Jim Lemoine
Feb 20, 2002, 02:42 am
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/exiles09.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/exiles09t.jpg" align=left alt="Exiles #9"></a>Reviewer: Jim Lemoine, darkkelf@earthlink.net
Quick Rating: Excellent!
Story Title: A World Apart (Part Two of Three)
The Exiles are reunited as the Skrulls flee before the oncoming Galactus.
Written by: Judd Winick
Pencilled by: Mike McKone
Inked by: Mark McKenna
Lettered by: Sharpefont’s Paul Tutrone
Colored by: Transparency Digital
Assistant Editor: Mike Raicht
Editors: Mike Marts
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
I almost haven’t wanted to start writing this review, since I knew I would come across as a hopeless, gawking fan-boy. People might think that I’d lost my edge, I figured, that I was gushing, that I wasn’t trying to find anything wrong, or worse yet, that Winick and McKone had paid me off.
But they haven’t. Exiles is just that good. This issue only confirmed what the last few have been doing such a great job of proving to us: Exiles is the best old-school superhero comic book being produced today. In terms of story and art alike, Exiles constantly is one of the finest books on the market. Heck, while I’m at it, the coloring, inking, and lettering are outstanding, too.
Exiles #9 continues from where we left off last issue, with all but Blink and Morph captives of the Skrulls, in a dimension where the evil aliens rule the earth and use superhumans as contestants in gladiatorial challenges. The book opens with the fight the world’s been waiting for: this world’s version of Captain America (here, simply called the Captain) and his undefeated challenger, the captive Exile Mimic.
The whole sequence takes about five pages, and for the benefit of those who haven’t read the book yet, I won’t get into the details. What I’ll give you instead is a suggestion. Look carefully at the Mimic over the course of those five pages. Look at his face. What do you see? Anger? Humiliation? Depression? A sense of pride? And when he looks at the Skrull-raised Captain… disgust?
You see all this and more, as the master artist McKone captures perfectly Calvin’s private dignity, the Captain’s arrogance, and the Skrulls’ imperiousness. The whole sequence would probably work in a silent ‘Nuff Said book, but happily that isn’t necessary this month. Winick’s captions tell the story perfectly, exposing to us the Mimic’s motivations and making us actually care about him. You could read that first five-page sequence without having ever read a single issue of the Exiles before, but you would still come away with the exact emotions that Winick portrays for those of us who religiously follow the book.
Meanwhile, Blink and Morph are meeting with Reed Richards and Sam Wilson, hoping for help in springing their teammates. Just as Reed’s showing them his remarkable ‘radio’ device (nice touch there, Mr. Winick, in showing us that no human probably would have invented that in a Skrull-dominated society), they learn that the Skrulls are evacuating the planet. After a century of occupation, suddenly they’ve all decided to leave. Normally I’d chide the writer here for so casually drawing the arm of coincidence, but there is a simple explanation: obviously, the Tallus sent the team just before the big event.
The suddenly liberated heroes (and by heroes, I don’t mean ‘the Exiles’, I mean ‘every paranormal on the planet’) find themselves in a battle with Terrax, the cosmically powered herald of Galactus. In a beautiful full-page pin-up, we get our first chance to see the heroes of this world assembled. Some are recognizable, some aren’t, but the determination on their faces is easy to read. I personally would wish that fewer of the Exiles were in the shot just to see some more of this world’s native heroes!
While it gives us a great view of some of the heroes (specifically, the Torch, Hulk, and Thing), the battle with Terrax seems to run a bit long. After all, with the undoubtedly hundreds of metahumans held at the arena, surely they could beat one measly herald of Galactus faster than that! Regardless, it gives us a good look at the heroes and helps build suspense for the upcoming confrontation with the Big G.
With Terrax defeated, the Exiles help Reed gather the paranormals and prepare a plan to save their world. The plan is summed up in two words near the end of the issue… and it’s the kind of moment that sends shivers down your spine, especially for those of us who are long-time Marvel readers. What’s the plan? “Avengers Assemble.” Sure, it’s not the most well-thought out plan in the history of comics… but it’s fun to read, and damn cool. I’ve got goose bumps.
The little things throughout the issue continue to impress, from the romantic reunion of Blink and Mimic, to Morph’s constant visual gags, to the off-handed comments regarding Polaris and the Thing. Winick is without a doubt one of the best writers working for Marvel today; after all, if he could do so much with a bunch of characters nobody ever cared about or even heard of, imagine what he could do with the Avengers or X-Men?
Mike McKone is as always Judd’s perfect complement, providing his characters with the perfect body language and facial expressions to convey the deeper meanings that Winick establishes. As I mentioned earlier, his work on the opening sequence, and his all-hero pinup, are outstanding works all by themselves.
This issue, like the one before it, is an outstanding example of what comic literature could and should be. What’s left to say? If you’ve been reading Exiles, you’re undoubtedly thrilled at what you’ve seen. If you’re not reading it, you should be. Simple enough?
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!
Quick Rating: Excellent!
Story Title: A World Apart (Part Two of Three)
The Exiles are reunited as the Skrulls flee before the oncoming Galactus.
Written by: Judd Winick
Pencilled by: Mike McKone
Inked by: Mark McKenna
Lettered by: Sharpefont’s Paul Tutrone
Colored by: Transparency Digital
Assistant Editor: Mike Raicht
Editors: Mike Marts
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
I almost haven’t wanted to start writing this review, since I knew I would come across as a hopeless, gawking fan-boy. People might think that I’d lost my edge, I figured, that I was gushing, that I wasn’t trying to find anything wrong, or worse yet, that Winick and McKone had paid me off.
But they haven’t. Exiles is just that good. This issue only confirmed what the last few have been doing such a great job of proving to us: Exiles is the best old-school superhero comic book being produced today. In terms of story and art alike, Exiles constantly is one of the finest books on the market. Heck, while I’m at it, the coloring, inking, and lettering are outstanding, too.
Exiles #9 continues from where we left off last issue, with all but Blink and Morph captives of the Skrulls, in a dimension where the evil aliens rule the earth and use superhumans as contestants in gladiatorial challenges. The book opens with the fight the world’s been waiting for: this world’s version of Captain America (here, simply called the Captain) and his undefeated challenger, the captive Exile Mimic.
The whole sequence takes about five pages, and for the benefit of those who haven’t read the book yet, I won’t get into the details. What I’ll give you instead is a suggestion. Look carefully at the Mimic over the course of those five pages. Look at his face. What do you see? Anger? Humiliation? Depression? A sense of pride? And when he looks at the Skrull-raised Captain… disgust?
You see all this and more, as the master artist McKone captures perfectly Calvin’s private dignity, the Captain’s arrogance, and the Skrulls’ imperiousness. The whole sequence would probably work in a silent ‘Nuff Said book, but happily that isn’t necessary this month. Winick’s captions tell the story perfectly, exposing to us the Mimic’s motivations and making us actually care about him. You could read that first five-page sequence without having ever read a single issue of the Exiles before, but you would still come away with the exact emotions that Winick portrays for those of us who religiously follow the book.
Meanwhile, Blink and Morph are meeting with Reed Richards and Sam Wilson, hoping for help in springing their teammates. Just as Reed’s showing them his remarkable ‘radio’ device (nice touch there, Mr. Winick, in showing us that no human probably would have invented that in a Skrull-dominated society), they learn that the Skrulls are evacuating the planet. After a century of occupation, suddenly they’ve all decided to leave. Normally I’d chide the writer here for so casually drawing the arm of coincidence, but there is a simple explanation: obviously, the Tallus sent the team just before the big event.
The suddenly liberated heroes (and by heroes, I don’t mean ‘the Exiles’, I mean ‘every paranormal on the planet’) find themselves in a battle with Terrax, the cosmically powered herald of Galactus. In a beautiful full-page pin-up, we get our first chance to see the heroes of this world assembled. Some are recognizable, some aren’t, but the determination on their faces is easy to read. I personally would wish that fewer of the Exiles were in the shot just to see some more of this world’s native heroes!
While it gives us a great view of some of the heroes (specifically, the Torch, Hulk, and Thing), the battle with Terrax seems to run a bit long. After all, with the undoubtedly hundreds of metahumans held at the arena, surely they could beat one measly herald of Galactus faster than that! Regardless, it gives us a good look at the heroes and helps build suspense for the upcoming confrontation with the Big G.
With Terrax defeated, the Exiles help Reed gather the paranormals and prepare a plan to save their world. The plan is summed up in two words near the end of the issue… and it’s the kind of moment that sends shivers down your spine, especially for those of us who are long-time Marvel readers. What’s the plan? “Avengers Assemble.” Sure, it’s not the most well-thought out plan in the history of comics… but it’s fun to read, and damn cool. I’ve got goose bumps.
The little things throughout the issue continue to impress, from the romantic reunion of Blink and Mimic, to Morph’s constant visual gags, to the off-handed comments regarding Polaris and the Thing. Winick is without a doubt one of the best writers working for Marvel today; after all, if he could do so much with a bunch of characters nobody ever cared about or even heard of, imagine what he could do with the Avengers or X-Men?
Mike McKone is as always Judd’s perfect complement, providing his characters with the perfect body language and facial expressions to convey the deeper meanings that Winick establishes. As I mentioned earlier, his work on the opening sequence, and his all-hero pinup, are outstanding works all by themselves.
This issue, like the one before it, is an outstanding example of what comic literature could and should be. What’s left to say? If you’ve been reading Exiles, you’re undoubtedly thrilled at what you’ve seen. If you’re not reading it, you should be. Simple enough?
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!