The Revolution loved Ed Brubaker’s debut issue on Uncanny X-Men. I think that Brubaker is the hottest writer in the industry right now. Brubaker has made Captain America and Daredevil two of the best reads on the market. And now, Brubaker has turned his magic to Uncanny X-Men. It has been a very long time since I was excited about reading an issue of Uncanny X-Men. But, this week, Uncanny X-Men #476 was the first comic I read. Let’s hit the review.
Creative Team
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Penciler: Billy Tan
Inker: Danny Miki
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: This issue starts with the X-Men breaking into an old Shi’ar base hidden in an old volcano in upstate New York. They are immediately attacked by Shi’ar robots and we have a big braaaaaawwwl! Professor X stays in the Blackbird along with Rachel and Darwin. Rachel is mind linking Professor X with the X-Men to help them find a spaceship in the base.
We then flashback to Xavier assembling his team at the Xavier Institute. Cyclops is arguing with Xavier that Darwin is not ready for a combat mission. Xavier disagrees. Cyclops is also angry that Xavier is taking everyone that he cares for with him namely Havok and Rachel. Havok enters the scene and tells Cyclops that Vulcan is still a Summers and they have to help him. Scott tells them to come back safely.
We cut back to the X-Men at the Shi’ar base. This is where Vulcan grew up. Suddenly, the X-Men are attacked by the Imperial Shockers who were created to guard this base. And we have another braaaaawwwl on our hands! During the brawl, Rachel discovers that the Imperial Shockers are not simply robots. They are actually prisoners of the Shi’ar who were turned into these killing machines and that they want to die. Warpath then feels that it is an act of mercy to kill them so he starts wasting them left and right. After disposing of the Imperial Shockers, the X-Men locate the space ship. Professor X is angry at Warpath for killing, but my man says he was simply freeing a slave from its torment. (I love Warpath. What a great character.)
The X-Men then blast off into space. They use a Shi’ar stargate to make the jump far outside of our own galaxy. After they make their jump they begin to plot for the next stargate. At that point they realize that they are not getting any readings from any of the Shi’ar stargates in this sector. That Vulcan must have destroyed them intending to strand the X-Men should they follow him. End of issue.
Comments
The Good: Brubaker delivered another great issue. It is amazing what happens when you actually try and put talent on a title rather than just rely on the name “X-Men” to sell a comic. I thought that Uncanny X-Men #476 was an entertaining read. I liked the fight scenes at the Shi’ar base for two big reasons: Warpath and Havok. I have always liked both characters and I’m glad that Brubaker is making good use of them.
Warpath is just a bad ass. Plain and simple. You can tell that he is one of Brubaker’s favorites. And luckily, he is one of mine, too. Warpath didn’t flinch when it came to handing out mercy killings to the Imperial Shockers. This scene re-enforces the divergent viewpoints of Warpath and Professor X. This is one reason why Warpath has never been a member of Professor X’s inner circle of pet students.
The scene with Cyclops, Professor X and Havok was perfect. Brubaker is finally doing what so many writers have totally failed to do. Develop the relationship between Cyclops and Havok. I like that we are seeing that brotherly love between Scott and Alex. It seems like you would never know they were brothers with the way that most writers handle these characters. I’m also enjoying this unusual divide between Xavier and Cyclops. It is making for a delicious change of pace.
It was cool to see Darwin in action. I like Darwin. Not only does he have interesting powers, but his character has plenty of potential.
This issue ended with a nice hook. Vulcan has destroyed the stargates and now we have to see how our heroes are going to get out of this mess. That is one of Brubaker’s strong points. He has so many nice subplots that all build toward the main story. Plus, Brubaker never makes it easy for his heroes. You knew that once they got the space ship that it wouldn’t be a nice quick ride to intercept Vulcan at the Shi’ar home planet.
I’m also interested to see how the Xavier/Lilandra reunion is played out. It is clear that Lilandra has some issues with her ex-lover. I’m also excited for Corsair and the Starjammers to make an appearance. I’ve always liked Corsair and it should be quite entertaining when he discovers his third son.
Ed Brubaker does a great job with the writing duties. Uncanny X-Men #476 is enjoyable to read. Brubaker delivers nice dialogue with each character having their own unique voice. The dialogue has a nice natural flow to it. Brubaker is very talented at character development and this issue is not exception. Brubaker is fleshing out Warpath and giving this character more depth and personality than he has ever had. Brubaker has a good handle of all of the characters on this team and this creates good chemistry between the characters.
The pacing is perfect. The story has a nice foundation and good structure. We can tell that Brubaker is focused and this story definitely has direction and purpose.
Billy Tan does an excellent job with the art duties. Tan’s art is a pleasure to look at and complements Brubaker’s story. Tan draws one wicked cool Warpath. He makes Warpath look vicious. I also love how Tan draws Havok. Incredible. All the energy circles when Havok is powered up make for a great visual. The battle scenes are well done with a nice dynamic feel to them.
The Bad: I have zero complaints. I’m thrilled that Uncanny X-Men is such a good read again.
Overall: Brubaker has restored the glory to Uncanny X-Men. For the first time in a decade, I actually get excited to read this title. Great writing and excellent artwork. This is a fine time for new readers to hop onto this title. Brubaker and Tan crank out a comic that is worth your money.