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X-MEN: MILLENNIAL VISIONS #2
Neutral (4/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writers/Artists: various
Editor: Mike Marts
Price: $3.50 US/$5.25 CAN |
With this new release, Marvel revives a concept that's something of a cross between a pin-up book and its classic What If? series. There are some entries that are surprisingly weak, but overall, most of the submissions boast powerful art and intriguing story concepts. In the end, though, we barely get a taste of something special before moving onto something else.
Each submission in this book, as was the case with the previous X-Men: Millennial Visions special, provides a glance at a possible future for Marvel's mutants. We see a changed roster for the Exiles. We meet the X-Men of the world of Universe X. We meet the first four members of a new mutant race, created by a guilt-ridden Reed Richards, and we meet Epsilon Flight, the last surviving faction of Canada's Alpha Flight program. We meet these mutants and more, and see such snippets of the future and more.
There were a few pieces of art that disappointed. Lee Ferguson's and Joe St. Pierre's contributions were sketchy and ordinary at best, respectively. Most surprisingly disappointing was the lack of detail in Alex Ross's four pieces. He provides only character sketches, no real storytelling in the art itself. The lack of background detail was jarring in the context of this book.
The bulk of the stronger efforts in this book originate from Udon Studios, though only one is specifically credited to the outfit. A number of Udon folks receive individual credit, but the studio mates' collaborative efforts link them all visually. Perhaps the most entertaining and visually unique pieces was the final one, featuring the teen mutants of the X-Men: Evolution cartoon as a mutant band whose music takes the world by storm.
Though the book offers a nice array of different artistic styles, the storytelling is kept to a minimum. It's primarily a pin-up book, and there isn't enough to sustain my interest. The lesser pieces are distracting, while the more inspired ones are far too short. It's an inherent flaw in the core concept of Marvel's Millennial Visions.
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