Jim Lemoine
Apr 13, 2002, 11:06 pm
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/exiles-12.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/exiles-12t.jpg" align=left alt="Exiles #12"></a>Reviewed by: Jim Lemoine, darkkelf@earthlink.net
Quick Rating: Above Average
Story Title: Another Rooster in the Henhouse (Part 1 of 2)
Blink and company finally meet their dimension-hopping counterparts: the enigmatic and violent Weapon X!
Written by: Judd Winick
Pencilled by: Mike McKone
Inked by: Jon Holdredge
Lettered by: Paul Tutrone
Colored by: Transparency Digital
Assistant Editor: Mike Raicht
Editor: Mike Marts
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
Every issue of just about every Marvel comic book opens with a frontispiece introduction paragraph telling us, in a nutshell, what the book’s about. In a very nice reader-switcheroo, we’re informed on page 2 of this issue that we’re not reading an issue of Exiles, but instead have been shunted into the adventures of a very similar team called Weapon X. This new group consists of alternate reality versions of Sabretooth, Deadpool, Storm, She-Hulk, Spider-Man, and the Vision.
Exiles #12 is the long-awaited issue that introduces us to the team of dimension-hoppers led by the Sabretooth from Blink’s home dimension: the Age of Apocalypse. Speculation has run rampant that this team may be the Exiles version of the “evil leapers,” as in their only prior appearance, they seemed to be working at odds with our heroes. And in concept, this sounds like a pretty neat idea; after all, with the Exiles jumping from dimension to dimension every three issues or so, this is the only way we’ll ever see them have any kind of archnemesis. The fact that the only heroic version of Victor Creed we’ve ever seen is on the team just makes it all the more juicy. Many readers, like myself, have been looking forward to this one for months.
So maybe it’s just that long time-frame and anxiousness that made this book seem a bit disappointing to me. Don’t get me wrong: a below average issue of Exiles is better than a good issue of just about any other Marvel title. It’s still a good read, and a decent Exiles story. Throughout the issue, though, you can’t help but notice that this is nowhere near the quality we’ve seen in the last four months of stories.
The first thing that you notice, of course, is the roster of Sabretooth’s team. I was surprised that everybody on the team – every single one of them – is a major character in the Marvel Universe prime (Earth 616, for you purists). Three of them have had their own ongoing series, three of them have been in movies, and two of them are two of the most popular Avengers. Winick’s developed something of a reputation for taking characters that nobody really cares about, and then making us care about them. Here, contrarily, we see six Marvel icons. No sons or daughters, no completely different counterparts, and no recruits from comics limbo. Since the team was spotlighted so prominently on the cover, I’d almost think that this was some kind of editorially-mandated gimmick to enhance sales… except sales on this book are already great.
On the other hand, Winick and McKone handle the team very well with only one exception. McKone makes Creed look heroic and even fatherly, and you can tell that the Jennifer Walters we’re presented with has gone down a very different life path than the one we’re familiar with. The addition of the symbiote to Peter Parker is a nice touch, and the art and story together show us a younger and much harsher Storm. The Vision was my favorite, though; as a lifetime Avengers fan, I’ve always felt he had a lot of ignored potential, and this story goes a long way toward showing us just how cool he could be.
But Deadpool… Deadpool?!?!?!! Two lines in the whole issue, and only one of them’s a joke (and not a good one at that)? I know he’s an alternate version of our Wade, but surely he’s not so different that he’s now the strong, silent, team-player type? After all, some things just shouldn’t be changed!
That aside, the first few pages introducing us to Weapon X are enjoyable, and you’re looking forward to an issue from their point of view. But when the Exiles show up, the P.O.V. subtly shifts, and before you know it, everything’s being looked at from the Exiles’ perspective again. Too bad, because it would have been great to see that POV carry through the end of the story.
It’s obvious from the Exiles’ dialog as they appear that a lot of time has passed since we last saw them. There are definitely some good points to this: all these missions that we don’t see give the team a feeling of length and legitimacy, and it expedites interpersonal relationships. On the other hand, I was really looking forward to seeing what happened next for Nocturne, and how she dealt with her lover’s exile and replacement. I feel somehow cheated.
There are a couple of fairly emotional scenes in this book that didn’t quite do it for me. The reunion of Blink and Sabretooth, while starting out nicely, ended with a silent panel that was very reminiscent of the classic Nocturne and T-Bird panel from right before he was injured. The emotions conveyed got very mixed up there and spoiled what was otherwise a great scene. The art is beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but it didn’t make me feel the way it was supposed to.
Nocturne’s revelation that she’s lost her baby really bugged me. Here we have a great and realistic plot device, that was established just last issue (not counting last month’s flashback), and it’s already been removed? I don’t understand it; there are so many outstanding story elements that could have been taken from this! Why is Nocturne barely reacting? Why are the Exiles still allowing her to charge into battle, even though they think she’s still pregnant? Why introduce this whole thing just to snatch it away from us?
Hopefully, there’s more here than meets the eye. Perhaps Nocturne is lying, and she still has the baby. Perhaps her depression over the loss of T-Bird drove her to have the baby aborted. I don’t know, but I will be very disappointed if Winick doesn’t shine the spotlight on this situation in the future.
Besides these problems, though, you can expect a great read. There’s lots of little unanswered questions introduced (Why does Weapon X make everybody feel so weird? What’s up with Nocturne? Why is the Tallus giving them that horrible final order?), and some great versions of old favorites (did I mention how cool the Vision is?). My only hope is that there’s no ‘ret-con’ of Sabretooth next issue; his character, as established in the Age of Apocalypse, is classic.
The art is also very good, although it seems a bit off from some of McKone’s past work. While facial expressions are again his specialty, the characters just don’t seem to look right when viewed at a distance. The Mimic, in particular, looks somehow wrong, but McKone and Holdredge make up for it with outstanding renditions of Sabretooth, Storm, and (of course) the Vision. I should also mentiong that artwise, the last panel is a gem.
Exiles #12 is a good issue, and if it were an issue of any series other than Exiles, I’d probably give it a higher rating. But as decent as the book was, it can’t stand up to the modern classics that were the last two issues. A good story and great art, true, but you just don’t feel the sense of connection that you usually do. Still, the team supreme of Winick and McKone are just getting started with this storyline, and I have a feeling that next issue is going to blow all of us away.
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/xhalf.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.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/xnone.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.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/xnone.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!
Quick Rating: Above Average
Story Title: Another Rooster in the Henhouse (Part 1 of 2)
Blink and company finally meet their dimension-hopping counterparts: the enigmatic and violent Weapon X!
Written by: Judd Winick
Pencilled by: Mike McKone
Inked by: Jon Holdredge
Lettered by: Paul Tutrone
Colored by: Transparency Digital
Assistant Editor: Mike Raicht
Editor: Mike Marts
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
Every issue of just about every Marvel comic book opens with a frontispiece introduction paragraph telling us, in a nutshell, what the book’s about. In a very nice reader-switcheroo, we’re informed on page 2 of this issue that we’re not reading an issue of Exiles, but instead have been shunted into the adventures of a very similar team called Weapon X. This new group consists of alternate reality versions of Sabretooth, Deadpool, Storm, She-Hulk, Spider-Man, and the Vision.
Exiles #12 is the long-awaited issue that introduces us to the team of dimension-hoppers led by the Sabretooth from Blink’s home dimension: the Age of Apocalypse. Speculation has run rampant that this team may be the Exiles version of the “evil leapers,” as in their only prior appearance, they seemed to be working at odds with our heroes. And in concept, this sounds like a pretty neat idea; after all, with the Exiles jumping from dimension to dimension every three issues or so, this is the only way we’ll ever see them have any kind of archnemesis. The fact that the only heroic version of Victor Creed we’ve ever seen is on the team just makes it all the more juicy. Many readers, like myself, have been looking forward to this one for months.
So maybe it’s just that long time-frame and anxiousness that made this book seem a bit disappointing to me. Don’t get me wrong: a below average issue of Exiles is better than a good issue of just about any other Marvel title. It’s still a good read, and a decent Exiles story. Throughout the issue, though, you can’t help but notice that this is nowhere near the quality we’ve seen in the last four months of stories.
The first thing that you notice, of course, is the roster of Sabretooth’s team. I was surprised that everybody on the team – every single one of them – is a major character in the Marvel Universe prime (Earth 616, for you purists). Three of them have had their own ongoing series, three of them have been in movies, and two of them are two of the most popular Avengers. Winick’s developed something of a reputation for taking characters that nobody really cares about, and then making us care about them. Here, contrarily, we see six Marvel icons. No sons or daughters, no completely different counterparts, and no recruits from comics limbo. Since the team was spotlighted so prominently on the cover, I’d almost think that this was some kind of editorially-mandated gimmick to enhance sales… except sales on this book are already great.
On the other hand, Winick and McKone handle the team very well with only one exception. McKone makes Creed look heroic and even fatherly, and you can tell that the Jennifer Walters we’re presented with has gone down a very different life path than the one we’re familiar with. The addition of the symbiote to Peter Parker is a nice touch, and the art and story together show us a younger and much harsher Storm. The Vision was my favorite, though; as a lifetime Avengers fan, I’ve always felt he had a lot of ignored potential, and this story goes a long way toward showing us just how cool he could be.
But Deadpool… Deadpool?!?!?!! Two lines in the whole issue, and only one of them’s a joke (and not a good one at that)? I know he’s an alternate version of our Wade, but surely he’s not so different that he’s now the strong, silent, team-player type? After all, some things just shouldn’t be changed!
That aside, the first few pages introducing us to Weapon X are enjoyable, and you’re looking forward to an issue from their point of view. But when the Exiles show up, the P.O.V. subtly shifts, and before you know it, everything’s being looked at from the Exiles’ perspective again. Too bad, because it would have been great to see that POV carry through the end of the story.
It’s obvious from the Exiles’ dialog as they appear that a lot of time has passed since we last saw them. There are definitely some good points to this: all these missions that we don’t see give the team a feeling of length and legitimacy, and it expedites interpersonal relationships. On the other hand, I was really looking forward to seeing what happened next for Nocturne, and how she dealt with her lover’s exile and replacement. I feel somehow cheated.
There are a couple of fairly emotional scenes in this book that didn’t quite do it for me. The reunion of Blink and Sabretooth, while starting out nicely, ended with a silent panel that was very reminiscent of the classic Nocturne and T-Bird panel from right before he was injured. The emotions conveyed got very mixed up there and spoiled what was otherwise a great scene. The art is beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but it didn’t make me feel the way it was supposed to.
Nocturne’s revelation that she’s lost her baby really bugged me. Here we have a great and realistic plot device, that was established just last issue (not counting last month’s flashback), and it’s already been removed? I don’t understand it; there are so many outstanding story elements that could have been taken from this! Why is Nocturne barely reacting? Why are the Exiles still allowing her to charge into battle, even though they think she’s still pregnant? Why introduce this whole thing just to snatch it away from us?
Hopefully, there’s more here than meets the eye. Perhaps Nocturne is lying, and she still has the baby. Perhaps her depression over the loss of T-Bird drove her to have the baby aborted. I don’t know, but I will be very disappointed if Winick doesn’t shine the spotlight on this situation in the future.
Besides these problems, though, you can expect a great read. There’s lots of little unanswered questions introduced (Why does Weapon X make everybody feel so weird? What’s up with Nocturne? Why is the Tallus giving them that horrible final order?), and some great versions of old favorites (did I mention how cool the Vision is?). My only hope is that there’s no ‘ret-con’ of Sabretooth next issue; his character, as established in the Age of Apocalypse, is classic.
The art is also very good, although it seems a bit off from some of McKone’s past work. While facial expressions are again his specialty, the characters just don’t seem to look right when viewed at a distance. The Mimic, in particular, looks somehow wrong, but McKone and Holdredge make up for it with outstanding renditions of Sabretooth, Storm, and (of course) the Vision. I should also mentiong that artwise, the last panel is a gem.
Exiles #12 is a good issue, and if it were an issue of any series other than Exiles, I’d probably give it a higher rating. But as decent as the book was, it can’t stand up to the modern classics that were the last two issues. A good story and great art, true, but you just don’t feel the sense of connection that you usually do. Still, the team supreme of Winick and McKone are just getting started with this storyline, and I have a feeling that next issue is going to blow all of us away.
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/xhalf.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.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/xnone.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.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/xnone.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!