Comic Books

> > 496
UNCANNY X-MEN #496


Price: $2.99
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 26.1%

Reviews

UserAddedSpoilers
zattaric03/05/08NoRead Review
298
Pulls
Avg Rating: 3.8
 
Users who pulled this comic:
 

Comments

  1. Avatar photo ohcaroline says:
    March 3, 2008 at 10:39 pm

    Every time I read the issue description, I feel like Brubaker is slipping his lunch money to Matt Fraction so he’ll write it while Ed adds more pages to Criminal.

  2. Avatar photo mistersizzle says:
    March 4, 2008 at 9:38 am

    This and Astonishing are the last X books I’m still picking up.  I just hope Brubaker maintains the quality or this one is getting dumped as well. 

  3. Balefuego says:
    March 4, 2008 at 10:21 am

    I, on the other hand am picking up every X-book not written by Claremont’s corpse. I think this is a great time to be an X-fan

  4. Avatar photo ohcaroline says:
    March 4, 2008 at 1:12 pm

    I am trying to like this book.  I like Brubaker, I like the characters involved.  The art is decent, if not my very favorite.

    But I keep reading it and going "Yes, and –?"  I thought the first issue of "Legacy" ran laps around anything Brubaker has done on this title.  And Astonishing and First Class both beat it in terms of characterization.  I don’t actively dislike it, and I’m going to keep reading it because of the characters.  I’m just waiting for it to knock my socks off.

    If anybody who is digging this book can tell me why, please do, because I want to be impressed. 

     

  5. Balefuego says:
    March 4, 2008 at 2:14 pm

    Well we are only one issue into the new status quo, so it’s not like we have a lot to go on so far. But this is what I liked a lot about the previous issue:

     A great portrayal of the Emma/Scott relationship, Cyclops has become a favorite of mine recently and Brubaker reallys seems to get what I find so appealing about him. His interaction with Emma in this issue (and the peeks of what she sees inside his head) I loved.

    The characterization/interaction of Logan/Kurt/Pete I also felt was spot in. It really seemed like 3 guys who’d basically seen everything together.

     And although it hasn’t really started yet.. the trippy 60s thing just seems like a whole lot of fun, I have no idea what Bru’s gonna do with it but I’m sure I’ll get a kick out of it.

     

    Really though, I think this is kind of just a laid back transitional story before we start leading into whatever’s going down in Uncanny #500.

  6. Avatar photo nroa says:
    March 4, 2008 at 6:26 pm

    @ Balefuego "Really though, I think this is kind of just a laid back transitional story before we start leading into whatever’s going down in Uncanny #500."

    Agreed.  At which point I will decide whether this book is worth collecting anymore or not. 

  7. Avatar photo ohcaroline says:
    March 4, 2008 at 6:36 pm

    @balefuego His interaction with Emma in this issue (and the peeks of what she sees inside his head) I loved.

    See, I read the first few pages, and I was impressed.  I liked the design of the dream scenes, and then I read the Scott/Emma scene and thought, "Huh, so he’s going with ‘Emma is so psychotically overinvested in Scott that she’s stalking his dreams, and can’t stand for him to think about his dead wife even in a totally nonsexual context’ — interesting choice."  Then I read the rest of the issue, and it made me think I was supposed to see their relationship as functional and kind of cute, and then I was really disturbed.  

    *cough* so maybe I’m a little biased *glances at userpic*

    Anyway, that issue aside, I’m still not feeling Bru on this book, but I keep hoping he’ll convert me. 

  8. shogunt says:
    March 5, 2008 at 12:18 pm

    I don’t mind the X-men going off on a "vacation", it just seems like an odd time. The X-men don’t seem to be the least bit concerned about who the parents of the baby are, which you’d think they’d be curious about. Instead it’s time to go hang out in the Savage Land.  Weird timing is all. Maybe they’re all Skrulls.

  9. Avatar photo Jeremii says:
    March 5, 2008 at 4:06 pm

    I’m surprised nobody has mentioned that this book completely spoiled the end of Astonishing. Not that the ending isn’t predicable, considering Whedon, but I’m still kinda ticked at the editorial oversight.

     Good book otherwise.

  10. Avatar photo zattaric says:
    March 5, 2008 at 4:12 pm

    Jeremi, are you talking about the Kitty thing?  I thought that maybe I missing the last Astonishing issue or something.  Man, that really sucks

  11. Avatar photo Jeremii says:
    March 5, 2008 at 4:25 pm

    Yeah, that’s what I was talking about. I guess we should place more blame on Cassady than Brubaker, though. Astonishing would have finished like two years ago if he could do a monthly book. But I forgive him because his art is so nice.

     <Pines for April>

  12. Balefuego says:
    March 5, 2008 at 9:34 pm

    Yeah, they could only hold it back for so long.. if they wait longer to have Pete react to it, then it just dosen’t true.

     Loved this issue.. again, I really enjoy Scott and Emma together. Plus I have a guess as to who this "Goddess" may be and if I’m right.. hoo boy. 

  13. Avatar photo Josue says:
    March 6, 2008 at 4:06 am

    And the "D’OH!" award of the week goes to …this issue re:Kitty.  Yikes. Guess we know how AXM ends, eh? I suppose you guys are right and it couldn’t be avoided, but it would have been nice not to know that was coming.

    That said – not a bad little issue. Not great, but not bad.  Enough to keep me plugged in to UXM for a few more issues.

  14. English says:
    March 6, 2008 at 1:52 pm

    I enjoyed the character development of Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine. I think the kitty moment could not be helped by Brubaker he’s trying to tell his story and shouldn’t have his book held up b/c other writers cant get their stuff in on time. But in all likelihood she will be back and who know maybe with a kid. I feel like the whole San Francisco stuff is pointless I mean you see a celestial and just say oh don’t worry about that we have to go deal with hippies.

  15. flapjaxx says:
    March 6, 2008 at 4:51 pm

    This issue wasn’t that bad. Uncanny has been saved from my chopping block for another issue. I felt the art on this series is much more interesting and consistent than it was during Messiah Complex and in the issues of Brubaker’s run preceding that (I only read a few of those and would have read more were it not for the art). Brubaker himself also seems to have found his voice for the series. It isn’t a strong voice, and it sounds somewhat like a Claremont impersonation, but I do like it, for now.

    I REALLY wish they would have kept that Kitty thing under wraps. I mean, she wasn’t around for Messiah Complex either, and no one mentioned her then, so why have the boys fly to Russia just so her name can be worked into conversation now? We still don’t know exactly what happened, though… It is very reasonable for Brubaker to have them mention her absence, but coming from someone who doesn’t care about continuity or the mainstream titles nearly as much as I have Astonishing, if I were editor I would have rejected those lines of dialogue.

  16. Avatar photo ohcaroline says:
    March 6, 2008 at 10:21 pm

    I actually ended up enjoying this; it’s not especially deep, but it’s fun enough.

    And honestly, we don’t know any more about Kitty than we did before this issue.  Peter "lost" her, but I thought the other guys were acting more like they were consoling a friend on a breakup than on the death of his lover.  Now, Newsarama may have spoiled this (i don’t know, I haven’t looked) but the issue didn’t.   I think it woudl be a lot more incongruous not to mention her at all.

  17. southbymidwest says:
    March 7, 2008 at 1:10 am

    Yeah, not mentioning Kitty at all bugged the fuck out of me during Messiah Complex. I feel like she must not be dead, just off in space for some reason, specifically sacrificing herself because of Colossus’s role in whatever happens in Astonishing. If she was dead, Colossus would be in WAY worse shape then he is here (they all would).

  18. Avatar photo theswordisdrawn says:
    March 7, 2008 at 1:21 pm

    A strong issue, IMO. You see, these are the kind of issues I’ve missed from the core X-Men Books. Multiple plots flowing at the same time, X-Men going off in smaller groups for other tasks or travelling, that’s what Uncanny used to offer. When Brubaker took over Uncanny he made a big thing about how he wanted the book to regain the feel he knew from the 70s/80s Claremont period, but with some more modern sensibilities. And to be honest, up until now it hasn’t really had that. But the last two issue have been spot on. Long may it continue.

  19. Avatar photo theswordisdrawn says:
    March 7, 2008 at 1:21 pm

    A strong issue, IMO. You see, these are the kind of issues I’ve missed from the core X-Men Books. Multiple plots flowing at the same time, X-Men going off in smaller groups for other tasks or travelling, that’s what Uncanny used to offer. When Brubaker took over Uncanny he made a big thing about how he wanted the book to regain the feel he knew from the 70s/80s Claremont period, but with some more modern sensibilities. And to be honest, up until now it hasn’t really had that. But the last two issue have been spot on. Long may it continue.

  20. Avatar photo theswordisdrawn says:
    March 7, 2008 at 1:21 pm

    A strong issue, IMO. You see, these are the kind of issues I’ve missed from the core X-Men Books. Multiple plots flowing at the same time, X-Men going off in smaller groups for other tasks or travelling, that’s what Uncanny used to offer. When Brubaker took over Uncanny he made a big thing about how he wanted the book to regain the feel he knew from the 70s/80s Claremont period, but with some more modern sensibilities. And to be honest, up until now it hasn’t really had that. But the last two issue have been spot on. Long may it continue.

  21. Avatar photo ohcaroline says:
    March 7, 2008 at 4:19 pm

    @theswordisdrawn —

    I buy that, to an extent; the difference b/t Brubaker and 80s Claremont, though, is that Claremont always had so much happening in every issue, while Brubaker is one of the kings of decompression.  Now you could argue Claremont’s stuff is too cluttered (too expositiony, anyway; I laughed out loud here when Emma scolded Scott for narrating at her, because that’s what Claremont’s characters ALWAYS did).  But I do feel like there’s a happy medium there, in terms of pacing, and this book is possibly erring on the slow side.  I think the pacing would be less of an issue for me if we had a better idea of where this arc was headed.  The last issue implied Cyclops has a larger plan, which I assume will be revealed, but I’m not sure I understand what it accomplishes to withhold the information. 

    This is especially true when we’ve got books like X-Force and the upcoming Young X-men in which Cyke is running around ordering assassinations; meanwhile, I have no idea what happened to the school that they’ve been running and all those kids.  Whether one likes the kid-related plots or not (I never have, particularly), staying with the school has been a big part of Emma’s character, particularly, since Morrison reintroduced her to the X-men.  I feel like Emma just walking away from the school is a pretty enormous character leap not to be commented on at all. 

  22. Avatar photo ohcaroline says:
    March 7, 2008 at 4:19 pm

    @theswordisdrawn —

    I buy that, to an extent; the difference b/t Brubaker and 80s Claremont, though, is that Claremont always had so much happening in every issue, while Brubaker is one of the kings of decompression.  Now you could argue Claremont’s stuff is too cluttered (too expositiony, anyway; I laughed out loud here when Emma scolded Scott for narrating at her, because that’s what Claremont’s characters ALWAYS did).  But I do feel like there’s a happy medium there, in terms of pacing, and this book is possibly erring on the slow side.  I think the pacing would be less of an issue for me if we had a better idea of where this arc was headed.  The last issue implied Cyclops has a larger plan, which I assume will be revealed, but I’m not sure I understand what it accomplishes to withhold the information. 

    This is especially true when we’ve got books like X-Force and the upcoming Young X-men in which Cyke is running around ordering assassinations; meanwhile, I have no idea what happened to the school that they’ve been running and all those kids.  Whether one likes the kid-related plots or not (I never have, particularly), staying with the school has been a big part of Emma’s character, particularly, since Morrison reintroduced her to the X-men.  I feel like Emma just walking away from the school is a pretty enormous character leap not to be commented on at all. 

  23. Avatar photo CaptianJack says:
    March 9, 2008 at 7:35 pm

    over all i liked the issue.  i feel that the x-men is once again getting good after a too long vacation.  i really like the collosus, wolverien, and night crawler thing.  but never being a big fan of emma i find that story a little boring.  that is untel i saw the celestial standing out side of the city.  but than it was just shruged off as unimportaint.  how is one city tranceformed into the 60s more important than a giant alian god robot?  i just dont get the importance of having him there.  maybe it will be explianed latter.

  24. Avatar photo ohcaroline says:
    March 9, 2008 at 8:06 pm

    I think the Celestial is just a reference to the Neil Gaiman "Eternals" series, where I believe they left the dreaming celestial standing in Golden Gate park.  It may be a plot point, but I suspect it’s just a fanboy thing and/or plug for whatever the next relaunch they have for the Eternals is.

  25. Avatar photo xebix says:
    March 10, 2008 at 10:14 am

    I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I haven’t read X books in a while. I didn’t read Messiah Complex either. I figured this would be a good place to start since the X-Men are kind of re-defining themselves. It reminded me of what I used to like about the X-Men comics back before I quit reading them. The artwork was excelent as well.

     

    There is one thing I would like to know though. What happened to Kitty? 

  26. Avatar photo Joppe says:
    March 10, 2008 at 2:44 pm

    The fact that they talked about Kitty being lost to Colossus makes me think that she doesnt die but goes away for some reason.

Leave a Comment