X-Men Vol. IV by Brian Wood issues #9-10

I don't think Brian Wood's stories for X-Men: Vol IV are necessarily bad or bland, but they do lack that 'enticement factor' which is present in other X-titles. As well done as the visual work has been so far, and as straightforward and comprehensible his plots have been at this point, this title is just not something I look forward to reading, let alone compose an in-depth review of. The crossover issues about Battle of the Atom have been interesting enough, but it also cost Kitty Pryde's  appearance here in his next stories, and, of course, the absence of my childhood favorite is noted as well which leads to some inevitable soul-searching on my part. 

Look, this is a serious question: WHY CAN'T I JUST HAVE MY ROGUE BACK? It's like she's irrelevant now. I miss the nineties because most of my experience in its comics roster for X-Men featured her, even if not heavily. Those small doses of her appearances and participation in the stories were always treasured by me, and I really thought Brian Wood was going to keep her around because I was actually glad to see a Rogue who enjoys siphoning other mutants' powers not for any kind of malicious intent but for good, honest fun, like that time in issue #4 with Psylocke which is coincidentally the best issue Wood has written so far. Why can't Wood just write something like that again?

To replace Rogue, he instead had another brawny lady (Monet) who is originally part of the Incredible Hulk canon. I thought her petty rivalry with Jubilee was amusing enough, but I don't know this character at all and nor am I interested in getting to know her either. I JUST WANT ROGUE BACK. Well, enough pointless whining then, and let's talk about issues #9-10 which are the continuing adventures of Lady Deathstrike, Typoid Mary and Enchantress, otherwise known collectively as the Sisterhood of Evil. It has to be said that the villainesses of this story apparently have their act together and are actually working as a team with different desires yet mutually beneficial goals that enable them to function together to defeat the X-(wo)Men. The same thing cannot be said for the latter. Storm and Rachel Grey have finally stopped fighting over who is to become the leader. Instead, Rachel had a 'moment' with John Sublime. I have never seen this physically manifest in the panels in the previous issues but I'm assuming it was also telepathic, considering Rachel's powers and Sublime being a thought consciousness type of alien. Their could-have-been romance was unfortunately squashed because Sublime is focused on stopping his vengeful twin sister Arkea who by now has a a different target--the X-(wo)Men. God, Arkea, could you be more cliché? I have no idea what she plans to do with tracking down Madelyn Pryor (so she's alive? Did not know this) nor am I that interested to find out.

Arkea is running the show now after she was freed by Lady Deathstrike. She took over her assistant Reiko's body and is now giving commands to the other members of the Sisterhood. She restored Amora the Enchantress powers after they were stripped by Thor, and helped Mary merge her split personality once and for all. I forgot if she ever did anything for Lady Deathstrike--maybe permanently instill her consciousness in Ana Cortes' meat suit for good--whatever. I'm not even sure Arkea still wanted Karima or if any of these villainesses still want to target her. I suppose Karima belongs to the X-(wo)Men so most probably they also want to kill her. This was why Storm was adamant to destroy any other replicates of Arkea around the globe. Oh yeah, did I fail to mention there are replicates of her? She did crash-land from a meteor after all and that meteor has remnants of her and said remnants were close to the ocean where several dormant Sentinels got brought back to life, being controlled by Arkea. Jubilee with some of the teenage students (has Wolverine approved this spontaneous field trip?) try to stop these Sentinels and that's how issue #10 ends with Pixie and Bling attacking head-on, never mind that there are no adults. Also, Quentin Quire failed to stop Arkea and that's just embarrassing. The Phoenix Force is watching, Q. Are you worthy of it?

Also, and this is so important, I hate Arkea. I really do. Not only is her role in this story keeping it from becoming interesting, and adding the fact that she's so rigidly characterized by Wood, her only real definitive quality is that she's the cliché that cliché pooped and made sentient. I don't care about her endgame. She wanted revenge on her brother. When she couldn't accomplish that, she set her sights on the X-(wo)Men instead. Seriously, go back to space and stop making Arkea happen, Arkea. IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

The same thing goes for you, Mr. Wood!

I'm going to lower my rating for these two issues, mostly because I now expect something more complex to be developed from this. After all, I'm growing steadily weary, if not bored, of the way Wood is handling his story and his characters. No one here is having their spotlight or any kind of indication that it's their time to shine. Everyone has been consistently mediocre as both heroines and villainesses. At this point, I probably should start reading the third volume for Bendis' The Uncanny X-Men. At least Arkea isn't there. Srsly, fuck that bitch.

KINDDA SORTA RECOMMENDED: 6/10

X-Men Vol. IV by Brian Wood issues #7-8

I won't be reviewing issues #5-6 anymore which were the crossover issues for Battle of the Atom because I'm not really in the mood to re-visit what happened there because I can't honestly remember anything about those issues and I don't feel compelled to find out again. I remember enjoying that story arc very much, though, and that Shogo, Jubilee's adopted son, will grow up to become another superhero which is relevant, I suppose. So let's jump to the second volume for X-Men Vol IV featuring a brand new though not so new as well, villainess named Lady Deathstrike whom some of you may already know. She had a cinematic counterpart in the second X-Men film of the original franchise (played by Kelly Hu) so that hopefully jogs your memory. For those who read the comics, they know that she's Yuriko Oyama, and probably Wolverine's arch-nemesis of the sort. She's got the adamantium steel in her as well as other genetic enhancements and has worked her way as a mercenary for hire. On her last encounter with the X-Men, her body was destroyed, and now her consciousness was somewhat transferred into the unsuspecting body of one Ana Cortes, who also turned out to be the heiress to a crime family-empire so not too shabby, Yuriko-san, not too shabby at all. With a new body and some face paint, Lady Deathstrike set her eyes on a new prize; acquiring both the previous villainess Arkea and former Omega Sentinel Karima. To accomplish this, she employs the help of Typhoid Mary and Echantress.

For this particular story arc, we have artists Terry Dodson and Barry Kitson working on the visuals and I definitely enjoy the color and composition of their panels. Bendis' focal narrative on Lady Deathstrike was interesting enough. It's great to see that everything about this title remains female-centric, including the bad guys (girls?). I don't really think it's pandering especially to someone like me who barely take notice of gender in my comics unless it's either excellently front-runned or abysmally upsetting. For Brian Wood's run, the jury is still out, although I'm immensely enjoying myself for this current story arc. It was great to see Karima again, now fully conscious and eager to get her life back after it was infected by Arkea, the alien parasite who came to Earth to murder her twin brother John Sublime in revenge because she's a cliché that way. Lady Deathstrike, however, had other plans, and that involved using Arkea for her own means, ignoring the loud protests of John Sublime himself. Lady Deathstrike may prove to be trying to tame forces that are beyond her ken, but I'm eager to see what kind of clusterfuck will that lead to, and how the X-women will fix the mess. I think it's worth mentioning that Kitty Pryde has officially left after the events in Battle of the Atom. She now has to train the OCF who just traveled from the past in Bendis' other title All-New X-Men. She will be missed.

There's a side story here regarding the mutant students where Jubilee was involved in. A female student Bling/ Roxy just asked out a fellow female student was totally insensitive about it and punched Bling in the face. Jesus fuck, that wasn't very nice of her. Being a mutant is hard enough. Try being gay at that too. Anyway, Bling kisses Jubilee which was quite nice. It was all very Degrassi High or something which I can live with as I read this because a nice commercial break from all the deadly action so readers can check out the daily lives of teenage mutants is...necessary? I don't know. I wasn't upset by it. I thought it was pretty cute.

I do find it odd that Wolverine has yet to take part in all this drama. Lady Deathstrike is his foe. Do we keep him busy while all of this is happening since, after all, this title is about the ladies taking over cases and challenges as they find a way to be a unit? How is that accomplished exactly? Not the ladies fighting as a unit because I know they are more than competent to do that. But the one about Wolverine being out of the loop here as Lady Deathstrike wreaks havoc. Well, Wolverine is assigned to handle the delinquents of their school in the other title Wolverine and the X-Men. What's the matter then? Is Quentin Quire enough in keeping Wolverine far too busy for him to notice? 

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

X-Men Vol. IV by Brian Wood issues #3-4

There was nothing really special about the third issue of of this series, which is the conclusion of the first story arc Primer. The so-called villain of the story was Arkea, the alien Subtle's twin sister whom he overpowered and pushed during utero or something (because he's a dickhead, I'm assuming). Due to that homicidal negligence, Arkea piggybacked using an orphan human boy to track down her brother in Earth, and then she proceeded to possess machines (particularly Omega Sentinel Karima) because she's so original, and then she tried to kill the X-Men because they were in her way of vengeance. What a fucking cliche. The only real dramatic thing that got to me was that Karima was able to regain control of her body and offered to sacrifice herself to save them all. And that Storm actually considered that an option, much to Rachel Grey's chagrin. I like Karima back in Claremont's Excalibur Vol. III so I do hope she will be revived. For now, they neutralized Arkea, kept the baby Shogo safe, and still salvaged Karima's body. All in the day's work.

The fourth issue, however, was a very substantial installment that truly took its time focusing on characterizations and relationships. Divided between a rescue mission for the ladies, and Jubilee's lunch date with big-brother mentor Wolverine as they brought Shogo along, this was a wonderful well-written piece that explored how the daily grind must be like for people like the X-Men who take what they can get from a world that never stops trying to bring them down. The flow of the narrative and the transition among scenes were deftly accomplished, and Coipel's illustrations are growing on me especially those that featured Jubilee's panels with Wolverine as they have a great time just catching up and taking care of the baby; which were then heavily contrasted by the more action-oriented scenes featuring Rogue, Kitty and Betsy. Rogue, particularly, is enjoying her siphoning of Psylocke's powers. I have never seen her have such crazy fun like this, and it was a nice change because Anna Marie had always been so cautious and a little resentful of her siphoning abilities especially when certain assholes would force her to absorb powers (and memories) she would rather not. So seeing Rogue goofing around but still saving people put a smile on my face for at least a solid hour after reading about it. She'll always be my childhood favorite after all.

And as I enjoy Kitty, Betsy and Rogue just being awesome superheroine-gal pals together, the same cannot be applied to Storm and Rachel Grey who are definitely butting heads. Rachel was not happy that Storm was taking the reigns in their team, particularly when she believed that Ororo doesn't deserve the leadership role to begin with. After all, Storm did not even hesitate when she considered having Karma killed if that's what it took to stop Arkea. This doesn't sit well with everyone but Rachel was the only one who was willing to speak up about it, and it was great for her to question Storm, and I love this new dimension to Storm where we see her also becoming more brutal and less trusting of the world much like Scott now as the leader of the new mutant revolutions. Both are world-weary veterans who have been through so much to still believe in the best of things. That being said, Rachel did get through Storm and she eventually does accept that she shouldn't just boss them around and must be willing to work with them as a team player. Just like Rogue, Storm is a favorite, so I believe in her.

Meanwhile, Wolverine tries to buy Jubilee's childhood home behind her back as a surprise gift and it was all kinds of sweet and nice especially after he promised to look out after Shogo as well. Now, I'm not really that confident about Jubilee's newfound role as an adoptive mother, mostly because of my own issues about motherhood in general. I trust that she will do her best and that she does have other people who can help her raise the kid, but I'm pretty nervous and dreadful of the potential screw-ups along the way (which is why I WILL NEVER become a mother). In a way, I admire Jubilee for taking on the responsibility, but I'm also worried about her and the child's safety which will never be guaranteed, not as long as he's with the X-Men. But hey, if any group of people can make it and make the most of a bad situation, it's the X-Men. It takes a while but they always adjust. So I sure hope things won't get too worse soon. 

Well, issues #5-6 are the Battle of the Atom crossovers so Shogo's future was pretty much revealed there. I won't be reviewing those two anymore since I've finished them already and my thoughts about them are in the overall review of the collected series itself.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

X-Men Vol. IV by Brian Wood issues #1-2

I've been wondering where all the other ladies at--especially the fan-favorite ones--and this title series answers that question. Written by Brian Wood and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, it stars an all-female cast fronted by Storm, Rachel Grey, Kitty Pryde, Psylocke, Rogue and Jubilee. I know it seemed odd that they didn't just re-brand this title into something other than the generic "X-Men" one. I've been aware for a while that there is an ongoing MARVEL NOW! title about all the X-heroines but I couldn't for the life of me figure out which one was it until I googled it properly. So why not renamed this title into 'X-Women' or something like that? From what I know, 'X-Men' is one of oldest titles of the Marvelverse and, in technical terms, this will be the fourth roster released from it since the sixties. Hence, the original title for this particular relaunch should be "X-Men Vol. IV" and that is why I'm labeling my titles with that tag from now on.

And no, I really don't know why they didn't just re-brand this and maybe it doesn't matter. After all, two issues in and I was enjoying myself. I was happy to see Rogue because she's been my childhood favorite from the beginning and I haven't had many opportunities to read about her being awesome since I started my X-Men comics diet. On the other hand, I've been so in love with Kitty Pryde since The Astonishing X-Men and her pivotal role in the Days of Future Past collection, so seeing her working with the other gals was so cool. Storm and her Mohawk are here too which was grea although I wish she'd be able to contribute more to the next stories of this series than just stand there, looking glorious and queen-like (which she really does a great job at, mind you). Rachel Grey and Psylocke, who are awesome psychics, are meshing pretty well together too (though I miss the nineties Psylocke look, to be honest). But the real heroine of this story arc Primer is Jubilation Lee, one of Wolverine's teenage protégé and supposedly the kid that children will relate to in the cartoons, X-Men: The Animated Series. 

I don't really have strong feelings of either fondness or dislike over Jubilee, and her character did go through a lot of weird shit--the weirdest one had to be when she became a vampire...or something. It's as weird as it gets. So this story arc was about her rescuing a baby from an orphanage that was bombed. She traveled back to the States to seek refuge from the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning but was being stalked by a man the entire time. When she managed to reconvene with her friends, some peculiar disaster happened en-route, mostly due to the kid who somehow possesses powers. Thanks to teamwork, Kitty, Storm and Rogue were able to wrap things up and get Jubilee and the baby to safety while Rachel and Betsy confront the man who had been stalking Jubilee. It was no other than Subtle, one of the X-Men's alien villains in the old days. He started talking about his twin sister and how she is out for revenge because he cast her out during fetal stage or something like that. Said vengeful twin had piggybacked with the baby and now she found a better body to possess and its no other than Karima, Omega Sentinel whom I was well-acquainted with since she played some vital role in Chris Claremont's Excalibur Vol. III.

Apparently, Subtle's twin sister named Arkea can hack machines and use them (god, so original) and she attacked Beast and Rogue in the laboratory while wearing Karima. Kitty would have killed her easily; all she needed to do was to phase through Karima, but Kitty was concerned that their friend may still be in there somewhere so she restrained herself. Unfortunately, Arkea got away, but Subtle promised to help them stop her. Jubilee, meanwhile, named the baby Shogo and is now fully responsible of him. She was more than excited to be a single mother. And that's what happened in the first two issues. The third installment is going to be the conclusion of this arc. I like how everything is going so far so I'm reserving any harsher judgments. It's not that amazing but neither is it completely terrible. I'm giving it a solid 7 for now.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

The Uncanny X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis, Volume 2

Due to the lackluster debut of this series' first volume, my expectations were already set low before I even started reading this sophomore release. I'm therefore more than pleased to be proven wrong because The Uncanny X-Men's Volume 2: Broken was charming in so many ways that I have come to expect from a Bendis comic book (which I sorely miss after the dwindling quality of his other work, All-New X-Men). For a while I was slightly discouraged to pick up this title because I had a few friends who advised me against it, but since I have made a commitment to embark on a X-Men comics diet journey, I knew I have to include a more recent flagship title. The glaring flaws from the previous volume Revolution were thankfully not repeated in this one. In fact, most of the problems I had were addressed for Broken which was ironic, considering its titular purpose.

After the cosmic terror that was the Phoenix Force laid waste during Avengers vs. X-Men storyline, the aftermath proved to be just as hard for the ones it possessed: these would be Scott Summers, Ilyana Rasputin and Emma Frost (while it also almost drained Magneto of his magnetism) Now each of these formidable mutants face their most difficult trial just yet. Scott Summers can no longer control his own powers which is essentially his nightmare come true; Emma Frost lost the ability to read easily through minds and the restraint not to project her own thoughts to people; Magneto's magnetism has weakened that he can only control metal to a certain extent and length of time before it renders him exhausted; and Ilyana Rasputin's already screwy sorceress powers began to overwhelm her that she had damned herself along with her colleagues and their recruits to the hellish fire of Limbo where a stupidly named demon tries to massacre them all.

Comprised of issues #6-10, Broken is substantial enough to hold and sustain interest while there is enough material concerning both the familiar and new characters that I was so enthralled to explore. The first two issues concerning Limbo finally found its focus when it turned its attention to the young recruits who have no choice but to work together to survive the place. Way to establish a surprise coming-of-age series of moments with these kids, Bendis. Their invigorating spirit and dynamic as a group were painfully paralleled with that of Ilyana Rasputin's internal conflict. This is a girl who had never been normal since childhood. After the Phoenix Force used her mind and body, it damaged her a lot worse than the others, unleashing dark elements from her magic that she has fought so hard to try to gain control over in this story.I was really rooting for her because I've always found Ilyana as a consistently tragic character and for once I want her to be victorious.

On another plus side, another consistent quality about Broken is how it developed its young cast. The X-Men is always about the young blood's transition to functional relevance as superheroes before finally stepping into a stage of semi-greatness. Xavier always gets them young, hopeful and full of potentials. In here we see Scott, Emma, Ilyana and Erik as teachers who, in spite of their unresolved inherent brokenness, are more than willing to impart their experience and knowledge to the children because they know more than anybody that there is still something to fight for. And there is trust between them and these kids, most especially after Limbo, and the more S.H.I.E.L.D insist on attacking them, the more they cling onto one another and fight better as a team.

Notable moments for this volume include: (1) that conversation between Scott and Erik. I was so angry that Magneto seemed not to give a damn about Charles Xavier's murder. I wanted so bad for him to hold Scott responsible, but after reading this interaction, I think what Erik chose to do instead was actually a more dignified response to what I wanted. Scott had committed something beyond forgiveness, even if he was under the influence of the Phoenix force. He had murdered his surrogate father, and the father of every mutant who believed in a dream of peaceful coexistence with mutants. People are never going to stop talking about Scott killing Xavier. They shouldn't. And Scott needs to deal with that. He needs to carry that with him wherever he goes, especially now that he is adamant in fighting for a revolution he believes will empower more mutants who were just beginning to manifest their abilities. Scott's new agenda is to reassure they will have a school not just to learn in but also to thrive in, if in fact they choose to be warriors and fighters for the cause.

(2) Speaking of which, the young mutant Fabio Medina was focused in as well, and he was just adorable! He has the unique and often hilarious ability to shoot out gold balls from his body. After the hellish experience in Limbo, he tried to go back to his home and when he was there, he realized he was proud of who he is even when his parents couldn't accept his condition. Eventually, he does come back to the team, more decisive to fight and grown alongside them. (3) The surprise feature of Dazzler as a recruit for S.H.I.E.L.D was nice but fucking Mystique had to go ruin it by pretending to be her. Honestly, get a new set of hobbies aside from villainy, Raven. The same douchebag moves are getting old. (4) Scott's speech towards the pro-mutant human supporters was both awkward and stirring. I have no idea why he's being painted as some kind of merciless crusader, if not outright lawless villain. I think this is still the same Scott from the old times--only much more willing to deal with reality and is able to respond better. I like this Scott. He may have killed Xavier, and he may still be prone to bouts of insecure ranting, but so far I think Scott is more or less a hero who actually doesn't hesitate anymore to make mistakes and risk condemnation from his peers. I like it. Scott finally has teeth. And people around him are actually more eager to fight with him and for him, such as the young recruits and Emma and Ilyana. I'm not sure about Erik yet. Hopefully, he makes up his mind soon.

Overall, The Uncanny X-Men, Volume 2: Broken was greatly paced, spectacularly illustrated, and engrossing. I didn't expect to have fun reading this title at all, and I was glad I did because for me, the X-Men just isn't the same when a core character like Scott Summers isn't taking the reigns and in this story we see him having the opportunity to do so, and he did not disappoint. The rest of his recruits too are impressive, ready foot soldiers who trust him enough to lead him, and I can only hope he guides them to the right path.

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

The Uncanny X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis, Volume 1

It occurred to me that if I chose to start reading this title before All-New X-Men (which I had just consumed last September) then I would be even more critical about The Uncanny X-Men. Written both by Brian Michael Bendis, these two series can be read side by side together since a lot of their scenes do tend to overlap, particularly by TUM's fourth issue where a certain key scene appears much more notably in ANXM issues #10-11. 

I think this had to be my main concern about The Uncanny X-Men. There is so much material that could have been explored here, but Bendis' first five issues for this title were too reliant on his other series which in turn became a disadvantage to The Uncanny X-Men's storytelling framework. If you chose to pick up this title without reading All-New X-Men then pertinent information such as the introduction of the mutant recruits Eva, Christopher and Benjamin, who all appeared first in AXM where the first bouts of their mutation manifested. 

But this wasn't the only glaring flaw for this series.

Illustrated by Chris Bachalo, the first volume of TUM entitled Revolution was really not as terrible as I hoped it would be, considering most of the lukewarm reviews I've encountered online last year. Perhaps it's because I was already familiar enough with what was going on since the events in this first volume where loosely tied with whatever was happening with All-New X-Men, which is exactly why someone who has only read this title without the other might find it infuriating, and they have every right to be. While reading, I decided to separate myself from what I know about ANXM so as I re-examined the content over in UXM alone, it occurred to me that there is a lack of cohesive structure for each installment because everything felt either rushed or sluggish. We barely get to know the new mutants Cyclops recruited, and when the title finally tried to establish itself as a standalone piece from ANXM, it delivered a mediocre story concerning Limbo and Magick, and some whatsitsface demon creature which she had to fight...or some shit. It really wasn't that interesting so I was eager to move on.

What I considered at least acceptably compelling about this first volume was the fact that we get to see Cyclops, Emma Frost and Magneto at their weakest point yet. These are three of the most formidable mutant warriors and now their powers are all broken, and they have to adjust to their sudden lack of control over them. And that only means one thing for me: Scott Summers--in the aftermath of being possessed by the Phoenix force, finally had his worst nightmare come true: he had no control over his power which makes it very dangerous for him and the people he is close with especially when he is so adamant in training and helping the new recruits. Emma Frost is also suffering identity crisis, no longer the White Queen who can flip through people's minds like they're just pages in a book she had no qualms exploring. Now she's busy playing the blame game for her situation. Meanwhile, the master of magnetism is also struggling because his magnetic hold has weakened somewhat. In the first issue, we saw him conspiring with Director Maria Hill and S.H.I.E.L.D to bring down Cyclops by pretending to work with him but was actually backstabbing him. I was all on-board for this because, accident or not, Scott Summers did murder Charles Xavier, Mags' longtime frenemy and open-secret lover. What I wasn't on-board for was that Mags was actually just screwing around with S.H.I.E.L.D and is truly on Cyclops' side. Um, what? Hold the Satanic Bible, that's the most unbelievable plot point EVER! I CALL BULLSHIT, sir!

Marvel, have you forgotten that Charles Xavier was the love of Erik Lehnsherr's life? How could he possibly and easily forgive the man who murdered said best friend, let alone help him in any way he can? Goddammit, if this wasn't a triple-cross in the end where it was revealed that Mags is indeed just faking the faking of his cooperation with S.H.I.E.L.D and is actually planning on destroying Cyclops to avenge Xavier once and for-- then I WILL LOSE IT. I swear to Loki! I don't buy Mags' fealty to Cyclops. He never liked Cyke, let alone be willing to stand with him to fight for the same things. The more I focus on this, the mightier my self-righteous rage gets. For fuck's sake, Bendis, pick up a late eighties or nineties X-Men and see for yourself how potent the love and devotion Xavier and Magneto have for each other, and why it will never make sense for Mags to just turn his back from that. Anyway, what else is there to say about this first volume?

Well, aside from that complaint, I don't really have strong feelings of dislike towards this. I was fine with the first five issues. Reading it really did feel an incomplete experience if you haven't read ANXM yet, but other than that, I want to see the continuous fall from grace of Scott Summers, Emma Frost struggling to re-define herself, and Magneto eventually revealing that he was working with S.H.I.E.L.D after all. I'm also looking forward in getting to know the youngsters better especially with Warren in the mix. But I don't have high hopes. I was told by plenty of people that this series wasn't that great which was why I'm going to review this by volume as oppose to individual issues. That is reserved for reviewing X-Men Vol IV by Brian Wood, mind you! I heard that title has all my favorite ladies at!

RECOMMENDED: 6/10

The Astonishing X-Men by Marjorie Liu, Volume 12: Unmasked

It would seem that the third time is the charm for writer Marjorie Liu. As the very last writer for this 2005-2013 series of The Astonishing X-Men, she really delivered on the last arcs for her run, mainly because it focused on two characters I find so compelling and enjoyable to read about. They are no other than Shi'ar warrior Warbird (issues #57-58), and the youngest of the Original Core Five of sixties X-Men, Bobby Drake, a.k.a Iceman (issues #62-65). All these issues were illustrated by artist Gabriel Hernandez Walta whose visual work was just majestic for me as I explore through the panels, more so when it was accompanied with a more cohesive and meaningful narrative penned by Liu.

As I've stated from my previous review about the Karma-centric story for the eleventh volume Weaponized, this is my very first time meeting Warbird's character. From what I can gather, she is a Shi'ar warrior exiled on earth who is an honorable woman who swore to serve and protect the weak, albeit one who lacked the skills to interact with humans normally. She's an alien, after all, and that makes her ineptness in dealing with people so adorable, especially those panels with her conversing with a human child from the last volume. Since then, I was captivated by her because I'm so amused by that small exchange since it was reminiscent of another character I love from the CW show Supernatural, the angel Castiel. Like Cas, she's painstakingly awkward around humanity but a force to be reckoned with as a powerful fighter. 

Warbird was also respectful even toward others whose values she does not share. For example, she does not recognize Northstar's gay marriage with his civilian boyfriend Kyle as a valid one, but she did not feel the need to personally attack his choice. Instead, she merely declined his invitation to the wedding and doing it by being polite as possible which was nice. It showed that she has convictions but she would never impose those convictions or oppress other people with it. So I was so happy that Liu wrote a two-parter story focusing on Warbird. Personally, I wish it was longer but I was nonetheless thrilled that even with its brevity, it managed to be so insightful concerning Warbird who I think she is officially my NEWEST FAVORITE X-MAN! Witness her adorkableness:

So Volume 12: Unmasked is divided between Warbird and Iceman, and the titular theme is applicable to both of them. We eventually find out over the course of their arcs that both are hiding behind a well-cultivated but ultimately failing facade to arm and guard themselves from whatever shame and rejection they fear or have represse, and Liu did a wonderful job exploring the facets of these feelings for their respective stories. Now this is what I like the most from comic books: riveting character arcs, and Liu delivered. She delivered well enough in this volume that my earlier harsh criticisms from her previous installments can be set aside since she followed up with something daring that possesses a heart. Look, I'm hardly that difficult to please. I'm perfectly happy with a comic book as long as it makes me care about the characters and allows me to root for them and, in some cases, wish them dead. Either way, you would have had be hooked if you as a writer would manage to do this. Liu finally has, thanks to her spectacular characterizations of Warbird and Iceman.

Just in time for Christmas in Manhattan, Warbird feels all alone in an alien place called Earth, and having been invited to have some quiet dinner with Shan (Karma) and her siblings, Warbird still feels awkward and unsure about herself. And then she recognized an image of an artifact in one of the magazines inside the house and she took off without even saying where she is heading. The X-Men, along with S.H.I.E.L.D, tracked her down to Cairo, Egypt. There she uncovered an unsettling truth concerning an ancient race from Earth that the Shi'ar Empire has wiped out, fearing their technology as harmful infection that could destroy the Shi'ar. Warbird encountered one of its last remaining descendants (but was revealed to be merely a machine created by said race) and she was haunted by memories of her past she tried so hard to bury. When the X-Men found her, she was unconscious and upon waking she told them exactly what has gotten her so rattled. It turned out that the ancient race her own kind has wiped out was composed of a civilization of artists which is something the Shi'ar somehow feared because, according to Warbird, their art--specifically their music--can penetrate through their layers of consciousness. 

Therefore, it can be used for manipulation and the Shi'ar expected the worst from this invention and decided to slaughter the race that have found a way to, well, basically, touch their souls. Talk about unnecessary overkill. There truly is nothing more damning that plain old ignorance. But, as Liu put it, "We will always be surprised at what can hurt us. And, equally, what will save us." The most personal thing about is was that Warbird was gifted with a talent for art, and yet she saw this as a 'defect' which made me so sad for her because she was ashamed of something that should have been celebrated in the first place!

In the end, Warbird was overcome with vulnerability and decided to listen to the advice of the last descendant of that unfortunate race, and embrace that she doesn't have to remain a warrior fighting wars because that was her conditioning. She could be whatever she wants now after being freed from her own planet's control. Now she can explore her other skills and that includes and not limited to art. I was so happy for her decision to do the bravest thing she could ever do at this point, and that is to willingly accept that there may be another purpose for her this time than mere violence and war. This simple two-issued story about a character I haven't even known that long and only met just now resonated with me so much and I definitely will check out more of Warbird in other titles next time!

Now, we move ahead with Iceman's storyline. For the first time since Whedon and Ellis, we get an arc that ran for at least five issues which are so exciting, splendid and well-crafted. I'm glad that I gave Liu a chance to redeem herself because she did so in a big way with her deft and painful characterization of Bobby Drake who has functioned in several titles I've read before (Jeff Parker's X-Men: First Class and Brian Michael Bendis' All-New X-Men) as comic relief. Well, that was the teenage Bobby. We are talking about the adult veteran here who has seen his share of horrors and despair. You might have noticed that I skipped issues #59-61 and that's because those are crossover issues about Apocalypse which I just didn't bother myself with because they were not included in this collected volume anyway. But the premise for Iceman's arc here came from said crossover. Apparently, during the commotion in that crossover, goddamn Dark Beast transfered a death seed inside Bobby which then fed on his darkest thoughts and feelings as well as his rage and guilt about his father, authority figures in general and failed romances. That's how this story started; by Bobby having face all his girlfriends from the past (Lorraine, Opal and Annie) while having to deal with his current romance with Kitty Pryde who is also still reeling from the loss of her first love Peter Rasputin (Colossus). 

Everything stings and I can't stop reading because of it! One of my favorite moments was when Kitty went to Logan (of all people) for relationship advice. It's so gooood to see Kitty again even if she's not necessarily part of the X-Men team going on missions. Her mere presence and participation in this reminded me of Whedon's run especially now that she's reminiscing about Peter and the future they could have had. Too bad Bobby was within earshot and listening to this. Like I said, everything about this story just stings, like small paper cuts slowly accumulating in a forgotten corner of your mind until they suddenly become plenty and sharp enough to really make you bleed out. That's how it felt for Bobby, I think, as I read him go through probably the darkest periods of his life. It's great---but also, you know, NOT.

Another important thing worth mentioning is that, apparently, Iceman and Mystique got it on too. Well, should I really be shocked? That turncoating, backstabbing, unpredictable shapeshifter bitch-face gets around, and this is no exception. Raven Darkholme just doesn't give a fuck anymore so nobody trusts her when she offered to help Bobby battle his terrifying demon that's about to unleash the biggest snowstorm that is guaranteed to snuff out life in the planet. Hell, even Thor was freaking out about it, claiming it will make way for Ragnarok. As an elemental, Bobby's powers have always been hard to discern; its potentials, its limits, and so it's not surprising that he would be able to unleash something terrible in the off-chance he started to feel like being the bad guy and you better believe he is consumed by playing the villain for this story that even Mystique is embarrassed to be knocked down a peg by how impressive his girth of villainy is becoming. Nevertheless, somewhere inside that impenetrable giant ice form--refusing to listen to his friends--is still Bobby Drake only that he has also finally learned to deal with ugly feelings, no longer masking his sorrow underneath a false bravado and ready humor. It's quite bothersome to see him this way, as well as the fact that he is maliciously trying to kills us all with snow.

Timely GIF jokes aside, this is some serious shit and I cannot for the life of me can't stop reading even while I was at work. It has got to be one of the most suspenseful reading experiences I had which is saying something because I have honestly zombied through reading this title since the quality of the series has dropped so drastically in just a span of ten or so issues. Now we're back to form. Now I care about characters again, and I'm afraid of what will happen to them. The best part was this interaction between Warbird and Iceman. I FANGIRLED SO HARD because I love Warbird already and her on-point insights about Bobby in these panels just killed me! Girl read him like a book and it was glorious! If I wasn't at work, I would have pumped by fists alternately in air!

But that's not all either! Kitty Pryde also confronts him because if anyone can knock some sense into anyone, it's always Kitten!!

I won't spoil the ending because I'd like you to pick up this volume yourself. Overall, Marjorie Liu delivered, thank Loki fuck, and so I'm more than happy to end my reviews for the official run of the 2005-2013 series The Astonishing X-Men on a positive note! Man, what a journey! Up next is Brian Michael Bendis' Uncanny X-Men because I can't delay reading that title anymore, considering it's happening back-to-back with his other title All-New X-Men which I have read before Astonishing and I would like to see for myself how Bendis balanced his writing on both major titles. I'll also be reviewing X-Men Volume IV alongside it because that's where the ladies at!!~

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

The Astonishing X-Men by Marjorie Liu, Volume 11: Weaponized

One last volume to go after this. I badly need a change of X-Men series to read and talk about in reviews because this one just doesn't do it for me anymore. It has gotten so inexcusably mediocre and stale that it's taking everything from me not to just drop this and call it a day. I'll persevere though because I did vow to complete every title imposed on my reading list. That's all there is to it now, really; I'm compelled by a sense of obligation that is surprisingly stronger than my steadily growing dislike towards this title.

Marjorie Liu's sophomore contribution to the dwindling series of The Astonishing X-Men was somewhat better than her debut, but only slightly more so. With the exception of last arc's wedding issue concerning Northstar and his civilian boyfriend Kyle, it was a rather shitty story about the Marauders and an X-Man I Barely Know named Karma (real name Shan). Afterwards, we were offered an expansion to the mystery as to why Karma started acting murderous in the first place here in this collected eleventh volume entitled Weaponized composed of issues #52-56. After yet another guest writer (Greg Pak's ninth volume installment which was yet another trite of a story) has failed to deliver a satisfying albeit short-lived run, The Astonishing X-Men tried to rekindle something fresh and exciting again by employing the writings of a female comic book writer this time, accompanied by a brand new cast of X-Men. For this roster, we have Wolverine as the constant, and the rest are Gambit, Iceman, Cecilia, Warbird and Karma. I am not at all familiar with the last three X-Men though I must say Warbird (as conservative and against gay coupling as she revealed to be in the last arc) has grown on me only because she's an alien warrior who interacts with humans in a humorous titled way I have not encountered since angel Castiel from the CW's decade-long ongoing show Supernatural.

Seriously, Warbird is ADORBS! And I don't even know how she got here but I hope she stays

That being said, Weaponized will never be a strong contender, but it was thankfully not the worst from the entire TAXM roster either. Marjorie Liu as a writer has been competent enough because there are scenes in her two stories so far that do resonate for me every now and then but I always get the sense that her narrative could have been polished better. I feel as if she can do better than what she produced here and I might just read more of her stuff from other titles. This storyline was particularly terrible; it was just so cliché and uninteresting altogether. I do think that it was a great thing to use a character as focal point for the story's conflict. In this case, it's Karma whose issues about her family tragedy had caught up to her via the appearance of her long-lost half-sister Susan Hatchi. Said woman served as the villain of the entire plot and her motivations and methods of tormenting Karma as well as her friends were just too generic. A victimize child who managed to work her way to the top and gather enough money and resources to get her hands on a technologically advanced biological weaponry (nano-worms) which she proceeded to infect the X-Men with so they will do whatever she tasked them to do, lest they face a gruesome death. 

It wasn't anything original. The predictability played out in the next five issues, whilst I was trying yet failing to convince myself that perhaps the ending would be a complete surprise. Well, it wasn't. Sure, I was slightly sad that Susan died right at the point where Shan (Karma) was ready to forgive her and they can start anew. But I was distracted by the generic way she was disposed of that easily; murdered by their asshole father via gunshot. It was so disappointing. Susan Hatchi could have been more fleshed out next time around, as well as her relationship with her X-Man sister Shan but nah, Liu just killed her off right after giving us her supposedly intriguing backstory, because hey, she's a bad guy, and no one cares anyway in the long run, right?

WELL, MAKE ME CARE! That's the point of reading a story. I'm supposed to like these characters and root for them, and be moved by their sorrow and suffering and rejoice their triumphs and I simply don't! Where the fuck are Scott and Emma? And Kitty and Colossus? I've grown attached to these people because I've known them longer and Whedon made me give a squiggly fuck about their circumstances but so far Liu hasn't done me the same courtesy...YET. I'm still hoping her last volume and arc will do that. I have no idea why Gambit or this Cecilia character have to be there. Bobby Drake isn't even funny in this. Northstar and Kyle continue to be a couple but their conversations don't really reveal anything new about their usual shit, and Warbird I feel could be very captivating if she gets more scenes and lines. I'm fine with Karma but I'd like to get to know her less for now because Weaponized was so annoyingly bland that she could just shut up the entire way in the next volume after this and I won't even notice or complain. Unless Liu plans to do more for her characterization, though I'm not holding my breath.

But I don't want to just bitch and whine in this review so I will end it in a hopeful note. This collection also included the forty-five paged annual which had three stories in it; two of them were quirky ones about the present concerning Kyle and Northstar's relationship (or more like their first weeks of marriage) alongside the X-Men who always have to take Northstar away for some dangerous mission, and the Alpha Flight issue where Northstar "proclaimed homosexuality" in public (I will never ever stop finding this phrase amusing). It was a nice issue that made me feel better enough to give this volume at least a solid 7. Good effort, Liu, but do better next time.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

The Astonishing X-Men by Marjorie Liu, Volume 10: Northstar

I vividly remember how The Astonishing X-Men came to be. After all, it was only since last month that I began to read and review it, starting with Joss Whedon's phenomenal twenty-four issued run. This was followed up by Warren Ellis with twelve more great issues. Unfortunately, whatever magical spark that this series had on me began to fade steadily especially once different writers took over and produced stories that range between gratingly average and mind-blowingly awful. The last three volumes of this run are all penned by writer Marjorie Liu, and this is the first of her arcs. To even call it an arc is a very generous consideration because in its four-issued span (#48-51), nothing really happens. I wish something did, considering what issue #51 was about. It's the first time in comics ever for this occasion to occur (and hopefully won't be the last) and it's no other than the fact that Marvel decided to have two of its male and proudly out characters be united in the holy sacrament of marriage, and grace us with that lovely cover. That was honestly the only good thing about this volume. 

Other than that, well--everything about the story itself was actually pretty shitty. 

Look, I get it. I'm pleased that we now have two queer characters tying the knot as featured in mainstream comics because it shows that we as a society have embraced this timely social change and were now even comfortable to portray stories about them. In Brian Michael Bendis' ongoing series All-New X-Men, we also have Bobby Drake coming out as gay as well. I like the fact that superheroes can be gay now too, and that we are allowing the X-Men to become the representation of minority its thematic concept as a fictional work has always been meant to be. But as I read through the issues leading up to this moment, I can't help but feel cheated because this for me came off as written under the guise of false inclusiveness. If Marvel really cared about writing queer characters into their series, they should have picked a better writer because Liu's storyline and approach to the characterization of Northstar and his boyfriend Kyle's relationship just didn't cut it.

This review is in no way criticizing the fact that gay marriage is portrayed in this comic book's pages because I'm neither a disagreeable asshole or have strong religious beliefs against homosexuality. Hell, I'm fucking queer myself! What I do take serious injury though was how badly written the entire thing was, even with the nice wedding ending on issue #51. It didn't undo the bitter aftertaste that the previous three issues leading to it had left in my mouth. It just didn't make me like it more just because I as a queer woman and my affiliated sexual orientation was represented in its comic book story. Look, I don't even make a habit of identifying with gay characters in fiction just for the sole reason that they are gay. And when people say you should like this volume because it has gay marriage in it, and when you tell them that you don't like it, then that suddenly makes you a bigot is complete trash. How is that even a logical point of view? So, I kindly advise anyone who would take such a narrow-minded and insensitive stance to go fuck themselves.

If you have that kind of opinion then please don't talk to me

My primary dislike is what Marjorie Liu wrote for Volume 10: Northstar overall and not just in the passable, barely coherent mess about the plot concerning Marauders and Karma being a manipulative bitch (though that admittedly got me very confused and angry all at once). I take issue with how the gay couple's relationship is portrayed. My opposing view about the way Liu as a writer handled their relationship as part of the narrative does not invalidate my sexual identity as a gay woman. I am not betraying my community but downright dismissing Northstar and Kyle's love story as disingenuous---but their sudden marriage was unconvincing though. As I've said, I like issue #51 just for the simple fact that we got to see two gay men happily married even though their characters and relationship were barely touched upon and suffered from being poorly underdeveloped. But it doesn't excuse the fact that Liu simply did not produce a story with any kind of emotional resonance where I could actually stay invested as I see the conflict and drama unfold concerning the Marauders stuff and the baggage and struggle between Northstar and Kyle. There is that singular honest moment concerning their relationship that was sufficiently well-written enough as a scene, and that was when Northstar proposed to Kyle and Kyle turned him down, citing that he was merely putting a band-aid on a gaping wound. Kyle was feeling insecure about his place in Northstar's life considering the guy is a mutant and a superhero, and therefore might prioritize a life of crime-fighting than having a relationship with him. It's a valid point, and proposing marriage does not solve anything so Kyle was right to turn that down and Northstar should have been given an opportunity to prove his commitment in another way than that easy way out. And then Kyle's life was endangered and Northstar saved him and all of a sudden all was forgiven and marriage was an acceptable fix-it-all solution. 

If you examine it in a superficial level, it's understandable for both men to commit after just having a near-death experience together since it made them realize they can't spend another day to live without each other. But looking at it more in-depth, it was a poor excuse to have a wedding celebration all so Marvel can give us a comic book issue that featured gay marriage, never mind that the characterization and story leading up to that moment were inconsistent and inadequately executed. It's a lazy cop-out, that's what it is.

However, there was another thing that I could credit Liu for, and it's that small moment I really liked in issue #51 when Shi'ar warrior and former X-Men Warbird refused to attend the wedding because she just doesn't believe in gay marriage and its validity. That being said, she was very polite and respectful about turning down Northstar's invitation which was great because I hope more people could be like her. If you're a person who does not approve of gay marriage for religious or traditional reasons, you don't readily have to be a hatemongering nut who would passionately protest agaisnt it, claiming homosexuals will burn in hell because they are disgusting sinners. Warbird respected Northstar's choice to marry someone of the same sex even if she didn't acknowledge his marriage with Kyle to be valid. I'm glad Northstar respected her decision to not attend as well. It has become such a heated issue, the entire gay marriage movement, that it's nice to see that we can have two people simply disagreeing about it but don't necessarily have to be antagonistic or embittered about each other. 

Now, as a collected volume, this featured two issues from Nation X and Alpha Flight. The first one showed the budding relationship between the two men, while the 1992 piece written by Scott Lobdell talked about AIDS baby (srsly). But if you've only managed to read the four issues Marjorie Liu wrote then too bad for you because I bet you never really enjoyed yourself and you might even be forced to say you like it when someone would ask you about it in public, in fear of being misjudged as a homophobe. I'm hear to tell you as a queer woman that I don't like it myself and having a gay marriage scene in one of its issues has nothing to do with it at all. It's just an underwhelming silly story that wouldn't have a redemptive value if the two gay guys didn't have a happy wedding ceremony at the end. On that note, my rating is sealed.

RECOMMENDED: 6/10

The Astonishing X-Men by Greg Pak, Volume 9: Exalted

As of the moment, I'm circling the drain of the downhill ride that is The Astonishing X-Men. Since Whedon and Ellis stopped writing for this series, other writers have taken over and the last two did a fine enough job to keep things afloat with forgivably acceptable stories like Children of the Brood. This time, we have Greg Pak and I've read and reviewed two of his stories before (Batman-Superman and Magneto Testament) and I liked them, especially the latter, so I was hoping that he could deliver me something riveting. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen for AXM anymore because I'm ready to believe that the creative powers-that-be handling this series have checked out at some point and focused on other titles running alongside it. Whatever. I'm not even sure what I want to talk about for this volume, but I have an obligation to uphold so I'm soldiering on nevertheless. Besides, I think I only have three more volumes to go before I mercifully end my reviews for this title and I comfort myself with the fact that perhaps those last three may be at least entertaining again.

Volume 9: Exalted is composed of four measly issues (#44-47). Issue #43 was a standalone and written by a different writer, focusing primarily on Emma Frost and Danger. It was a nice break and was probably written in between while somebody is trying to get someone to write a story arc for the next issues of AXM. And that man is Greg Pak, and his work on Exalted could have been better if the premise wasn't so silly and ultimately uninteresting. For one, it's a Cyclops-centered narrative which would have made me very happy if it wasn't so boring. It offered little insight to the change and struggle that Scott Summers had gone through after the events in Schism. See, that's the problem with X-Men canon in general. So many stuff happen that titles like The Astonishing X-Men get affected, considering it's part of the continuity (and I maintain that it should have been a standalone title to afford more flexibility and expanded mythos independent from the overall Marvel continuity). The consequence is that if a reader only reads this title without any other X-title as reference then the story arcs seem to jump and skip ahead without explaining how and why members drop and leave such as the case with Beast retiring from the group at some point, and now Wolverine and Kitty Pryde separating from Scott and Emma to form their own school back in Westchester. But before that, they were in San Francisco, then Utopia...I can't honestly follow anymore. 

And the only reason I can't is because I refuse to. And I refuse to because I CAN'T CARE.

Anyway, Exalted is supposedly about Scott recovering from all the transformation and pain and loss he had experienced since M-Day occurred. Heck, since Jean Grey died. I would have been concerned about him undergoing through such difficulties but Pak's writing was so detached from any kind of meaningful character reflection that Scott was portrayed like a flat character lacking any dynamic role from start to finish of Exalted. First, we see him grieving the losses of his comrades who abandoned him because they could no longer work with him and agree on the way he runs things. The fact that they question his leadership like that once again echoes back to his deeply-rooted insecurity of not being good enough as a hero. Next, Ororo Munroe arrives to smooth things over and ends up making out with him. That was weird and Scott readily accuses her of being a fake. Technically, she wasn't. As it turns out, she's another version of Storm from a world a part of the multiverse. She abducts Scott and imprisons him with other versions of his friends like Emma (who is Emmeline Frost-Summers), Logan (General James Howlett) and young Kurt and Kitty (Shadow). Other-Storm is working for a mutant who calls himself the Savior. Said Savior has been using mutants from the multiverse to power up his chosen city. This Savior is no other than Charles Xavier who can walk and has luscious blond hair. He also killed the Magneto of his world and so I already hate him because I could not for the life of me believe that Charles Xavier could ever kill his BFF, regardless of whatever version of reality he came from which meant that this Savior is not Charles at all and I don't care what the writing says, he's just not, OKAY?!

True to form, Scott rallies the Other-X-Men to fight their way through an escape plan and ensure that Savior doesn't use Ghost Boxes anymore to travel through different worlds to abduct more X-Men. They accomplish this by traveling to another world and getting other Emmas and Logans to help them defeat the inexcusable piece of shit that IS NOT A VERSION OF CHARLES XAVIER, DO YOU HEAR ME?! Scott, for some inexplicable sense of misplaced duty, felt the need to actually STAY BEHIND and fix the wrongs that the now thankfully dead Savior committed in his own world, but Other-Logan was smart enough to push him into the portal so he can go back to his own world where he is still actually needed in spite of how he feels the opposite of that. Well, at least he was able to work with his comrades again even if they are not the versions he grew up with and lost along the way. I would have felt bad and sad for Scott but the story just ends there without any more need for contemplation and insight. The story arc is just done. It only took me less than an hour to finish the entire thing and I felt nothing afterwards but contempt towards Savior because he killed a Magneto, and lukewarm sympathy for Scott even though Pak has written him so blandly that I wondered what was the point of making him the main focus of the arc in the first place. God, whatever. I'm going to read the tenth volume next with another writer again and hope I can have something more polished than this trite.


NOT RECOMMENDED: 5/10