Stephanie Kay
Oct 13, 2007, 10:01 pm
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/0906/NEWX030_col.jpg"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/0906/NEWX030_colt.jpg" hspace=10 align=left alt="New X-men 30"></a>Reviewer: Andrew Jastrzembski, adjastrzem@msn.com
Story Title: Nimrod: Part 3 of 4
Let the battle between Nimrod and New X-men begin. For those fan boys and girls keeping track at home: Death toll on Nimrod Arc is zero.
Writer: Craig Kyle and Chris Yost
Artist: Paco Medina
Letterer: Juan Vlasco
Colors: Brian Reber
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Assistant Editor: Sean Ryan
Associate Editor: Nick Lowe
Editor: Mike Marts
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Published by: Marvel Comics (www.marvel.com)
New X-Men is the comic book series that could. I am amazed that this title, in its many forms, has lasted so long. Back in the day when New X-Men was New Mutants, we followed the now grown-up New Mutants recruit, teach, and mentor a younger and much larger generation of mutants, minus the action normally associated with a young team of mutants. Decimation and a new pair of writers, Craig Kyle and Chris Yost, radically altered the landscape of this once slow paced comic that had more in common with Dawson’s Creek than an X-men comic book. By kicking the book into high gear by going on a killing spree that lasted several issues, Kyle and Yost wasted no time on making their mark on this series and it is a welcomed change. Since none of these characters were major players (most of them were just faceless students) in the Marvel Universe, Kyle and Yost were able to pull this coup de grâce off with little fuss.
I freely admit that it was fun to read each new issue of New X-Men to see who was going to die. It was quickly becoming a drinking game for me. There was the shock of “I couldn’t believe they just killed off such and such” and the glee of “thank you for killing Wallflower off.” Now only if they did this on Dawson’s Creek, I might have tuned in more often. The New X-Men needed a cataclysmic event like this to pull them out of the high school drama mode they were operating in and begin to grow up and earn their right to wear X-uniforms by going into battle. The previous incarnation of this series lived too much inside the Xavier School bubble, all drama and no action. They have to get out and learn to live in the rest of the Marvel Universe.
Now that they have whittled the cast down to a manageable size through violent attrition although an official roster of the students left at the school would be helpful. All the dull and teen angst ridden New Mutants and Hellions are permanently removed. The New X-Men team is a nice composition of New Mutants and Hellions with both personality and active mutant powers. An energy manipulator, a telekinetic, a healer, a few physical-based powers, a de-powered mutant, and a Wolverine clone rounds out the team nicely plus a school of undisclosed number of mutant students for fill-ins. Kyle and Yost have put together the best team for a more action-adventure oriented stories from the original cast. Now the tough part for Kyle and Yost is to pull off interesting stories without the shock and awe of killing dozens of students off.
After three issues into the Nimrod arc, there are no funerals that need to be scheduled as Kyle and Yost take the new team for a test drive. The first issue in this arc dealt with causalities occurred when Stryker attacked and the Marvel Civil War was a very good read due to the appearance of Ms Marvel. The pace picked up as the students face one challenge after another on their way to confronting Nimrod during the second and third issue, but the impatience factor is starting to grow. The series of challenges the students have to face are becoming repetitive. The script is very straightforward and predictable which almost makes the dialogue completely unnecessary. There are only two pages that you are required to read to follow the storyline and then the artwork does the rest for the reader.
This brings me to the biggest draws for me on this series: the artwork. Paco Medina has been turning out some fun and energetic work mostly because on 18 pages of this issue something was blowing up or crackling with energy. What is really appealing about Medina’s style is that the characters are not bulging with muscles from every inch of their bodies. Instead, these kids have muscular definition but it is a lot smoother and natural. It captures their youthfulness which is very appropriate for this type of series. It is reminiscent of Terry Dodson's work. Medina also handles the backgrounds very well and is able to convey a variety of emotions through the faces he draws. The colors equally need to be praised. New X-men is using some loud and bright colors. The team costumes aside, there is a big pink robot, a girl with blue hair, plenty of explosions, and energy discharges. It all just adds more emphasis to the fun and youthfulness of this book.
There is still hope for some carnage in the fourth and final installment of Nimrod (my fingers are crossed), but I have the sneaking suspicion that despite all the big explosions, battles, and promises, no one is going to die. That is not necessarily a bad thing. The new direction of the series has been a whirlwind of change through extreme violence, and like any red blooded American, I find it very addictive. Unfortunately, Kyle and Yost have probably reached their kill limit, but that does not mean they can’t pull a rabbit out their hats and give a satisfying conclusion to Nimrod (I know who I want to die). I believe these next few issues are going to be the make or break of New X-men. Will Kyle and Yost be able to keep readers interested without killing off the cast and able to weave interesting stories and action adventure together with the book they redefined?
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xnone.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xnone.jpg
‘Buy this New X-men online now from X-WORLD and save!’ ( http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1245&cat=NEW+X%2DMEN+%28CURRENT+SERIES%29)
Story Title: Nimrod: Part 3 of 4
Let the battle between Nimrod and New X-men begin. For those fan boys and girls keeping track at home: Death toll on Nimrod Arc is zero.
Writer: Craig Kyle and Chris Yost
Artist: Paco Medina
Letterer: Juan Vlasco
Colors: Brian Reber
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Assistant Editor: Sean Ryan
Associate Editor: Nick Lowe
Editor: Mike Marts
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Published by: Marvel Comics (www.marvel.com)
New X-Men is the comic book series that could. I am amazed that this title, in its many forms, has lasted so long. Back in the day when New X-Men was New Mutants, we followed the now grown-up New Mutants recruit, teach, and mentor a younger and much larger generation of mutants, minus the action normally associated with a young team of mutants. Decimation and a new pair of writers, Craig Kyle and Chris Yost, radically altered the landscape of this once slow paced comic that had more in common with Dawson’s Creek than an X-men comic book. By kicking the book into high gear by going on a killing spree that lasted several issues, Kyle and Yost wasted no time on making their mark on this series and it is a welcomed change. Since none of these characters were major players (most of them were just faceless students) in the Marvel Universe, Kyle and Yost were able to pull this coup de grâce off with little fuss.
I freely admit that it was fun to read each new issue of New X-Men to see who was going to die. It was quickly becoming a drinking game for me. There was the shock of “I couldn’t believe they just killed off such and such” and the glee of “thank you for killing Wallflower off.” Now only if they did this on Dawson’s Creek, I might have tuned in more often. The New X-Men needed a cataclysmic event like this to pull them out of the high school drama mode they were operating in and begin to grow up and earn their right to wear X-uniforms by going into battle. The previous incarnation of this series lived too much inside the Xavier School bubble, all drama and no action. They have to get out and learn to live in the rest of the Marvel Universe.
Now that they have whittled the cast down to a manageable size through violent attrition although an official roster of the students left at the school would be helpful. All the dull and teen angst ridden New Mutants and Hellions are permanently removed. The New X-Men team is a nice composition of New Mutants and Hellions with both personality and active mutant powers. An energy manipulator, a telekinetic, a healer, a few physical-based powers, a de-powered mutant, and a Wolverine clone rounds out the team nicely plus a school of undisclosed number of mutant students for fill-ins. Kyle and Yost have put together the best team for a more action-adventure oriented stories from the original cast. Now the tough part for Kyle and Yost is to pull off interesting stories without the shock and awe of killing dozens of students off.
After three issues into the Nimrod arc, there are no funerals that need to be scheduled as Kyle and Yost take the new team for a test drive. The first issue in this arc dealt with causalities occurred when Stryker attacked and the Marvel Civil War was a very good read due to the appearance of Ms Marvel. The pace picked up as the students face one challenge after another on their way to confronting Nimrod during the second and third issue, but the impatience factor is starting to grow. The series of challenges the students have to face are becoming repetitive. The script is very straightforward and predictable which almost makes the dialogue completely unnecessary. There are only two pages that you are required to read to follow the storyline and then the artwork does the rest for the reader.
This brings me to the biggest draws for me on this series: the artwork. Paco Medina has been turning out some fun and energetic work mostly because on 18 pages of this issue something was blowing up or crackling with energy. What is really appealing about Medina’s style is that the characters are not bulging with muscles from every inch of their bodies. Instead, these kids have muscular definition but it is a lot smoother and natural. It captures their youthfulness which is very appropriate for this type of series. It is reminiscent of Terry Dodson's work. Medina also handles the backgrounds very well and is able to convey a variety of emotions through the faces he draws. The colors equally need to be praised. New X-men is using some loud and bright colors. The team costumes aside, there is a big pink robot, a girl with blue hair, plenty of explosions, and energy discharges. It all just adds more emphasis to the fun and youthfulness of this book.
There is still hope for some carnage in the fourth and final installment of Nimrod (my fingers are crossed), but I have the sneaking suspicion that despite all the big explosions, battles, and promises, no one is going to die. That is not necessarily a bad thing. The new direction of the series has been a whirlwind of change through extreme violence, and like any red blooded American, I find it very addictive. Unfortunately, Kyle and Yost have probably reached their kill limit, but that does not mean they can’t pull a rabbit out their hats and give a satisfying conclusion to Nimrod (I know who I want to die). I believe these next few issues are going to be the make or break of New X-men. Will Kyle and Yost be able to keep readers interested without killing off the cast and able to weave interesting stories and action adventure together with the book they redefined?
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xfull.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xnone.jpghttp://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xnone.jpg
‘Buy this New X-men online now from X-WORLD and save!’ ( http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1245&cat=NEW+X%2DMEN+%28CURRENT+SERIES%29)