The X-Men are getting proactive again.
Few comics have been relaunched as often over the past few years as Uncanny X-Men. At least this new incarnation of the series is significantly different from the ones that preceded it. The new Uncanny X-Men is essentially X-Force in all but name. It features a darker, more violent tone and a cast of morally ambiguous mutant characters. But at this early stage, the book is intriguing more because of its potential than what it actually offers in issue #1.
Like pretty much every X-Force book, the basic premise behind Uncanny X-Men is that a new team has been assembled to proactively deal with growing threats to the mutant race. That includes the ongoing danger of the Terrigen Mists and various foes who seek to exploit them for their own gain. The cast is easily the biggest draw. Whereas too many team books in this All-New Marvel relaunch seem like the characters were chosen completely at random, each member of Uncanny X-Men is linked by a propensity for violence and a struggle to leave the demons of the past behind. There’s a lot of potential with this new group, which makes it unfortunate that the plot in issue #1 is a mostly by-the-numbers affair. We see the new team in action and get a glimpse of the challenges awaiting them, but that’s about it.
The characterization in this issue is spotty at best. Oddly, despite Cullen Bunn’s prior experience with Magneto, that character’s portrayal is generally the weakest. His dialogue is clunky and overblown, making the issue read uncomfortably like a relic of the ’90s at times. Only towards the end of the script does the flawed, compelling Magneto of Bunn’s previous solo series rear his head. Bunn does find more success with characters like Psylocke and Sabretooth, though the straightforward, action-oriented nature of the plot prevents him from digging too deep into anyone’s psyche. It may be several issues before this series truly finds its groove.
Artist Greg Land was a fixture on Uncanny during the Matt Fraction/Kieron Gillen era, so long-term readers should no what to expect from the art here. Land can render flashy action sequences and splash pages featuring characters standing around and looking imposing, so in that sense the book is catered to his strengths. Jay Leisten’s coloring complement’s Land’s pencils well, lending a touch of grime and texture to what would otherwise be a sleek and spotless comic. As always, It’s Land’s heavy reliance on photo-referenced imagery that detracts from the book. Readers of previous Land-illustrated books will recognize many familiar faces and panels being reused. The characters often look like fashion models preening and posing for the camera, not trained killers locked in battle or troubled heroes searching for their place in the world. One panel featuring Monet boasts one of the worst uses of foreshortening I’ve ever seen in a superhero comic.
It’s worth noting the various costume changes introduced in this issue. For the most part, the costumes suit both the characters and the tone of the book. They’re less colorful and ostentatious than most X-suits, and have just enough of a unified approach to make the characters feel like a team. Magneto’s new suit is an interesting one. Magneto has one of the most iconic looks of any Marvel villain, and most attempts to revamp it havebeendreadfulfailures. This new suit is reminiscent of Daredevil’s ’90s-era armored look in that it would be a great look if not for some of the more pointless embellishments. Lose the shoulder pads, Mags.
This new series is somewhat less than uncanny at the moment. The cast of characters is promising, and the idea of a proactive, X-Force-esque team is very much at home in the current climate of the X-Men franchise. Unfortunately, this issue doesn’t do much to tap into the series’ potential, and the art emphasizes pretty figures and flashy imagery over simple storytelling.
