Brian Wilkinson
Jan 30, 2002, 07:51 pm
{Originally posted at X-Fan v. 3.1 on January 29, 2002}
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/xtxmen09.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/xtxmen09t.jpg" align=left alt="X-Treme X-Men #9"></a>Reviewer: Brian E. Wilkinson, bewilkinson@yahoo.ca
Quick Rating: Great!
Story Title: Face The Music!
The battle isn't over yet as Lifeguard takes on Lady Mastermind with Sage's life as the prize!
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Salvador Larroca
Letters: Tom Orzechowski
Colors: Liquid
Editor: Andrew Lis
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
With each issue, I must say that Chris Claremont and Salvador Larroca just keep getting better and better. The writing is classic Chris Claremont, the likes of which hasn’t been seen since his days on Uncanny X-Men. His stories are well-thought out, his characters beautifully developed, and he shoves in so much drama, action, questions and revelations per issue that one need not read the entire series to be able to enjoy a single issue.
The art by Salvador Larroca is top-notch once again. I love the way his characters come across on the page and the wide range of emotions each character is able to depict. Larroca is one of the few artists out there capable of telling the story without benefit of words. One also can’t help but be impressed that he never misses doing a single issue and even manages to do the chores on the X-Treme X-Men 2001 Annual. You can tell that Claremont and Larroca have a grove going that seems to only get better with each and every issue.
Issue #9 is a wrap-up issue of sorts as it neatly ties up all the various plot elements Claremont has been playing with for the past five issues. Gambit is cleared of charges before a Triad Tribunal with the aid of Red Lotus, Lifeguard and her brother, Davis, seem poised to join the regular cast, and Bishop gets a date of sorts with his 'partner' Teri Baltimore. Add in the battle waged on the psychic landscape of Sage’s mind between Lifeguard and Lady Mastermind for the freedom of Sage herself as well as a cameo by New X-Men’s Phoenix, and you have one heck of an issue!
In dealing with some of the specifics of the issue, I wanted to raise a few concerns. With the debut and addition of Lifeguard to the X-Treme roster, is it just me or are her powers a little bit too convenient? I get the basic premise of “she saves lives” as the description of her powers, but here we see her entering Sage’s mind, transforming into a steel mermaid, and crashing through buildings. While I realize most of this takes place on the psychic plane readers have seen time and again that what happens there affects a person in ‘real-life’. Is Lifeguard doing a little bit too much too soon? Is the team depending on her too much? Will it get her killed? While Thunderbird is also a new character, he has at least had some field experience and training in the danger room. For all intents and purposes, Lifeguard is a ‘new mutant’ and lacking any sort of training, she shouldn’t even be able to fly. I realize this is nit-picking but since Bishop delights in referring to Thunderbird as a ‘rookie’ all the time, you’d think one of the X-Men would pick up on this.
In dealing with Sage once again readers are left with more questions than answers. Her powers have never been fully explained beyond her being a ‘living computer’ and a telepath, but now she is literally jumping out of her own body and sending her consciousness into Heather’s. While not a huge leap in terms of using telepathic powers in this manner, I’d be a bit concerned if I were a member of that team. Seeing as how her memory flashback showed Xavier treating her less than kindly, I’d be wary of where her true loyalties lie. After all, she was an ally of Shaw for many years and has seen and done many questionable acts. Who knows what kind of impact that has had?
As for Shaw himself, he manages a legal loophole to get himself out of hot water with the authorities that Bishop is representing (along with new partner Teri Baltimore). Sadly, Shaw’s aid Lady Mastermind was not so lucky as the encounter in Sage’s mind has left her slightly catatonic (and conveniently placed to appear in Joe Casey’s latest issue of Uncanny X-Men). I have to give Claremont a lot of credit here as he has mentioned in the past that editorial confusion allowed both Claremont and Casey creative use of the character without either one knowing.
I was kind of disappointed about Bishop’s lack of involvement in this arc. Besides gaining a partner readers know next to nothing about (perhaps Claremont over-extended himself by introducing too many new characters at once?), Bishop’s role seemed to be nothing more than the cop who is one step behind the action. Other than attempting to arrest Shaw (does he actually have the authority to do that?!?) and arranging dinner plans with Teri, Bishop was fairly absent. I hope Claremont has something interesting up his sleeve for Teri, as she has the potential to be an interesting character.
My favorite part of this issue comes from the appearance of Phoenix! The only writer thus far to acknowledge what is going on in the other X-books, Claremont shows that not only does he know what writer Grant Morrison is doing over in New X-Men, but manages to nicely tie in story elements into his own series. Many readers have wondered whether there was a connection between Vargas and Cassandra Nova, both of whom seem to be the ultimate mutant in terms of their individual mutations (body and mind respectively). Not only do Storm and Phoenix express their concerns, but Claremont remembers what his teams goal is as Phoenix tells Storm that the diaries in the Professor’s possession have gone missing! Phoenix also tells Storm that she is better off avoiding the mansion due to the ‘contamination’ that Cassandra has visited upon it. This is a great way to justify the continued absence of the X-Treme team from the mansion as well as setting the books up for a potential crossover. The only notable absence here is any sort of connection to what Joe Casey is doing over in Uncanny X-Men? I wonder if he is the ‘black sheep’ of the bunch or if he simply doesn’t want any interweaving plot lines so he can be free to tell his own stories? That may be the case, but sadly it seems like he’s just been left out. Time, as always, will tell.
Now that issue #9 has wrapped up it seems the team is off to find new adventures and new threats to deal with. Given the cover preview for the next issue it seems as though Gambit, Lifeguard, and Davis will all have semi-permanent roles in the book with hints from Claremont suggesting that old favourites such as Forge, Shadowcat, and Wolfsbane are in the works to make appearances. X-Treme X-Men has easily become my favorite of the main X-Men books as it has the same style and feel of the X-Men I grew up with, but the art, attitude, and maturity that comes with age and evolution.
By far one of the best issues so far, #9 is worth your money, your time, and your continued devotion. If you haven’t got it yet then what are you waiting for?
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.xworldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/xtxmen09.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/xtxmen09t.jpg" align=left alt="X-Treme X-Men #9"></a>Reviewer: Brian E. Wilkinson, bewilkinson@yahoo.ca
Quick Rating: Great!
Story Title: Face The Music!
The battle isn't over yet as Lifeguard takes on Lady Mastermind with Sage's life as the prize!
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Salvador Larroca
Letters: Tom Orzechowski
Colors: Liquid
Editor: Andrew Lis
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
With each issue, I must say that Chris Claremont and Salvador Larroca just keep getting better and better. The writing is classic Chris Claremont, the likes of which hasn’t been seen since his days on Uncanny X-Men. His stories are well-thought out, his characters beautifully developed, and he shoves in so much drama, action, questions and revelations per issue that one need not read the entire series to be able to enjoy a single issue.
The art by Salvador Larroca is top-notch once again. I love the way his characters come across on the page and the wide range of emotions each character is able to depict. Larroca is one of the few artists out there capable of telling the story without benefit of words. One also can’t help but be impressed that he never misses doing a single issue and even manages to do the chores on the X-Treme X-Men 2001 Annual. You can tell that Claremont and Larroca have a grove going that seems to only get better with each and every issue.
Issue #9 is a wrap-up issue of sorts as it neatly ties up all the various plot elements Claremont has been playing with for the past five issues. Gambit is cleared of charges before a Triad Tribunal with the aid of Red Lotus, Lifeguard and her brother, Davis, seem poised to join the regular cast, and Bishop gets a date of sorts with his 'partner' Teri Baltimore. Add in the battle waged on the psychic landscape of Sage’s mind between Lifeguard and Lady Mastermind for the freedom of Sage herself as well as a cameo by New X-Men’s Phoenix, and you have one heck of an issue!
In dealing with some of the specifics of the issue, I wanted to raise a few concerns. With the debut and addition of Lifeguard to the X-Treme roster, is it just me or are her powers a little bit too convenient? I get the basic premise of “she saves lives” as the description of her powers, but here we see her entering Sage’s mind, transforming into a steel mermaid, and crashing through buildings. While I realize most of this takes place on the psychic plane readers have seen time and again that what happens there affects a person in ‘real-life’. Is Lifeguard doing a little bit too much too soon? Is the team depending on her too much? Will it get her killed? While Thunderbird is also a new character, he has at least had some field experience and training in the danger room. For all intents and purposes, Lifeguard is a ‘new mutant’ and lacking any sort of training, she shouldn’t even be able to fly. I realize this is nit-picking but since Bishop delights in referring to Thunderbird as a ‘rookie’ all the time, you’d think one of the X-Men would pick up on this.
In dealing with Sage once again readers are left with more questions than answers. Her powers have never been fully explained beyond her being a ‘living computer’ and a telepath, but now she is literally jumping out of her own body and sending her consciousness into Heather’s. While not a huge leap in terms of using telepathic powers in this manner, I’d be a bit concerned if I were a member of that team. Seeing as how her memory flashback showed Xavier treating her less than kindly, I’d be wary of where her true loyalties lie. After all, she was an ally of Shaw for many years and has seen and done many questionable acts. Who knows what kind of impact that has had?
As for Shaw himself, he manages a legal loophole to get himself out of hot water with the authorities that Bishop is representing (along with new partner Teri Baltimore). Sadly, Shaw’s aid Lady Mastermind was not so lucky as the encounter in Sage’s mind has left her slightly catatonic (and conveniently placed to appear in Joe Casey’s latest issue of Uncanny X-Men). I have to give Claremont a lot of credit here as he has mentioned in the past that editorial confusion allowed both Claremont and Casey creative use of the character without either one knowing.
I was kind of disappointed about Bishop’s lack of involvement in this arc. Besides gaining a partner readers know next to nothing about (perhaps Claremont over-extended himself by introducing too many new characters at once?), Bishop’s role seemed to be nothing more than the cop who is one step behind the action. Other than attempting to arrest Shaw (does he actually have the authority to do that?!?) and arranging dinner plans with Teri, Bishop was fairly absent. I hope Claremont has something interesting up his sleeve for Teri, as she has the potential to be an interesting character.
My favorite part of this issue comes from the appearance of Phoenix! The only writer thus far to acknowledge what is going on in the other X-books, Claremont shows that not only does he know what writer Grant Morrison is doing over in New X-Men, but manages to nicely tie in story elements into his own series. Many readers have wondered whether there was a connection between Vargas and Cassandra Nova, both of whom seem to be the ultimate mutant in terms of their individual mutations (body and mind respectively). Not only do Storm and Phoenix express their concerns, but Claremont remembers what his teams goal is as Phoenix tells Storm that the diaries in the Professor’s possession have gone missing! Phoenix also tells Storm that she is better off avoiding the mansion due to the ‘contamination’ that Cassandra has visited upon it. This is a great way to justify the continued absence of the X-Treme team from the mansion as well as setting the books up for a potential crossover. The only notable absence here is any sort of connection to what Joe Casey is doing over in Uncanny X-Men? I wonder if he is the ‘black sheep’ of the bunch or if he simply doesn’t want any interweaving plot lines so he can be free to tell his own stories? That may be the case, but sadly it seems like he’s just been left out. Time, as always, will tell.
Now that issue #9 has wrapped up it seems the team is off to find new adventures and new threats to deal with. Given the cover preview for the next issue it seems as though Gambit, Lifeguard, and Davis will all have semi-permanent roles in the book with hints from Claremont suggesting that old favourites such as Forge, Shadowcat, and Wolfsbane are in the works to make appearances. X-Treme X-Men has easily become my favorite of the main X-Men books as it has the same style and feel of the X-Men I grew up with, but the art, attitude, and maturity that comes with age and evolution.
By far one of the best issues so far, #9 is worth your money, your time, and your continued devotion. If you haven’t got it yet then what are you waiting for?
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.xworldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!