Oct 21, 2009 > X-Men Legacy > #228

X-Men Legacy #228

Review by ohcaroline:

WRITER: Mike Carey
PENCILS: Daniel Acuna
COVER BY: Daniel Acuna

Price: $2.99

This review contains spoilers, click here to read

Mike Carey can write a hell of a good X-Men story when he's on his game, and this storyline is a great example. With the decompression in today's comics, a lot of times I'll read an issue that I think is a good character issue *or* a good action issue, but what really impresses me is writers who can do both at once.

Here, Carey has crafted an exciting story, complete with menacing villains and crazy science concepts. He also does a great job with established characters like Rogue and Cyclops, using their actions in a crisis to characterize them. On top of that, he introduces a couple of young mutants in a way that makes me feel like I already know them and want to learn more about them; I'm fascinated by the way Roxanne, a mutant kid I'd never heard of, deals with being kidnapped by a villain. She's treated badly but it never comes off as torture porn (I'm looking at you, 'X-Force'). The scenes aren't gratuitous, and the emphasis is on the resourceful way she tries to deal with the villain; it doesn't work for her, but still, she's written with the same respect that a major character would be.

And ooh, that villain. I don't know anything about Emplate, and at least for this issue, I don't feel like I need to. There's exactly enough in here to tell me that he has a bad history with the X-Men, and the rest of the story is devoted to showing what a creepy guy he is. (He has a sidekick named DOA who's some kind of gnome? And he doesn't have any other sidekicks because he's eaten them all? *shudders*)

This story started in an annual last month but it would be easy to pick up here. I'm sure there would be an extra thrill for old 'Generation X' fans who know what this whole Emplate thing is all about but, like I said, I didn't find it necessary. I think fans of Carey's writing who aren't necessarily X-fans would enjoy this as well. I also really enjoy Daniel Acuna's art, which doesn't quite look like anything else out there. It's computer-generated, I think, and not all of the individual panels work -- especially faces -- but it's a great look for the kind of supernatural story that he and Carey are telling here. (Also, Cyclops wears combat boots. With lots of laces <3) I'm really looking forward to the next issue (at least until it blends into some incomprehensible crossover, or until Gambit shows up, but what can you do?)

One last point I want to mention is Dr. Nemesis. This character was brought into the X-fold by Matt Fraction. He's a bad-tempered scientist who's apparently immortal, wears a ridiculous (I mean, awesome) white suit and hat at all times, and has a personality that is reportedly based on Warren Ellis. Recently, Jeff Parker started using the character in his excellent X-Men vs. Agents of Atlas crossover, and Carey picks him up here. Basically, I just want to note that writers LOVE using this character, and with good reason. He's a ton of fun, a good antidote to the earnestness that can infect the X-books, and I hope he sticks around for a good long while.

Story: 5 - Excellent Art: 4 - Very Good

241

pulls

Avg Rating: 3.4

Users who pulled this comic:

TheGrumpyHatter TheGrunger dusman7 BarbarianKing danyst ChrisB toddkelley thekendon bobdoad Revalk

Users who reviewed this comic:

ohcaroline

Comments

I completely agree on all counts. I never read Gen X, I loathed that era of comics, and I still love what Carey is doing with these characters! Also, Dr. Nemesis is always, always awesome.

Posted by sigridellis1 on 10/22/09 at 09:35 AM

This is really my ideal way to use backstory -- use villains and concepts that already exist, but do it in a way to make it relevant within the present story.

Posted by ohcaroline on 10/22/09 at 09:41 AM

I'm really loving Acuna's art, especially all the scenes in Emplate's world. His style really accentuates the weird environment there. It reminds me of reading an issue of Heavy Metal.

And you only made it a quarter of the way through the review before the X-Force bashing. Come on, you're better than that! :)

Posted by comicBOOKchris on 10/22/09 at 09:47 AM

From now on all my reviews will start with, "As you know, X-Force sucks. This book, however,. . ."

Better?

Posted by ohcaroline on 10/22/09 at 09:48 AM

I just think it would've carried more weight if Emplate kidnapped someone we know about. I'm all for retracting the usable characters in the X-Universe, Fraction and (lately) Carey seem to be all about rapid expansion

Posted by cutty on 10/22/09 at 03:58 PM

Great review by the way. I like the piece about writers being able to split up an issue between decompression and action

Posted by cutty on 10/22/09 at 04:04 PM

It's possible they could have used one of the better established kids just as effectively, but I don't know anything about the kids anyway so it makes no difference to me. And the kids are going to be part of this book, which I think is important because that's a part of the story that needs to be told.

Posted by ohcaroline on 10/22/09 at 04:45 PM

I just wish New X-Men was still around to tell that story. Kyle and Yost were crushing that book over its last year

Posted by cutty on 10/22/09 at 07:06 PM

@sig: Actually, this story reminds me a LOT of the old Generation X stuff, so if you like this so much maybe you shouldn't be so prejudiced against that old stuff.

Not that I was a HUGE fan of Gen X. Not that I was a HUGE fan of this issue, but it was decent and cool enough to make me stick around for another issue.

If this series turns into Gambit and Rogue's "relationship" going nowhere fast, though, I'm out.

And I hope Rogue leaves Utopia soon. I'm tired of Cyclops all the time.

Posted by flapjaxx on 10/22/09 at 09:03 PM

@cutty Kyle and Yost decided they'd rather go to a book where they could torture teenage girls with chainsaws. Go team.

Posted by ohcaroline on 10/23/09 at 03:41 PM

Apparently I'm reading the wrong x-book s and should be reading this and X-Factor instead.

Posted by JesTr on 10/23/09 at 04:47 PM

@ ohcaroline - yet a book where a teenage girl is having her arm eaten is all good? I hear you, sometimes X-Force is way too violent, but there's been a very good story in that book....at times

Posted by cutty on 10/24/09 at 02:49 PM

@cutty - There's a whole paragraph in my review (which is on the top of this page) addressing that issue.

Posted by ohcaroline on 10/25/09 at 10:15 PM

This was the issue that convinced me to drop this title, 'cause I don't care anymore. I like that Carey has fixed Rogue, but I got zero interest in this story...unless it ends with X-Force slaughtering Emplate. :)

Posted by Diabhol on 10/27/09 at 10:56 PM

If you have not read Gen-X, I would not strongly recommend doing so for background on Emplate. The Emplate/Monet backstory is a total cluster*&$# of strained, convoluted nonsense. I liked Emplate here with minimal reference to all that. He seemed both genuinely terrifying and tragic.

However if Monet shows up in this storyline, then I would run. Run!

Posted by JimBilly4 on 11/10/09 at 06:46 PM