Emma Frost #14 Review

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Reviewer: James Hatton
Story title: “Mutie” Bloom – Part 2

Written by: Karl Bollers
Penciled by: Carlo Pagulayan
Inked by: Dennis Crisotomo
Colored by: Transparency Digital
Lettered by: Virtual Caligraphy’s Cory Petit
Editor: N/A
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Emma Frost is going to be coming to a close at the end of this arc. It’s sad really, as this book has so much potential for an audience that isn’t me. It really feels like an old style romance comic. Emma likes her old teacher, but her roommate does too, and it seems they may be getting together. What is poor Emma to do?

If you don’t believe me, go check out some of the old covers for titles like ‘Young Romance’ and ‘In Love’ and ‘Barely Legal’. At least TWO of those will show you exactly what I mean.

STORY!

We are starting to see some of the mutant hysteria start to hit the world, which is very intriguing to me, as this book had thrown in time anachronisms early on. Now, though, it seems that all is correct in timing, as Emma is wondering what a mutant is. Might she be one? How will this effect her life? Aren’t mutants people too?

It does quite a bit to show some of the INITIAL beliefs of mutants in the world. A time period that isn’t very much covered in X-verse comics. It’s just an assumed that mutants exist and people hate them. Only the last couple of years have we been given a belief that mutants are starting to out number people. So I give them high-fives for showing us that when Emma was just starting out, mutants were an arguable footnote in society.

That ties in together with the possible love triangle forming between Emma, her roommate, and her former student advisor. Emma just watches on sadly as he goes and starts seeing her roommate. She pines, but *sigh* ‘Maybe Their Love Was Not Meant To Be..’ It’s written better than those old love yarns too, but that doesn’t change the fact that it really is a throw back to romance pulp – and there isn’t enough of that in comics nowadays.

ART!

Greg Horn’s girlfriend is looking as fine as ever. This time, she’s dressed up like Emma Frost with little stars around her head, while she stares dreamily at her teacher. Another nod to romance stories, and for as much as it’s just another cover with Emma as the only focus, it does give a bit more story than these covers have in the past. I dig it.

On the inside, the art remains strong. Pagulayan & Crisostomo are a fine team for a simple book like this. Nothing stagnates, other than a bit of overuse in the ‘pink’ department. Emma’s stances and posturing didn’t seem contrived, and some of the ‘off-kilter’ angles were well used to keep the
reader moving.

OVERALL!

I wouldn’t suggest this book to everyone. It’s not for everyone, by far, and I do believe they are not preaching it to the right audience. It deserves to be packaged together with the same audience that will pick up Jubilee in a few months. It’s a book for girls who like boys who dig girls that are boys who dig boys who like girls who dig boys… I miss that song… either way, it’s a book for romantics.

The plot is a bit slow, but it doesn’t stop it from being an enjoyable read. It’s not as contrived as some other X-Character books (*cough*ROGUE*cough) and it sadly matters little in what I say – it’ll be gone before the new year.