Well, that was unexpected. I'm not just talking about the shocker of a cliffhanger ending, either, as Morrison spends a lot of time here characterizing Emma Frost in the wake of the discovery of her affair with Cyclops. Actually, it's not so much the time spent on Frost that's surprising either, since she seems to be Morrison's favorite character, it's seeing some of her softer side and a little more of her history that I didn't see coming, and it makes her a little more sympathetic and a lot more interesting at the same time. Providing the unsurprisingly strong artwork for this surprising issue is Phil Jimenez, whose work has the same real anatomy focus shared by Frank Quitely and Ethan Van Sciver but with a distinctive style that sets him apart, even as the general style fits right in with some of the lead rotating artists.
To be honest, I thought I'd long since grown tired of the Jean Grey-Scott Summers romance and its usual permutation of Wolverine as third party, but Morrison has once again intrigued me by throwing Emma Frost into the mix. The whole thing has a slightly sleazy feel to it that the relationship hasn't had before, and with both Jean and Cyclops on somewhat shaky psychological ground, the potential for more explosive melodrama has increased quite a bit. Morrison takes advantage of all of that in this issue, which comes down to an issue-long fight between two women and one man, all of whom have a lot of trouble figuring out exactly what they want.
While the story is about Jean and Emma fighting over Scott, it also serves as a look into Emma Frost's background and current state of mind. Morrison does an impressive job of blending even some obscure X-Men continuity into a story that is accessible to those who only know Emma from her New X-Men days, and he actually makes Emma out to be a victim, something that she really hasn't seemed during his run previously. He also shows a humanity to her that doesn't just consist of the weaker failings of humanity like lust and greed in her revelation to Logan about her feelings. And there's some small but important moments between Cyclops and Jean as well, not to mention a few hints that Jean is Phoenix in more than just name these days.
Phil Jimenez is slated to become the new regular artist of this book (as much as New X-Men has regular artists), and I couldn't be more pleased. Just as Frank Quitely, Igor Kordey and Ethan Van Sciver all brought different but interesting interpretations of the characters in their work, Jimenez sticks to the general model sheets of the characters but gives them his own twist as well. I particularly like his almost-feral version of Jean Grey and his softer, more vulnerable Emma Frost, although his take on the Beast, refined and animalistic as well, is also pretty spectacular. Basically the art across the board looks detailed and energetic, and is in keeping with the generally excellent artistic pedigree of this title.
I enjoyed this issue, but I think I'll enjoy the next issues more, as Morrison seems inclined to throw a real monkeywrench into expectations with this arc. I'm not sure if the last page will have the permanent ramifications that it implies or not, but at any rate it's a shocking image to leave us with, and has me very intrigued by what the rest of "Murder at the Mansion" will bring.
