Agent X is a lot of fun, with hilarious dialogue and very strong action storytelling, and I continue to be impressed at how Simone is making the book accessible to the casual reader. There are continuing plot threads, running jokes and a slow-building mystery about Alex Hayden's identity, but the stories are easy to read and enjoy on an issue-by-issue basis. And Udon Studios continues to provide some of the best action storytelling in the business.
Deadpool had a tendency to get overly talky, and his banter would sometimes get to the point of being annoying and nonsensical rather than amusing. Simone has nailed his speech pattern, however, combining attention deficit disorder and a bizarre sense of humor into a nonstop flow of witty banter and off-color jokes, even in the face of impending doom. She's infused the book with a sense of wackiness, whether it's Hayden's insane happiness about owning an amusement park or the strangeness of seeing him ride a hot dog cart into battle, but at the same time, she hasn't made it a gag book. There's a plot underlying the jokes, as a neophyte mercenary and a neophyte crime lord, both of whom have identity issues, are pitted against each other.
I also love the characterization and supporting cast that Simone has introduced into the book. Leaving aside an interesting villain, I find the romance/flirtation between Outlaw and Alex to be a terrific character-building exercise, and Sandi continues to serve as the sane core of the book. In addition, each issue seems to introduce a solid plot of its own, and this issue includes two, a mysterious girl no one can see and a group of ambitious but not terribly bright jewel thieves. The former plot leaves me scratching my head at some points, as I tried to figure out whether she's invisible or intangible or some odd combination of both, but I suspect we'll learn more in the next issue when that part of the story continues.
The artwork this issue has all the strengths of the past few issues and very little of the weaknesses. It helps that Udon isn't asked to work in their weakest area, depicting scars and blood and ugliness, and that they are instead allowed to focus on the action. The chase sequence at the end is fantastic, and the establishing shot of the amusement park gives a great sense of the fun that Hayden sees as well as the dilapidation that everyone else sees. And the comedic timing, from a webbed-up cat to an assault by ketchup, are carried off very well by the art team.
There are still times when I feel like Agent X is babbling rather than bantering, such as the last few moments of his ride on the hot dog cart, and it seems like the mystery of his identity is either being ignored or moving along way too slowly, but the overall sense of this book is one of fun at breakneck speeds. It's difficult enough to do a funny book, but to create a book that is both funny and makes you care about the characters is very impressive, and Simone and Udon have a lot to be proud of in Agent X.
