Written by: Various
Art by: Various
And now for the time honored tradition of setting up a new status quo….an ensemble book! I’m not complaining though, as I personally don’t mind the style. Though the execution usually leaves much to be desired. This one…..this one has its moments.
Starring,
Iceman by Mike Carey and Michael Ryan
The Iceman tale is a fun one. It opens with him reconnecting and living with an old girlfriend, and his powers are messing with him. He’s retired and trying his best to not use his abilities in the wake of Messiah Complex, and he takes a trip to see Beast. There’s a very obvious plot twist, but that doesn’t make the story any less enjoyable.
It’s also very nice to see Michael Ryan again! After all that time doing those few issues of Runaways with Whedon, I’d almost forgotten what his art looked like handling anything else. Great job, as per the norm.
Boom Boom by James Asmus and Chris Burnham
Fun little story as Tabby is reinserted into mainstream X continuity after Nextwave (which, by the way, Beast hasn’t heard of). She goes shopping, she picks a code name, she fights a super villain and screws up. And then she has a talk with Beast and winds up using some comic booky MySpace knockoff to find her bad guy and save the day!
The art reminds me a bit of Scott Kollins, but it feels like it’s missing something. I enjoyed that part far more then I was execting, and Burnham definitely has some talent. Though he draws odd shaped faces.
Karma by C.B. Cebulski and David Yardin
This was my favorite story of the bunch, of course, I could easily just be biased since Xi’an has always been a character I’ve liked. The theme of this story is control, which is fitting since her power is just that. We’re given a look inside of Xi’an’s head, mainly a recap of her origin, but along with that we’re given her own perspective on the entirety of it. The need to be in control all the time that she possesses is made apparent, and doesn’t come across as forced in the least bit. The issue hits the emotional tearjerker when the topic comes to Kitty though, as her young siblings spend several panels cheering for Kitty and how bad they want to see her. Xi’an has a breakdown, and she loses control, which leads to a nice little ending on this short story.
The art is…..it’s not bad, but Xi’an does spend most of the issue either looking like she’s fifty or like some sort of ape. The backgrounds are incredibly bland as well, and it makes the segment feel rushed. Not a huge fan of that. Hopefully if they come back to her in a later issue they can find someone with smoother pencils.
Overall, the book is a nice little read, though by no means is it a must have.
6/10
