Stephanie Kay
Oct 13, 2007, 10:14 pm
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=10167" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/xmenv2-192t.jpg" alt="X-Men #192" hspace=10 align=left></a> Reviewer: T. Martin, khpa3665@yahoo.co.uk
Story Title: Supernovas (Part 5 of 6)
“Well I chose ‘em. Live with it.”
Writer: Mike Carey
Penciller: Chris Bachalo
Inks: Tim Townsend, Jamie Mendoza, Mark Irwin, Jon Sibal and Victor Olazaba
Colors: Studio F.’s Antonio Fabela
Letters: VC’s Cory Petit
Assistant Editor: Sean Ryan
Editors: Mike Marts and Andy Schmidt
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Published By: Marvel Comics (www.marvel.com)
When Mike Carey first announced that Sabretooth and Mystique were going to be on his X-team, there was a certain amount of consternation, not to say contemptuous disbelief, in some circles. Fans who felt they knew better (which is, after all, virtually the definition of ‘fan’) listed all the objections to including such a cold-blooded pair of murderers. It is doubtful that this issue will allay all these concerns. Each fan has a subtly or not so subtly different view of every character, culled from having read or from emphasising different parts of the canon or having conflicting takes on and memories of key scenes from the character’s past. No longer can anyone legitimately accuse Carey of not addressing the questions head-on, however. In a number of key exchanges, with Cannonball, Beast, Cyclops and Mystique herself, Carey uses the tensions the introduction of Mystique and Sabretooth has caused to showcase Rogue’s character as independent, even rash. Carey uses Beast and Cyclops in particular, two characters featuring in Whedon’s nostalgic, old-school Astonishing X-Men book, to articulate the conservative objections to Rogue’s actions. Whether you agree with them or with Rogue – and, when it comes to Rogue’s ‘solution’ to Sabretooth, I’m on Cyclops and Beast’s side all the way – it is in keeping with the decisive, headstrong Rogue we’ve been missing for so long – a Rogue who isn’t stupid but maybe gambles against her own better sense. In any case, Carey’s enthusiasm for her shines through: this is Rogue’s book more than anyone else’s, arguably in the same way Astonishing is Kitty Pryde’s. Carey’s choice of team members gives the title a distinct feel, but it is not difference for difference’s sake, not random quirkiness, but is rooted in the characterisation of the book’s lead.
The plot of the issue is fairly simple – the X-Men decide to hunt the Children, not realising the Children are on their way to them. They meet. They begin to fight. Reveal with school-under-threat cliff-hanger. “To be concluded…” Yet that description doesn’t really do the issue justice. Carey may be working from six stock plots and swapping them round a bit, but it is the swapping itself – the execution – where he can and does shine. Virtually every character (and there are over a dozen) gets face-time that plays to their personality, whether it’s a single threat or quip from Sabretooth and Iceman respectively, quieter moments from Beast and Cannonball or more extensive attention in the case of Mystique. We see more of the Children than just Serafina, some of the New X-Men enjoy funny cameos (plus we’re given a chilling plot reason why they should be featured) and even a couple of O.N.E. Sentinel pilots get a bit of characterisation. Initially Carey rarely stays on one group of characters for more than two pages, interweaving the different plot threads in such a way that they all advance gradually and remind the reader of just how much is going on. But when Rogue’s team finally sets out to stop the Children – an event marked by a classic ‘group-shot’ splash half way through that had me grinning – the structure switches to largely arrow-straight narrative to the climactic end. And when that confrontation finally comes, the X-Men don’t just run headlong into battle as they so often are depicted as doing – Rogue has a plan that makes use of her team’s abilities. If anything, it’s the Children who waltz into the fight head-on and although Rogue’s ideas, like any war plan, don’t survive contact with the enemy, with unfortunate results for at least one of her team, I suspect it will be her ability to adapt that will eventually defeat Sangre’s unthinking pride. In any case, the issue is a master class in traditional superhero storytelling, whether in regard to characterisation, structure or pacing, done well.
It has been said that Carey brings a Vertigo sensibility to X-Men and the inclusion of ‘edgy’ characters in the team might seem to confirm this. But beyond that Carey is just giving us a standard superhero story, albeit one done exceptionally well. The edge is to be found, on the contrary, not in the story but in the art. Bachalo’s current style is something of a Marmite phenomenon – you either love it or loathe it. Typically, if you buy these comics for the characters and their stories and for you the art is there simply as a backdrop to those tales, Bachalo’s occasional lack of clarity and background detail (especially with figures) will annoy you. That said, such sins are largely absent from this issue. This may be thanks to the inkers, admittedly. Critics have claimed that Bachalo’s clarity improves with the number of people working on inks and this issue boasts five.
For those of us who read comics for the unique characteristics that medium brings – story and art and their interaction (if I just want a story, I buy a book), Bachalo has an enormous amount to offer. There’s a CÈzanne-like angularity to his characters – either squared in the men or elongated in the women. By building people from discrete geometric elements such as fragmentary circles and triangles, we are given an impression of the bones and sinew beneath the skin (man as haphazardly assembled machine) and in forcing the eye to work with the art in the process of construction, Bachalo charges the visual experience with dynamism. The resulting hyper-naturalism alienates us from our conventional expectations while seducing us as collaborators in the creation of this new world. His occasional mixing of media, such as photographs (or pseudo-photographs) only adds to the effect. Other aspects of Bachalo’s art are more conventional but nevertheless effective. The point of view moves restlessly in the modern cinematic style. At one point it circles Mystique and Rogue as an attempt at rapprochement is made, closes in tight as rapprochement turns to conflict, pulls back as resolution comes, follows Mystique’s withdrawal, settling briefly on Iceman’s silent reaction to finally end on the approach of the tanker. Earlier we follow Beast out of a room, stay with him for one despondent moment then pull back to include the New X-Men’s reactions to a reveal on the following over-the-page splash. Of the two pages devoted to the beginning of the climactic battle, the first concentrates entirely on the fight between Iceman and Fuego, while on the contrasting, facing page the individual conflicts are shown in a grid of snapshots, begun, punctuated and ended by the key confrontation of the leaders. Throughout all this, Fabela’s colours shine through. They bleed from the edges of the figures, framing them against the varying backdrops, soak panels in light, evoking hot or sickly atmospheres and signalling scene changes instantly, and drain from mundane objects, throwing the epic and the dangerous into relief.
In sum, of all the X-titles X-Men stands alongside Whedon and Cassaday’s in making use of both story and art together: in succeeding as a comic, in other words, rather than just an addition to the canon. It is thus the perfect counterpart (or alternative?) to Astonishing, offering something different from the latter’s nostalgia while executing its own premise just as well.
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xnone.jpg
X-Fans… ENGAGE!!! Buy X-Men #192 online now from X-WORLD and save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopexd.asp?id=20982)
Story Title: Supernovas (Part 5 of 6)
“Well I chose ‘em. Live with it.”
Writer: Mike Carey
Penciller: Chris Bachalo
Inks: Tim Townsend, Jamie Mendoza, Mark Irwin, Jon Sibal and Victor Olazaba
Colors: Studio F.’s Antonio Fabela
Letters: VC’s Cory Petit
Assistant Editor: Sean Ryan
Editors: Mike Marts and Andy Schmidt
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Published By: Marvel Comics (www.marvel.com)
When Mike Carey first announced that Sabretooth and Mystique were going to be on his X-team, there was a certain amount of consternation, not to say contemptuous disbelief, in some circles. Fans who felt they knew better (which is, after all, virtually the definition of ‘fan’) listed all the objections to including such a cold-blooded pair of murderers. It is doubtful that this issue will allay all these concerns. Each fan has a subtly or not so subtly different view of every character, culled from having read or from emphasising different parts of the canon or having conflicting takes on and memories of key scenes from the character’s past. No longer can anyone legitimately accuse Carey of not addressing the questions head-on, however. In a number of key exchanges, with Cannonball, Beast, Cyclops and Mystique herself, Carey uses the tensions the introduction of Mystique and Sabretooth has caused to showcase Rogue’s character as independent, even rash. Carey uses Beast and Cyclops in particular, two characters featuring in Whedon’s nostalgic, old-school Astonishing X-Men book, to articulate the conservative objections to Rogue’s actions. Whether you agree with them or with Rogue – and, when it comes to Rogue’s ‘solution’ to Sabretooth, I’m on Cyclops and Beast’s side all the way – it is in keeping with the decisive, headstrong Rogue we’ve been missing for so long – a Rogue who isn’t stupid but maybe gambles against her own better sense. In any case, Carey’s enthusiasm for her shines through: this is Rogue’s book more than anyone else’s, arguably in the same way Astonishing is Kitty Pryde’s. Carey’s choice of team members gives the title a distinct feel, but it is not difference for difference’s sake, not random quirkiness, but is rooted in the characterisation of the book’s lead.
The plot of the issue is fairly simple – the X-Men decide to hunt the Children, not realising the Children are on their way to them. They meet. They begin to fight. Reveal with school-under-threat cliff-hanger. “To be concluded…” Yet that description doesn’t really do the issue justice. Carey may be working from six stock plots and swapping them round a bit, but it is the swapping itself – the execution – where he can and does shine. Virtually every character (and there are over a dozen) gets face-time that plays to their personality, whether it’s a single threat or quip from Sabretooth and Iceman respectively, quieter moments from Beast and Cannonball or more extensive attention in the case of Mystique. We see more of the Children than just Serafina, some of the New X-Men enjoy funny cameos (plus we’re given a chilling plot reason why they should be featured) and even a couple of O.N.E. Sentinel pilots get a bit of characterisation. Initially Carey rarely stays on one group of characters for more than two pages, interweaving the different plot threads in such a way that they all advance gradually and remind the reader of just how much is going on. But when Rogue’s team finally sets out to stop the Children – an event marked by a classic ‘group-shot’ splash half way through that had me grinning – the structure switches to largely arrow-straight narrative to the climactic end. And when that confrontation finally comes, the X-Men don’t just run headlong into battle as they so often are depicted as doing – Rogue has a plan that makes use of her team’s abilities. If anything, it’s the Children who waltz into the fight head-on and although Rogue’s ideas, like any war plan, don’t survive contact with the enemy, with unfortunate results for at least one of her team, I suspect it will be her ability to adapt that will eventually defeat Sangre’s unthinking pride. In any case, the issue is a master class in traditional superhero storytelling, whether in regard to characterisation, structure or pacing, done well.
It has been said that Carey brings a Vertigo sensibility to X-Men and the inclusion of ‘edgy’ characters in the team might seem to confirm this. But beyond that Carey is just giving us a standard superhero story, albeit one done exceptionally well. The edge is to be found, on the contrary, not in the story but in the art. Bachalo’s current style is something of a Marmite phenomenon – you either love it or loathe it. Typically, if you buy these comics for the characters and their stories and for you the art is there simply as a backdrop to those tales, Bachalo’s occasional lack of clarity and background detail (especially with figures) will annoy you. That said, such sins are largely absent from this issue. This may be thanks to the inkers, admittedly. Critics have claimed that Bachalo’s clarity improves with the number of people working on inks and this issue boasts five.
For those of us who read comics for the unique characteristics that medium brings – story and art and their interaction (if I just want a story, I buy a book), Bachalo has an enormous amount to offer. There’s a CÈzanne-like angularity to his characters – either squared in the men or elongated in the women. By building people from discrete geometric elements such as fragmentary circles and triangles, we are given an impression of the bones and sinew beneath the skin (man as haphazardly assembled machine) and in forcing the eye to work with the art in the process of construction, Bachalo charges the visual experience with dynamism. The resulting hyper-naturalism alienates us from our conventional expectations while seducing us as collaborators in the creation of this new world. His occasional mixing of media, such as photographs (or pseudo-photographs) only adds to the effect. Other aspects of Bachalo’s art are more conventional but nevertheless effective. The point of view moves restlessly in the modern cinematic style. At one point it circles Mystique and Rogue as an attempt at rapprochement is made, closes in tight as rapprochement turns to conflict, pulls back as resolution comes, follows Mystique’s withdrawal, settling briefly on Iceman’s silent reaction to finally end on the approach of the tanker. Earlier we follow Beast out of a room, stay with him for one despondent moment then pull back to include the New X-Men’s reactions to a reveal on the following over-the-page splash. Of the two pages devoted to the beginning of the climactic battle, the first concentrates entirely on the fight between Iceman and Fuego, while on the contrasting, facing page the individual conflicts are shown in a grid of snapshots, begun, punctuated and ended by the key confrontation of the leaders. Throughout all this, Fabela’s colours shine through. They bleed from the edges of the figures, framing them against the varying backdrops, soak panels in light, evoking hot or sickly atmospheres and signalling scene changes instantly, and drain from mundane objects, throwing the epic and the dangerous into relief.
In sum, of all the X-titles X-Men stands alongside Whedon and Cassaday’s in making use of both story and art together: in succeeding as a comic, in other words, rather than just an addition to the canon. It is thus the perfect counterpart (or alternative?) to Astonishing, offering something different from the latter’s nostalgia while executing its own premise just as well.
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/xnone.jpg
X-Fans… ENGAGE!!! Buy X-Men #192 online now from X-WORLD and save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopexd.asp?id=20982)