What I Bought 10/31/2013 - Part 2

I had planned to review the comics alphabetically, but for some reason, I've really wanted to discuss X-Men, so it's cutting in line. Really, you'd think a book taking place at a school would know better. Also, I've decided to review each book individually, since there are so few, and this way I can talk about each one as much as I want, without worrying the post is getting too long.

X-Men #6, by Brian Wood (writer), David Lopez (penciler), Came Smith w/Terry Pallot (inkers), Laura Martin w/Matt Milla (colorists), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - I get the idea behind the cover, Wolverine's blood reflecting the vague shadows of those who attacked him, but it's undercut by two things. One, the shadows kind of get mixed up with the black spaces at the edge of the bloodstain, and two, they used so much red on the whole color, I think it really blunts the effect. The shadows on the blood don't grab they eye as they ought to.

In comics I didn't read, Illyana took the Beast and Iceman of the past to the future to investigate the claims of the other team of Future X-Men. This as the one with Future Xavier plans to send Original Recipe Cyclops, Jean, and Warren back to the past against their will. Just as Logan's getting suspicious, too late to do any good, because yes, these Future X-Men are evil. Surprise!

Oh right, we all saw that coming. But man, that means Molly Hayes became a bad guy? Thanks, Bendis.

Anyway, Future Brotherhood of Evil Mutants mop the floor with pretty much the entire team, except Psylocke, and Jubilee escapes with Shogo in his new "hamster ball". For all the good that does them. Future Beast locked the whole school down and then. . . I'm not sure. Cyclops' team shows up with the other Future X-Group, who I guess are the good guys, and the Mansion is partially destroyed, possibly deserted except for Jubilee, Psylocke, and Bling. I have no idea what happened. Did the Future Bad Guys have some mass murder/suicide thing planned? Future Beast did tell Xorn Jean 'It's been a pleasure.', but that may have just been him expressing enjoyment at doing tech work. So, attempt to tell a coherent single chapter within a Stupid Crossover: FAIL.

That look on Future Xavier's face as he tells Past Scott sarcasm doesn't suit him, man, that was the most punchable grin I have ever seen. Forget whether he evil or not, that was such an expression of smug satisfaction, I would have cheered if the freaking Sentry - the Sentry! - had chosen that moment to return, as long as he punched Future Chuck's head clean off. So, kudos to David Lopez on that face. Shogo's happy face in the hamster ball as the fighting goes on around him was pretty outstanding.

I like Martin and Milla's colors on the book. Everything is bright and vibrant, in a different way from what Javier Rodriguez does on Daredevil, but still bright. The colors are smoother here, for one thing, which makes sense. Samnee inks his own work and tends to go heavier on the blacks and shadows, so it needs a different approach, and Rodriguez' gives the colors a sort of gritty texture, almost closer to pastels (from what I remember of those from art class eons ago), than what we see here on X-Men. Anyway, it's a very pretty book all around.

The writing's less certain. I wonder if we're ever going to learn what the problem was between Bling and Mercury back in the first issue, or if that's going to be a running joke of Wood's. Every time they try to address it, some crisis comes up, so no time for teen drama. Wood's dialogue for Wolverine feels more off here than it did two issues ago. Too refined, lacking in words shortened, like "thinkin'", or the like. I guess Wolverine could be trying to sound more educated for all his students, though perhaps her out to focus less on eloquence and more on not stabbing people. Also, and this probably isn't Wood's fault, I can't get a bead on this Future Deadpool. He's more chatty this episode, but while he's still stream of consciousness, there aren't really any jokes. I guess Future Chuck and Jean excised his sense of humor. Also, did he pain the black eye holes that used to be on his mask onto his face, then put shades on over them? That's terrible, it completely kills any goodwill I had from wearing a hoodie in the future.

At least Rachel finally got to do something, I was starting to wonder if Wood really wanted her around or not. He certainly seems to enjoy Psylocke, as she gets to be team badass, near as I can tell. I still don't understand why she only seems to use her telekinesis to form weapons. She's fighting Deadpool and what appears to be a kid Logan had with Mystique (well, they've knocked boots enough over the decades), and she's using a TK sword. Why not just push outwards with the tk in a solid wall and smash them against a wall, or the Blackbird or something?

At least this will be over by the next issue. I can't decide whether I regret not skipping these two issues or not. The art team did a good job, but the story is as much of a mess as you'd expect from one spanning 4 books, written by 3 different guys. Or is it 5 books, with 4 different writers? I don't know.