Week of 8/20/2014
In which Deadpool is definitely not an X-Man, and we persist in the face of mic issues. (They’re pretty much limited to the All-New X-Factor #12 bit, FWIW. Thanks for bearing with us).
Reviewed:
- All-New X-Factor #12
- Storm #2*
- Magneto #8
- Savage Wolverine #22
- Wolverine Annual #1
*Pick of the week
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I was actually surprised how many comics you had to do this week, because I tend to forget that even though I’m now reading (I think) eight X-books, I’m still not reading all of them. So I only bought Storm and Magneto this week, for example. And I haven’t actually read Magneto yet, because as you say, it’s not actually as exciting as it seems like it ought to be.
I’m SO with you on Storm, though. I was thrilled to see Callisto too, especially since I don’t know that she’s appeared in the last couple of years since I returned to X-comics, and I was pleasantly surprised to find her exactly as I remembered her (except maybe drawn a little MORE butch, which is a plus).
Didn’t I hear she had tentacles at one point? You know what, I probably don’t want to know.
I agree that this is my favorite post-Claremont characterization of Storm, and this issue was probably the first time I felt fully on board with her and Wolverine’s current relationship.
The first issue was good, but it left me wondering what the series to come would be like. This issue was 100% perfect, and I’m definitely on the solo-Storm train now.
Callisto did indeed have tentacles for a while. It was in a story called “Storm: The Arena”; it’s been years since I read it, but I recall being soundly underwhelmed.
And agreed re: Wolverine and Storm. I’ve liked it as an alternate-universe / incidental thing when it’s come up before, but this is the first time it’s felt really well thought out. That ship is seaworthy, as it were.
STORM was pretty great this week, and I was pleasantly surprised by X-FACTOR. The press conference callback to David’s original run was nice, and as Quicksilver is one of my favourite characters, it’s always nice to see him get some development and not be just a jerk. Don’t get me wrong, being a jerk is part of Quicksilver’s charm — and I really want a comic that’s just him, Northstar, Namor, and Sunfire hanging out, being jerks together — but it’s cool when he gets to be a person too.
Back to STORM for a moment, what happened to Storm and Nightcrawler hooking up in AMAZING X-MEN? Is that being forgotten? Is Storm poly, and Wolverine and Nightcrawler are cool with it? That would be kinda cool, but I’d be surprised if Marvel went for it.
So, when you think about Magneto and Wolverine over the years, it’s sort of weird that Wolverine’s violence has often been framed as righteous (if not moral), while Magneto’s is always illustrated as ill-considered or in opposition to the X-Teams. Both use anger and violence as an answer to anti-mutant hate crimes, but because Magneto is coded as a villain, it’s “wrong” when he does it.
So, it’s really refreshing to read a series where that coding gets all turned around, and we can sort of root (however squeamishly) for Magneto’s righteous, rage-fueled violence. That’s what I find so effective about the series so far – it’s finally framing Magneto as a “good guy with bad methods,” rather than a “bad guy because of his methods.”
In addition, Cullen Bunn does a great job of not writing for the trade, and making each issue a self-contained story. The “slow burn” aspect only gets to me when I feel like I’m reading half a story per issue. Here, each issue finishes making its point about who Magneto is and what motivates him. So, in contrast to you guys I’ve actually really enjoyed the pacing, even if the “plot” is nominally moving very slowly.