people, except Wolverine, who were shown in the room waiting for Cyclops' decision were on Utopia and conscious when the Sentinel struck?  Am I missing something?)

New Comics!: The X-Edition

Generation Hope #11:  This issue is a weird one.  In some ways, it's the culmination of tension that Gillen's been building for a while, with Laurie finally resisting Hope's control over her, a control that Gillen makes more clear than he previously has is intentional and not merely inspirational.  The fight between them feels more organic -- and more intuitive -- than the one between Cyclops and Wolverine in "X-Men:  Schism" #4 (detailed below).  But, at the same time, it's still obviously motivated by the "X-Men:  Schism" storyline.  The conversation with the former "New X-Men" is a little...dull, mainly, I think, because at this point in the story Gillen fell into the trap that Aaron also faces, with the characters becoming more mouthpieces for philosophies than characters with emotions.  I'm intrigued who's going to be on the team come "Generation Hope" #12. 

X-Factor #225:  Sometimes, I forget that Peter David is not a normal comic-book writer.  I mean, we all know his dialogue and characterizations are top notch.  But, he also exhibits a command over the past, present, and future of his characters that really makes this book as amazing as it is.  Most writers would've left the resolution of last issue's surprise ending dangling for a few months (if they got to it at all).  David, however, leaps right into the story in this issue.  He occasionally drags on an arc an issue too long (I remember feeling a little bored during the middle of the Vegas arc and totally over the JJJ, Jr. arc by its end), but he does manage to keep momentum going between arcs.  In the last few months, we've gone from the JJJ, Jr. mystery arc to the Rahne's baby arc to this new creepy one, and he's moved us fairly seemlessly between them.  Moreover, not only does he not drop stories that he hints are coming, he also doesn't drop stories that have already happened.  He's slowly but surely playing out the consequences of Layla's resurrection of Guido in the JJJ, Jr. arc (the scene where Madrox confronts her sotte voce was excellent), and it's pretty clear that the aftermath of Rahne rejecting her baby isn't going to be forgotten any time soon.  All the better (yes, I'm raving at this point), he takes the time to keep even longer-simmering sub-plots moving.  It seems we might soon get some long overdue answers about Layla and David may be the author that finally clarifies Longshot and Shatterstar's relationship.  But, as if all these overarching reasons aren't proof enough that "X-Factor" is one of the best books on the market, the story itself in this issue is fun and intriguing.  David plays up some jealousy on Shatterstar's part when Rictor runs to celebrate the use of his newly rediscovered powers with Rahne, and Madrox gets in some excellent one-liners.  ("I don't actually, but I'm just acting on herd instinct.")  Also, who expected Sarah to be resurrected and attack the team?  All in all, an excellent issue of a spectacular series. 

X-Men #18:  Meh.  I'm not really feeling this arc.  I know I'm supposed to be all "OMG!  The FF AND the X-Men!  Doom and Magneto!  OMG!"  But, I'm just not.  The reveal that Doom was playing Scorpius all along was pretty predictable.  Although Gischler gives us some fun moments (I thoroughly enjoyed Emma and Scott's conversation), overall it's a pretty standard middle act of a "our heroes are in trouble" story.

X-Men:  Schism #4:  I've reserved judgment on this series for a while.  The idea that the rivalry between Cyclops and Wolverine would eventually tear the team apart is one that makes intuititve sense to anyone who's read a "X-Men" comic at any point over the last 20 or so years.  The problem, though, is that the positions that the two of them take do not make intuitive sense.  At the end of the day, I simply do not buy Wolverine's sudden conversion to pacificism.  I'm oversimplifying it, obviously.  Aaron does attempt to reconcile Wolverine's position with his character, having Logan assert that he kills so children don't have to do so.  But, this argument just doesn't make sense for the guy who taught Shadowcat and Jubilee how to fight.  The problem is that, if you don't buy this divide between Cyclops and Wolverine, you don't buy the whole endeavor, which is where I find myself.  The whole point of "Schism" is that, after it, we're going to get two camps of X-Men, each one aligned around a character -- Cyclops or Wolverine -- and the philosophy he embodies.  The problem is that, even conceding Wolverine's newfound "no kids fighting" position, I don't really see that much difference between them.  OK, Wolverine doesn't think children should be sent into battle.  So, what?  His side isn't going to have anyone under the age of 18?  Is that it?  Is this whole schism based around whether or not you get carded at the door of the X-Mansion?  Once upon a time, I could've believed a world where Wolverine staked out a more aggressive position than Scott, but, given Cyclops' behavior over the last few years, even that approach would seem a stretch.  The fact that the two of them have been so closely aligned lately makes this schism all the more confusing.  Aaron (and the other X-book authors) haven't really been telling a story of Wolvie coming to a pacifist position over the last few months or years.  As such, it feels rushed.  He does raise the possibility, with the Jean conversation, that the schism might not really about philosophy at the end of the day.  Maybe it's just about them hating each other, maybe it's just about Scott going too far, maybe it's just about the girl.  At this point, though, I think it's time to wrap up this whole affair.  Although it's a much tighter and better crafted story than "Fear Itself," I'm ready for it to end, just like "Fear Itself," so we can start telling interesting stories again.

New Comics!: The X-Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Generation Hope #10:  We get the first of two "Schism" tie-in issues here, with Gillen fleshing out the events surrounding Idie saving the X-Men in "X-Men:  Schism" #3.  Although I outline my issues with that issue down below, Gillen does a good job here of keeping the focus on Idie.  Although no one explicitly says it, it seems evident that Idie is forced to kill mainly due to her inability to control her powers more fully.  Laurie hints at that during her fight with Hope, who blames her for leaving behind Idie and putting her in that situation.  In response, Laurie notes that none of them are as good at being superheroes as they are when they're around Hope.  Gillen has been building this theme for a while, implying that Hope's influence (or control) over the Lights might mean that her powers go beyond power mimicry.  (Idie and Laurie have a conversation about how Hope looks like Rachel Summers, underlining the possibility that Hope is more connected to the Summers/Greys -- and the Phoenix Force -- than anyone knows, something the X-editors clearly have wanted us to believe since she came on the scene.)  As such, Gillen achieves the rare tie-in issue bifecta, developing the overall "Schism" story while at the same time furthering the story running through "Generation Hope."  It'll be interesting to see how both develop.  I'd be remiss if I also didn't note the poignancy of the exhibits in the Museum of Mutant History.  From the Sentinel's head to Rachel's interview, Gillen makes it all feel...real.  It's hard to put my finger on it exactly, but something about the way he presents it made me feel like I was actually in the museum.  All in all, another excellent outing for Mr. Gillen.

X-Factor #224:  Holy crap!  This issue was intense.  David barely even pauses to set up the story, throwing us straight into the action.  Even given the high bar David consistently sets, I'm still impressed by how well he did in this arc keeping all the moving pieces in order.  I didn't have to constantly refer to previous issues to remember what was happening, even though he was juggling several different groups acting independently of one another throughout the storyline.  All in all, this arc told a gripping story with some great moments.  (The image of Rahne's child, with his glowing eyes, standing over Agamemnon's body was awesome, both creepy and hilarious at the same time.)  In the end, Peter doesn't dismiss the child as a mere psychopath, though.  We see the shock on its face when Rahne rejects it, and we also see it crawling to Werewolf by Night in obvious need of attention.  It's clearly not the last we hear of him, or, in all likelihood, Agamemnon, who's clearly someone we know...we just don't know we know him.  All in all, a stellar arc and a nice recovery from the disappointing preceding JJJ, Jr. arc.

X-Men #16:  Woot!  This issue rocked.  I'm hard pressed to decide what I liked more.  First, Gischler is a dialogue genius.  The Thing/Wolverine banter is truly excellent.  (Thing:  "I guess that was more like a home run special.  For the dinosaur."  Wolverine:  "Never throw me again.")  I mean, you even have Cyclops/Magneto banter, which, honest to God, I thought was impossible to make sound authentic and not forced.  (Cyclops:  "You knew Lee, too.  No comment?"  Magneto:  "That's ancient history.  I'm a different person now.  Mostly.")  Last but certainly not least, in terms of examples of Gischler's knack for dialogue, you get a truly fantastic upset Emma.  ("This is exactly why I either destroyed, mind-wiped or killed all my exes.  They're nothing but trouble.")  In Gischler's hands, she's really becoming my favorite character, which is saying a lot, since she had always been my least favorite.

Second, Gischler manages to keep the plot coherent despite -- in fact, amazingly, because of -- the numerous characters involved.  By the end of the issue, he's juggling ten characters.  But, it gives him some moments to shine.  The Pixie/Thing/Wolverine team is more fun than I thought it could be.  You can feel Pixie's excitement at playing in the big leagues.  Dr. Doom is awesome as always, and I can't wait to see the trouble that the rest of the team -- Cyclops, Emma, Invisible Woman, and Magneto -- can find.  The idea that the distress signal that Lee Forrester sent was sent over three years ago just makes it all the more intriguing.

Finally, the art is spectacular.  Molina does an amazing job making the alternate dimension pop.  The two-page spread actually startled me it was so beautifully done, fully conveying the impact of the strange land, unlike most splash pages, which, to me, often feel gratuitous.  Plus, you've got Scott Summers looking hotter than he has, ever.  (See page 4 if you don't believe me.  Wow.)

As I said, this issue rocked, as I think (hope), this storyline will.  Gischler BRINGS it here.  I first thought the Dr. Doom/Magneto, FF/X-Men team-up gimmick was going to suck, but he really sells it.  After the disappointing finish to the Evolutionaries saga, it's nice to see Gischler re-charge here.  Hopefully, he'll be able to keep his attention on the story and not lose focus like he did with the Evolutionaries saga.  But, it's a hell of a start.  This issue is a contender for issue of the year, in my book.

X-Men:  Schism #3:  Huh.  This issue was a little odd, to be honest.  First, I'm not sure if I'm buying the kiddie Hellfire Club.  It's one thing for there to be one genius super-kid, but four seems a bit of a stretch.  However, more importantly, I don't know if I buy the Cyclops/Wolverine fight over Idie.  It almost seems like they're on the wrong side of the argument.  Both Aaron and Gillen have pushed this idea -- Aaron here and Gillen in "Generation Hope" #9 -- that Wolverine views what he does as something that children should not do.  I certainly agree, but I'm not entirely sure I buy it from Wolverine.  Plus, Cyclops is right:  Wolverine didn't get there in time, so should Idie just have let everyone -- including herself, more than likely -- die in the explosion?  Given that, in "Messiah Complex," we saw that Wolverine was willing to stake out even more of a lethal position than Cyclops (leading him to keep clandestinely running X-Force), this "Wolverine isn't down with killing" position seems odd.  I mean, if we're seeing a split between Cyclops and Wolverine, what position is he going to take?  How does his philosophy differ from Cyclops'?  Before this event, I assumed it was because Logan advocated taking a harder line than Scott -- since, you know, he pretty much has for the last 40 years -- but Aaron seems to be going the other way, which strikes me as a significant departure for both characters.  Why the change of heart?  This question isn't inconsequential, since it's the core reason why this whole event is relevant.  I don't know if Aaron's really laying the groundwork he needs to lay to sell it.

X-Men Legacy #254:  Similar to Rogue and her team, we don't have a lot of insight into the back story that frames this issue.  Rogue apparently knows the Shi'ar who "kidnap" her, but I'm not sure from where.  Havok and Polaris appear at the end, but appear to be on the wrong side of the fight, if you assume that the Shi'ar are on the right side.  I'm still making my way through the various "cosmic" event series ("War of Kings," etc.) that happened over the last few years, and I may have to track down "Emperor Vulcan" just so I can have a sense of how Havok and company found themselves in their current circumstances.  Without that background, though, I have to say that I found this issue to be confusing.  It's not Carey's fault, given that he's dealing with five years or so of storylines.  But, I have to say that Kieron Gillen did a better job giving us a sense of the issues surrounded the Breakworld saga when he introduced it into "Uncanny X-Men" than Carey does here with the Starjammers.  Hopefully, as Carey makes the story his own, it will improve.

New Comics! (HERE BE SPOILERS)

I finally made it through the comic pile from vacation!  Woot!

Captain America #1:  OK, so, I'm trying not to let my fury over Marvel's decision to kill Bucky-Cap get in the way of my enjoyment of Steve Rogers taking up the shield again.  This issue is pretty solid.  Brubaker wisely decides to start the series with a story involving a strong supporting cast (Sharon Carter and Nick Fury), a mystery villain from Cap's Second World War days, and good ol' reliable Baron Zemo.  It serves as a good way of introducing new readers to Cap (the whole point of this renumbered series) but also gives existing fans some familiar faces to be excited about seeing.  The problem is that, for existing fans, Brubaker's treatment of the familiar faces is somewhat...clunky.  For example, Cap's conversation with Sharon -- about how he thought she was Peggy, about how they had thankfully gotten past that, about how Peggy inspired Sharon to become who she was -- was almost difficult to read.  I get that Marvel is essentially treating this series as a way for fans of the movie to get into the comic, so I guess we're going to have to suffer through that for a while.  Similarly, although I can't say it was surprising, it was pretty cold how Bucky wasn't mentioned AT ALL.  I haven't read "Captain America and Bucky" #620 yet, but, at some point, it would be nice to see Steve mention the fact that Bucky is dead, which, so far, he hasn't.  Hopefully, the editors won't make Brubaker spoon-feed us plots for too long.  Meanwhile, we've got the pretty art of Steve McNiven to distract us.

Captain America and Bucky #620:  Similar to "Captain America" #1, Brubaker spends most of this issue giving us an introduction to Bucky Barnes, going over the sad story of his troubled youth, first as a kid with a hot temper, then as an orphan living on a military base.  However, Brubaker has a freer hand here than he does in "Captain America," enabling him to avoid the awkward situations imposed on him by the editorial mandate in that title to introduce a well established character to a brand-new audience.  Bucky isn't as well established as Steve, so Brubaker gets to take some liberties.  Despite having read Bucky's origin numerous times, I found that Brubaker's take on it was somewhat different than we've previously seen, giving us a more emotionally realistic depiction of what it must've been like to have been a 14-year-old orphan living on a military base.  Brubaker doesn't have much time for anything else here, but the story, to be honest, isn't really what matters about this issue.  What matters is the hope that, by making the decision to keep Bucky "alive," at least in his past incarnation, we may actually see Bucky eventually return in his present incarnation.  It's a long shot, but I think it's going to be hard for Marvel to keep this title going, month after month, and not face some sort of inevitable pressure to have one of its main characters -- who was killed in a totally gratuitous way -- return from the dead.  At least, I hope it will be.  Fingers crossed.  Otherwise, I really wonder how long we're going to have two Captain America titles.

Venom #5:  I have complicated feelings about this issue.  On one hand, it's very well done.  Remender does some really excellent character work on Flash, fleshing out how his motivation for success comes from a need to please his father, who never told him he was proud of him.  It sounds a little cheesy, but Remender does a really great job making sure it's not.  Flash, to me, has always been one dimensional:  he started as Peter's bully, then almost overnight became Peter's friend, and we never really got all that much more.  Remender is really bringing a character who's existed for 50 years or so to new places, and I applaud that.  The conversations between Flash and Peter were great, particularly where Flash snaps at Peter and then quickly admits he sounds like his father.  You can feel Flash fighting with all his might NOT to be his father here.  All that said, the problem is that this series is just getting really, really dark.  I mean, of course, on some level, a "Venom" series is going to be dark.  I mean, Flash is playing host to a murderous alien symbiote after all.  But, one of the intriguing parts of Flash taking on the symbiote is that Flash himself isn't all that dark.  I mean, yes, he has his demons, but he's also kind of goofy and loveable.  Remender needs to remember that in the midst of all the killing and darkness, or this series is going to get really difficult to read.

X-Men:  Schism #1:  OK, I'm game.  Aaron actually goes a different way with this story than I thought he was going to go.  Rather than starting where "X-Men:  Prelude to Schism" left us -- with an impending attack from a unseen enemy -- he takes us back a few steps, weaving a pretty nuanced story focused more on global politics than on mutant powers.  It reminds me of the 1990s when Senator Kelly was the straw man for political extremism (or, at least, common fear).  Quentin Quire is a somewhat unfortunate blast from the past, but he actually sort of works here, representing the reality that, despite Cyclops' best efforts, he doesn't actually speak for all mutants.  Moreover, Quire's appearance is made tolerable because, despite his thoughts to the contrary, he's not actually in charge.  Aaron gives us an interesting twist here, too.  Rather than having an established villain manipulating events behind the scenes, we've got a 10-year-old kid named Kade Kilgore, who first appears in the issue by killing his arms-manufacturer father and ends it with becoming the Black King of the Hellfire Club.  (I was going to ask where Sebastian Shaw was, because I temporarily forgot Emma made sure he permanently forgot.)  Aaron is biding his time here, since he doesn't really show any sort of discord among the cast, other than a brief conversation between Ororo and Scott.  I've wondered a few times how Aaron is going to make Logan and Scott's worldviews look different, since they actually seem fairly similar lately, though maybe it's actually going to be more of a dichotomy between Ororo's vision and their vision, which would make more sense.  We shall see.

X-Men:  Schism #2:  I initially wasn't sure I liked this issue, but, in retrospect, I think it was actually really well done.  We begin to see the first signs of the split between Cyclops and Wolverine, and it doesn't go down the way you think it would.  I enjoyed that Wolverine was actually suggesting the X-Men take what, depending on your point of view, was the more "right" path, in advocating that they turn over Quentin Quire to Steve Rogers.  It shows that Aaron isn't playing the differences within the mutant community as black-and-white (Wolverine:  irrational, Cyclops:  rational).  Cyclops seems to be undermining the good he's done in bringing the X-Men more in line with the superhero community by harboring Quire, but it makes sense, given his fears, as a leader, that the situation could deteriorate significantly and threaten all mutants everywhere.  I'm still not entirely sure what to make of the kiddie Hellfire Club.  Aaron I'm sure will elaborate on who Kilgore's other friends are, but, at the very least, I do like the re-imagining of the Hellfire Club becoming a pro-humanity organization that found itself corrupted by the mutant reign.  I'm not sure what the intergalactic connection was, but I'm sure we'll get an answer soon.  All in all, I keep wanting more, which is a good sign (and a different feeling from say, I don't know, "Fear Itself").