Thursday, February 14, 2013

Uncanny X-Men #1

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Chris Bachalo

The third volume of Uncanny X-Men takes off on the verge of The New Revolution with Cyclops as its Che Guevara, and the whole world as the battlefield. The story quickly defines the status quo and the main players, making it accessible to anyone who has not followed recent events. The addition of Maria Hill to the cast is an interesting choice, because she represents the other side of a conflict where it is not easy to tell who the bad guy is. One thing we learn from the get-go, however, is the face of betrayal. Promoting the book with the tag line "One of these X-Men is a traitor," Bendis does not beat around the bushes, and makes his revelation upfront, instead of dragging the mystery that once resolved would have had half the readership loving it and the other half hating it. With that element of the plot out of the way, he can focus on the traitor's mission, and for once, fans will walk that road as accomplices. Good start.

The Sentinels are back. Art by Chris Bachalo

2 comments:

  1. Great first issue. Not an Xmen fan, but "plesantly surprised" is a gross understatement of my reaction to this book. Not on my pull list yet, but that may still change.

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  2. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I was surprised myself when I realized I actually liked it.

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