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EXILES #3
"Old Wounds, New Battles Part 1 of 2"
Recommended (8/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Judd Winick
Pencils: Mike McKone
Inks: Mark McKenna w/Eric Cannon
Colors: Transparency Digital
Letters: Sharpefont
Editor: Mike Marts
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN |
This title has been growing
on me little by little, but I honestly expected to be a little bored by yet
another look at the Trial of Phoenix, which has been covered in What Ifs and
alternate world stories ad nauseum. However, Winick takes a look at the trial
from a different point of view, looking at how it affects the Exiles and
spending most of the time focusing on how they adjust to this new world, slowly
fleshing out the characters through interaction with their environment. The hook
of this series is the idea of ever-changing alternate worlds, but the real
strength is in the characterization and the artwork, both of which are top
notch.
It would be easy for this book to become
formulaic, driven strictly by its plot device, and some feel it has been, with
the Tallus's abilities and information being doled out in awfully convenient
doses. I can't deny that the Tallus comes across as maybe the Roman word for
plot device, but to me how they get to places and what they're asked to do there
are not that important to the book. What's important is the effect those tasks
have on the characters, such as having to kill a trusted friend or even a
mentor. And when it comes to the character interplay of that nature, Winick is
delivering big time.
I'm enjoying that everyone gets their
moment, seemingly every issue. Nocturne's bonds with her father and "Aunt Jean,"
Thunderbird's moment as his strength breaks a frail flower and reminds him of
the burden of his power, a short conversation between Morph and Sunfire and even
a conversation about leadership between Blink and Mimic are all stand-out
moments. By far the most impressive bit of character interplay, however, also
comes during a knockdown drag-out fight between Wolverine and Mimic, where we
see not only a friendship torn apart but learn that Mimic has a more personal
connection to the team's mission that he has been keeping hidden. Winick has
managed a nice balance between the narrator showing us inner thoughts and
background and staying out of it so that the dialogue and art can tell the
story, and nowhere is this better demonstrated than in the fight scene.
Of course, it can't hurt that Winick is working with an artist he can trust to tell the story. McKone's artwork is a delight, whether it's with the always hilarious background shifting of Morph, the expressive faces he gives every character or the fluid action sequences. The Exiles is a strange mix of standard super-heroics and characterization, and McKone is suited to both tasks. In a way, this book is the most like "classic" Claremont X-Men of the revamped line, and though it may not be as flashy or new as New X-Men and X-Force, it's a testament to what quality super-hero
comics can be.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review. |
