X-TREME X-MEN #9
"Face the Music!"
Not Recommended (1/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Salvador Larroca
Colors: Liquid!
Letters: Tom Orzechowski
Editors: Andrew Lis
Price: $2.99 US/$4.50 CAN |
Last time I reviewed this title was five issues ago, and I'm sorry to see the series hasn't improved since then. Liquid's color/inking approach continues to intrude on Larroca's pencils, and Claremont's stilted characterization and plotting, as well as his overly verbose script, make for an arduous read. To make matters worse, someone decided to incorporate other X-Men storylines -- good ones -- into this book, and making for spoilers and forced links.
While Storm and Jean Grey go for a telepathic girls' night out, Australian lifeguard Heather Cameron uses her ever-shifting mutant powers to delve into the mind of Sage. The X-Men's resident tech expert is overwhelmed by the psychic illusions of Lady Mastermind, and Heather aims to guide her out of her coma. Meanwhile, Gambit and Lotus expose those who were really behind the Sydney gang-boss murders.
And so, the Australian gangland story arc comes to a merciful end. This issue, like others before it, is plagued with dialogue that's intent on explaining the action, most of which is readily apparent. Claremont is so intent on explaining everything overtly, there's no chance for the reading to even try and suspend his or her disbelief. No one in this book acts or speaks like a regular human being. Storm goes for a fun night on the town while one of her teammates fights for her mental survival in the next room. Here's another example: Heather explains to the reader that's she's bursting through a wall as we see her bursting through a wall.
Liquid's garish colors rob the visuals of any sense of reality that Larroca might be trying to achieve. The colors -- and sometimes the pencils -- don't even remain consistent with the script. For example, we're told Heather's back begins bleeding while she's within Sage's mind, but there's no corresponding visual. I have to say that the costume designs for Lotus and Heather aren't terribly impressive either.
So the X-Treme X-Men get some new allies... and one of them's a Baywatch reject? The notion of a mutant lifeguard -- someone who develops whatever power she needs in order to save lives -- seems rather forced, and it doesn't make for interesting storytelling at all. Furthermore, the whole lifeguard trend that Claremont seems to be trying to capitalize on is rather... dead.
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