As always, my reviews are mirrored at a
BLATANT PLUG.
Because only one book wasn't X-related this week, I bumped it out of alphabetical order...
WHATMEN?!
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Penciler: Alejandro Figueroa
Publisher: IDW
Yes, this is exactly what you think it is. IDW has published a single-issue parody of Watchmen. "Is it funny?" Let me answer that with a question: Have you ever read those movie parodies in the MAD magazines? No? No one reads MAD anymore? Okay, granted, it only comes out quarterly now.
Whatmen?! takes some of the more memorable moments from Watchmen, recreates the panels almost perfectly, and then throws about a dozen jokes into each of them. Every scene with Doc Manhattan --I mean Doc NYC-- features an umbrella, plant, or tray of food strategically placed in front of his crotch. The X-Men are standing in the background at the infamous funeral scene. The scene with Laurie and the multiple Docs is there... with sexy results. The fight scene in the alley shows up... with sexy results. There's also the scene of Doc Manhattan on Mars... I think you get my point.
They also included parodies of the clock & quote at the end of each chapter, an excerpt from a tell-all book, and a fake newspaper clipping. And really, that says a lot. This parody, unlike something you would've found in MAD, pays homage to Watchmen rather than makes fun of it. It shows a clear understanding of the original graphic novel, and uses that to fuel most of its jokes. It's respectful, but still very silly.
As for whether or not it's funny...
No.
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UNCANNY X-MEN #506
Writer: Matt Fraction
Penciler: Terry Dodson
Publisher: Marvel
Once again, Matt Fraction continues his trend of balancing multiple storyarcs over only a few issues. In this issue, several of those arcs come together, with Colossus' tale colliding with the leaked footage of the town the Mutant Messiah (currently being cared for by Cable under the name Hope Summers) was born. It results in Graymalkin Industries slowly turning into a refugee camp-- times I'm sure the X-Men thought were behind them after having 198 mutants camped out in front of the old mansion.
The highlight of this issue, however, is in Beast and Archangel's quest to recruit mad scientists for Graymalkin Industries' brain trust. So far they've recruited former Alpha Flight member Madison Jeffries and obscure Golden Age scientist Dr. Nemesis. This time around, they've tracked down Dr. Yuriko Takiguchi, a man (with a name that ends with 'ko'?!) from the old Godzilla comic Marvel licensed and published back in the 1970s. When Dr. Takiguchi mistakes them for attackers, it sets up what is likely to be the funnest fight scene in next month's issue-- if Colossus' upcoming fight doesn't out-do it.
I've really got to hand it to Fraction for being able to pull obscure characters from Marvel's history. He could've just as easily created new characters and wrote a retroactive history around each one. Instead, he's found characters that almost no one remembers, and he's using their diverse backgrounds to create a fun science adventure team that feels like it belongs in a new Marvel title I'd totally buy.
Terry Dodson (with wife Rachel on inks) turn in yet another good issue of artwork, though I'm still upset that they continue to forget to pencil Pixie with black streaks in her hair. Colorist Justin Ponsor, who has been added to my list of colorists who do a good diamond-form Emma, typically remembers that for them.
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X-FACTOR #40
Writer: Peter David
Penciler: Valentine De Landro
Publisher: Marvel
Once again, Peter David begins this issue with a personal plea to all readers, asking us not to spoil this issue to build interest. Once again, I will meet him half way. I will discuss this issue like I would any comic, but I'll leave out all of the juicy bits.
After the startling events of issue #39, Jamie Madrox has left X-Factor Investigations, and is on a quest to reconnect with a duplicate of his that goes by the name John Maddox. John appeared in a previous issue with a wife and son, so Jamie decided not to reabsorb him. Now Jamie needs to talk to John more than ever, not only because of his recent tragedy, but because Jamie needs to say something else very important to him. Jamie is at the end of his rope in this issue, and Peter David and Valentine De Landro really come together here to make the reader believe it. With every passing moment, I just wasn't sure what Jamie was going to do next-- to himself or others.
If you're looking for hints as to what this issue's ending is, here you go: Jamie _____ with _____ at _____ and nearly _____ but then _____ who turns _____! Total shock!
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X-MEN: KINGBREAKER #3 OF 4
Writer: Chris Yost
Pencilers: Dustin Weaver & Paco Diaz
Publisher: Marvel
The revolution continues as Lilandra, Korvus, and Rachel run for their lives and plow through every Shi'ar military vessel that gets in their way. They've discovered that Havok, Polaris, and the Starjammers are in an underwater prison, but Havok has already freed his friends and taken down the guards. Elsewhere in the Shi'ar Empire, Vulcan has set his sights on universal domination, and won't listen to the pleas of his advisors or wife Deathbird. Oh, and Vulcan's new Imperial Guard assembled from dangerous prisoners has been causing more damage than anything.
As I read this issue, I kept getting a 1990s vibe from the art, but I couldn't quite tell why. Then I noticed the coloring. For the most part, the colors are flat with only a few spots highlighted. The nearly flat colors give the artwork a vibe comic books haven't had since colorists replaced their markers with Photoshop. I'm normally against using parallel lines to represent light shading in comic art, as it usually distracts from the gradient shading inevitably provided by the coloring. In this case, the pencilers' shading technique was adequate.
Still, the writing was fairly solid. I was expecting a few more one-liners out of Ch'od, but I can't have my drama and eat my cake too, or however that phrase goes. There is one character whose motivations I feel are lacking in this issue, and that's Vulcan's. He suffers from being a shallow villain. His decisions seem to have no thought behind them, and his motivations seem base and cliche at best. He's on a power trip, and wants more power.
Either way, I'm looking forward to Kingbreaker's conclusion, and the War of Kings crossover.
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YOUNG X-MEN #11
Writer: Marc Guggenheim
Pencilers: Rafa Sandoval & Daniel Acuna
Publisher: Marvel
It's the penultimate issue of a comic that many assume is being cancelled simply to free up room for the upcoming New Mutants series. Maybe that's true (it's selling better than Ms. Marvel and Ghost Rider, for god's sake), but maybe it's not (it's still among the 5 lowest selling ongoing titles at Marvel that aren't part of a subdivised imprint). Its cancellation really disappoints me because these final few issues are shaping up to be the best this book has ever had. The weak opening storyline (which even the writer apologized for) is but a distant memory, but it was enough to sink this title's sales so low that few of us dared to stick around to see if the quality would increase. And it has.
In this issue, we switch between the present and an alternate future. It's a future where (what else?) everything has gone wrong, and there are only about four X-Men left in the whole world. These segments are drawn by Acuna, making it easy to tell which time period we're reading on any given page. It's a editorial decision I'm thankful for, as the time switches aren't always accompanied by captions, and there'd be a slight risk of getting mixed up otherwise.
In the present, we're brought back to Dust's story, which is the central focus of the issue. Her attack against Magma in the first few issues rendered her a glass statue. Magma found a way to turn her back, but Dust has been slowly crackling and turning back into glass with every day that passes. She could die at any given moment, and villain Donald Pierce has convinced her that he's the only one who can save her. Now Dust has to decide where her loyalties lie, and how much she wants to live. In the end, it appears she has made her final decision, but not without making a few mistakes along the way.
