So I figured I might as well do a ten thoughts on the event as a whole, and I mean, I had the ideas, so why not?
- One thing Marvel does tend to get right is X-crossovers the past few years, and I feel a large part of that is that they structure them like old school 90’s ones. That is that all of the books work in tandem to the point where you sometimes don’t even realize which title you’re reading. It maintains the flow between the issues without having harsh jumps that pull you out of what you’re reading. Especially handy when reading all at once or in a trade. The event as a whole feels like it was written by everyone on committee, and not everybody just writing out their parts. It does a lot for the series.
- It was nice to see Bastion get his due, as I’ve been a fan of the villain since he first debuted during Zero Tolerance. He’s the sort of big gun mutant killer that you can pop in every so often and provide a big, credible, and most importantly deadly threat. He exists to kill mutants and he is great at his job, and the writers did a great job of keeping him dangerous.
- The early elimination of the teleporters was one of the smartest moves I have quite possibly ever seen an X-villain use. Seriously, I had no idea just how many they had, and upon realizing it I noticed just how big of a crutch it is. Taking them out added drama to the story that helped carry the pre-Utopia part of the story.
- For the most part the entire event felt like a culmination of everything that has been going on in the X books since Craig Kyle and Chris Yost launched X-Force. That isn’t to say Brubaker’s Uncanny, or even Carey’s X-Men/Legacy that was running at the time. Just X-Force. Bastion and his minions were introduced in their first arc, and they were the X title that actually met a young Hope in the future. Second Coming is the fallout of their X-Force run, and Wolverine acknowledges it on a few occasions by pointing out how they could have stopped things but they weren’t fast or good enough.
- The red sphere was really cool at first and then it went on a little bit too long. By the end I was just waiting for it to go away, even though I did understand and respect why it was there. It was a nice nod on the part of the X-writers to show the Avengers and Fantastic Four trying to get and help out, and it was even better that they kept failing. In one move it made the X-Men feel important in the greater universe by having them recognized by the “A-List” heroes as in need of help, and then it showed that they can hold their own without assistance. It was a great way to lead them into the Heroic Age.
- The Blind Science one shot was so awesome I can’t put it into words. It seemed like it would be the ultimate fill-in issue, filling in a gap that you already knew the end of, but it was one of the most fun one shots I’ve read in a while. Very original.
- The event as a hole featured a lot of injuries and quite a few deaths, and while most of them are forgettable, there are a few worth noting. Like Nightcrawler being killed by Bastion, a death everyone saw coming from the teaser pages, but that did more then serve its purpose. It left you devastated along with the X-Men, and it left them demoralized as they had just lost one of the best of their own. Cable’s death was another one many had seen coming, though the way in which he died was befitting of the character. He died saving everyone, completing his mission, protecting Hope. There wasn’t a lot left for the character after that, so his death may have been a mercy killing.
- The art as a whole was great. Mike Choi deserves more regular penciling jobs on X-titles, and I was keen to notice that he was given both big name deaths to draw…..and this guy could make a living just drawing awesome death scenes, seriously, he’s awesome. Terry Dodson remains a great fit for Uncanny X-Men and did a great job in crossover mode without missing deadlines or letting his work slip because of it, not to mention his style worked great for the action. I can’t pretend that I knew who Ibraim Roberson was before Second Coming, but his art won me over with New Mutants and he’s a benefit to the title. And then there’s Greg Land….moving on.
- The brand new tomorrow for the X-teams coming out of Second Coming, as they enter the Heroic Age with the rest of Marvel, is one that I can’t wait for. Second Coming feels like the same kind of shot in the arm that Messiah Complex gave the books a few years ago, shaking up the status quo and making things exciting.
- Rating: 8.5/10 If not for things dragging on inside the red bubble this would have gotten a nine. It’s the perfect example of what a crossover should be when done between monthly titles, and it was exciting from start to finish. There are a lot of changes being made to the X-titles coming out of it and a lot of characters in new and interesting positions. Not to mention that Hope finally manifested her powers….that reminds me.
- Second Coming was Hope’s journey, to be completely honest. It started with her arrival back in the present, and it ended with her stopping Bastion and saving all of the mutants. Those of us who had read Cable had a chance to watch her grow, but I don’t think anybody knew what to expect once she manifested her powers….well, no, a lot of people expected the Phoenix and her to be Jean. She’s on her way to becoming a compelling character who could be one of the faces of the X-Men titles, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they have in store for her next.
