The Lowdown: I didn’t read Schism, which is apparently pretty important. I did read enough to know that Cyclops and Wolverine had a philosophical falling-out, and each departed to do their own thing with their own teams. Uncanny X-Men follows the adventure of Cyclops and his “Extinction Team” (I don’t know why it’s called that) as they attempt to continue their mission of saving (and scaring) the world. There are a lot of other teams under Cyclops’ umbrella, but this one seems to be the A-team of sorts. Much of the issue is focused on introducing us to the team members and allowing us to see them in action against a big bad named Mr. Sinister, whose presence might resonate with long-time X-Men fans, but for me, just left me scratching my head a bit.
The Good: Well, there’s a lot, actually, but I promised to keep it brief. I’m intrigued by Cyclops’ strategy here, and I think the team he’s built is perfect for the “Scare ‘em and save ‘em” mission statement he has going on. The action sequences are solid, and the premise of having several smaller teams executing various tasks in concert with one another is quite fascinating. The opening sequence with Sinister was chilling, and much stronger (in my opinion) than the final sequences of the book, which just left me scratching my head. The art is gorgeous throughout.
The Bad: I still don’t really know who half these people are. No, I haven’t been following the X-Men since dinosaurs roamed the Earth. I am a new reader, and from a new reader perspective, this book left some things to be desired. I don’t understand the villain or his motives. I don’t get the final page (and I might, had I some experience with these characters outside of the movies). And where did the big robot come from?
Overall: I enjoyed the book, even if it puzzled me a bit. Not nearly as new reader friendly as most of DC’s New 52, but a promising start, nonetheless. I just wasn’t blown away.
Wolverine and the X-Men #1 (Written by Jason Aaron; Art by Chris Bachalo)
The Lowdown: Wolverine opens a school that’s also a training center and a deathtrap. He wears a suit and gives a tour to a couple of shirts who hold the future of the school in their prejudiced, stingy little claws. Hilarity ensues.
The Good: The concept is interesting, I’ll say that for sure. The idea of Wolverine as the headmaster of a school is an intentionally laugable one, and Aaron wisely plays it as such in this book. This, too, is an interesting cast, and one that promises a great deal of fun and drama in future installments. Aaron’s dialogue is fun. Mostly.
The Bad: I didn’t love the art. At all, really. And the pace of the book was too slow for me; I actually fell asleep in the middle of it, which (I’m certain) was not the intent of the creative team. The problem for me is that while I understood that the concept was being played for laughs, I didn’t really find it that funny. Mostly, it came across as a bit self-indulgent, and it just turned me off a bit on the whole premise.
Overall: Well, people seemed to love it, but it wasn’t for me. It took two readings for me just to finish the thing. Needless to say, I wasn’t really impressed with this corner of the X-verse.
DECISION TIME: As I’ve already stated, I was not really invested in the the X-verse before these latest #1s; I purchased these books, thinking that they might be a good way to gain entrance into a world that has previously been a bit unaccessible to me. Though I was entertained by Uncanny X-Men #1, I was ultimately unpersuaded to pursue it further than one issue. I wish both creative teams well, but for now, I’ll stick with my monthly DC books.
I thought Wolverine and the X-Men was superb. I laughed throughout the whole issue and thought the pacing was just right for a school getting started by Wolverine. It just requires a few issues to get on its feet in fast pacing.