Cyclops v1: Starstruck TPB

There has got to be a limit to the “teenage X-Men” concept, right? I thought I’d tire of it in the All-New X-Men title, but strangely enough, I haven’t. But I am tiring of it here. It is not that I don’t like the ongoing adventures of teenage Scott Summers and his dad (Corsair). It is that I’d much rather see the “real” Cyclops having these moments to bond. This seems like such an odd exercise…

That said, this isn’t a bad comic. Corsair is such a fun character, it is hard to make him uninteresting. Even better, Greg Rucka tackles Corsair’s two largest problems head-on. First of all, how the heck are we supposed to root for this guy who never went back and checked in on the sons he left behind? Didn’t this guy have any sort of connection or conscience after his alien abduction? And second, isn’t Corsair supposed to be dead? It has been a long time, but I swear that Ed Brubaker killed him during his run on X-Men. But here he is, alive and well and leading the Starjammers once again. Both problems are addressed. The death issue isn’t an insurmountable one, and in Rucka’s hands, resurrection can lead to some interesting new character flaws.

This is almost strictly a sci-fi comic. Other than a few Marvel U trappings (brief appearances by the Starjammers, the use of a Badoon spaceship) this could be any father and son series set in outer space. It’s pretty interesting that my main complaint about this book (that it features a confusing past-era version of Scott Summers) is almost totally incidental to the actual plot. Of course, the relationship does color the interaction of the characters; this is Corsair’s second chance at fatherhood. A chance to do it right. But as for the actual plot, the characters’ history is not important at all.

Actually, my favorite thing about this series is the discovery of Russell Dauterman. His art is cartoony but still very kinetic and dramatic. The action is full-on comic book mayhem. I like his work better in the new Thor series, but man, he’s quite the discovery! He’s clearly good at drawing aliens and alien tech, which made him a natural fit for the odd world of Asgardia and Thor.

For me, this is an AVERAGE comic. I’ll keep reading it on the Marvel App, but it isn’t exactly one of my favorites. 

Avengers & X-Men: Axis #1

I’m sort of conflicted on this one. There are a lot of good things about Rick Remender’s massive crossover, but there are some fairly glaring problems too.

First of all, this really feels like an epic Marvel crossover. This story clearly picks up after months of Uncanny Avengers issues, but I’d hope that the context is enough to catch everyone up on what is happening. (I read this with my 9-year old and she picked it up OK.) There are numerous great moments scattered through the book; from the use of Plantman (looking way more plant-y than I remember) all the way the surprise ending. Along the way, Remender has a great moment between the Summers brothers and a wonderful, timely arrival from the X-Men. Actually, that X-Men moment really struck me at how perfect that Uncanny line-up has always been. With Colossus, Storm, and especially Nightcrawler, man, that team just looks like it belongs front and center in the Marvel U.

I appreciate the use of Scarlet Witch and Rogue as such central characters, but man, having both them fail to fight off Red Onslaught’s power does make them seem a bit weak. Scarlet Witch in particular came off as too big of a threat to be walking around. After House of M and “No More Mutants,” maybe she shouldn’t just be walking around with her powers any more after all. Rogue comes off a tad better, especially after the talking up she gets from Professor X. I understand why Remender held off from explaining her current Wonder Man situation too; there were enough status quo changes in the book already!

Now for main problem. The smart-ass quipping. Remender does a great job with Iron Man. Iron Man is supposed to be clever, overconfident, and somewhat jokey. The character sounds like he could have Robert Downey Jr. inside that armor. And Hawkeye has always had that sarcastic tone too. But Vision? Odinson/Thor? The new Captain America? Every single one of them sounds the same, smarting off and being smart asses. It is hard to hear different voices for the Avengers when they are all this…sit-comy.

That said, I LOVED Red Onslaught’s dialogue. He used “scum” and “trash” enough to really have me hankering for a beat down. I can’t wait for him to get what he deserves! Remender also does a wonderful job with Magneto. Magneto calls someone a “cur,” instantly proving Mags’ superiority on the battlefield. Ahab gets some great smack talk in too. Remender is pretty great at getting the reader anxious to see the villains get served.

Adam Kubert has a big order here. There are a TON of heroes involved, and they all look pretty great. I mentioned how dynamic the X-Men looked, but the Avengers are just as nicely done. I’m a bit confused on a few things (doesn’t Thor have one arm?) but they are minor. I LOVE the look and feel of Red Onslaught. He dominates every page he appears on, as an event-central villain should. The design on the surprise foes at the close of the issue seem to have a nice, sleek look too. It’s too bad Kubert can’t do a book regularly any more.

This is a GOOD event that feels like the high-octane battles I remember from my youth. Remender has always channeled the 80’s in a good way, and he’s still doing so here. 

12 Days of X-Mas 1: X-Factor #1 (1985)

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone is having a wonderful time during our X-Mas season!

Are you ready for the Twelve Days of
X-Mas! This year is all X-Factor, all the time! 

Oh my goodness. How the heck did I ever love Cyclops so much when I was ten years old? Scott Summers is living in Alaska with his wife, Madelyne Pryor and his unnamed son, and he’s the definition of a deadbeat dad. He’s never around, and when he is finally forced to go home after Storm beats him for leadership of the X-Men, he sulks around and moodily fantasizes about his dead girlfriend Jean Grey.

No, the clear favorite for my childhood should have been Angel. The guy LOVES being a mutant, is filthy rich, has a smoking hot girlfriend, and basically pays for his two loser buddies to travel from super team to super team. Warren Worthington is awesome! Plus, he gets in on the romance-angst that is to prevalent in this comic just after the return of Jean Grey.

Jean’s return was handled in some Avengers and FF issues, so her appearance here is sort of odd. She just kind of… appears. No huge dramatic moment for Angel or Cyclops when they finally meet up. I really liked how Bob Layton wrote Angel as being sort of protective of Jean after her return. He wants Jean for himself, so he really struggles with calling the other X-Men back on the scene.

And poor Jean. Half of her teammates are in love with her. Plus, no one will actually tell her that her ex-boyfriend, the guy she is throwing herself at, is now married and a father. Yowch. I’m also puzzled why Marvel wanted to remove her telepathy and stick with telekinetics. It weakens her a bit, although her powers are certainly more visual.

One thing that impressed the heck out of me was the introduction of Cameron Hodge, Angel’s old roommate and the head of X-Factor. Longtime X-readers know that Hodge is secretly the founder of The Right, an anti-mutant organization bent on genocide. Hodge’s plan is clearly whacko, and will just add to the mutant panic that is present on every page. But since Hodge was actually working undermine the mutant cause, it all makes sense.

The art is fantastic. Too much of Jackson (Butch) Guice’s pencils are covered up the 80’s era purple prose, but what is there shines through. The X-Factor uniforms are dynamic and striking. They might remain my favorite X-costumes for these characters. Angel’s red and white x-suit in particular is just tremendous. It is interesting that Guice gives new mutant Rusty the Quicksilver/Tyrannus hair cowlick, but that must just be a Marvel thing.

So basically, this Energy Analyzer review proves that ten-year-old Timbotron had good taste. This is a GOOD comic!

X-Men: Battle of the Atom #2

What a delightful little crossover. If you can forget for a moment just how much all these $3.99 titles have cost, this is a great throwback to the X-crossovers of the past decades. No one does time-travel better than the X-Men, and no one does crossovers better either.

When I last updated you all on this one, we only had a crew of X-Men from the future, a team in the present, and the original five X-Men from the past. In the course of the story, we get a whole different team of future X-Men, and a glimpse of the possible future that warped some of the characters so badly. (Special Agent Dazzler is sure important for a character that just stands around bantering with Maria Hill.)

There are tons of nice character moments scattered through the latter half of the crossover, but the best moments seem to belong to Iceman. I’m reading this series with my 8-year-old daughter, and man, she LOVES Iceman. Everything he says, she laughs. When Iceman and Beast travel with Magik to the future? She could barely concentrate on any other aspect of the story. “Dad, I just want to see what happens to Iceman and Beast.” I love it. I’ve never been prouder.

As they often do, there are a few remnants of the time-traveling groups sticking around the regular Marvel U. We might have a new Brotherhood of Mutants. I think there is a new student at the Jean Grey School. But best of all, the original X-Men and a VERY important member of the school staff are switching teams.

My number one complaint about the post-AVX X-universe is that not enough characters are siding with Cyclops. Wolverine is a crazy murderer too, and his moral superiority is absolutely crazy. So seeing SIX characters join up with Cyclops evens the odds a whole lot. My interest in Uncanny X-Men just shot up a ton.

The status quo going forward is going to be fascinating. Kinder, gentler, pretending Wolverine? Smug, possibly winning Cyclops? And the return of Nightcrawler?

Guys, the X-books are where it’s at. You can skip the Avengers these days, you want to be reading X-Men. GOOD

X-Men: Battle of the Atom (Parts 1 & 2)

Honestly, the whole world is upside down. Things have gone truly mad when I’m more into the X-Men than I am into the Avengers. I never thought I’d see the day.

I’m honestly a little shocked at how much I’m enjoying this comic. Bendis’ work on the X-titles has been extremely uneven, with some fantastic issues of All-New X-Men followed up a week later by average issues of Uncanny X-Men. He seems to clearly dig the young X-Men, so basing an event on their presence is a good move. This is “Good Bendis” through and through.

These opening issues have everything I look for. There is a big fight with a new mutant (who can create fantastic-looking Frank Cho dragons). It is worth mentioning that this new mutant is a hot girl that young Iceman would very much like to date, again playing to Cho’s strengths. This is the strongest that Bendis has written the Uncanny team, with Cyclops and company looking very confident. Plus, they actually interact with the All-New team with some maturity, a much easier process when Wolverine is absent.

So right off the bat, this book is juggling two casts of characters, a new villain, and some violence. Good start. Then, with the arrival of the FUTURE X-Men, we’ve got three teams all interacting with each other. The future team is easily recognizable (with one or two exceptions), but man, Lady Xorn’s reveal adds a whole other level to the proceedings. It gives me hope that this story could have some big repercussions. Of course, Wolverine’s team ends up fighting the future team, so again, action in a Bendis book is much appreciated.

One risk when doing these alternate future storylines is that the creators might have too big a hit on their hands. I find myself instantly loving the future version of Molly Hayes, Princess Power. She only gets a line or two of dialogue, but how can you not love her? It’s her kid personality all grown up, with some fantastic additions to her childhood costume. I’m ready for a limited series!

Bendis accomplishes a lot with his young team, too. Jean Grey spends pages trying to convince her current beau Beast into fleeing the future team and their unreadable minds. Of course, Cyclops agrees with no debate or discussion. He’s all in for Ms. Grey. Powerful, clear characterization.

I can’t understate the importance of the art. The threat of the future X-Men is clear in Stuart Immonen’s nuanced pencils. The old-time costumes look like clothe under Cho’s pencils. These are two of the top artists in the game, and these issues make it easy to see why. I will say, Cyclops’ odd new costume looks a lot better on Immonen’s bulky Scott Summers than it does on Cho’s “slim” version.  

I’m all in with the X-Men these days. You guys can keep Infinity; I want Battle of the Atom! This storyline looks GOOD!

All-New X-Men #10

I’m amazed how much I love these X-books. It took me four issues, but I absolutely love the tone of Bendis’ relaunch. He started off with a very anti-Cyclops tone in All-New X-Men, but now that Bendis is writing Cyclops in Uncanny, I can’t help but notice a shift. Cyclops really is coming off like the more realistic leader in the X-family. What is especially cool about all this is that Cyclops is still the same guy he was pre-AvX; the X-Men have just grown complacent. I’m impressed that Bendis is keeping Cyke’s character so grounded in his prior arguments.

I’ve started reading the X-books with my 8 year old daughter, and the two of us are having a great time trying to guess who will choose what side in the x-split. She’s certain that Angel and Cyclops are going to go to the Uncanny book, leaving Beast, Iceman, and Jean Grey with Wolverine. My money is on Angel making the switch alone. (He’s had some lines that suggest this, but Stuart Immonen’s art seemed to project his separation even further.) 

All this, plus an actual villain plot! Mystique, Sabretooth, and Lady Mastermind need some more muscle on their team, but they are well on the way to becoming a solid new stable of villains to plague the All-New X-Men. I certainly hope that the “Brotherhood of Evil Mutants” name is still available. And surely Avalanche has given up on his reformation after being mind-controlled in Uncanny Avengers!

Immonen’s art is always a treat, and he’s a fantastic fit for the X-Men. I do wish that a few of the costumes were a bit stronger, I’m not digging Storm’s current look. I’d also kill for some Colossus appearances; you know Immonen’s Colossus would be tremendous. I absolutely love the redesigns on Cyclops, Magneto, Emma Frost, and Magik. I wouldn’t like them as permanent uniforms, but for where the book is right now? The new look is awesome.

Good

Uncanny X-Men by Kieron Gillen TPB

I’m trying to place what it is I like about Kieron Gillen’s writing. He’s really impressed me on his recent X-books and Iron Man. I think it is that he’s taken over as the unofficial clean-up man for Marvel. For a long time it was Christos Gage who wrote the “missing chapters” to clean up after the big name writers. Now it seems Gillen is the guy riding in to deal with messes like the Dreaming Celestial and the new world of Uncanny X-Force.

The first trade collects issues 1-4, all dealing with the Dreaming Celestial and Mr. Sinister. (Wisely, Gillen has done away with the “Mr.”) Sinister is a lot more playful and amusing in this incarnation, prone to monologues and long villainous explanations of his plans. Emma Frost and other characters call him out on this numerous times, and it is a fun turn for the long-time mastermind.

Cyclops’ Extinction Team is equal parts deterrent and corrective action for the world. Seeing Cyclops, Magneto, Emma Frost, Magik, Colossus, Danger, and Storm all together is pretty intimidating. Hope is on the team too, and she more than holds her own.

Gillen’s dialogue is what makes the whole thing work. Storm’s imperious nature is played occasionally for laughs, but she works best as the moral compass of the team. When she asks which team members have been considered villains, and Cyclops dares to not raise his hand? Great moment.

And this is a book filled with them. Gillen writes Hope as a young lady quite impressed with Namor’s physical charms. She makes numerous references to his body parts and how handsome he is, and Namor eats it up. I don’t get a skeevy vibe from the Sub-Mariner, but he definitely likes that she noticed. And Magneto. Gillen's Magneto might be the best character in the book. Gillen maximizes each and every line for haughtiness, confidence, and power. Fantastic.

Like Claremont’s classic X-work, Gillen is laying the seeds for later stories too. Danger is marginalized a bit as a mobile communications station, but again, it’s directly addressed in the script, so I’m sure there is a method to the madness. As a big Colossus fan, I’d like a bit more with Piotr and Magik, but again, I think there’s a long-form story going on.

I’m not a huge Greg Land fan, but I have to admit he’s a good fit for this title. He can draw beautiful people behaving badly, and really, that’s all this book is! Hope looks a bit too much like a super-model, but hey, she’s on the big X-Men team now, that must be a natural development too. My biggest complaint is bad Colossus. It just doesn’t work!

Good

Uncanny X-Men #1

I lasted a week before I gave in. I had planned on passing on this one since I’m not a huge fan of Bendis’ pacing. But the leaded “traitor” and the chance to see Cyclops as a hero convinced me.

Unfortunately, the issue is narrated by Magneto. And he is not a believer in Cyclops these days. Magneto’s powers are messed up, Cyke killed Professor X, and Cyclops won’t take the time to get himself retrained with his new power set. But I’m not buying it. Magneto is either playing a long con and still loyal to Cyclops, or he’s being manipulated by Professor X’s brainwaves or something. At least, that’s what I’m hoping. I’ve loved the Magneto and Cyclops relationship; I bet Bendis isn’t going to tear it down easily.

I do like the way Bendis is putting together the new Uncanny X-Men. We’ve got Magneto plus four of the Phoenix 5. The only guy missing is Colossus, and I actually would like to see him show up here. I think the team needs some more support from the other X-Men, but I understand that is coming. For now, it is pretty cool seeing some of the new mutants buying in to Cyclops’ vision for mutantkind. I also love that the new mutants call him “Professor.”

I wasn’t sold on Cyclops’ new costume, but Chris Bachalo sells it. Cyclops looks awesome, especially on his propaganda-style pages where we see him as a champion of mutant equality. Bachalo has a habit of drawing his women way too young, and he does it again here. Emma Frost doesn’t really look like herself, although I do dig her costume. Magik looks closer to the right age, and I dig the gigantic sword! Let’s add in a couple more “classic” X-Men or crazier costumes on the new mutants, and this book will be all set.

Good

All-New X-Men #6

Well, we had a fair amount happen in the last two issues. Time to sloooow things down again. Let’s not get crazy here! 

Bendis loves his slow burn, talky plots. Clearly, most people love it, but it has driven me crazy for years now. After setting up the young X-Men at the Jean Grey school in the first five issues, here’s what happens in issue six: Jean Grey has a nightmare and talks to Kitty and Storm. Cyclops tries to buy a magazine. Angel and Archangel go flying together. And young Cyclops blasts Wolverine after Logan acts like a bully. That’s it. For $3.99, that’s just hard to take.

I have to assume that I’m supposed to not like Wolverine. He’s a grouchy bully who is clearly enjoying the power he has over young Cyclops. Since the old Cyclops is out of reach, I guess Logan will take out his frustrations on easier targets. The fact that none of the other X-Men have really stuck up for Cyclops (either one) confuses me, but that’s where we are. 

David Marquez’ art is absolutely beautiful. He draws Storm with crazy blue eyes that make her even more stunning than normal. (He also does a great job with her hair and costume, making me regret Storm’s upcoming decision to go back to the Mohawk.) Marquez’s faces are wonderful, the acting is flawless and there is no doubt in what the characters are thinking. Heck, Bendis may have dialed back the dialogue a tad because the art is so clear. Marquez doesn’t get to do much action, only one panel where Cyclops blasts Wolvie (and the dream sequence), so I’m curious to see how he handles more fighting in later issues.

Fair (bumped up by the art)

All-New X-Men #5

Ugh. That Marvel Now trade dress really uglies up a pretty cover.

I can’t be the only one who is on Cyclops’ side here, right? I mean, Wolverine comes off so snotty and holier than though, and Beast’s goals are so odd and self-serving, it seems like Cyclops clearly has the better option. Heck, Cyclops’ new Xavier School for the Gifted sounds downright inviting, doesn’t it?

My main problem with this whole book is that I’m still unclear on Beast’s goals. He knows Professor X will mind-wipe the young X-Men when they return to his own time, so young Cyclops won’t learn from his future field trip. Then Beast states that his other goal is that modern Cyclops should carry his shame to his grave. What exactly does that accomplish? It just seems so petty!

I am excited that all these health issues with the Beast have a relatively logical conclusion; we’re finally rid of lion-Beast. I like Grant Morrison more than the next guy, but lion-Beast was a terrible idea. I do worry that the coloring makes Beast’s new form look a bit too much like Dark Beast, but at least he’s more ape-like again. (Now we just need Archangel to back to his normal self. Imagine trying to explain the modern version to poor Young Angel!)

Jean Grey gets the starring role for most of this issue as she gets force-fed the memories of the X-Men’s history. I’m happy to see Stuart Immonen including some of the awful moments in the X-Men’s past, like the recently reviewed Search for Cyclops series. I will say that Jean Grey has rocked some particularly awesome costumes over the years, especially when drawn by Immonen.

This is the odd comic that reads much better in floppy than in digital. Immonen uses horizontal page designs so often that reading it on my tablet is downright annoying. That doesn’t come up often, but it does here.

Good

12 Days of X-Mas: X-Men: Phoenix Endsong #1-5 (2005)

So I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the last time the Phoenix force came back, when it only got a five-issue limited series, not a publishing event to tell the tale.

Greg Pak wrote the series, and it is sort of a mixed bag. I really like his take on Cyclops, Emma Frost, and Jean Grey, but I don’t necessarily love them together. Cyclops is crazy in love with Emma Frost, which is weird, seeing how they’ve been together so long in real time now. Emma Frost is still trying to prove herself to the rest of the X-Men, and the Kitty Pryde vs. Emma Frost conflict is in full effect. Jean Grey is more a force of nature than anything else; in fact, her most moving scene is the one where we see the X-Men remembering their fondest moments with her. 

Pak has done some work I’ve loved over the years, but this stuff is just OK. The exception is Cyclops; I really love his take on the X-Men's long-suffering leader. Cyclops directs the team through each issue, and his unrequited (at the end) love for Jean Grey is palpable in his dialogue.

One thing that really hit home reading this is how much I miss Nightcrawler. He really belongs with the X-Men, and his long team-up with Storm during this story could have used more panel time. The two don’t have complementary powers, really, but they joined the team at the same time and share a lot of history.

Quentin Quire serves as a distraction for all five issues as he tries to get the Phoenix force to ramp up his already omega-level abilities. Angel, Storm, Kitty and Beast all get some work (this is when Angel still had his weird healing blood) but Wolverine is the only other guy given a lot of dialogue. He pines and suffers as Phoenix changes outfits, but his main role is to stab her. It is interesting seeing how many AvX plot points get directly called out here, too. 

As for the art, wow. Greg Land full on draws ladies with no clothes on and counts on the coloring to hide that fact. I swear there are panels with Jean Grey’s bare @$$, it is just painted red to distract you. The adult film faces are in full effect too, Jean Grey is really enjoying herself with all that power. Emma Frost looks like her costume needs to go too. Land actually does a nice job with Nightcrawler, and it does make sense that Angel looks like a model. But wow, Beast totally looks like the Muppet Ralph, a weird mix of dog and lion. 

Average

12 Days of X-Mas: The Search for Cyclops (2000)

Let's make this one a Comics-on-the-Bubble too...

Ugh. I could fill a couple pages just recapping where the X-Men are at this point in their history. The quick version: Apocalypse’s “seed” is living in Cyclops after the X-Men defeated the bad guy in a big storyline. Now Cyclops is on the run and battling the influence of Apocalypse on his psyche. 

The problem here is pacing, and the ease of the conclusion. This is a four-issue series, with one whole issue spent on Cyclops in the Middle East as an amnesiac. After that, things pick up a tad when Phoenix and Cable get on the trail, but even then, the biggest obstruction is just finding Cyclops. The rogue’s gallery is pretty pathetic; you’ve got Gauntlet, Caliban/Pestilence, and Anais, a new cat-lady. (That is, she turns into a cat, not that she has lots of pet cats). There is a nice confrontation in issue three, but when the story has to end, it just… ends. Seriously, Phoenix just rips Apocalypse right out of Cyclops, Cable stabs him with his pscimitar, and that’s it! All set, folks! 

Joseph Harris wrote some good stuff in this era at Marvel, but this is not one of his better books. The entire comic is filled with narrative boxes that describe what’s happening. Did Harris not know industry vet Tom Raney could handle the story? The prose gets decidedly purple at numerous points, most especially during recaps at the open of each issue.

Raney does a nice job with the 2000-era costume. Phoenix has that neat little chest piece, and I like Cyclops’ visor worked into Cable’s uniform. Cyclops’ transformation can look either silly (like when his eyes connect to form a Cyclops-like face) or cool (when he gets those weird Apocalypse blue lines on his otherwise normal face). Raney has one page in issue three that makes it clear how this is just a chase book; it’s a segment of tunnels that all the main character pass through right in order. It’s a neat looking set-piece, but that’s the gist of the whole book.

Average

Search for Cyclops 1-4: SELL