by Randy Lander

THE EXILES #9 "A World Apart Part Two of Three" Highly Recommended (9/10) Marvel Comics Writer: Judd Winick Pencils: Mike McKone Inks: Mark McKenna Colors: Transparency Digital Letters: Sharpefont Editor: Mike Marts Price: $2.25 US/$3.65 CAN Combining a reliable schedule with great artwork, great characters and unpredictable settings, Exiles is rapidly becoming one of my favorite X-Books, even against such impressive competition as X-Force and New X-Men. "A World Apart," the newest storyline, is easily the best the book has been, as Winick has given us the story of a repressive regime as well as a fight against Galactus and in so doing avoided the feel of cliches from either of those well-trod stories. In addition, the variety of metahumans on this world, and the large scale action, has really let McKone and McKenna show off their skills. Ever since the days of Spartacus, and probably before, the notion of a gladiator hero who sneers at those who force him to fight has been an endearing image. The opening sequence of this issue, describing Mimic's mindset in lavish detail all the while setting up an important bout, is a great example of that sort of resistance. The Exiles are unable to escape the Skrulls' arena, but they can rebel in their hearts, and the opening sequence really shows that off. One of the draws of a dark world like the one that has been created for this story is that the creator can be free to show how different things could be. The evidence of Reed Richards's genius, building technology from nothing, is evident even in the low-tech circumstances he has been in, for example. And the designs for the various heroes, geared toward a more gladiatorial style, are generally excellent. I was particularly impressed with McKone's designs for Captain America and the Banner Beast, but I was also pleased that he managed to convey a similar, ragged appearance for all of them while making them visually distinct. Even without costumes or much in the way of paraphernalia, it's fairly easy to distinguish most of the heroes and villains on the splash page. In fact, more than Winick's writing, it was McKone's art that drew me to this title originally, and he hasn't let me down yet. The action sequences against Terrax are fantastic examples of super-hero combat, and his designs for the backgrounds really gives the feel of a pre-Industrial Earth colonized by alien intelligence. Which is not to say that Winick's writing isn't a draw as well; his dialogue is great, particularly the exchanges between Blink and Mimic after they are reunited, and the narration that describes the transformation from gladiators to heroes is quite impressive. The Exiles has been good from the start, but "A World Apart" has shown just how great it can be, and if I wasn't hooked on the book before, I certainly would be now. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.