5/30/09

Comics: X-Terminators #3

X-TERMINATORS #3
December 1988
"Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Jon Bogdanove
Inker: Al Milgrom
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: John Wellington
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco


The all-ages fun of a bunch of demons kidnapping babies and trying to eat them keeps on rolling with the latest issue of X-Terminators. I think this is the problem with mini-series; they are usually designed to tell a single story with a singular vision and tone, so for the most part the problems you have with one issue are there for all four. This one has the fine art that see-saws between overly cartoony and a classic workman style like the other two issues. It also has the same creepy mix of cartoony action and demons. The slapstick battles between the big kids and all the animated inanimate objects of New York City are fun, until you realize that it's hell energy animating them. Then it's creepy.

I do have a problem with N'astirh seriously thinking that a computer can help his spells because they have spell checkers on them. Now...I know that computers were as common as Bigfoot back then (man, 1988 you guys, Stone Age!) but doesn't N'astirh at least know that spell has two different meanings? Really? But looking past that, Taki's interactions with him are great and really show him having a cunning mix of snotty whininess and tactical thinking. I like Taki. Why did he disappear?

So yeah, it's an okay issue. It seems like it's an essential part of "Inferno" so far, but then again I might get into the actual story later and realize that all this could be covered by narration captions. For now it's fun. And way better than Fallen Angels.

MY SCORE: 7.9/10

5/27/09

WOOOOORK

I've fallen out of the habit of writing here everyday again, but is that such a big deal since all I was writing before were reviews of late '80s X-Men comics (those are coming back, by the way, I just have to read some first). Memorial Day weekend was long and fun, with pool parties and picnics and board games. I took the night off last night, which was both good and bad. I needed some me time but every time I take it I just feel awful. So I need to figure that one out. I guess seeing people everyday is a good thing, even if I don't think I feel up to it. I spend too much time getting all the figures on my desk to stand up. Psylocke and Gambit have been having some leaning problems lately. Hey guys, I'm not going to start a new paragraph! I watched all 9+ hours of the Beatles Anthology over the last day and a half. Wow, a lot of Beatles. I wish I had access to similar docs about the Rolling Stones and the Kinks. I'm writing sketches, I think I'll try writing one a day for a week. See if that works. I just need to get a body of work put together that I can really show to people and polish. I want a body of work.

5/20/09

Cash 4 Skulls

I can't believe I never posted this here. Here's Cash 4 Skulls, a commercial parody I shot with Laurel for my sketch 201 class show. Enjoy and share!



5/19/09

Comics: X-Terminators #2

X-TERMINATORS #2
November 1988
"Speed Demon!"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Jon Bogdanove
Inker: Al Milgrom
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: John Wellington
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

This issue continues the weird mix of light-hearted slapstick and dark demonic hijinks that started last issue. Really most of this issue is like reading an adaptation of a fun Saturday morning cartoon (the kids use their powers to get money out of a Pepsi machine, they try on clothes, ride around in a flying car, etc). That's totally fine. I'm always a fan of comics addressing both where money AND costumes come from, as they seem to just be on hand when needed at all times. I like that this issue is dedicated to the team getting costumes, although I have no idea what store would sell the spandex top Rusty is wearing.

The light-hearted events are interrupted by a pretty harrowing subplot involving N'astirh's demons stealing babies. One kidnapping is preceded by a two-page build up that realistically introduces us to a young couple trying to cope with an economic downturn and a move to the suburbs. The two pages are really involved, with tons of dialogue that makes you sympathetic to the couple...only to have demons bite the crap out of the father's neck, spewing blood everywhere, before they fly off with the couple's baby. It's crazy dark and effective in selling the serious stakes of this mini even if it does come in between pages from
Saved By The Bell: The Mutant Years.

So another okay issue with decent art and a quirky mix of the serious and the silly.

MY SCORE: 8/10

5/18/09

Comics: X-Terminators #1

X-TERMINATORS #1
October 1988
"Invasion Of The Baby-Snatchers"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Jon Bogdanove
Inkers: Al Williamson & Al Milgrom
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: John Wellington
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

The wards of X-Factor star in their own limited series and play a part in launching "Inferno." This doesn't seem that gratuitous, although it surely must have at the time. Just five years earlier only Uncanny X-Men existed. Then in 1988, X-Fans all of a sudden have New Mutants, X-Factor, Wolverine and Excalibur to get every month. And now there's this, another mini-series. X-Fans of 1988, get ready. It only gets worse.

After reading X-Factor I have to say that the kids steal the show in most cases. Simonson clearly has fun writing them and they're a relief from some of the more melodramatic elements of the title. So here they are, in their own limited series. This issue, which follows Artie and Leech to a special school for younger kids and the four teens to a boarding school, is both fun and juvenile. It's very much an all-ages book with lots of slapstick and sometimes "Archie" like art from Jon Bogdanove. It is odd to have a book have both goofy action sequences and baby-snatching demons, and X-Terminators barely pulls it off. It never swings too heavily in either direction and plays down the middle as both an all-ages romp and an installment in a very sinister linewide crossover.

Taki's power is somewhat over the top and he reacts pretty calmly to finding out he's a mutant. Plus I'm shocked that that random school employee knows so much about demon lore to identify that Artie and Leech have been captured due to the effigies left behind. Maybe that was common knowledge in the '80s?

I love Boom Boom and Rictor and have a soft spot for Artie and Leech, so that adds a lot to my enjoyment of this issue. It's fine. And as long as it doesn't get as out of hand crazy as Fallen Angels, this will be a fun mini.

MY SCORE: 8/10

5/16/09

Comics: Uncanny X-Men #239

UNCANNY X-MEN #239
December 1988
"Vanities"
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Marc Silvestri
Inker: Dan Green
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

And so it begins. After reading months of buildup in various titles, "Inferno" starts up here. This is a relatively quiet issue, with a decent amount of time spent on all the main team members and setting up the inner struggles that are plaguing them during this stretch of issues. The pacing works at building up tension since the issue starts with a very dark scene between Mr. Sinister and Malice. Just knowing that Sinister is out there scheming affects all the scenes with the X-Men that follow. The readers know a horrible challenge is coming and seeing all of our heroes in such emotional turmoil doesn't lead us to believe this is going to be a pleasant action romp. This is going to be tough.

The first couple pages of the issue follow a family visiting the Empire State Building in the slowly demonized New York City. An elevator eats the entire family, and a clueless janitor accidentally mops up all their blood. Wow, 1988, epic bloody win right there. Shock of shocks.

Havok is a very complex character and I like that Claremont has dusted off his old paranoia about his power using instances that recently occurred, like him trying to kill his possessed ex-girlfriend and a couple Brood aliens. I'm glad that his reckless actions are taking a toll on him.

Other than that, Storm gets freaked out because she finds out that Wolverine has been keeping the news of Jean Grey's resurrection secret and a sparring match between Psylocke and Rogue and Colossus gets a little too serious. Yep, our team isn't in the best of shape, putting them square into the underdog category. The issue ends with Madelyne's downright creepy seduction of Havok, which is expertly laid out by artist Marc Silvestri who manages to capture a dark atmosphere in the middle of a bright and scorching Australian summer. We then find out that Madelyne has gone nutso and is working with the demon N'astirh to kidnap a buncha babies.

Claremont's strong characterizations are again running amok all over this issue, and his wordiness is only a small problem (like during Havok's dream sequence, the art explained it all perfectly and was only hurt by all those flowery words). Silvestri's art is solid and despite my dislike of aspects of his sketchy style, it tells the story beautifully. Although seeing art like this in 1988 and knowing it's leading to the insane art of the early '90s...it's hard to appreciate something knowing it's going to inspire tons of crap imitators. It's like trying to listen to Nirvana and not hearing a bit of Puddle of Mudd in there.

MY SCORE: 8.6/10

5/15/09

The Features @ Piano's

I haven't seen the Features in almost two years, which when considering that I saw them roughly fifty times from 2001-2006, that's a big drought. A big drought. I still find it hard to rationalize that I now live a life almost completely void of this band, aside from listening to them on my iPod. They were my life in Tennessee, through message boards, friends, hanging out, flyering, going to shows, making mix CDs, it was just what me and my friends did. It was nice to have even more Tennessee friends up here than the last time they played in New York in 2007. It felt right being able to freak out and have a good time with some of the same people I freaked out with back in the Boro.

The show was great. It's nice to see that the band still brings it with every performance and that their onstage personas haven't dulled at all. They're all still highly energetic and captivating performers with tunes to back them up. I'm of course bummed that I can only hear album tracks now, as the spontaneity of the Features shows of yore was a large part of the appeal. Being able to yell out "Damage Is Done" and have them decide to play it after a year of not, or having the power go out to inspire an acoustic version of the seldom played "Bumblebee." But this show was definitely a solid show with a consistent set of songs, all of which had me freaking out. I really lost it to "Me & The Skirts," of all songs. I get nostalgic for that jam every time, maybe because I remember the first time I heard it and the bit we still do to this day when discussing it (thick country accent: "You see that all them sang on that song right there!"). I don't know, memories flooding back.

The Features play Brooklyn on Sunday night, at Union Hall. You should go.

Here are some pictures that Davis took. You can also fall in love, either again or for the first time, with this band daily at The Damage Is Done.

Comics: Excalibur #5

EXCALIBUR #5
February 1989
"Send In The Clowns"
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Alan Davis
Inker: Paul Neary
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

So pretty much all my complaints about last issue are in this one, since it's a continuation and conclusion of the story. Courtney Ross is still a solid character. I think I understand who Meggan was, personality wise. She was just a standard X-Woman when I read Excalibur in the mid-to-late '90s with no personality, but here I think I understand what made Claremont like her. She's very dependent, which is shown through her powers, and doesn't know her own strengths. It's good. The epilogue with Nightcrawler and Captain Britain's discussion about Meggan is tops, where they actually analyze a relationship that has real faults and isn't perfect. This stuff isn't addressed in comics...ever really. People date, then they sorta break up, get back together, etc. Or all their problems are power based or super hero based. Captain Britain and Meggan's relationship has a very real problem (Meggan needs Cap and he fears she doesn't exist outside of him). Nice. Also the ending, with Coutrney getting zapped by her other dimensional twin, is a great twist and pretty dark. Just what the issue needed after a dozen pages of silly running around with Alice in Wonderland characters.

And yeah, that's the problem with this issue. All mind-swapping and brainwashing malarky. I don't even get how Shadowcat frees Phoenix from mind control. She merges with her mind by actually phasing into her? Um? Does that work?

Also, this issue has talking custard pies.

A mixed bag. Claremont should stick to the drama, since that's what he does best.

MY SCORE: 7.8/10

5/14/09

Something Else...

Okay, I know almost no one is interested in comic book reviews from the last '80s except me, right? But in the interest of giving myself some stability I'm going to keep on doing them. I need stability!

I'm also doing daily junk at my two other sites. Yesterday's Special is my usually daily nostalgia blog, focusing on all the crazy stuff that entertained me as a kid in those precious pre-X-Men years (also known as the first eight years of my life). If you haven't seen the opening credits for "TaleSpin" or the first third of one of the greatest episodes of "Muppet Babies" ever, then that site's for you.

I also just began The Damage Is Done, which is where I'll be posting one song by The Features a day with a brief recap/history/opinion on the song. I love this band and I want to provide a place online for people to go to get a good grasp of what they're all about (to paraphrase their song "Buffalo Head").

And there's Tales To Diminish, my webcomic that's a bit on hold right now as I gear up for a revamp. Go there and enjoy the ten strips I've done!

And that's it for now. I'll try to post other things besides comic reviews here...anyone interested in daily updates on what "food" I'm eating? No? Sometimes it's NOT frozen pizzas, you guys. Isn't that interesting?

Comics: Excalibur #4

EXCALIBUR #4
January 1989
"Still Crazy After All These Years"
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Alan Davis
Inker: Paul Neary
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

I can't think of any other issue in recent memory that contains both everything great about Claremont and everything frustrating about him. I'll start with the great.

The main cast is great. Claremont expertly builds friendships between cast members that were previously strangers, like with Meggan and Nightcrawler. Their flirtation is so palpable and believable yet subtly done. Nightcrawler has received a new lease on life with this title. Alan Davis was born to draw him, it seems, and Claremont is really rejuvenating everything that made the character such a winner. With Wolverine and Storm taking center stage in Uncanny, Nightcrawler was getting overshadowed. Here he's front and center and deserving of the attention.

The friendship Phoenix and Shadowcat began forging in their previous title has carried on across the pond and to Excalibur. I love that Claremont so bluntly states what each character's viewpoint is on each other's fashion choices and has them play off each other. It's kinda simplistic, but it's so rare that readers get these personal glimpses into superheroes' lives. We never hear what music or movies or books characters like, and most every hero has absolutely zero fashion sense outside of their spandex. They usually just wear a t-shirt and converse.

Lastly, Courtney Ross grows as a supporting character in ways few other writers could accomplish. Claremont was never content at just letting his core team members get personal growth. He was always striving, either with Moira MacTaggert, Amanda Sefton or Stevie Hunter, to have the supporting and powerless players be as strong and fleshed out as the top billed names. Courtney Ross is fierce, independent and totally charming. I like her. She's much more than Captain Britain's ex-girlfriend.

And now on to the stuff that Claremont fails at. The Crazy Gang. I know this is supposedly a comedy book (the cover is comedically meta), but a team of villains who dress up (or are?) characters from "Alice in Wonderland"? Seems like another idea that only Claremont is interested in. Was anyone really that psyched to see a Tweedledum analogue named Tweedle Dope? No? Believe it or not, these characters were actually created by Alan Moore...pre-Watchmen. Tying them to Arcade makes some sense, and Arcade does have a known vendetta against Captain Britain so that's all sound, I just don't want to read about the Crazy Gang.

This issue ALSO features body swapping and mind control. I'm actually tired of complaining about how much Claremont uses these two story devices, so I'm just going to say that he uses them too much, wag my finger, and move on.

So this was a mixed effort, which was definitely bumped up due to Alan Davis' impeccable art. Was this guy ever bad? It seems that he started out as strong as he is now. That's amazing.

MY SCORE: 8.5/10

5/13/09

Comics: X-Factor #35

X-FACTOR #35
December 1988
"Go To The Orphan Maker!"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Terry Shoemaker
Inker: Joe Rubinstein
Colorist: Petra Scotese
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco


Cyclops and Jean Grey, Nanny and her forces and N'Astirh's demons all convene at the orphanage of Cyclops' youth with the same goal: steal some babies. This storyline has been building up for months and Louise Simonson has woven the various ongoing stories in X-Factor in with the wider scope of "Inferno" quite well. Cyclops' lost son Christopher is the main target for N'Astirh's demons, who were working alongside X-Fator foes Right until last issue, when they splintered off after finding out where a ton of mutant babies were. It's all well done.

This issue is really exposition heavy and melodramatic, two things which tend to plague Simonson's work on this title. Both Cyclops and Jean talk in powerful and bold statements that are clearly executed, which doesn't fit well with how comics are written now...or how people talk. Plus knowing more about Cyclops' past now, all these flashbacks to his orphanage make me wonder how well they fit in. Is the bully that's picking on him supposed to be Mr. Sinister? Cyclops mentions how cloudy his memories of the place are, which is a big red flag too that something is wrong. I also don't know how orphanages work, but his brother Alex is just shipped away as soon as possible while Cyclops is in a coma. That's rough, right? Do orphanages do that, just split up siblings after they lose their parents? That's cold!

Nanny as a villian has never excited me or worked, so I'm glad that her prevalence in the late '80s gave way to near-non-existance in the '90s and now. This issue introduces some more of Nanny's hench men, none of whom get clear code names or powers. Two of them turn out to be Jean's neice and nephew, which is kinda random (was her sister killed by Nanny? Can't remember that far back right now). Still, the scene where Cyclops finally sees his son again is touching and Simonson sets up the stakes for "Inferno" pretty well.

Terry Shoemaker turns up as fill-in artist again after doing (or maybe before doing) this month's issue of New Mutants. He does a fine job, but when a book is so defined by Walt Simonson's peculiarly energetic style it's hard to fill-in. I also liked the fill-in work Shoemaker did in the '90s more than the everyman-esque stuff he's doing here.

Overall, not the strongest issue of X-Factor dialogue wise, but the plot is fine.

MY SCORE: 7.8/10

Comics: New Mutants #70

NEW MUTANTS #70
December 1988
"Self-Fulfilling Prophesy"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Terry Shoemaker
Inker: Al Milgrom
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

This is still Louise Simonson, right? Yup, her name's on the book. Can't figure out where the stilted dialogue suddenly came from. The issue begins with the Mutants imprisoned by Spyder on the alien world. Spyder then delivers two pages of exposition explaining who each New Mutant is by saying "Ah, ____, you do ______ and feel _____." Yep, he actually says "ah" and then the name of a character three times in a row. Is there a rule about not repeating words or vocal patterns back to back, because it's something I always eliminate from my creative writing and hate when I read it.

Gosamyr's family is stirred early and are "born" prematurely, thus unleashing their crazy giant monster modes on the team. They're only thwarted by Lila Cheney, who apparently teleports them into a nearby sun (which obviously doesn't stick as she is back alive as early as 1992, maybe even before). As Spyder sics his forces on the Mutants, Illyana decides to risk her soul and teleport the kids home by way of the ever-worsening Limbo. The issue ends with the team stuck in Limbo against the foces of S'ym, thus preparing their involvement in "Inferno."

This issue wasn't as much fun as the previous ones, mainly due to the less enthusiastic art of Terry Shoemaker and some clunky dialogue. Plus this story has gone on far too long. Simonson is at her best when she's treating these kids like kids and putting them in fun/realistic drama. This has been way too much, especially since it follows the almost exact same Bird-Brain story arc (mysterious inhuman needs help, thus leading team to exotic locale and tragedy). I'm looking forward to the X-Terminators joining this book after "Inferno."

MY SCORE: 7.7/10

5/12/09

Comics: Excalibur #3

EXCALIBUR #3
December 1988
"Moving Day"
Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Alan Davis
Inker: Paul Neary
Letterer: L. Lois Buhalis
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor In Chief: Bob Harras

Excalibur and Wolverine have always been the biggest holes in my X-Knowledge. Both series were harder to find and more expensive when you did (this issue's cover price is fifty cents more than the standard Marvel Comics at the time). I also have to note that this issue has held up amazingly for being ten years old. The pages are all still very crisp and white, unlike every other comic I'm reading from this era. I don't know what's different with the paper stock, but that extra fifty cents has somehow made all the issues of Excalibur that I've read so far hold up far better than all the other comics I have from this time. Interesting.

This is also my first time reading Excalibur's early issues and I'm quite surprised by how good they are. Claremont's run on Uncanny at this time was by no means poor, but all the characters had very much settled into their stereotypical Claremont voices and all the crackle and energy of the John Bryne and Paul Smith years have faded away into something a bit more amorphous (but still good). It might be Alan Davis' gorgeous art or the fact that the creative team is obviously excited by this new series, probably both, but this series so far and this issue in particular is really fun and holds up amazingly well today.

The issue opens up with that stuffy/slutty old English lady we saw last issue busting Juggernaut out of a prison and putting him in the path of Excalibur. The fight scene that follows is almost as funny as some of Giffen and DeMatteis' run on Justice League International, with Captain Britain stubbornly thinking he can take on Juggernaut and Shadowcat using her phasing powers in creative ways against a car full of escaped convicts. The team displays effortless teamwork and it's really a joy to behold.

The second half of the issue mixes light moving in comedy (Kitty in the bathroom too long, Nightcrawler's morning exercise making noise) with serious character moments (Captain Britain gets an impromptu intervention because of his drinking and almost gets with lady pal Courtney Ross). Shadowcat also stumbles across a parallel universe/wacko version of herself and Lockheed, thus giving the team more evidence that something fishy is up in their new lighthouse home.

Overall, this issue was ten times more entertaining than I expected it to be, and I'm now looking forward to reading the next issues of Excalibur.

MY SCORE: 8.8/10

Comics: X-Factor #34

X-FACTOR #34
November 1988
"Death!"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Walter Simonson
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Petra Scotese
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

The newly created Archangel comes face to face with X-Factor's former publicist and current arch-enemy Cameron Hodge in this issue. Hodge has kidnapped Candy Southern due to a weird mix of hating her because she fell in love with a mutant and also being a bit jealous that Archangel started ignoring him when he fell in love with her way back when. Undertones? The issue's main story consists of Archangel slicing his way through hordes of demons (thanks to Hodge partnering up with N'Astirh) until finally reaching Hodge, who pulls the plug on the comatose Candy, and beheading him.

Simonson gets some nice mileage out of Hodge's Christian anti-mutant viewpoint and his partnership with the demon N'Astirh. She really sells Hodge as a big time threat...and then keeps on selling him for a couple more pages. The issue is bogged down in a lot of posteuring and recap (do we have to actually see Angel lose his wings and be reborn as Archangel on panel if it's referenced constantly by Hodge and Archangel?). Still, the issue pushes "Inferno" one step closer to fruition and continues to build momentum to the big event.

I also have to say that the Right robot-people look way too much like Nanny, leading me to always believe that they're the same. I guess all egg-shaped googly-eyed robots look the same to me. But really, the whole Orphan Maker bit is so dark. A villain who murders the human parents of infant mutants so that the babies won't be persecuted by their parents? That's intense.

The art is the usual Walt Simonson style, very angular and expressive. The only part that I didn't get was Hodge's beheading. It really looks more like Archangel's wing has taken a chunk out of his shoulder. I guess the comics code preventing blood kinda gets in the way of depicting an accurate decapitation.

MY SCORE: 8.1/10

5/11/09

Comics: New Mutants #69

NEW MUTANTS #69
November 1988
"Bad Company"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciler: Bret Blevins
Inker: Al Williamson
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

The trek I began through the X-Canon after my birthday on July 6th, 2006 rolls on after a bit of a lull. I received the first Uncanny X-Men Omnibus and began reading every X-Men comic in chronological order, starting with Giant-Size X-Men #1 from 1975. This also includes all the spin-off ongoing series that I own (New Mutants, X-Factor and now Excalibur). So here I am, at the end of 1988 after almost three years of reading. I've covered a lot of ground.

This issue of New Mutants finds the teens in the thrall of Gosamyr, a sexy alien who the Mutants are trying to aide, and in the clutches of Spyder, the sadistic arachnid-esque alien who has kidnapped mutant rock star Lila Cheney. The issue begins where the previous one left off, with Spyder's minions threatening to blow up the incoming space yacht carrying the Mutants and Gosamyr. Spyder intervenes and allows them to land so he can capture them as well, which he does by the issue's end. Cliffhanger!

Louise Simonson continues her strong grasp on each character with this issue, even if the book reads a little heavy at times. There's a lot of arguing and angst, but at least those characteristics align more readily with teenagers. Yeah, Illyana constantly moaning about being evil is annoying, but it does work with her and especially her age. Teenagers are whiny and annoying. Gosamyr's emotional trickery also brings some fun rivalries out, like Sam and Bobby's machismo-off and prudish Rahne's worry about having feelings for Sam. Simonson has a very tight cast that all plays off each other very well. With Karma, Magma and Cypher out of sight, she's really getting a lot of mileage out of the remaining six and how they all play off each other. It's all done well.

There are some minor problems with the plot, like the whole fact that the New Mutants have left the planet on a whim to help some total stranger alien who isn't that interesting of a character. Spyder's also incredibly generic and only has his odd repo man angle to set him apart from other spider-like alien baddies. Also, Dani's immature fleeing from the ship as soon as it lands because of how mad she is isn't in character, but I assume that's Gosamyr's effect.

Bret Blevins' art continues to be the best this book has had, outside of Bill Sienkiewicz's abstract take on the teens earlier in the series run. His pages crackle with energy and his characters all look young and mix physical vulnerability with emotional strength. It's good stuff.

I also like the general hints and foreshadowing that are popping up in all the X-Books right now, leading up to "Inferno." Illyana's sword is acting wonky and Emma Frost senses something horrible coming. There's a real sense of foreboding in the line right now, and it's selling the upcoming crossover very well. Looking forward to getting to it.

So a mediocre story is saved by some fun art and believable characters.

MY SCORE: 8/10

5/4/09

X-Men: Switching Sides

After seeing the completely disappointing X-Men Origins: Wolverine, watching half of X-Men: The Last Stand and beginning my journey through season two of the stellar 90s animates series (now available on DVD!), I stumbled onto the one thing that separates that great cartoon from a lot of the recent missteps in the franchise.

Heroes that become villains.

This disturbing trend has been in all of the bad adaptations of Marvel's mutants and absent from all the great ones. The 90s animated series kept the X-Men firmly aligned with the good guys, even if they weren't members of the team (Colossus, Angel and Bishop all aided the core team), and were never used to fill in as villains. The same thing can be said for the first and second X-Men films, where the writers and director used actual villains from the comic book instead of using formerly heroic characters. Lady Deathstrike, Mastermind, Stryker, etc., all villains in the comics and films.

With X-Men: Evolution things get a little murky. Both Gambit and Colossus were introduced as members of Magneto's Acolytes, which fits with both of their characters since Gambit has always been shady and Colossus actually was an Acolyte in the comics. But since they were introduced as bad guys, it make it that much harder for them to ever align with the X-Men, which is where most all fans want to see them. I'd rather see Colossus being friends with Wolverine than fighting him. I didn't follow Evolution much after season one, so I never got to see the episodes featuring Gambit and Colossus. Maybe I shouldn't even comment on this, then, but still it's weird that they would draft these two long-standing X-Men to Magneto's side, especially when there are tons of other energy projectors and muscle men to use that are villains (Random, Ramrod, Scalphunter, Blockbuster, Sunder, Slab, the Kleinstocks, Forearm).

X-Men: The Last Stand turns this up a notch and is even worse. Okay, making a cartoon is relatively easy. It doesn't cost any more money to do great affects and accurate powers, so seeing your favorite characters in a cartoon isn't that big of a deal. It's cool, but whatever. You see them drawn every month on a page. But seeing them on the big screen, being played by a real flesh and blood person? That's a big deal! So...why does Multiple Man have to be a bad guy? I know Madrox's power makes him the perfect cannon fodder generator, but he wasn't even used in that way in the film. Any other faceless mutant could have played his role. Even worse was Psylocke, who was put in the film, made evil, never called by her name, displayed none of her actual powers and was then murdered. Seriously? Psylocke isn't the most widely known X-Man (pretty sure her thong kept her out of the animated series, and thus out of public consciousness), but she's been a pretty constant presence in the team for over two decades. To have her senselessly killed after a non-part was just insult to injury. They should have just not named that character Psylocke and everything would have been fine.

From the first seven episodes I've seen, Wolverine and the X-Men is a very well executed cartoon that is much more faithful to the source material than Evolution, but there's an insane amount of good guys turn bad guys. From just the episodes I've seen, Rogue and Domino have been made members of the Brotherhood instead of various other candidates. At least Rogue made the decision to become evil within the first couple episodes. But looking at the future episodes on Wikipedia, Blink, Scarlet Witch, Mercury and Polaris are all Acolytes and Multiple Man and Archangel are Marauders. Why? There are enough members of both the Acolytes and Marauders that are actually evil, you don't have to use random X-Men as filler characters!

Quicksilver has been a bad guy in the last two of the three X-Men animtead series. I guess his snotty nature and parentage makes him an obvious bad guy, plus he was a bad guy when he first appeared. But I hate that a character that is now much more defined by his role as an Avenger and member of X-Factor is now known as a menace to the public.

Now we come to the latest offender, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The movie gets a lot of the allegiances right. Deadpool is a mercernary, Gambit is just mysterious and not evil, Blob is played as oafish (even though they destroy his character in every other way) and Wraith is void of anything memorable much like his comic book counterpart. But what they did to Maverick was completely out of this world bad. Much like Psylocke's misuse, all they had to do was not call the character David North or Agent Zero (Maverick's other code name). First, he's not Asian. Second, he's not a ruthless killing machine. Third, he's not a jerk. And having him be all of these things didn't really add much to the movie, it just provided a small bit of comic relief in one scene. That's it. Also, apparently Dominic Monaghan was playing Bolt, a very very bit character from the comics. Who knew that?

I know this is all really nerdy and nit-picky, and I think these switches are fine if the character isn't jeopardized or ruined. Quicksilver being evil in the cartoons is fine. That's accurate to how he started out. The same can even be said of Rogue in Wolverine and the X-Men since she herself has a bad streak in the comics. I even can look past Multiple Man being a bad guy in The Last Stand because he was played as a witty guy with a flippant attitude similar to his comic book counterpart. It's just when characters get so many alterations added to them that they are unrecognizable, like Maverick and Psylocke, there's no reason to give them the same name.

Overall, there are enough evil doers in the X-Men mythos that the mass media doesn't need to play switcheroo on us. Right?

Meh, I'm going to go back to watching my 90s X-Men DVDs.