Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: Earn Your Wings: Part One
Written by: Tony Bedard
Art by: Mizuki Sakakibara
Colored by: JC
Lettered by: Dave Sharpe
Assistant Editors: Cory Sedlmeier & Stephanie Moore
Editor: Mike Marts
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Exiles is a title that has suffered through a veritable glut of product for most of the last year. There have been plenty of excellent issues from the likes of Judd Winick, Chuck Austen, and Jim Calafiore, but there have been some weak stories as well. A lot of the problem stems from the fact that the book’s been coming out twice a month for most of that time. Plus, since this was Winick’s baby, since he departed the series has lacked a consistent creative vision. That seems to be changing now that Tony Bedard’s on the book for what will hopefully be a long run.
Tony Bedard is probably a new name to many readers, but he’s a pro that’s worked in the industry for more than a decade. Bedard has been producing some outstanding work for CrossGen the last couple of years. While there’s more, two of his titles really stand out for me. Negation has consistently been one of the best books on the rack and his work on Route 666 has been top notch as well. Bedard may not be one of the “big names†in comics yet, but that seems about to change as he begins work on a much higher profile book.
Bedard settles in quickly with a well paced debut. A new writer often means a great jumping on point for new readers. Bedard proves his skills by not wasting this opportunity to grab newcomers. Following the fallout from last issues battle with Hyperion, The Exiles gain a new member this month…a female version of Namor, named…Namora. Through her introduction, Bedard is able to explain the concept of the book, essentially we’re talking mutants doing a Quantum Leap to different What If?-style realities and fixing things. Introducing a new character at the start of a writer’s run, or at a jumping on point, is a great plot contrivance that keeps things moving forward for regular readers, but also prevents any newbies from getting lost. Definitely a strong beginning!
Bedard also has done his homework with our regular cast of characters. Mimic, Blink, Nocturne, Morph, and Sasquatch appear in good hands. The only real problem I see with the story is that we’re back in the “real†Marvel Universe again. Being in the Marvel U does allow for Morph to unleash with a this great line, “America is now the most feared country in the world…And—No Joke—The Terminator got himself elected Governor of California. I hated the idea of the Exiles in the Marvel U the first time, and it’s really too soon to go here again.
Still, the story is well paced, and the team’s in for a load of trouble as Namora, much like Magik in recent stories, doesn’t want to do what’s good for the team. Namora is heading the Exiles into a clash with both the Fantastic Four and the Namor that we all know. Bedard has certainly set us up for some interesting moments as this arc plays out. It’s definitely not cool that we’re in the Marvel U, but the story is good one way or the other, and I won’t let that ruin things for me!
Artist Mizuki Sakakibara is another new face arriving on the scene this month. To say her debut is breathtaking would be an understatement! Sakakibara’s work fits the animated style that Mike McKone, Clayton Henry, and Jim Calafiore have brought to us over the course of the series run. The colors by JC are bright and vibrant. We’re talking an A+ look without a doubt!
All told, Tony Bedard and Mizuki Sakakibara have a fine debut on a book that has been searching for purpose for a while now. I nearly dropped this book a bunch of times, but I’m glad that I stuck around. This team should only get better as their time on the book moves forward. I definitely see great things in store for Exiles and their new creators. Mutant fan or not, you may want to give this a look!
