 | Nation X #1 (Marvel) "The Ghost of Asteroid M"/"Road Trip"/"Cold Shoulder"/"Testament" Simon Spurrier Leonard Kirk Jay David Ramos James Asmus Michael Allred Laura Allred Christopher Yost Michele Bertilorenzi Antonio Fabela Scott Snyder David Lopez Alvaro Lopez Nathan Fairbarn Jared Fletcher Dustin Weaver/Morry Hollowell (cover) |
as expected we have spinoffs from the main X-titles, after the bright idea of putting all mutants in the world in one island and have their own country that isn't named Genosha.
and what do you know? this title seems much more appealing than the regular series.
one thing i kept missing from the X years of yore are the little stories like Christmas ghosts or baseball games that our merry mutants used to have in their Westchester grounds. with much change executed in the direction of the X-Men in the last decade, none has been a lot more intriguing than uprooting them from New York and moving them west. although their San Francisco tenure lasted less than expected, at least the Marvel brain trust didn't send them back and instead got them their own island. as to how long this is going to last, your guess is good as mine. but the potential for new stories is huge.
take for example the incorporation of Magneto finally as a valuable ally and a vital component in running their own country instead of fighting for territory and philosophy. i always missed having him as a wise, grizzled teacher of the next generation (with the rug getting pulled out from under me twice - alleged brain surgery by Moira and that Xorn nonsense), but i wouldn't say those years of fighting him were wasted (he probably now laughs at "Brotherhood of Evil Mutants") because it made him who he is and left him respecting the X-Men. we can't have him fighting them all the goddamn time until i'm dead. goddammit, this is the way to grow and you better not turn back the clock, Marvel. i'm warning you.
my favorite part is the Iceman story. the always happy-go-lucky Bobby Drake, who thankfully got over his long episode of emo crap after hooking up/breaking up with Mystique. does anybody remember that he "hooked up" first with Emma, when she was first brought into the X-fold and she controlled his body and powers, leading him to the realization that he's a fucking Omega-class mutant, and snowballs and ice slides are for losers? now he's back to being the sole joker of the team - Hank has gotten his own case of emo and thinking about ditching the team, while Warren cuts the checks and cuts the bad guys, moonlighting in the X-Force black ops team. he has the young ones to torment, but the best, priceless target? nobody else but the stuck-up Namor. we can make a sitcom out of this.
in one volume, we get a lot of layers - Logan and Kurt fetching apparently a truckload of fuel for Utopia, and making a fun road trip out of it, Magneto coming to grips with his past, and his admission of weakness and impatience in the negotiating table (he probably started more wars than the US did), the stupidity of throwing your weight around as a 'supervillain mutant' (the Toad, still living in 1963), Iceman throwing the jokes but also reining it in as his carelessness with words gets the better of him. by the way, is Dr. Kavita Rao the only human on the island? i liked the construction of Hank's science team over the last two years and bringing back my favorite character from the long-dead Alpha Flight, Madison Jeffries. however, if Hank leaves, it won't be the same.
also, the specter of the dead is touched on. Colossus, as expected, still pines for the lost Kitty Pryde. at least he's not blaming Scott this time, just like he did when Illyana died. as Illyana returned from the great beyond, and even himself, Piotr still has to believe that someday Kitty will too (yo, Agent Brand, any updates on this?). Jean Grey? well, who knows? the thing about this is that, without her death, Scott would not have become the ultimate leader (hah! that's the next book in the Ultimate Comics line) that he is today, taking the reins from Xavier, making all the right gutsy calls (and earning Wolverine's respect) and banging a hotter babe. sorry, Jean; thanks for the sacrifice (and by the way, you pushed for it anyway) - this time its a lot more meaningful than the first time around.
this anthology of stories makes a lot more sense than Necrosha. even if this series ended up with just more Iceman razzing Namor in 198 different ways, it'll be worth it.
and what do you know? this title seems much more appealing than the regular series.
one thing i kept missing from the X years of yore are the little stories like Christmas ghosts or baseball games that our merry mutants used to have in their Westchester grounds. with much change executed in the direction of the X-Men in the last decade, none has been a lot more intriguing than uprooting them from New York and moving them west. although their San Francisco tenure lasted less than expected, at least the Marvel brain trust didn't send them back and instead got them their own island. as to how long this is going to last, your guess is good as mine. but the potential for new stories is huge.
take for example the incorporation of Magneto finally as a valuable ally and a vital component in running their own country instead of fighting for territory and philosophy. i always missed having him as a wise, grizzled teacher of the next generation (with the rug getting pulled out from under me twice - alleged brain surgery by Moira and that Xorn nonsense), but i wouldn't say those years of fighting him were wasted (he probably now laughs at "Brotherhood of Evil Mutants") because it made him who he is and left him respecting the X-Men. we can't have him fighting them all the goddamn time until i'm dead. goddammit, this is the way to grow and you better not turn back the clock, Marvel. i'm warning you.
my favorite part is the Iceman story. the always happy-go-lucky Bobby Drake, who thankfully got over his long episode of emo crap after hooking up/breaking up with Mystique. does anybody remember that he "hooked up" first with Emma, when she was first brought into the X-fold and she controlled his body and powers, leading him to the realization that he's a fucking Omega-class mutant, and snowballs and ice slides are for losers? now he's back to being the sole joker of the team - Hank has gotten his own case of emo and thinking about ditching the team, while Warren cuts the checks and cuts the bad guys, moonlighting in the X-Force black ops team. he has the young ones to torment, but the best, priceless target? nobody else but the stuck-up Namor. we can make a sitcom out of this.
in one volume, we get a lot of layers - Logan and Kurt fetching apparently a truckload of fuel for Utopia, and making a fun road trip out of it, Magneto coming to grips with his past, and his admission of weakness and impatience in the negotiating table (he probably started more wars than the US did), the stupidity of throwing your weight around as a 'supervillain mutant' (the Toad, still living in 1963), Iceman throwing the jokes but also reining it in as his carelessness with words gets the better of him. by the way, is Dr. Kavita Rao the only human on the island? i liked the construction of Hank's science team over the last two years and bringing back my favorite character from the long-dead Alpha Flight, Madison Jeffries. however, if Hank leaves, it won't be the same.
also, the specter of the dead is touched on. Colossus, as expected, still pines for the lost Kitty Pryde. at least he's not blaming Scott this time, just like he did when Illyana died. as Illyana returned from the great beyond, and even himself, Piotr still has to believe that someday Kitty will too (yo, Agent Brand, any updates on this?). Jean Grey? well, who knows? the thing about this is that, without her death, Scott would not have become the ultimate leader (hah! that's the next book in the Ultimate Comics line) that he is today, taking the reins from Xavier, making all the right gutsy calls (and earning Wolverine's respect) and banging a hotter babe. sorry, Jean; thanks for the sacrifice (and by the way, you pushed for it anyway) - this time its a lot more meaningful than the first time around.
this anthology of stories makes a lot more sense than Necrosha. even if this series ended up with just more Iceman razzing Namor in 198 different ways, it'll be worth it.
3 comments:
Yes, I remember the Bobby and Emma flirtation that even crossed over into Generation X for a brief cameo. But I swear that I was the only one. People mention it vaguely, but she was the one who made him realize that he was seriously slacking. Apparently, Emma has amazing transforming powers and can make people better by traipsing around in their minds.
I might have to pick this book up after such a glowing review from you. Although, hey! Don't be dissing Jean. That woman died for the team. And she was hot.
lol! yes, at times i miss the redhead too (say what you will about Greg Land or Greg Horn, but i think they're the best artists for Jean Grey - or any other X-babe). i cried during their wedding (U2's "One" became much more memorable for me) - i was barely 20, sue me. i just like the fact that the X-storylines can be moved forward, and without too much rehashing and regurgitating the past (well, who knows 10 years from now). i'm even stunned Emma's still on the side of the good guys, after all these years. if they even spring a story where the last 10 years of shacking up with Scott was just a lie for some stupid world domination plot, i'm personally burning Marvel's New York offices to the ground.
thanks for dropping by, Lunar Fox. :-)
lmao! Like minds. Even my boyfriend knows about Xmen #30. (Not to touch it unless I say he can.) And yeah, U2's "One" still makes me think back.
I dropped off reading X-Men after a bit too much regurgitation. (And I didn't like the art style of Quitely.)
So I agree wholeheartedly that it's nice to see them moving forward with the story lines. And I'll be there with you, at least to watch, if they suddenly spring a story that sets Emma back.
No problem. I'm always here, get a kick out of your entries sometimes, but don't always have something to say. I'm mostly a huge X Men fan, and even then an old school fan who's only recently getting re-involved. And even then I hesitate to spend my money just to get more clutter in my little apartment. I just brought home all my comic books and graphic novels. Still haven't found a place for all of them!
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