Writer: Grant Morrison Artists: Leinil Francis Yu (p), Gerry Alanguilan (I)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Plot: As the X-Men arrive in China to investigate reports of flagrant mutant abuse (e.g. automatic death sentences for any person discovered to be a mutant), we see them stumble across another threat to mutants in the form of a group calling itself the U-Men. It turns out the U-Men are a group of ordinary humans seeking to become mutants, by capturing mutants and surgically removing their power-granting mutations (e.g. wings, eyes), and implanting these organs on & inside their own bodies. As the X-Men confront this rather horrific group they discover a young mutant, who has had her wings removed, and the X-Men managed to rescue her. The team also discover a very powerful mutant named Xorn, who is believed to have a miniature sun where his head should be, and the X-Men blast their way into a specially constructed prison to save Xorn before he commits suicide, and takes the rest of the world with him.
Comments: Given the big selling point of this annual was its new format, I find myself a bit curious why Grant Morrison, who has proven he can come up with big threats during his JLA run, decided to make this annual into a fairly low-key affair. Oh sure there's an interesting threat, and the Hong Kong local is put to good use, but this sideways format was played up by Marvel as delivering the feeling of a big screen movie, but instead of big action, we get pages of talk, talk, talk. What's more this issue is full of jarring transitions from one scene to the next, as characters are suddenly in the story with little to no explanation for their presence, and scenes of import just end in midstream. Now part of the confusion does result from a rather silly shipping flubb by Marvel that has this annual arriving a week before the issue that it spins out of is released, but it did seem like Grant Morrison was having a difficult time with his scene transitions.
I don't want it to sound as though I disliked this annual though, as Grant Morrison has seen fit to include some interesting ideas. The most promising one is the U-Men, as the idea of a group of humans actively targeting mutants so that they can steal the mutations that these people were blessed/cursed with, and graft them on themselves in the hopes of gaining mutant powers is a nicely twisted idea. The new X-Men that we are treated to in this story are a mixed bag. If that girl that the Beast rescues from the hidden cellar is the new Angel than I applaud Grant Morrison for finally adding a character to the team that truly lives up to the label mutant, but one panel is simply not enough to gauge whether I like her as a character. As for Xorn I do like the idea that he's been locked away since his mutant gift first developed, and his rediscovery of the world should be interesting. However, I can't say his power has got me too excited, as he's basically an amped up version of Chamber.
I must confess part of me is always a bit curious why Leinil Francis Yu keeps getting placed on team books, as frankly I just don't see him having the qualities one needs. Oh sure his art is lovely, as when not buried in shadows, his work is meticulously detailed, and he certainly knows how to deliver an exciting visual, as the shot of Wolverine mowing his way through the mutant clones, and his escape with Domino out the window are two fine examples. The Blackbird's attack on Xorn's prison is also worth a mention, as is the one double-page spread that makes full use of the sideways format. However, he simply seems unable to show the entire team in action, as if you look at the action sequences there's not a single panel where more than one X-Man is delivering an attack, and forget the concept of teamwork, or multiple attacks when Leinil Francis Yu on art. The visual for Xorn's power is not nearly as impressive as it needs to be.
Final Word: An experiment that never really pays off like it should, as Grant Morrison delivers a story that is steeped in atmosphere, and chilling discoveries, when the format is screaming for a big, over-the-top action extravaganza. Sure there are some promising ideas introduced, and overall this is an engaging read, but mix its failure to exploit its unique format, with some rather confusing scene transitions, and I can't help but feel a bit let down. There's also the simple idea that this annual falls into the same trap that many X-Men stories do, in that it introduces the threat, and then does little with it, in what I guess is a bid by the writer to save this threat for another time. Just once I'd like to see an X-Men tale where they discover, and deal with the threat all in a single story.
