I've generally been an enormous fan of New X-Men, but some rushed art, a flawed central idea and a somewhat repetitive bad guy made the "Weapon XII" story the first one that has really disappointed me in Morrison's run. There's still plenty to like, as the sheer lunatic flow of ideas and sense of style that Morrison brings to the books is always worth a look. Unfortunately, the last couple issues have started to look a little less shiny and new, as they must compare not with the weak X-Men stories of the past ten years, but rather with the level of excitement and interest that Morrison has brought to the book.
It has become clear that Morrison likes the idea of all-powerful villains who seem unbeatable, as he has used them numerous times in JLA and New X-Men. Unfortunately, while it's good to challenge the heroes, when it becomes clear that they will always defeat the unbeatable villain, making them out to be so powerful just becomes more silly than impressive. It doesn't help that Weapon XII's viral consciousness seemed too similar to Cassandra Nova's bodiless thought infection, or that the way Weapon XII is defeated feels a bit deus ex machina, more intended to show off Morrison's new creation than allow the X-Men to act.
Actually, while I like Fantomex, and found the revelation of his origin to be surprising and clever, I can also see his uber-competence growing old fast. His ties to a story concept that I just don't like don't help; I find the idea that Weapon X was actually a ten and not an X to be somewhat ridiculous, a needless retcon that seems small but actually makes significant changes on the history of these characters for too little payoff.
Igor Kordey's work is up and down on New X-Men, and this is one of the down issues. The characters all look a little more sketchy and oddly proportioned than they should, and it wouldn't stick out as much if I couldn't compare it to the work Kordey has done on other issues of New X-Men or Soldier X and see how much more he's capable of. Which isn't to say the artwork doesn't have its moments, as Fantomex's acrobatic gunplay is impressive to watch, and Kordey does convey a crowded subway tunnel fight without confusing the reader in his layouts.
While this is a good action-packed issue, and a solid read for those who haven't been following the title all along, it may disappoint fans who have been following the book for a while. It doesn't live up to the title of "New" as well as it had been, and the inconsistent art continues to hurt the book.
