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THE BROTHERHOOD #2
"Who is X?"
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: X
Pencils: Essad Ribic
Inks: Kent Williams
Colors: Brian Haberlin
Letters: Jon Babcock
Editor: Mark Powers
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN |
I gave a fairly scathing
review to The Brotherhood #1, but having now read the second issue, I have to
wonder whether I was being a bit too harsh. Or if "X" is in fact more than one
writer. Because the second issue, while still unfocused, has some intriguing
ideas about mutant terrorism, and although I still find much of the plot
elements focusing on high school life unreal and borderline silly, I am enjoying
how this takes a more "street level" view of mutant terrorism and
counter-terrorism.
Mind you, I still have some problems with
the execution. X's rhetoric often feels quite overblown, and having the writer
named after the mysterious and charismatic leader of the Brotherhood seems like
the kind of thing I'd expect from an anonymous fanfic writer more than a
professional comic book writer. In addition, while it's not outright
embarrassing, much of the dialogue surrounding the high school lacks any feeling
of reality, up to and including a simplistic take on Columbine-style gunmen.
That said, when the story isn't centering
around our "point of view" character Asher, I'm much more interested, and it's
my hope that once his mundane life gives way to life in the Brotherhood, the
series will become much more interesting. The government raid that leads to an
unusual use of mutants as living weapons, or the same time-bomb mutant style
attack used later on, shows a much more ruthless and dangerous form of mutant
than the gaudily-costumed antics of Magneto and his cronies. And I enjoyed
seeing politicians and military dealing with things through talk shows and
undercover operations rather than by building giant robots. While the visuals
are definitely cooler for Sentinels, the thought of more subtle methods backed
by near-unlimited manpower and authority is a lot scarier.
The one high point for me in the review of
the first issue was the artwork, and that hasn't changed this issue. Williams
may not be the best inker for Ribic, as his undefined style doesn't help to make
Ribic's often-similar faces any easier to distinguish, but together the two of
them do keep this feeling grounded, more like a book set in the real world. No
spandex is seen anywhere, just regular clothes or military fatigues, and the
settings of a high school, a military hospital or a jungle village all feel far
more real than I'm used to with super-hero comics.
I think this concept has a decent amount of
potential and a solid art team. And while I have a definite aversion to people
using pseudonyms, I can't deny that with this issue, "X" has mildly piqued my
interest.
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Randy
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