Writer: Neil Gaiman
Artist: Andy Kubert
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Let me tell you, I enjoyed the hell out of this book. While the mystery surrounding the powerful object doesn’t stand any closer to being revealed (although I am 99.9% sure I’ve figured out what it is. I won’t put it here, so email me if you want to know what I think) I’m still enthralled by this book. Normally that lack of plot development would bother me something fierce, but enough happens that relates to the various subplots (and there seem to be a lot of them) that I was more than satisfied with this issue.
I was worried that this series would become too X-centric for my tastes, by Gaiman has so far avoided that trap. While many characters are mutants, there’s enough of a balance between them and their non-mutant counterparts that I didn’t notice that almost half of the book’s pages are devoted to the X-universe, and to be honest it didn’t bother me when it did. What did bother me about the mutants’ storyline is that it’s one big cliché. I get it, mutants are persecuted no matter what year it is. Is this a story that just cried out to be told? If in fact good stories are timeless, then chances are we’ve seen whatever Gaiman is planning before. If it’s new (and I don’t see how that can be) I’ll retract that statement, but this feeling I have that we’re about to get yet another racism allegory isn’t sitting well.
For the most part the rest of the issue was a fun read. It’s somehow satisfying to see a character meet up with someone he or she has had a relationship with in the present day (for example Matt Murdock and the Black Widow), and there’s a decent amount of that here. Quicksilver’s interaction with King James was priceless, and the attitude of Dr. Doom read perfectly in character. I enjoyed Peter’s conversation with Virginia as it lent a bright spot of characterization for my favorite Marvel character, but those moments of clarity don’t come often enough
I do have a few problems with Gaiman’s use of certain characters, though. His Captain America (say the name “Rojhaz” out loud) is one step away from a Frankenstein level of communication (I kept waiting for him to say “Fire bad!”) and reads like a stereotypical movie Indian. He’s mysterious, monosyllabic, has enough physical prowess to protect the little white girl but thinks of little else. I have no idea of Gaiman’s intention for Peter Parker, but he seems extremely under-utilized. I want to see a web-swinging version of Peter, not him playing the role of sidekick. Finally, Matt Murdock’s origin is just too idiotic for words. He finds some green glowing stuff that “burned like green fire,” and he puts in his mouth? I thought Matt was supposed to be a smart character (even at a young age), so this flies in the face of any kind of logic.
Andy Kubert’s art looks gorgeous once again, but I’m anxiously awaiting his first opportunity to cut loose and give with the action. We get to see a tiny bit here, but for the most part Kubert is stuck drawing people striking dramatic poses and that feels like a waste of his talent. I especially felt cheated when Professor X has his students put on a demonstration for Nick Fury that we don’t get to see. I realize Gaiman is creating tension, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
This issue felt a little too much like #1 for me to fully endorse it, but what little plot development there was I found myself enjoying. Given that Gaiman has been able to sustain a high level of quality in the past, I don’t see this book falling off the way Origin did after a few issues.
What did you think of this book?
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