UNCANNY X-MEN 2001 ANNUAL REVIEW

[Anthony Zisa]

<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/uxmen2001a.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/uxmen2001at.jpg" align=left alt="Uncanny X-Men 2001 Annual"></a>Reviewer: Anthony Zisa, PopinFrsh@aol.com
Quick Rating: Excellent!
Story Title: Absolute Progeny

Rave culture and mutancy collide as a rash of "designer genes" takes the underground by storm. Can the X-Men get to stop the flow of the drug before more innocent teens die?

Written by: Joe Casey
Art by: Ashley Wood
Lettered by: RS & Comicraft
Colored by: Hi-Fi Design
Assistant Editor: Pete Franco
Editor: Mark Powers
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas

Such posturing. How obvious… you honestly believe this is about good vs. evil? That’s so twentieth century, don’t you think?

And Joe Casey finally steps into the big leagues, proving he can’t only compete with his fellow X-writers Chris Claremont and Grant Morrison, but that he has the potential to blow both of them away. “Absolute Progeny” is the single best X-Men story I’ve read.

Period.

Something gelled in this issue. Maybe it was the writer/artist synergy we’ve been lacking, where the art and the mood works together to enhance the story. Maybe it’s that the gritty, real world feel Casey’s been trying for finally clicked. Maybe it’s just that Joe Casey finally hit his stride. And maybe, just maybe, it’s been there all along, and it took something special to bring Casey’s immense talent to the forefront. Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter, because I loved this story.

Casey takes an idea that was introduced over in New X-Men and runs with it, adding a new, more realistic aspect to what was already intriguing. In “Germ Free Generation,” Morrison introduced the idea of mutancy as underground pop-culture. His execution, however, was more in the fantastic sci-fi vein of his X-Men work. In “Absolute Progeny,” Casey explores the concept in terms of real world settings – what if mutancy were available as a pill? The ability to spend a night as someone else, quite literally? None of the permanent body-modification of the U-men, just the euphoric high of a temporary escape from your mundane body?

Would you jump at the chance?

It’s honestly a fascinating idea. There are teens everyday that escape their life in the world of drugs, seeking solace, friendship, or just something else from marijuana, pills, or the very drug Casey has obviously modeled “Designer Genes” off, ecstasy. These same teens who disappear into the hazy, darkened corners of the rave scene would make a perfect clientele for some enterprising “businessman,” with a beautifully overlapping demographic of the disenfranchised and outcast teens that would also find the U-men’s philosophies appealing, if only on a trial basis.

One such entrepreneur presents himself later in the story, in the form of early X-villain The Vanisher. Now, to be quite honest, I’m not extremely familiar with the Vanisher, but I really enjoy Casey’s take on him. Casey’s Vanisher is a smooth businessman, with stone cold business practices and a willingness to go to any length to protect his profit margin. In a way, he’s the perfect antithesis to Archangel, who has, in X-history, used his business for more altruistic ventures. This Vanisher is dangerous because he’s not your typical destroy the world villain – in fact, some people wouldn’t term him a villain. To those that partake in his product and find joy in the high they experience from it, he’s not a villain. He’s their friend, a provider of happiness. To the parents and loved ones of those killed by his product, he’s a monster. Vanisher’s case falls into the continuing drug debate – is it the vilification and prohibition of drugs that makes them (and by extension their pushers) evil, or is the product evil in itself?

The story has a nice rhythm and pace, with plenty of nice scenes to pick and choose from. The opening scene with S.H.I.E.L.D. offers a nice exchange between Fury, Archangel, and Nightcrawler. Casey and Morrison’s super-consistency works in this scene. The reader needn’t know the huge, long history of the X-Men and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s dealings together, but long time readers have the treat of understanding throwaway lines like “Reminds me of Dick Clark, that guy.”

Casey’s been especially good at playing stories that both reference past continuity without making them key plot points. The Vanisher is an X-Men villain that dates back to the days when the book as its in single digits – however, all relevant information is provided quickly and concisely. He fought the young X-Men, and Iceman and Archangel were amongst that team. Wolverine and Nightcrawler were second genesis, so he’s only heard of them, and never fought them. Better yet, all the information is provided directly from the characters in realistic dialogue, without use of captions or extensive history.

The story makes use of four separate plots converging together as the story proceeds. In the first plot, Archangel and Nightcrawler receive the okay from Fury to quietly deal with the Designer Gene problem, and go to Beast for help analyzing it. The second follows Vanisher and his cohorts as they deal with the problems of running a cartel. The third involves Iceman and Wolverine traveling to Cuba for firsthand information on Vanisher’s operation. The fourth follows neophytes Chamber and Stacy as they infiltrate the underground Gene scene. The plots begin to converge at the halfway point. Wolverine and Iceman are brought, blindfolded, to Vanisher’s base of operations, where they’re summarily disabled and captured. Archangel and Nightcrawler pick up Stacy and Chamber and go to find them. They converge on Vanisher’s hideout, where they shut down his operation. The book maintains the pace of a drug high – a slow start, with increasing beat and rhythm that picks up speed until the climax, where the high vanishes and the user (or reader, in this case) is left wanting more.

Casey’s ending is also very nicely handled. He doesn’t go with the typical slugfest. Vanisher merely vanishes, sure to start up his operation somewhere else. The story ends with a feeling of completeness, but also with the surety that the topic is far from closed with Casey, which is wonderful, because the concept is honestly captivating, and something I’d like to see explored in further issues.

One particular scene struck me as being particularly interesting. As they converge on Vanisher’s hideout, the X-Wing is assaulted by a gigantic mutant. The mutant is his fifth-cousin, whom he strip-mined for his mutant cells and animated with mechanics to act as a sentry. Chamber, realizing his adversary isn’t alive, lets his full power loose, surprising Stacy. I really enjoyed that Casey touched on the subject of Chamber’s true potential, and hope he develops on it more than other writers have in the past. It’s long past due that certain characters begin to learn to control their powers, and Chamber happens to be one such character in need of greater utility of his abilities.

The art was a joy to behold. It’s not for everyone, by no means. Wood can be extremely ill-defined, and there were a few stylistic choices that only exacerbated some of the muddled. Two X-Men were bald, and although they were parts of different plotlines, that wasn’t immediately clear. Likewise, Woods art can vary from dark, dystopic paintings, to actual sketches. It’s jarring at times, and not the typical superhero fare that’s graced the books in the past.

That being said, it’s also highly atmospheric. Wood understands where Casey’s story is going, and facilitates Casey’s journey to the end. There’s a feeling that both are on the same page, and that Wood really drew the hell out of this book. At no point did I feel confused as to who was who, or what was going on in the story. The only disappointment I felt at the end of the story was that I wouldn’t be getting more Casey/Wood collaborations for the next few months, which is a damned shame, because I honestly do believe Wood gets what Casey’s trying to do. However, I wish him best of luck with his future venture, the creator-owned Popbot, which anyone who enjoyed his work the past couple of issues of Uncanny X-Men should really check out.

The issue was great. There’s only really so many ways I can say how much I enjoyed this particular issue, so I’m going to leave you with three words. Buy and it. If you like dark, atmospheric stories, this one has both in copious quantities. Plus, there’s a priceless one-liner from Bobby to Logan about Logan’s shaved head.

Check it out.

ART:
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STORY:
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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/xfull.jpg

Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!

[Ryan Scott]

As I've said on countless message boards, this was one of (if not THE) best annual I've read, certainly of "2001".

Between the wonderfully mood-capturing art, the HILARIOUS and spot-on dialogue/characterization, and the general attention-grabbing "awesomeness" ( :) ) of the plot, this was one annual I couldn't recommend more. Of course, I will recognize that the isn't for anyone and everyone. Especially with the sketchy/dark art by Wood, some people might not be able to fully embrace this issue. I'll acknowlege that, but I just don't see it that way. Oh well, personal preferences and all that stuff..


P.S. is "surety" a word? :D

[Anthony Zisa]

Originally posted by MabusRex
P.S. is "surety" a word? :D

I blaze my own path through the wilds of vocabulary.

(Translation: It is now.)

- A

[Eric J. Moreels]

Originally posted by anthonyzisa
I blaze my own path through the wilds of vocabulary.

(Translation: It is now.)

:LOL:

;)

[Erwin Rafael]

cliche as it may sound, but i truly couldn't have reviewed it better myself, Zisa :D

btw, this annual also shows that the Marvelscope format is not "limited" to the widescreen technique...

[FabioX]

I found it a really good story and the best Casey has done 'til now for sure.
Pretty good plot, good dialogues ("Come to Me, my X-Men") made me laugh:p and - in general - a particular atmosphere that was new and that I felt really comfortable with.
I'd appreciated that all the Casey's stories would have been such quality ...... but so hasn't been.
I haven't liked Ashley Wood's art so much 'til now: the guy hasn't a strong sense of storytelling and too much times he's been too much foggy and confused: in this story, instead, I feel that the widescreen format gave him the right chance to come in right terms with these problems and he found the right middle way between art esthaetics and comics storytelling .....as his mentor Bill Sienkiewicz did in the past.

I have to disagree about the level of the book in general: I have been a Casey basher and I don't have any regrets about my previous criticisms, BUT I'd be an hypocryte if I'd not admit that this story is a concrete improvement and I take notice of it.
But's not enough IMHO: is a positive signal but I expect a whole lot of stories and story-arcs to change my general opinion about Joe Casey's Uncanny X-Men, and despite this good Annual I keep thinking that right now there's still a very great distance between the quality level of the stories brought to us from Chris Claremont & Grant Morrison and Caseys'.

IMHO as usual!! :D

[xtremist]

I haven't been jazzed with (okay, I've HATED) most of Mr. Casey's run so far, but this annual was excellent. THe plot & dialogue were crisp & clear, and the artwork was highly evocative. I got lost a few times, but read it again a few times & really got into it. Nicely done all!

[chamber1]

Excellent, is the only rating I would have given this book as well. I bought the annual because I really wanted to see Wood's work but, man, was I shocked by how good the story was. I read this annual over and over and I am amazed at how good it was. I definitely want to see more work by Wood's at Marvel and I am looking forward to Casey's X-Corps arc, because I think he has found his stride.

[giantpacoctopus]

Great review and issue. By far, it was the best thing I had read from Casey since he took over the book. I liked the ill-defined drawings in the book, but found that coupled with the dark coloring to be somewhat confusing. But still, it was good. I really liked the international aspects of the story as well as it's long terms implications. And the Vanisher ... I vaguely remembered him from my youth so that was a nice surprise (uh-oh, I'm dating myself). Seeing Chamber let loose with his powers as well as Iceman assert himself as an adult with Logan were also very nice changes of pace. And I think Nightcralwer's actions indicate that he is the leader of the team, official or otherwise.

[Jackraow21]

This issue was awesome. Despite the fact that I don't really care for Ashley Woods' artwork, for this issue it just seemed to fit perfectly. The story was incredible---one of the best X-men stories I've ever read, in fact.

[Lauren Dougherty]

Ant, great review guy! ;)

Again, I'm slowly seeing your points on most things when it comes to this issue (and Uncanny in general). I've re-read it a couple times and the story is definitely a good one, but the art (at least for me) should be tightened up a bit for the purpose of storytelling (i.e. Wood's layouts can be confusing at times). Other than that, I really liked it.

Again, lovely review Anthony (your vocabulary blazing and all).

;)



--Lauren

[Dream2002]

This was definately the best XMEN comic of the year. Although Casey did a decent job writing it, I believe Ashley Wood's art was what lifted it to the next level.

For me, that's whats been missing in all three of the core XMEN books. Artists that make the stories the writers are trying to convey pop off the page.

Xtreme's artist does a good job every month but something still seems missing. As for New XMEN, I believe Ashley Wood is better suited for the stories Morrison is trying to tell, than Quitely. Uncanny needs a steady artist to elevate the simple stories Casey writes on a regular basis.

Overall I hope this means we'll be seeing more of Asley Wood's work in the Xmen books.

[futrprez52]

I am not sure what everyone is thinking but this issue was terrible. The story was interesting enough but the art was so horrible that it made the issue unreadable. I do not understand what Marvel is thinking in allowing this person to continue to draw for the House of Ideas. Uncanny X-Men #400 was ruined because of the artist of this Annual. I can only hope and pray that Marvel no longer uses this gentlemans services.

[Anthony Zisa]

Originally posted by futrprez52
I do not understand what Marvel is thinking in allowing this person to continue to draw for the House of Ideas.

Well, I can understand why Quesada and co. would want to bring on Wood. His art IS different, and maybe that's what they were looking for in an artist for the issues he did. If the "House of Ideas" didn't occasionally let different, experimental artists strut their stuff, the medium would stagnate.

Originally posted by futrprez52
Uncanny X-Men #400 was ruined because of the artist of this Annual. I can only hope and pray that Marvel no longer uses this gentlemans services.

Well, personally, what hurt Uncanny #400 for me (as you can see in my review) was the large rotation of artists, not any artist in particular. I would have just preferred that one artist be given the art chores for the entire book.

But hey, I understand there's some very vocal people who don't like Wood's work, and that's your perogative. If we all agreed on art, it'd be kind of boring. I still think the story was strong enough to keep weak art bouyant, which is the most important aspect of any comic story. Without a compelling narrative, any art falls flat, and Casey delivered a solid story.

Meanwhile, you don't have to worry about Wood doing any work for Marvel in the short term - he's busy on his creator owned Popbot, with Sam Keith. However, I'd love to see him back at Marvel some day, perhaps illustrating a darker book that caters to an audience less used to brighter, flashier art. Maybe a MAX or Knights book.

- A

[Anthony Zisa]

Originally posted by PhoenixFire
(i.e. Wood's layouts can be confusing at times).

Thanks for the raves, beautiful. I don't know about Wood's layouts. Personally, I didn't find them confusing at all. Yet, oddly enough, I find some of Michael Avon Oeming's layouts in Powers to be très confusing. In the current issue (#17, which is a wicked comic in its own right), there's a double page spread where the direction of the narrative flow isn't always clear. Which is odd, because Oeming's work is the antithesis of Wood's - clean, crisp, and very superheroic. That took me a couple of re-readings of pages to finally get the flow that Bendis and Oeming were going for. However, like the Uncanny Annual, I found it to be very rewarding once it had been sorted out.

- A

[Bamfette]

I couldn't agree more. the story was very strong, and the art fantastic. i would hang osme of these piecs on my wall... seriously. especially the rave scenes. i really like this take on Mutant envy better than Morrison's take on it (people complain about Mr. Clean with a flamethrower... but.... *scalpel guns???* they want to harvest these mutant's body parts and they are hurling numerous sharp blades at them, potentially ruining what they wish to harvest? other than that the u-Men wer kinda cool... but i find this to be much more realistic and chilling)

one thing confuses me tho... i never read a lot of Gen X, so maybe this has been answered there before... how is it that Chamber can talk on the phone? that was the only thing i found a bit odd tho...

[Kyle]

Good stuff, Ant. You summed up my feelings on the issue pefectly. I'd add more, but there isn't really anything more to say.

[DancinFool]

I just have to reiterate what everyone else has already said: This was a fabulous story from Casey that I enjoyed more each time I re-read it. He makes some interesting choices writing-wise that I think he should stick with: 1) Iceman as an "experienced rookie". Sure he's been around the block a few times, but he really hasn't matured into adult (Bobby Drake, Accountant is a silly idea) and isn't a powerful X-Man (though he has the potential to be greater). I know everyone would disagree because they love Iceman, and I do to more than anybody, but we only love him because he's the comic relief. Did anyone else get the feeling that he was crying when he was stuck in the oven room? That's an interesting aspect to the character that Casey should stick with. He doesn't try to escape, he just resigns himself to the pain, curls up, and cries.

As for the art...well, it looked good in #398 when he did it over somebody else's layouts, but this just didn't look right for me. I'm sure that his talent appeals a lot to many people, but it's just not right for a mainstream comic-book. Is that a hallmark of his work when he just pencil-sketches a few random panels and refusing to ink or color them? Overall, his color choices were spectacular though. (One thing I laughed at, when the Vanisher's goons knocked Iceman out, Wood drew X's where the eyes would be over his blindfold. Silly funny.)

Overall, it's just a testament to Joe Casey's storytelling with this issue that he was able to make me like the book as much as I did, even though I was confused by Wood's art. Congrats Joe, even though you probably aren't reading this.

[Lauren Dougherty]

Originally posted by anthonyzisa


Thanks for the raves, beautiful. I don't know about Wood's layouts. Personally, I didn't find them confusing at all. Yet, oddly enough, I find some of Michael Avon Oeming's layouts in Powers to be très confusing. In the current issue (#17, which is a wicked comic in its own right), there's a double page spread where the direction of the narrative flow isn't always clear. Which is odd, because Oeming's work is the antithesis of Wood's - clean, crisp, and very superheroic. That took me a couple of re-readings of pages to finally get the flow that Bendis and Oeming were going for. However, like the Uncanny Annual, I found it to be very rewarding once it had been sorted out.

- A

I didn't think Wood's layouts were that bad, but I felt they could have been tighter, and a little bit easier to follow. Some of the areas were jagged and rough, and it didn't flow as smoothly for me as it appears it did for you, but again this is just me. ;)

--- Lauren

[JMP]

I have to say that after reading about how great this story was, I finally went out and bought the annual, rather than paging through it in the store. I still had some issues trying to figure out what the whole machine/monster thing was, but otherwise there were some amazingly clear (for Wood) panels in the book. Thanks for inspiring me to buy such a great read!

[mistersinister]

I agree that this was Casey's best effort to date, but he's still trying too hard to put the team into cool/hip/edgy settings (the raves this time). The story was definitely hurt by Wood's inability to tell a coherent story. I'm all for experimenting with art styles, but you have to be able to identify the characters and understand the flow in each panel, at a minimum.

At keast it shows hope for Casey's run on Uncanny this year.

[jay_mckiernan]

Hmm - well I guess since I'm the reviewer from the sister site, X-World, I thought I should throw my two cents into this one.
Unlike most of the posters here, I was not as enthralled with this book. Yes, it was one of Casey's better books during his run - but calling it the best X-Book of the yearis a huge leap and something that it doesn't come close to. I guess I would just like to read a book by Casey that doesn't leave me scratching my head and wondering if he actually thought the story out before he started typing.
But you can check out my review here:
http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/review/current/unx2001.html
later,
j

[Anthony Zisa]

Originally posted by jay_mckiernan
...calling it the best X-Book of the yearis a huge leap and something that it doesn't come close to....

Technically, I called it the best X-story I've ever read. But who's nitpicking?

Originally posted by jay_mckiernan
I guess I would just like to read a book by Casey that doesn't leave me scratching my head and wondering if he actually thought the story out before he started typing.

Well, different strokes for different folks. I thought the story made perfect sense, from start to finish. I didn't see any of the plot holes you mentioned in your review, and I enjoyed seeing the Vanisher dusted off and made relevant (although, technically, for me, seeing the Vanisher in action was almost like seeing a brand new villain, as I never read the X-issues he appeared in before).

Obviously, I stand behind my review, and you stand behind yours. I don't just think it comes close to being the best X-book for last year (despite the late ship date), but I think this story blows away anything done so far by Morrison or Claremont. This assessment, or course, is in no way, shape, or form being affected by the fact that I have liked most of Casey's X-work thusfar, and that he is paying me large sums of money to write good reviews for him (and, for the record, Joe is as handsome as he is intelligent, with thousands of budding starlets throwing themselves at him for but just a breath of a whisper of a word from him. That'll be $10, Joe).

- A

[jay_mckiernan]

One question - if it wasn't the best X-book, then why was it the best X-story?

Much like you, I stand behind the review. That's one of the great things about these forums - everyone has a chance to disagree and share their own points. And to be honest, there have been times that I've looked back at books and thought I was being too nice or too harsh after reading the reviews.
And in some cases, I hope that the creators haven't read this and gotten angry about some of the things I've said.
For you, the Vanisher rebirth was a good thing. For me, it reeked of a desperate writer. I guess that since I've seen it so many times before, it's become a hackneyed story idea.
But if you're only charging $10 for a nice comment, you're really coming far too cheap. Every time I say something nice about Grant Morrison, I get $15.... which is like $30 up here in Canada.
He he.
later,
j

[Brian Wilkinson]

While I really liked the story here and it shows off the fact that Casey really DOES have talent, I found the art in many places inconsistent and unclear. Not to mention the fact that, at times, it looks like it was drawn by a child.

Not my kind of style, but still a good issue.

[CryofHavok]

I thought that art was terrible. I understand that some really liked the art but exactly why they liked the art is beyond me. I found it to be very confusing and undefined....it left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

[Firelion]

In all my years of reading comics, X or otherwise, I've never come across an issue as good as Uncanny X-Men 2001. This annual surpasses every comic I've ever read in quality because of Casey's fantastic script and Wood's phenominal art.

Mr. McKiernan stated that, to him, using old villains meant a writer was reeking of desperation. To me, it shows a respect for continuity. After all, a new villain could have been created just as easily, but the desired effect would have been lost. By using Vanisher, Casey established a history between hero and villain that could have, in no way, been prevelant with a new villain. Someone like Vanisher, who fought the X-Men long ago, has been under the proverbial radar for quite some time, and never was a "take over the world" type, had to be used to make the story as potent and meaningful as it was.

Casey also showed how well he knows his team in this issue through superb characterization. Iceman was as humorous as ever with more quotable lines than he may have ever had. Nightcrawler and Archangel both got to show off their leadership abilities. Chamber's cynicism was never stronger. Wolverine's take-no-**** attitude shined through. And, XStacy's sarcasm was as great as ever. The use of Beast to describe the designer gene added a layer of credibility to the drug; if anyone was to analyze it, a scientist would be the most logicial choice, after all. Fury's cameo made the situation seem all the more dire since SHIELD's involvement meant it already had far reaching effects. Every character was spot-on.

I could rave about Wood's angular, abstract art for days on end, but I won't for the sake of length. His sketchy style was perfect to show how the seedy underworld of the cartel and the dark, energy-charged setting of the rave. The hazy, steaming could have never been better colored or depicted. The muted colors were perfect for his art, unlike the sharp ones of #398. Wood handling all of the art chores certainly made the book more consistant, for he clearly knows what works best for his style. Here and in Ultimate Team-Up, Marvel's shown how open it has become to various styles of art and techniques. For someone like me who enjoys all types of art, "New Marvel" couldn't be better.

For those of you who enjoyed the the collaboration between these two talented creators, I would recommend looking into Automatic Kafka when it comes out for Wildstorm's Eye of the Storm adult imprint. Should start sometime this summer.

[VolcanoRob]

Anthony, I dunno if anyone has mentioned this here yet, but your review is featured on Marvel.com's sidebar-newsbar! GOOD JOB!!!!

[mrsage]

OMG... my first post!

I think I will just repeat what everyone had said but I need to post what I think. This is the best story from Uncanny yet (from the latest revamp). But... I also agree to some that the art is way confusing. If the character did not say the name of the person they are talking to, I might have been lost completely. This is just my opinion.

Overall, not too bad.

[Santiago-X]

O My, I am back
Even though Uncanny has been the X-title that I have liked the least, I must admit that Casey wrote the best of all the X-Men annuals.
:O
So I am forced now to continue to buy his run, in hopes that it turns out as well as this annual :D
Hey look. It's Chamber :{

[silverboy]

I don't see what the big deal about the annual is. The art wasn't that good--most of the time I struggled to make out which characters were which. I didn't even catch on to who the villain was until the end. The dialogue was still palpable and flavorless. The plot only showed us how Casey can "Poptopia"-ize any one of Morrison's perfectly good ideas. This time, it was the idea of humans wanting to become mutants. What does Casey do? Puts it in a dance club and throughs in some drug dealers.

[Ryan Scott]

Originally posted by silverboy
I don't see what the big deal about the annual is. Hey, you're allowed. But then again, so are we. :D

The art wasn't that good--most of the time I struggled to make out which characters were which.Once again, personal opinion. Sorry, but I could undertand it quite well, myself.

I didn't even catch on to who the villain was until the end. Heh, some of us who understood spanish got it quite quick. ;) But another clue (that you may have missed due to your inability to interpret the art) was Alverez's wife's head in the box dressed in Vanisher's old mask. Now THAT was gruesome.

The dialogue was still palpable and flavorless. Heh, I found the dialogue amazingly human, real, and very humorous. Iceman's zings were great, IMO.

The plot only showed us how Casey can "Poptopia"-ize any one of Morrison's perfectly good ideas.This time, it was the idea of humans wanting to become mutants. I'd say more that Casey was developing on a current-expressed THEME now running throughout the X-verse. Also look at the current ICEMAN mini. It's a whole new atmosphere being added to the Marvel line.

What does Casey do? Puts it in a dance club and throughs in some drug dealers. Personally, I thought it was a MUCH more realistic and appealing approach than Morrison's cult-like U-Men subculture. At least, I thought so.

Don't take this as an attack on your opinions, though. More like a rebuttal on some of the points you brought up. ;)

[Erwin Rafael]

Originally posted by silverboy
I don't see what the big deal about the annual is. The art wasn't that good--most of the time I struggled to make out which characters were which.

well, the art wasn't that good IF the criteria that one will use for judging art is recognizability. Ashley Wood's art's strength is the ability to express mood, and not recognizeability, and my position is one should judge an artist for his strengths and if he is fit for the story. take Picasso, for example. should we use "realism" as a criteria for judging his art? or a comic book artist like Mike Allred. should we use the same criteria for judging his and Jim Lee's work?

plus, i guess i just didn't find the art that unrecognizeable in the first place :D

I didn't even catch on to who the villain was until the end.

wasn't there a flashback showing the original students fighting the Vanisher?

The dialogue was still palpable and flavorless. The plot only showed us how Casey can "Poptopia"-ize any one of Morrison's perfectly good ideas. This time, it was the idea of humans wanting to become mutants. What does Casey do? Puts it in a dance club and throws (sic) in some drug dealers.

well, matter of opinion, i guess. i found the dialogue down to earth and not melodramatic. not so much attitude. so i found it ok in my book :)

[Neolithic]

How this got 5 stars in the art dept. is beyond me.

[number1958]

I generally like Wood's work, but some of the pages were just too dark. It may have been the paper quality, but I really couldn't tell what was going on in several panels.
I wouldn't say it was the best X-Men book this year, but it was definitely Casey's best effort yet (the second best being Uncanny 400 - loved Stacy's take on the X-Men history.)

[Anthony Zisa]

Originally posted by Neolithic
How this got 5 stars in the art dept. is beyond me.

Easy. I liked it.

[xgene]

Not the best artist in the world (but then again, I never will be able to draw!) it was certainly a good story. Wood's style just seems to grate with me, but then again, I have always preferred more traditional styles of art than abstract type. (These terms are loosely based ones, but it's the best way to describe what I'm talking about.)

Casey did write an interesting story that tied in quite well with NEW X-MEN's U-Men arc. This, and his current X-Corps arc are probably his best work yet.

[Plagioclase]

I only had one problem with this issue, and that was Casey's distribution of the team at the beginning of the book. As I remember, Archangel and Nightcrawler investigated the scene of a mass murder. Wolverine and Iceman investigated a connection in Cuba. But Chamber and Stacy X went to a club?! That seems a little unbalanced. I know that these two are junior members, and that they might not get the best assignments, but their investigation of the mutation-causing drug served no point to the story as a whole; it only gave the reader more background into the substance the X-Men were after. Chamber's usefulness in the story was redeemed when he later felled the giant, but Stacy never got a moment to shine. Casey should have taken more incentive to give each character equal attention and importance.

Other than that, this was Casey's best book on the title to date, on several different levels.

[Al Harahap]

Originally posted by Plagioclase
I only had one problem with this issue, and that was Casey's distribution of the team at the beginning of the book. As I remember, Archangel and Nightcrawler investigated the scene of a mass murder. Wolverine and Iceman investigated a connection in Cuba. But Chamber and Stacy X went to a club?! That seems a little unbalanced. I know that these two are junior members, and that they might not get the best assignments, but their investigation of the mutation-causing drug served no point to the story as a whole; it only gave the reader more background into the substance the X-Men were after. Chamber's usefulness in the story was redeemed when he later felled the giant, but Stacy never got a moment to shine. Casey should have taken more incentive to give each character equal attention and importance.


I disagree about the club scene. It showed us the effect of the designer genes en masse right at the street distribution level, especially with that one kid in the club. So I thin that scene was rather central to the story overall. Though I agree somewhat with you on Stacy and how she should've had a more prominent role--although, she was allowed the spotlight recently in #399-400. I don't think we have to worry about her screen time, I'm sure Casey (and eventually Austen) will put her in the spotlight sometimes.

[Wolverine]

This is the best thing to have come from the Uncanny office since the re - launch. The only thing I did not enjoy was the art. While I agreee it is different. It is very hard to make out what is going on. The first issues of the Casey Uncanny run were the good becasue they had incredible art from Ian Churchill and a story that felt really fresh

[Al Harahap]

Originally posted by Wolverine
This is the best thing to have come from the Uncanny office since the re - launch. The only thing I did not enjoy was the art. While I agreee it is different. It is very hard to make out what is going on. The first issues of the Casey Uncanny run were the good becasue they had incredible art from Ian Churchill and a story that felt really fresh

I agree to an extent. I loved the art, but I don't think Ashley Wood's style is appropriate for the panel and word balloon format. Though I think it'd look excellent in a prose/graphic novel hybrid like the recent Elektra/Wolverine: Redeemer mini with Yoshitaka Amano.