The last few issues of this book have been some of the strongest since its inception, bringing creators who don't usually work with the characters in and creating some unusual stories as a result. This issue is no exception, being almost a preview of the Tsunami line in terms of artwork and featuring stories that tap into some of the less-exposed X-Books. Exiles and X-Statix get the spotlight instead of New X-Men or Uncanny. However, while the stories are all interesting enough to read, most of them are also completely inconsequential, leaving very little in the way of permanent impressions on the reader. That's more a criticism of the anthology nature of the book than the creators, but it remains the biggest reason why you won't find any X-Men Unlimited in my collection.
Of the three stories, my favorite is probably the last, "Something in the Air" by Jamie Delano and Neil Googe. Delano takes an unusual mutant power, throws in the misfit stereotype and pop culture perceptions and turns in a tale that fits right in with the tone of a book like X-Statix. There's some humor, most of it in the dark vein, but the story is ultimately a tragedy, watching a number of people hurt by selfishness or circumstance, which takes some of the joy out of it. Googe's artwork helps to lighten it considerably, and though the name isn't familiar to me, the style is, reminiscent of many animators-turned-comics artists like Mike Kunkel and Ryan Woodward. It's exaggerated and manga-esque, and perfectly captures the over-the-top nature of Milo's powers.
Then there's the lead story, with a similar art style by Skottie Young, of the Spider-Clan mini-series and upcoming Human Torch series. Honestly, Young's style is not my cup of tea in general, but solid inks by Seung and excellent bright and nuanced color by Carreno helps considerably, and I found the art in this one, something of a Joe Madureira by way of Sam Kieth, to be well suited to the story at hand. That story being a less-than-subtle but still intriguing Exiles side story by Chuck Austen that posits a very nasty alternate Peter Parker and Wolverine.
If I may make a confession that will rob me of any "hip" credibility I might mistakenly have: I've never seen A Hard Day's Night. Thus I'm not sure if the Nick Derington/Mike Allred collaboration in this book is meant to be a direct parody of the famous Beatles movie. It does have that wacky, bizarre Monkees TV show tone to it, so it wouldn't surprise me, but it does mean that any of the parody jokes go right over my head. Still, the story is pleasant and entertaining, although I kept feeling like I was missing something, probably due to my unfamiliarity with the parody source.
So there you have it. Three well-told stories, all from creators who are talented, even if their styles aren't necessarily to my tastes. That's a pretty decent issue for X-Men Unlimited, which has long been a dumping ground for inventory stories (or at least stories that read like inventory stories, which is possibly worse), but it still pales in comparison to much of what's going on in the mainstream X-Books, and the book ends up being largely what the annuals used to be: Mostly forgettable fare that might introduce a new face or two to Marvel.
