Saturday, September 09, 2006

NEW COMICS: 09.08.06

Comics shipped on Thursday this week, instead of Wednesday, because of the Monday Holiday. But, I didn't get around to picking them up till Friday. So, here I am on Saturday doing the reviews of them.

All two of them.

Uncanny X-men #478 - After a slight misstep last issue (in my opinion), this title was back in full form this issue. As I've mentioned in pretty much all my reviews of Uncanny since Brubaker came on board, I'm not a fan of X-men in Space™. But, this is X-men in Space™ done really well, so I'm along for the ride. If it takes sending them into space to make interesting, so be it.

So, this issue sees the X-men arriving at a Shi'ar space station where not everything is as it seems. We get a little character development, and them some fighting. Good solid stuff, even if I felt that Billy Tan's art is a little flat at times.

I also think its worth mentioning the subtle tie-in this issue has with the big "Annihilation" event going on in other parts of the Marvel Universe. That's how you do a tie-in. It works to show the "shared universe" for those who are following those other titles, but its not distracting to those who don't.

I'm also warming to the new character, Darwin, a bit. I have some reservations about his powers, which are potentially too much of a "catch all." But so far Brubaker's used them creatively, and since they are defensive in nature, it keeps him from coming off as too powerful.

Overall, a nice solid issue:

X-men: Phoenix Warsong #1 - The way the title of this book is laid out, I'm not sure if it's "X-men: Phoenix: Warsong" or just "Phoenix: Warsong" (with "X-men" just kind of thrown in as a sort of "buy me"). Regardless, this is the sequel to the Phoenix: Endsong mini-series that came out a year ago, and which I enjoyed... and then promptly forgot what happened in it.

Off the bat, this series doesn't feel like it immediately holds up to the original series, if only because the art isn't nearly as flashy. But, its nice to see Pak writing the X-men again, and I'm glad to see a writer who seems to embrace ideas from Morrison's run, instead of just trying to sweep them under the continuity rug.

Also, what strikes me as interesting is that this, at least initially, seems to be a Pheonix story that is being told without Jean Grey. It seems to be a story about the Stepford Cuckoos and Emma Frost. While that might seem to be like telling an Indiana Jones story without, well, Indiana; it actually comes off as a little refreshing since I'm sort of bored with rehashing the Jean Grey Struggles with the Pheonix Entity Story #423,789.a4.

So, this first issue leaves me intrigued, if a little underwhelmed. But, the zombies thrown in at the end are a plus!

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