JJ Fresh
04-19-2007, 08:56 PM
This title has definitely polarized the fans. Some call it boring, and others say it matches well with Kirkman's other works. Let's see how this issue stacks up, shall we? (PS: This has no business in the forums, but how good are my Cavaliers right now? I've been peeing rainbows all day after the Bulls loss).
Ultimate X-men 81
"Cliffhangers"
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Ben Oliver
The Plot:
Sinister is found dead in his prison cell thanks to suffocation, but that isn't the only developments happening in the Triskellion. Mastermind comes with his girlfriend Stacy (AKA Snake Lady from Joe Casey's short "Uncanny X-men" stint) to replace Mystique posing as Magneto in the plastic cell. Mystique has been called to Magneto's new commune, so off she goes posing as a guard. Business at the school continues, minus
X-men missions. Theodore is being teased with the name Grizzly, Toad is a teacher, and Scott and Jean need more instructors to help out. Meanwhile, Gerald (the Shi'ar Church's liason) puts in a call to Shinobi Shaw, Emma Frost's boyfriend. Nightcrawler finds the Morlock lair too.
Now the big development: Beast is back. Nick Fury had him believing he was actually talking with his friends and family all along while working in the lab, but now that Xavier is dead the effects have worn off. He's working on a cure for the Legacy Virus (which hasn't been released yet, but if we know anything it will be). He's also cured his fuzzy factor, monkey man Hank McCoy is back. Elsewhere, a mutant representing the Mutant Liberation Front is zapped by a Sentinel and Storm has a dream about the Shadow King (which she then rushes to add to her play). A knock on the door and there stands Bishop ready to rebuild the X-men with Ororo's help. <Phew>
Pro:
Eh...not much. I really like the iconic pose of human Beast. So what if it blew the surprise of the issue? Yanick Paquette and his team give us a great pose and illustration here.
The other thing I enjoyed was what the ending gave us, an all-new and all-different X-men. For the entire series we've been treated to a pretty regular cast of characters, nothing too exciting. The X-men have always prided themselves in changing the order of things, on who does or doesn't wear one of those outfits. For the first time in this series we can have something completely different, I like the thought of speculation and the chance for new faces to get some spotlight.
Con:
More ultimazations? Shinobi Shaw, legacy virus, Grizzly, MLF, Stacy X, and the Shadow King. Enough is enough! One benefit of this title versus the core titles is the "no more mutants" decree, so...create new ones. Retreading all these things and characters leads to monotony and mediocrity. Kirkman has a huge head filled with ideas (his Image work is testament to that), so give us something new! I'll admit, X-men are tough because Claremont almost did it all, but look at the work of Morrison and Whedon, there are still NEW stories to tell that don't involve retreads and the Phoenix.
Beast is back. No thanks. I miss Hank McCoy, but this return feels more like Kirkman wanting a chance to play with one of his favorites (in human form no less, which begs the question on why McCoy didn't do this earlier in the series) than something that seemed logical to the story. It all felt a little willy-nilly in its execution.
Finally, this was a very disjointed issue. I know the title is "Cliffhangers" and it was probably meant to follow this type of format, but man was it difficult to navigate. As my English teachers used to say (as I do now) "transitions, transitions, transitions". Nowhere to be seen here, creating a tough reading experience.
Final Grade:
I expect better from Kirkman, this issue was chock full of problems. From the lack of imagination to the new non-fuzzy Beast to the actual format, all the problems inhibit the issue. I see bright horizons coming up next, but this bridge point was very shaky at best.
C-
Ultimate X-men 81
"Cliffhangers"
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Ben Oliver
The Plot:
Sinister is found dead in his prison cell thanks to suffocation, but that isn't the only developments happening in the Triskellion. Mastermind comes with his girlfriend Stacy (AKA Snake Lady from Joe Casey's short "Uncanny X-men" stint) to replace Mystique posing as Magneto in the plastic cell. Mystique has been called to Magneto's new commune, so off she goes posing as a guard. Business at the school continues, minus
X-men missions. Theodore is being teased with the name Grizzly, Toad is a teacher, and Scott and Jean need more instructors to help out. Meanwhile, Gerald (the Shi'ar Church's liason) puts in a call to Shinobi Shaw, Emma Frost's boyfriend. Nightcrawler finds the Morlock lair too.
Now the big development: Beast is back. Nick Fury had him believing he was actually talking with his friends and family all along while working in the lab, but now that Xavier is dead the effects have worn off. He's working on a cure for the Legacy Virus (which hasn't been released yet, but if we know anything it will be). He's also cured his fuzzy factor, monkey man Hank McCoy is back. Elsewhere, a mutant representing the Mutant Liberation Front is zapped by a Sentinel and Storm has a dream about the Shadow King (which she then rushes to add to her play). A knock on the door and there stands Bishop ready to rebuild the X-men with Ororo's help. <Phew>
Pro:
Eh...not much. I really like the iconic pose of human Beast. So what if it blew the surprise of the issue? Yanick Paquette and his team give us a great pose and illustration here.
The other thing I enjoyed was what the ending gave us, an all-new and all-different X-men. For the entire series we've been treated to a pretty regular cast of characters, nothing too exciting. The X-men have always prided themselves in changing the order of things, on who does or doesn't wear one of those outfits. For the first time in this series we can have something completely different, I like the thought of speculation and the chance for new faces to get some spotlight.
Con:
More ultimazations? Shinobi Shaw, legacy virus, Grizzly, MLF, Stacy X, and the Shadow King. Enough is enough! One benefit of this title versus the core titles is the "no more mutants" decree, so...create new ones. Retreading all these things and characters leads to monotony and mediocrity. Kirkman has a huge head filled with ideas (his Image work is testament to that), so give us something new! I'll admit, X-men are tough because Claremont almost did it all, but look at the work of Morrison and Whedon, there are still NEW stories to tell that don't involve retreads and the Phoenix.
Beast is back. No thanks. I miss Hank McCoy, but this return feels more like Kirkman wanting a chance to play with one of his favorites (in human form no less, which begs the question on why McCoy didn't do this earlier in the series) than something that seemed logical to the story. It all felt a little willy-nilly in its execution.
Finally, this was a very disjointed issue. I know the title is "Cliffhangers" and it was probably meant to follow this type of format, but man was it difficult to navigate. As my English teachers used to say (as I do now) "transitions, transitions, transitions". Nowhere to be seen here, creating a tough reading experience.
Final Grade:
I expect better from Kirkman, this issue was chock full of problems. From the lack of imagination to the new non-fuzzy Beast to the actual format, all the problems inhibit the issue. I see bright horizons coming up next, but this bridge point was very shaky at best.
C-