REVIEW
X-MEN 204
Writer: Mike Carey
Artist: Mike Choi
Colorist: Sonia Oback
Company: Marvel
When one sees the word “Epilogue” attached to an issue, one tends to think: “Oh, just some clean-up, and talky stuff.” Well, there is quite a bit of that here (especially from Iceman – I think he gets more dialogue here than he did in his first 40 issues). But, there’s also a definite “something really big is coming” vibe through the whole book. Plus, Beast’s sub-plot storyline “Endangered Species” wraps up in an extremely satisfactory manner. What else can one ask for?
One of the problems with the X-books is that these characters have been around for so long, and seen so much, that it becomes difficult to believe that they are capable of any more strong emotional reactions. So, the fact that Sam is “near-death”, again (hey, wasn’t this guy immortal about fifteen years ago?), has less of an impact for a long-time reader than one might hope. And seeing Bobby start to flip out because Scott is hiding his true emotional state — again — also has less visceral feelings to it, simply because of the “Yup, this again” feeling.
But that’s hardly the fault of this creative team – they work with what they have. And, considering the events of the past year or two (from the Decimation on), it’s not difficult to believe that even the X-Men that have been around since the beginning have now found themselves near the end of their emotional rope.
It took my eye a few minutes to get used to the pencil style of Mike Choi, but now I am very much digging the almost “painted” feel of his panels. This is a strong ending to two stressful storylines (just don’t be looking for a ton of action here), and the appearance of the character I’ve been wanting to see since Beast started on his “Endangered Species” quest is a definite bonus.
Rating: 6 out of 10
