"Murder at the Mansion" is shaping up to be one of my favorite stories in Morrison's New X-Men run, due both to the unexpected murder that drives the story and some exceptionally strong characterization that keeps it interesting. Morrison takes a partnership introduced in X-Treme X-Men, presenting Bishop and Sage as mutant crime scene investigators, and makes it a great deal more interesting, as well as providing Bishop with the most human characterization he's ever had. This is also a chance for Morrison to explore a variety of different characters from a new viewpoint, as well as for Jimenez and Lanning to show off their skill in depicting these varied characters, and all involved do a fantastic job.
New X-Men is a very difficult book to describe, because while it definitely feels like a Morrison book, it also very much feels like an X-Book. Morrison brings in the big ideas, distinctive dialogue and sometimes unusual pacing, but the situations and characters fit right in with the X-Books I've been reading for years, and I really do think he's writing a book for the traditionalists as well as the Morrison faithful. A murder with many suspects, and mutant investigators at work, is similar to a story that Claremont did in Uncanny X-Men, and though the players and presentation are different, this very much feels like an X-Men story, not a story that could have worked for anyone but happens to fit into the X-Men.
At the center of this story are a pair of guest stars from X-Treme X-Men, Bishop and Sage, who serve as interrogators and therefore as narrators for the piece. Lucas Bishop (I didn't even know he had a first name) is far more interesting than Bishop, mutant cop from the future, and Morrison does a great job of making him seem like an intelligent investigator rather than a gun-toting loony, as well as making Tessa (Sage) seem like the ideal partner, complete with built-in mutant computer brain. While the characterization of Bishop and Sage is strong, however, the book is really about exploring characters in New X-Men, as the interrogations shed new light on the relationship between Beast and Emma Frost, or the characters of Angel, Beak and the Stepford Cuckoos, as well as the all-new, all-dangerous Jean Grey.
It seems impossible that a book with so many rotating artists could have so many good ones, but so far New X-Men hasn't had an artistic misfire. Phil Jimenez and Andy Lanning are at the top of their game here, with beautifully designed backgrounds and amazingly nuanced characters. Despite the fact that this is a very talky issue, and that it really doesn't range very far geographically, the book is always interesting to look at, and every picture has something important to contribute, whether it be spelling out Bishop's calm and analytical investigatory style, Angel's attitude or Beast's maudlin mood as he attempts an impossible task.
I knew that Morrison could do weird psychological stories, widescreen super-hero action and strange meta-fiction, but I didn't know that a solid murder mystery with strong characterization was in his repertoire. I'm once again getting more interested in the X-Men thanks to the impending movie, and thanks to Morrison and company, there's a comic out there to further sate my hunger for stories about the characters that have an intelligent sensibility and exquisite craft behind it.
