Writer: Mike Carey
Artists: Scott Eaton, John Dell & Billy Tan
Publisher: Marvel Comics
I think it is only fair to admit to two personal preconceptions on X-Men: Legacy before we go any further:
1) As far as I am concerned Mike Carey has, in only a short period of time, proved himself to be one of the finest X-Men writers; he seems to just have an instinctive feel not only for how these characters should act, but more importantly on a team book such as this, how they should interact; not only that, he also has a deep knowledge and respect for the 50+ years of continuity that has been so integral to the development of these characters and the X-Universe as a whole.
2) Despite the above, I must admit to not being all that convinced by the premise for X-Men: Legacy, the new moniker reflecting a change in the status quo of all X-titles following the events of the Messiah CompleX crossover. While delighted that Mike was given the opportunity to continue writing X-Men adventures in the post-M-CX shake-up, I couldn’t quite get my head around the concept of what is essentially a Professor Xavier solo book – especially one where he is in a coma having just been shot in the head, and experiencing flashbacks about his past and that of his dream, the establishment of the X-Men in uniting the mutant and human races. Besides the fact that Xavier has been marginalised as a central character in recent years, it just didn’t feel that strong of a concept to drive the book forward.
But just because I don’t understand, it doesn’t mean that it won’t be any good. And really, I needn’t have been concerned.
Having read # 209, the second part of this arc, I’m still not 100% sure of the direction this is taking, but a few surprises never hurt anyone. Is this going to continue to be a nostalgic and historic look at Xavier’s development of the X-Men? Or is this just the starting point, with a whole new dynamic emerging to take this book, Xavier, and the X-Men into a new era?
Well, to start with, Carey focuses on his greatest strength as a writer, simply nailing every character interaction between the diverse and eclectic group of individuals that comprise the current cast of this book; I don’t think I have ever read the complex love-hate relationship between Xavier and Magneto captured so naturally, so effortlessly, and so succinctly. And talk of a diverse group of people – Xavier’s life is in the hands of ex-Acolytes, Marauders and X-Men, led by Magneto’s former disciple, Exodus. Having failed to resuscitate Xavier, the now de-powered Magneto is brought back by Exodus to assist with the revival of his old friend. Just as they are starting to get somewhere, the rifts in the camp all too obviously rise to the surface, leading to threats, a fight, and a build-up to what could well be a major showdown in #210. What effect will this all have on Xavier’s fight for survival?
The pacing in this issue is also excellent, and perhaps more balanced than that of the previous, more introductory first part. This is certainly not an all-0action book, but that was never the intention anyway (for the record, Carey writes excellent action sequences too, as evidenced by previous arcs such as Blinded By The Light and Messiah CompleX, but this is a different sort of animal).
Scott Eaton continues to handle the majority of the art on this book, though as with #208 a different artist handles the ‘flashback’ or ‘mindscape’ scenes; Billy Tan takes over in this issue from industry legend John Romita Jnr. As with the previous issue, the transition is handled seamlessly, although perhaps Tan’s artwork is a little too similar to Eaton’s to create the effect that worked so well in #208; having said that, Tan’s figures do have a certain dynamic quality to them which mirrors some of the earlier Jim Lee / Whilce Portacio work on the X-titles in the early 1990s, and if the editors have gone for a rather nostalgic feel from veteran X-artists on these sequences, then I think Tan’s work has the desired effect. Eaton’s art and storytelling is clear, but less striking than Romita’s or Tan’s; don’t get me wrong, I think Eaton has a lot to offer this book, especially one that is more character than action-driven, but at times it feels like he is playing it a little on the safe side.
Only time will tell if this story is really necessary and has an integral place in the new status quo of X-titles in the ‘Divided We Stand’ era and beyond; besides dealing with the future of the X-Men’s spiritual leader, that isn’t yet clear. I don’t think any other writer could have taken such a concept and run with it the way Carey is currently doing. I can’t help thinking that this shouldn’t work, but it does – this is a true master-class in character-driven come book writing.
Rating: 8/10
