EXILES #25 REVIEW

[Jim Lemoine]

<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/exiles25.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/exiles25t.jpg" align=left alt="Exiles #25"></a>Reviewer: Jim Lemoine, darkkelf@earthlink.net
Quick Rating: Above Average
Story Title: With An Iron Fist - Conclusion

Weapon X assaults the Inhuman race as Black Bolt sets his deadly contingency plan into motion.

Written by: Judd Winick
Pencilled by: Kev Walker
Inked by: Simon Coleby
Colored by: Transparency Digital
Lettered by: Paul Tutrone
Assisted by: Nova Ren Suma
Edited by: Mike Raicht & Mike Marts
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas

I must admit to being somewhat underwhelmed by this month's wrap-up to the With An Iron Fist arc in Exiles #25. Sure, when I say that I'm underwhelmed by an issue of Judd Winick's Exiles, that doesn't necessarily mean that the book was bad... on the contrary, Exiles #25 was a very entertaining read. It's not an issue of wishing that a bad book was a good book; it's an issue of wishing that a good book was a great book. When you compare this issue's trilogy finale to other Winick trilogy finales like Exiles #10 or #22, With An Iron Fist just can't compare.

It may be a matter of expectations. After all, Exiles #25 certainly isn't anything like what you'd normally expect from a series' 25th anniversary issue. It's not double-sized, it doesn't wrap up any huge long-standing plot points... heck, the Exiles themselves never even show up. Not that I was expecting any of that going in... like any Exiles reader, I knew well in advance that this issue would spotlight Weapon X. And maybe that's why I'm disappointed: because the issue didn't spotlight them.

With An Iron Fist is a fantastic story with a great, climactic, twist ending... but I'd be hard-pressed to characterize it as a Weapon X story. This is the story of the evil President Tony Stark fighting to enslave the Inhuman race, led by the noble and enigmatic Black Bolt. The members of Weapon X, the Exiles' less morally motivated dimension-hopping counterparts, are very much ancillary to the action. It seems like Winick had to force Gambit and his team into the spotlight, instead of them naturally belonging in it. Weapon X is there, they show up, they fight a bit, but the story isn't really about them: it's about Tony Stark and Black Bolt. Weapon X only appeared on one page of the first part of this trilogy, and they're on fewer than half of the pages in Exiles #25.

So readers like me, who were looking forward to learning more about the members of Weapon X, will be disappointed by this issue. Winick's emphasis on the epic nature of the saga leaves much less time for the interpersonal relationships that are usually the highlight of this title. When we do see Weapon X it's mostly just Gambit barking off orders or new member Colossus acting like a lost farm-boy. A lot of readers were hoping that this Weapon X trilogy would teach us more about this mysterious team and what their members are really like, but we get precious little of that in Exiles #25.

Lest you be fooled into thinking that this is a negative review, let me make one thing clear: what we do get in Exiles #25 is a wrap-up to a very interesting and well-written story of an alternate Earth. If you get beyond the fact that the characters we are ostensibly reading this arc for are ignored, you'll find a fantastic and realistic epic of a superhero's world in turmoil. Winick ends the saga of Iron Man's presidency with irony, surprise, and even relevant historical reference. It's a moving ending to a compelling story, not quite up there with the Skrull epic or the recent Legacy trilogy, but still a very strong, realistic, and surprising plot.

So take that as you will. If you go into this story only wanting to see more of Weapon X, you're going to be very disappointed in what essentially is a wasted opportunity. But if you look past that at the fantastic What If story in these pages, you should be well satisfied with what you see.

Artwise, I was surprised by Kev Walker's inconsistency this issue. There are some really, really great panels in this book, from Black Bolt's haunting visage on page 2, to Karnak's last stand, to Gambit's discovery of the fate of Atillan. As spot on, as perfect and emotional as those renderings are, there are other scenes in the book that are the exact opposite: scenes that just don't work as they should. The Vision's battle, for instance, doesn't flow well nor does it capture the emotion of the scene. Black Bolt on page 5, instead of looking noble, determined, or sad, looks cranky and almost villainous.

To judge the art's visual storytelling, I have to say again that it's inconsistent: the Gorgon scenes, for instance, are horrendously unclear, while the final seven pages are especially well done.

I'm a huge Exiles fan and there's nothing I like more than a great, world-changing mega-story-arc. That said, I admit to some disappointment in the ways With An Iron Fist began and ended. Winick is at his best when he can present characters in deep moral dilemmas, when he can let their inner psychology really shine through their dialog and actions. Winick combined his strength in character-driven storytelling with his penchant for the epic successfully in the Skrull trilogy and the Legacy arc. This Weapon X arc, though, downplays the characters in favor of the overall plot. Winick's proven repeatedly in the past that he can do both, so I'm disappointed that Weapon X got relatively ignored in this trilogy.

Regardless of complaints that the story didn't cover what I would have liked it to cover, the saga itself is still very interesting. And it's still recommended. It's just not recommended quite as highly as it might have been.

ART:
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STORY:
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OVERALL:
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[anthomaniac1023]

I wasn't expecting much out of this arc, since it didn't feature the Exiles, but I was extremely impressed by it. All of the dark twists and turns made for an extremely enjoyable read that left you thinking afterwards. Judd is a great writer and I'm going to miss him in his absence.

Good review, Jim.

[maggottman]

I liked this issue, overall, but I've got one lingering complaint with it that spoiled the whole thing. Namely, the Thing is part of Stark's mercenary strike team to go against the Inhumans. I just couldn't accept that Ben Grimm would knowingly take the opposite side of Susan Storm... at least, not without some sort of an explanation. Granted, Winick doesn't have the time to establish every single character in one of the Exile Universes, but given the history the two characters share, I think some sort of explanation was justified. It's just a little point, but it could have been completely avoided by using, say, the Punisher, instead. Other than that, it was a pretty good issue. End rant.

[Neolithic]

Tony Stark can become a tyrannical despot but the Thing can't become evil? Uhh, I think you're missing something here.

[maggottman]

"Tony Stark can become a tyrannical despot but the Thing can't become evil? Uhh, I think you're missing something here."
Tony Stark got an entire issue devoted to exactly why he became a tyrannical despot. The Thing gets a non-talking role/cameo. My point was, given the history between him and an important member of the arc's cast, Susan Richards, not explaining why he's on the other side detracted from my enjoyment of the story.

[Neolithic]

My point was, given the history between him and an important member of the arc's cast, Susan Richards, not explaining why he's on the other side detracted from my enjoyment of the story.


What history? This is a totally different univers. You go into it with an understanding that Susan and Ben never met. But, whatever floats your boat.

[Inferno Cow]

Never met...but they did take that trip into space together...

[Neolithic]

Originally posted by Inferno Cow
Never met...but they did take that trip into space together...

We don't know that. There was no backstory.

[Alex Guillen]

well I tought the arc was fairly good although like Jim said, I wanted to see more of the Weapon X team and what do they think of their missions and how they relate to each other. The art was a problem but fairly well and Winick's plot focusing on Tony Stark was realistc and it really applied very well with the character.
Great review, Jim.

[Anthony Cordova]

Thought the issue was good, except two things - issue one went into great detail to explain how Stark had every superbeing on the planet duke it out with each other to the death, so his having a superhuman mercenary strike squad doesn't quite match up. Also, Ghost Rider being a mercernary doesn't make any sense, since his powers come from exacting vengeance. He should have been on the Inhuman's side.

[UMichWolverine]

Great review Jim. I totally agree with you on this. This arc was a great story on its own but we certainly did not see much of Weapon X.

A few minor beefs.

First, maggotman already covered Ben/Susan thing.

Second, I am confused as to what exactly Karnak did to Vision.

Third, Gambit seemed totally blown away by what happened in Attilan, but then as Weapon X ports away he seems just as cold and heartless as the rest of the team.

On the positive side, this story was well written and kept my interest right to the end. I mentioned on a post for the last issue about the book Black Bolt had, Masada. Even knowing that, I still wasn't sure exactly how this was going to play out.

So overall a good What If story but not a great Weapon X story

[Rogue1969]

Originally posted by UMichWolverine

Third, Gambit seemed totally blown away by what happened in Attilan, but then as Weapon X ports away he seems just as cold and heartless as the rest of the team.


Oddly enough that was one of the few things I DID think was just right. To me it represented that Gambit wasn't a "full-blown" mercenary - amoral - cold Weapon X leader. The deaths really affected him and in a way maybe even brought home exactly what they are doing. (sort of like the analogy of the difference between dropping a bomb on people thousands of miles below you, whom you can't see and don't know and standing in front of someone and pushing a knife into their body and feeling their death.) In large part the Weapon X group have become 'de-sensitized' to the death of these alternate reality people and they have focused only on the end result which is to get themselves home. In order to get the chance to go home they have to stop looking at the places they go and the people they meet as human beings but at a means to an end and in a way view these interactions as less than real in order to stay sane in some ways.

Interestingly, it would be very intriguing to see how each of these characters react once they do get to go home, and find out how their actions have afected who they were and what they have become.

Or to have the changes be so dramatic that their being returned home has caused a problem that requires their removal from the time stream. (i.e. The Exiles show up on Blinks homeworld and have to kill Sabretooth as his experiences with Weapon X have changed him from caring freedom fighter to executioner - how would Blink react to her friends being sent to despose of her "father figure" even knowing that her friends have to succeed in order for them to get the chance to go home.)

To me that is part of what Exiles is and I hope they explore it more...that and what if a character who got returned home, came back again, and kept bouncing back and forth between their reality and the Exiles because one job fixed their timeline for them to go home but another job threw the timeline out of synch again...it could be rather humourous don't you think?

Just a few thoughts.

[gambitX]

I really liked this... but I would have liked toi see more of WeaponX... and mainly more of where this Gambit was from... wht happened in his Universe...

Other than that... it was better than I expected.

I jsut can't believe Susan was taken down so easily

[UMichWolverine]

I agree that it was good to see Gambit show emotion. One thing about Weapon X is that the leaders seemed to have some compassion and be just slightly more moral then the rest of the team.

What I didn't like was after seeing the aftermath and screaming at everyone around him to get out in a matter of minutes, real-time, he says "Its your problem now."

It seems like a 180 degree shift in a very short amount of time.

Just a question hopefully someone can answer while we are on the topic: I jumped on to Exiles during the So Lame Arc, so I did not get to see the first Weapon X appearence. Who was on the original team?

[Joey Meyers]

Well wen we first saw them (around issues 5-6 iirc) they were only AOA Sabretooth, Weapon X (Kane) and Deadpool, later, around issue 12-13 ( I believe that was the arc) it was AOA Sabretooth, She-Hulk, Deadpool, Spider, Stom, and Vision. During that mission, Sabretooh left the team and Deadpool was killed and replaced by an Iron Man, who was seemingly replaced by Archangel before this arc. Presumably Gambit replaced Sabretoth on the next mission.

[Refleshed]

At least Gambit's in the story... that's enough to make me a happy reader :D

[Chris Wilson]

I liked this issue. I enjoy the writer's attempt to pique our emotions through a story of tragic heroics. However, as Paul OBrien states on www.thexaxis.com, we ultimately have a story that voids itself of validity merely through its conclusion. What was so different now as opposed to then that Sue was able to get so close to Stark as to stab him? Great, she's got revenge... but if she had done this before, maybe, just maybe all of Attilan wouldn't have to have been destroyed (ya think?), and she wouldn't need revenge. Was she not motivated enough by the death of Reed? Did she need both of the men she loved to die before completing her resolve for vengence?

And Sue just lets herself get killed. This is a comic book, not Shakespeare. Her tragic death falls in line with the story, but that's it. It's emotionally moving, but it's far from rational. There are several holes in this plot--especially behind any of Sue's motives--that Winnick feels needed not be explained. Ultimately, without this explaination, the story is confusing, and the emotional currency of tragedy is wasted.

Also, why did the artist put Black Bolt on crack before his final scream? Walker is very inconsistent here as he has been in the previous two issues. And I don't know who to fault for this, but why is Strong Guy amongst Starks recruits? He's a mutant, and according to the backstory should be opposed to Starks regime. Of course, in this reality, he may not be a mutant, and his X-Factor jacket may not imply any significant mutant connections in this reality either.... right... Isn't Spider Woman a mutant too (I don't know jack about her though, so I could be wrong)?

I started off saying I enjoyed this issue, and I did, because I usually read comics with blinders of youth and innocence. But there's a difference between enjoying a comic, and being amazed by it...

[Fulcrum]

Aye, the steroid enriched Blackbolt was kinda a bit off...

Liked the arc overall but can't wait to get back to the actual Exiles... Here's hoping we get a resolution to Blinks tale other then her going back to AoA just in time to get vapourised...

[Stormy]

Yeah, I much prefer seeing the regular Exiles team (not to mention the regular artists). It's not like we even got to see much of Weapon X in this ish. Sue could have easily escaped/deflected those shots at the end ... I'm guessing it was meant to be "she's got nothing left to live for".

[Airhead]

I would have liked to see the Exiles....
...but i think this was the best issure of the arc!
the last pages shocked me!!!!:O
i thought the story should have been 4 1/2 and the art 3 1/2.....
.....so....Good Review!!:p

[manikz]

great review, summed up exactly how i feel but i would have prob given a little more due to the sheer impact of the story. Shame about the lack of weapon x character padding though, esp collosus, they may aswell of kept Hulk for all the role he played.

[Fever Pitch]

Originally posted by Sneakydub
And I don't know who to fault for this, but why is Strong Guy amongst Starks recruits? He's a mutant, and according to the backstory should be opposed to Starks regime. Of course, in this reality, he may not be a mutant, and his X-Factor jacket may not imply any significant mutant connections in this reality either.... right... Isn't Spider Woman a mutant too (I don't know jack about her though, so I could be wrong)?


Not all mutants were in the Mutant Army, so it stands to reason that not all supported Magneto.

[HandofGod]

I have to admit I thought the story arc was going to be lame, but it wasn't, cudos to marvel for this one.

Karnak being able to affect a phased Vision...sorta silly, but then again that Vision was all kinds of messed up.

So long Blink, who knows, where she went?....Hello Majick
a return to chaos in limbo perhaps?

[alucard]

I loved this story and it seems that the risk Marvel was willing to take with it worked out perfectly. Same goes for FF #67 where the same risk paid off great. Too bad we didn't learn anything about what happened to Creed and Iron Man from #13. I hope we get another look at Weapon-X down the line, and I hope Kev Walker draws them again because his dark&gritty style fits them perfectly. That battle ravaged Vision was all the money. More solo Weapon X would be great and definately more than welcome. Just a thought: do you guys think there might be other groups besides Exiles & WX?

[alucard]

Ok, I forgot that Sabretooth was left behind to raise David Xavier. And obviously Iron Man found his fate prematurely. Yeaf old Ghostie didn't really fit there(either Zarathos or Noble Kale).

[Allison Wright]

Originally posted by Sneakydub
I liked this issue. I enjoy the writer's attempt to pique our emotions through a story of tragic heroics. However, as Paul OBrien states on www.thexaxis.com, we ultimately have a story that voids itself of validity merely through its conclusion. What was so different now as opposed to then that Sue was able to get so close to Stark as to stab him? Great, she's got revenge... but if she had done this before, maybe, just maybe all of Attilan wouldn't have to have been destroyed (ya think?), and she wouldn't need revenge. Was she not motivated enough by the death of Reed? Did she need both of the men she loved to die before completing her resolve for vengence?

And Sue just lets herself get killed. This is a comic book, not Shakespeare. Her tragic death falls in line with the story, but that's it. It's emotionally moving, but it's far from rational. There are several holes in this plot--especially behind any of Sue's motives--that Winnick feels needed not be explained. Ultimately, without this explaination, the story is confusing, and the emotional currency of tragedy is wasted.



I'm sure there were people who wanted to try and kill Stark, but it seemed from the story that the Inhumans believed their best chance at survival was in staying hidden. Any attempt on Stark could have compromised their position. At the end though, there was literally nothing left to lose.

And Sue did just let herself get killed. She was basically comitting suicide at that point. She had lost Reed, Black Bolt and all of most of her "kingdom," who were probably her friends. It was her final sacrifice like Black Bolt's and all of the people on Attilan, to keep the surviors safe.

How she managed to get to Stark is the only sticky point to me. The Inhumans were basically the opposition to the "regime." Everyone else loved Iron man. Maybe the security lasped a bit with the threat gone.

I still liked this story. There were no Exiles and barely even any Weapon X, but it was a great story none the less.

[MrHymes01]

Absolutely loved this arc. It's was a nice change of pace from the regular Exiles crew. I hope they do this on occassion in the future. Worth the read.

[W.Worthington 3]

Loved this story arc !!!!

Even though my favorite x-men (Gambit & Angel) were the bad guys, I don't know a lot about the Inhumans and Iron Man I simply think it was one of the best story arcs in the X-titles lately !

Why ?

Great plot AND powerfull art by Kev Walker (Big WOW for his covers too) !!!