DARK AVENGERS UNCANNY X-MEN UTOPIA #1
Review by: Jaredan
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Price: 3.99
This review contains spoilers, click here to read
Look at me writing a review. I'm big and clever and such.
Marvel has been doing a fine job recently in having their stories more focused and purposeful. The Messiah War has been contained within X-Force and Cable which seems to have helped with the impact of the story. Of course Abnett and Lanning have been proceeding with their War of Kings without feeling impeded by fitting in with the general line of Marvel's monthlies.The stories coming out of Dark Reign are running through the Avengers books with an apparent sense of building tension (be it with Clint Barton's media outing or Osborn's fragile psyche beginning to be tested) and the effects of the more peripheral characters are targeted through mini-series and so on.
With this in mind, I have been very much looking forward to the X-Men having their day in the sun in regards to Dark Reign. Matt Fraction does a solid job of setting up the story in the first issue. Cyclops' role is questioned, his ability to lead is obviously about to be put into the crucible of both public opinion and the raw power of Osborn's Avengers. Emma's duplicity is brought into the light of day. The anti-mutant threads from previous issues of Uncanny come to fruition in the form of the riot.
As a long time reader, the X-Men having the chance to really throw down with some heavy hitters (hopefully handling themselves better than has often been the habit recently) and being once again put in the classic role of the sinned against underdog, which has always been the essence of X-Men action, are certainly an enticing reasons to read the series.
Fraction is intelligent in placing these elements in the first issue to make promises for payoffs both exciting (punch-ups ahoy) and emotional (hey Cyke guess what your girlfriends been doing?).
It is a real shame that the ideas are hindered by the obviously slapdash artwork. Multiple artists can be great on an anniversary issue if it is for a purpose, but to finish off the pencils of someone who simply didn't get them finished isn't encouraging. Particularly as this is the first issue not the 5th. I was genuinely concerned for Sue's spine in the scene with the Fantastic Four as it seemed she was experimenting with trying to sit on her own head. Or show her arse to the reader while facing them at the same time. I suspect the latter.
The main way the story was muted by the pencils was in the character acting. I know Fraction mentioned he wanted Trask's expression to reveal his joy at the realisation he had the mutants where he wanted them in terms of enciting violence. Instead Trask's look of mild constipation hidden by a moustache doesn't bring any impact at all. The opening panel claims that Trask can't help but smile, thanks to Silvestri et al they brought him all the aid he needed.
I remember reading Cerebus and at the end of Jaka's Story, the aardvark's expression as he runs for his life is crushing. Yet while Dave Sim can make an aardvark emote powerfully, Silvestri and his cadre of pencilling scaffolders give Cyclops no apparent expression as he runs through the streets, tries to rally his troops or realises he is going to have to figure out how to bring down Ares. Silvestri can sometimes be an artist who draws exciting, dramatic ciphers rather than characters but it is glaring in this issue.
I will certainly be reading the upcoming issues of Utopia, I just hope that the art starts to compliment Fractions writing rather than continue to be an impediment.
Marvel has been doing a fine job recently in having their stories more focused and purposeful. The Messiah War has been contained within X-Force and Cable which seems to have helped with the impact of the story. Of course Abnett and Lanning have been proceeding with their War of Kings without feeling impeded by fitting in with the general line of Marvel's monthlies.The stories coming out of Dark Reign are running through the Avengers books with an apparent sense of building tension (be it with Clint Barton's media outing or Osborn's fragile psyche beginning to be tested) and the effects of the more peripheral characters are targeted through mini-series and so on.
With this in mind, I have been very much looking forward to the X-Men having their day in the sun in regards to Dark Reign. Matt Fraction does a solid job of setting up the story in the first issue. Cyclops' role is questioned, his ability to lead is obviously about to be put into the crucible of both public opinion and the raw power of Osborn's Avengers. Emma's duplicity is brought into the light of day. The anti-mutant threads from previous issues of Uncanny come to fruition in the form of the riot.
As a long time reader, the X-Men having the chance to really throw down with some heavy hitters (hopefully handling themselves better than has often been the habit recently) and being once again put in the classic role of the sinned against underdog, which has always been the essence of X-Men action, are certainly an enticing reasons to read the series.
Fraction is intelligent in placing these elements in the first issue to make promises for payoffs both exciting (punch-ups ahoy) and emotional (hey Cyke guess what your girlfriends been doing?).
It is a real shame that the ideas are hindered by the obviously slapdash artwork. Multiple artists can be great on an anniversary issue if it is for a purpose, but to finish off the pencils of someone who simply didn't get them finished isn't encouraging. Particularly as this is the first issue not the 5th. I was genuinely concerned for Sue's spine in the scene with the Fantastic Four as it seemed she was experimenting with trying to sit on her own head. Or show her arse to the reader while facing them at the same time. I suspect the latter.
The main way the story was muted by the pencils was in the character acting. I know Fraction mentioned he wanted Trask's expression to reveal his joy at the realisation he had the mutants where he wanted them in terms of enciting violence. Instead Trask's look of mild constipation hidden by a moustache doesn't bring any impact at all. The opening panel claims that Trask can't help but smile, thanks to Silvestri et al they brought him all the aid he needed.
I remember reading Cerebus and at the end of Jaka's Story, the aardvark's expression as he runs for his life is crushing. Yet while Dave Sim can make an aardvark emote powerfully, Silvestri and his cadre of pencilling scaffolders give Cyclops no apparent expression as he runs through the streets, tries to rally his troops or realises he is going to have to figure out how to bring down Ares. Silvestri can sometimes be an artist who draws exciting, dramatic ciphers rather than characters but it is glaring in this issue.
I will certainly be reading the upcoming issues of Utopia, I just hope that the art starts to compliment Fractions writing rather than continue to be an impediment.
Story: 4 - Very Good
Art: 2 - Average
Art: 2 - Average
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