Before there was the messy editorial fiasco that saw Mark Waid leaving Fantastic Four, there was the quieter but just as unfortunate Gail Simone and Udon Studios leaving Agent X. Fortunately, circumstances have arisen so that Simone and Udon are able to come back and finish off the book, providing a nice sense of closure for those fans who enjoyed their take on the book and conveniently relaunching the lead character (sort of) for a new Cable/Deadpool series. Even those who skipped the Dorkin and Scalera issues will have no trouble getting back into the swing of things with this issue, which is both accessible and every bit as funny and engaging as I remember.
Besides being a vehicle for wacky slapstick, Agent X was always a book about identity and questioning what you believe, and Simone picks right up with those themes in this issue. Leaving aside the parallels between Black Swan and Alex Hayden, and the reappearance of Deadpool that calls the true identity of Alex into question, the story is all about the uneasy relationships between Alex, Taskmaster, Sandi and Higashi. Alex's screwed-up mental state has made it hard for him to have friendships or relationships, especially since most of his friends and/or lovers have also been a few sandwiches short of a picnic, and there's all kinds of delightful character interplay in this issue.
There are also deadly assassins on motorbikes wearing cute kitty and bunny helmets and speaking in a weird Japanese/pidgin English, which is either a metaphor for how the manga market might be killing the super-hero market in bookstores or just a funny idea executed well by Alvin Lee and the rest of Udon. Upon reflection, I think it's more the latter. At any rate, there's some terrific and funny action this issue as Alex hangs out of a limo, Taskmaster tries to drive and shoot, and cute but deadly assassins perform motorcycle stunts around them. It has a manic energy and sweet charm that just works.
Simone's dialogue was always one of the selling points of Agent X, and that's still true. Alex doesn't really hold much back, and expresses even the weirdest thoughts out loud (the "smell novels for dogs" bit is hilarious), and his inner monologue and "what has gone before" page journals are always worth a laugh as well. This isn't just a funny book, however... there's a bit of darkness and real emotion in Alex's feelings for Sandi, and the cliffhanger ending reminds us that while Alex's mayhem may be entertaining to watch, he's still an unpredictable killer at the end of the day.
There's no doubt that Agent X sort of got the short end of the stick, suffering from low sales throughout its run and having creative difficulties that tanked most of the buzz around the book. However, fans of the book will be happy to know that Simone and Udon are in top form in this issue, and their final story arc should be a lot of fun to read. With any luck, we'll see a trade paperback collection of all of the Simone/Udon work on Deadpool and Agent X when all is said and done.
