UNCANNY X-MEN #398
"Poptopia, 4 of 4: The Clash"
Recommended (7/10)
|
Marvel Comics
Writer: Joe Casey
Layouts: Sean Phillips
Finished art: Ashley Wood
Colors: Hi-Fi Design
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Mark Powers
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN |
Here's something interesting... if one were to look at the July 2001 issue of Previews -- the catalog in which this issue was solicited -- one would find a detailed black-and-white image in the Marvel section of an Ian Churchill illustration for this cover. That image has been blacked out on the actual finished product though, leaving us only with a silhouette of a charred Wolverine. Also worthy of note is the fact that Churchill was the solicited artist, but his work is not to be found in the interior of the book.
I offer no judgment about what these things mean. I just point them out since they struck me as unusual.
The final chapter of "Poptopia" ends predictably, but it also stands out as the strongest installment of the story. Casey delivers a thoroughly accessible script, and though the points he makes are obvious ones, they get to the heart of the X-Men concept. And the Phillips/Wood art is a welcome change of pace.
Chamber learns a harsh lesson, for as soon as he becomes a public-relations liability for teen pop star Sugar Kane, he gets dumped on his mutant butt. Meanwhile, the X-Men try to bridge the gap between their mission and the distrust of the London underground mutants, while Wolverine deals directly with Mr. Clean, the fanatic hunting them down and burning them.
Ashley Wood's finished art is highly reminiscent of the work of Bill (Elektra: Assassin, recent issues of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up) Sienkiewicz. This darker, sketchier style of art is not par for the course for Marvel's mutant books, and I hope the hardcore fans enjoy it and ask for more. This kind of work brings a greater sense of maturity and gravity to the atmosphere of the story.
Casey's script has all the elements for a thoughtful story, but he overstates the issues a little too much. He needs to give the reader just a little more credit to figure things out for him/herself. Still, he does provide an accessible script. Someone just picking up this final chapter wouldn't be at a loss for what was going on at all.
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
|
