Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Uncanny X-Periment # 15: "MiXed Bag"

The Uncanny X-Men # 149-161; The Vision and Scarlet Witch # 6

What we have here is a mixed bag of X-Men stories. While some are pretty stong, others are weaker and barely hold my attention. Some of them are stand-alone or multi-part stories, so we'll be looking at them story-by-story.

Uncanny X-Men # 149-150 and The Vision and Scarlet Witch # 6 are pretty much the cream of the crop when it comes to what we have. 149 sets up the big Magneto story and has an appearance by Garrok. 150 is where Magneto launches a new attack on the governments of Earth, demanding they turn over the Earth to Mutantkind -- him, specifically. More and more layers of Magneto come undone as we are given insight to his motivations. By the time his plan is halted, Magneto is a changed man. This puts him on a quest and reunites him with Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch -- who (we find out) are really his children! This is a milestone moment in the X-Men's history, as it will be addressed for many years to come and sits upon a foundation established since the early X-Men issues.

151 and 152 give us a weak point. The Hellfire Club's attack on the X-Men is contrived. The Storm/Emma switcheroo is a little too silly for me. While Kitty and Storm both get some development, the story fails on many levels.

153 ("Kitty's Fairy Tale") is one that I was surprised by. While the story that Kitty tells is cute and fun, the reaction by the overhearing X-Men is the best. Their reactions make the story and turn it from what could be a dud into something heart-warming.

154-157 tosses us into a Shi'ar arc. Deathbird, the Brood, and some Shi'ar rebels kidnap Lilandra while the Starjammers are given the blame. This forces some emotional meetings, especially with Cyclops finding out that Corsair is his long-thought-dead Dad. His sheer reluctance and intial anger is well-done, making the out-of-this-world situation relatable. The story is a little flimsy, most especially the conclusion, but it's enjoyable nonetheless.

Xavier ends up in the coma. Again. Ugh.

158 features the X-Men battling Rogue. It's interesting, but too short. I'd rather see more of this than what comes after it . . .

159 features Dracula, seeking to make Storm his equal. The art is nice. The story is fluff.

160 has Illyanna (Colossus' sister) spent a bunch of years in Limbo with Belasco. Why? I'm not sure, but I know it leads to other stories that people like. That's a rant for another time, though.

161 book-ends the Magneto story by showing Xavier and Magneto working together when they were younger. This would later be expounded on, but it's such a key point in the X-Men mythology.

Claremont holds the ship called 'X-Men' together for another batch of issues. However, while we've got some hits (like the Magneto and Shi'ar stories), these are a little overshadowed by some of the lamer X-Men stories. The art is on par, though (at times) Kitty looks a bit inconsistent.

~W~

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