by Randy Lander

UNCANNY X-MEN #402 "Utility of Myth" Neutral (3/10) Marvel Comics Writer: Joe Casey Pencils: Ron Garney Inks: Mark Morales Colors: Hi-Fi Letters: Comicraft Editor: Mark Powers Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN There are any number of problems with the X-Corps story Casey is embarking on, from the neutered visual designs to the unclear motivations to the complete mischaracterization of several characters in order to fit them in where new characters would have been a better fit. In addition, I'm not entirely sure how and when the X-Men got wind of the operation, and the result is that this looks more like secret files type exposition than a story. Making matters worse is Ron Garney's competent but unexciting artwork, and the result is a bunch of potentially interesting ideas that sort of flop out onto the table and lay there. As a book all on its own, Uncanny X-Men is disappointing. Compared to the strong work of New X-Men, X-Force and Exiles, it's an utter failure. When no less than three characters comment that a character is acting out of the ordinary, it can mean only one of two things: Either there's a revelation coming that Sean Cassidy is a shapeshifter, mentally controlled or otherwise not who he says he is, or the creators have decided to shoehorn the character into a role he isn't suited for and hope no one notices. I'd like to believe the former, but I suspect it's the latter, and having the characters note the change in characterization doesn't overcome the fact that it's a total change for the character, and not believable even given the stresses he suffered in recent continuity. I'm all for change, even radical change, but I need either a reason for it or a story so good that I don't care, and so far, this has neither. The idea behind the X-Corps, mutants policing mutants, is an interesting one, and not much different than what the X-Men do, although with a more militant view like that of the original X-Force. I also enjoyed the use of some of the X-Men's perennial villains as the "Bastard Squad," particularly a nice use of an air-dropped Blob as a sort of ultimate weapon. However, given that utter violent bastards like The Authority and the new X-Force are models for the modern hero, it's hard to get all worked up about former Brotherhood of Evil Mutants characters working for the good guys. Casey clearly intends for the reader to be as nervous about these characters as the X-Men are, but I'm not feeling it. Of course, a fair bit of the problem there is in the visuals, which are utterly generic and not at all frightening. The early designs may have been tasteless in the eyes of some, with their Nazi-style regalia, but they sent an immediate visual signal that these guys were potentially dangerous. For whatever reason, be it editorial sensitivity, self-censorship or something else, these uniforms have been replaced with some of the most generic costumes I've ever seen, and they're not only boring, they're toothless. Which is honestly a complaint I would make about much of Garney's artwork. The storytelling is fine, easy enough to follow, but the characters have no life to them, the backgrounds are dull and the whole thing looks rather flat and emotionally distant. I expected The Brotherhood to be terrible, and I expected Wolverine to continue disappointing me, so it's fair to say that the biggest disappointment of the X-line revamp has been Uncanny X-Men. Given how great Casey's work was on Wildcats, and how good most of the revamped X-Books have been, this book is hard to see as anything but a disappointing effort from folks who are capable of doing much, much better. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.