Marvel released a round of these prequel books around the time that the first X-Men feature film hit theatres, and I recall being rather underwhelmed. As such, I really wasn't anticipating these new X2 prequels, but Austen surprised me with a playful, entertaining and touching script. This new take on Nightcrawler will be of interest to X-Men comics fans and offers an accessible introduction to the character for those movie fans who haven't encountered him yet.
While touring with his adopted mother's travelling circus in Canada, Kurt Wagner is torn by the scorn that arises from his demonic appearance and the love he feels for those he considers his family. One day, though, he's lured away from the circus, and soon finds himself the prisoner of a military operation hidden away in the Canadian wilderness. He's a slave to the violent whims of the racist soldiers who watch over him, and to the grander plans of their commanding officer, a mysterious man named Stryker.
After strong performances on an Iceman limited series and a Sauron one-shot last year, it's a pleasure to see Kerschl's work on a Marvel book once again. There's a nice manga influence in his work, but it's not a heavy one. His detailed figures are quite expressive, and Stryker looks downright devious and sadistic. The angular quality in his work suits the agile, energetic and youthful nature of the title character. The photo cover is a nice teaser image for the upcoming film as well.
What makes this a good comic book isn't the action, the connection to cinema or even Kerschl's sharp artwork. It's Austen's focus on character above all else. The plot is secondary here. The main point is for the reader to get to know this version of Kurt Wagner, and we get to know him well. The movie version of the character seems to borrow from both mainstream continuity and Mark Millar's more recent interpretation in Ultimate X-Men. Austen achieves a nice balance between tragedy and hope here, and if the big-screen take on Nightcrawler is half as strong, I'll be pleased.
My one qualm with this book is that it seems as though it contains a significant spoiler for the plot for the upcoming X2 film. I suppose one could argue that's to be expected from reading a book labelled as a prequel to that movie, but until reading that spoiler -- which isn't revealed until the second last page -- I got the impression that Austen had managed to steer clear of such forbidden territory. Ah well. At least this book succeeds in the goal of stirring up interest in the upcoming release of the big-screen X-Men sequel.
