THE EXILES #7
"A Chance to Dream"
Recommended (8/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Judd Winick
Pencils: Mike McKone
Inks: Mark McKenna
Colors: Transparency Digital
Letters: Sharpefont
Editor: Mike Marts
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN |
Winick opts to show the reader the dreams of the various members of the title team in this standalone issue, making excellent use of the publisher-imposed month-long mute function of "'Nuff Said." When I first saw the cover for this issue a couple of months ago, I figured we'd be in for a humor-laden issue, and that was fine with me, given Winick's propensity for hilarity, as is evident by his work on The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius from Oni Press.
Humor isn't the emphasis, though. Winick instead explores the characters through their dreams, and those visions are thoroughly telling. Even the goofy Morph's insecurities and fears come to light. It's a surprisingly powerful story, and stands out as perhaps the best issue of the series thus far.
The Exiles take a much deserved break and check in for a solid night's shuteye at a nice hotel. With the heroes -- Blink, Mimic, Thunderbird, Morph, Nocturne and Sunfire -- tucked away in separate rooms, each dozes off and dreams of their fondest memories, deepest desires and greatest fears. Confused and lonely, one of their number turns to another for comfort.
Though I enjoyed J. Calafiore's fill-in stint in the previous two-part story arc, it's a pleasure to have McKone's crisp pencils back. He brings an important degree of clarity to this silent issue, not to mention some emotion and fun as well. Given the colorful and diverse looks of the characters, Transparency Digital's bright hues really bring some life to the visuals as well.
Mimic, Blink, T-Bird and Morph have really had a firm grip on the spotlight since this series began, so it makes sense that I found Sunfire's and Nocturne's dreams to be the most revealing (no pun intended in Nocturne's case). Winick zeroes in on Nocturne's sensuality in her sequence, and with Sunfire, he delves into the idea of living in one's parents's shadows, of dealing (or refusing to deal with) their expectations.
Note: Some comments in this review were reproduced from a previous related feature on the website.
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