UNCANNY X-MEN #402
"Utility of Myth"
Recommended (7/10)
|
Marvel Comics
Writer: Joe Casey
Pencils: Ron Garney
Inks: Mark Morales
Colors: Hi-Fi Design
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Mark Powers
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN |
Casey offers up an entertaining story about extremist politics. The setup for the X-Corps is a bit hard to swallow, but that pill is an easier one to take thanks to the inclusion of some real-world elements. All in all, this is a fun super-hero tale with some clever ideas hovering around its periphery.
The X-Men learn of the existence of the X-Corps, a high-tech, paramilitary operation dedicated to the policing of mutants by mutants, and it's being led by an old friend of the X-Men's: Sean Cassidy, AKA Banshee. The death of his lover has obviously made a great, and disquieting, impact on the man, as it is clear that his new mission will bring him in direct conflict with his former colleagues. When former members of the Brotherhood of Mutants turn up in Banshee's employ, the X-Men know things are not going to turn out well.
Those expecting the same sort of work from Garney on this book as he did on his much-touted run on Captain America with Mark Waid will be disappointed. This is not the same Ron Garney. Though still boasting a kinetic style, there's been a shift in his work. His stuff here reminds me more than a little of the style of Mike (Adventures of Superman Wieringo, while his cover and some interiors also evoke comparisons to Adam Kubert's work on Ultimate X-Men. Overall, it tells the story clearly, and conveys Banshee's intensity.
There are aspects of this story that don't quite click. Banshee's shift in philosophy and the establishment of an operation as huge as the X-Corps don't make a lot of sense in the context of this storyline (so far), and using the Blob simply as a non-explosive bomb may make for some impressive visuals but it doesn't quite make much sense.
Still, the real power of the story is that superficially, there's some logic to Banshee's position. The problem is that the extremism of his solution demonstrates that he's already on his way down a slippery slope. I also enjoyed the notion of the X-Men being invited to make a presentation at a G8 summit. The inclusion of such a real-world political concept makes the fantastic implausibility of the X-Men's reality easier to accept and enjoy.
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
|
