It just doesn't ring true.
On the surface, this latest issue of Exiles -- penned by Chuck Austen -- has all the hallmarks of a good issue. An emphasis on characterization. A shift in the team dynamic. A new world full of a wide variety of super-heroes. But the dialogue here, the emotions the characters struggle with and even the plotting... none of it fits with what I've come to expect. Not only do some of the characters break the rules that have been set out before them, but so does the writer, and with little explanation. Calafiore's artwork is appropriately dark, but it lacks the softer feel that some of the character-driven scenes call for.
Blink returns to the Exiles, but it is to replace a fallen friend -- Sunfire. The team isn't tasked with a new mission right away, which is fortunate, as there's fallout from Sunfire's death to contend with. Mimic feels responsible for his friend's death, and Morph is more than willing to shower blame on his onetime leader. As Morph finds comfort from an unlikely source, Mimic and Blink deal with the former's grief and the conflicting emotion of their happiness to be reunited. Meanwhile, the Exiles find an unexpected ally, and they learn that their opposite number -- the corrupt Weapon X -- has been wreaking havoc on the same planet they're visiting.
this issue spotlights Morph a fair bit, and Calafiore's angular, gritty style just doesn't suit the character at all. Furthermore, the Hulk design -- one I assume Calafiore himself up with -- is a rather laughable one. It looks like Bruce Banner's been cast in the role of John Redcorn form King of the Hill. Furthermore, Hyperion's look has shifted; it seems he decided he didn't look evil enough, so a shaved head and man cleavage was called for.
Mimic's grief here makes sense, but Morph's decision to point fingers and rail on about things over which neither he nor Mimic have control just doesn't work. Morph's feelings about Sunfire really don't come through that well, and his arguments about Mimic's level of responsibility aren't convincing at all. Furthermore, in light of the previous deaths these characters have had to deal with, it all seems like an overreaction. I guess perhaps it also spotlights the fact that the audience might not have had as strong a connection with the Sunfire character. I suspect the same would hold true if Sasquatch were to be struck down.
Another aspect of the script that I find perplexing is how little the characters react to Blink's return. They had little reason to expect they'd ever come into contact with their former leader once again, but the reactions are surprisingly mild. Furthermore, it's it supposed to be something of a tragedy that Blink's been robbed of a normal life for a second time? Even she doesn't seem to care that the Timebroker has changed the rules. On top of that, the plot for this story arc -- as revealed at the end of this issue -- doesn't seem to follow any acknowledged premise for the series. Instead, the story is shaping up to be a big "who'd win" royal rumble of alternate-reality super-heroes.
