X-TREME X-MEN: SAVAGE LAND #2
"Deluge"
Not Recommended (1/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Chris Claremont
Pencils: Kevin Sharpe
Inks: Danny Miki & Lary Stucker
Colors: Avalon Studios
Letters: Tom Orzechowski
Editors: Matt Hicks & Mark Powers
Price: $2.99 US/$4.50 CAN |
What is going on with this book? It lacks a clear conflict. It lacks direction. It lacks logic. The characters' behavior defies belief, as does the scripting and description of the main threat in this issue. My reviews are rarely this completely negative in tone, but reading X-Treme X-Men: Savage Land is an arduous chore. This is a poorly executed comic book, from cover to cover.
The X-Men, carrying with them dozens of refugee "saurids," must try to outrun a underground tidal wave as they race toward the only safe haven on the planet for the refugees: the Savage Land. Many are hurt in the attempt, and others from among their numbers -- such as Storm, Bishop and Sage -- go missing. The Beast and Thunderbird encounter a peaceful community made up of many races, and they agree to help them overcome assaults from some bloodthirsty enemies. But has the Beast been manipulated into helping them by an alluring kindred spirit?
Sharpe's art in this book is, at best, capable, but more often, it's unclear and sketchy. Details in the script don't match up with the visuals, and there are some scene transitions that are jolting, to put it mildly. To be fair, all of these problems could find their origins in the script itself, but Sharpe's art certainly doesn't seem to compensate, nor does it really catch the eye much.
Claremont's verbose approach to writing gets in the way of the tension and danger he tries to instill in the first half of this issue. He spends so much time explaining the action -- both through the narration and dialogue -- that it's impossible for the reader to believe everything that he has going on. The scene -- featuring a frantic race to stay ahead of a massive wave of water and air pressure -- is robbed of any sense of being hectic or critical by the fact that characters seem to spend ages describing what they're doing or what's happening.
More importantly, though, is that this book is, I'm sorry to say, sloppy. Examples... we see Thunderbird power up Bishop with his plasma blasts, only to watch Bishop use his guns instead. The Beast is struck unconscious on an invisible page, in a scene we never get to read. I even spotted an obvious typo in the lettering. This is sloppy writing, and it might even be an example of sloppy editing. Yes, Claremont helped build Marvel into the dominant comic-book company it is today, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be reined in.
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