These solo X-Men titles have been running hot and cold for me, and I didn't expect this Colossus title to appeal to me all that much. I've never been a big Colossus fan, as the sort of gentle-giant riff he's always represented has always struck me as a little cliched and not well realized. Writer David Hine introduces a darker edge to the character, building on the seeds planted by Joss Whedon in Astonishing X-Men, and it makes for an entertaining read. The darker leanings of the plot are well served artist Jorge Lucas's inky line art as well; this serves as an excellent followup project for Lucas after the House of M storyline in Incredible Hulk. The one glaring problem with this comic is the writer's decision to reveal the mystery behind the plot far too early.
An ambitious and decidated young reporter is on the trail of corruption in Russia, but a radically different story is about to capture her attention... and her fear. A series of grisly murders is going unnoticed by the authorities, and the method of murders is an unusual one. Meanwhile, back in America, a certain former Russian son is being plagued by nightmares. His recent captivity and torture at the hands of Sinister has unleashed something deep within his psyche, and he fears he is no longer the kind-hearted hero he once was.
Hine's thick-lined style suits the bulky nature of the title character's armord-up form quite well. But where he really makes a stronger contribution is in establishing a foreboding and eerie mood throughout the book. The tension stems from two sources: the stoic, masked stalker in Russia and the brewing unrest within the title character. Lucas's work used to exhibit heavy Kirby influences, but he shows others as well in his work here. Mike Mignola's dark, gothic approach is felt in the art, and a couple of moments in the book reminded me of Anthony Williams's work for DC a few years back.
Where the story goes awry is in tipping its hand too early. I was rather enjoying the mystery of the murders, and it would have been fun to see the hero try to piece the clues together. Instead, the answers are presented in this first issue, and the hero has to do little in order to arrive at them. Furthermore, the connection among the various victims stems from an historical Russian figure, one that I could argue is a bit overused in fiction, even just in comics. But I must admit that links between an extraordinary Russian such as Colossus and another extraordinary Russian figure from a previous century is an easy concept to accept for the purposes of this story.
Hine does an excellent job of capturing the emotion of Whedon's Astonishing X-Men dynamic. Emma Frost is handled particularly well, as is the Kitty/Piotr connection. I also appreciate that the conflict in this series is two-pronged. There's the obivous murder plot, but more interesting is Colossus's new view of himself as a monster. That he adopts such a view this late in his life is interesting, and I hope that Hine does more than just restore his self-image to the old status quo. 7/10
