Post by Marvel Boy on Dec 28, 2013 13:08:08 GMT -5
My usual trip to my LCS takes about an hour or so, with the holidays and such, haven't had the time to undertake such a journey till recently so now to catch up!
THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD!
LAST WARNING!
Wow, just wow, stunned by these last two issues.
First things first, McNiven is a welcome addition. Clean, precise art, he really excels at showing the emotions on the characters' faces.
And what emotions. #14 sees not one, but three deaths: Rogue, Wanda, and Simon.
I've read opinions elsewhere that Rogue may be out-of-character in this arc. Under the penmanship of Mike Carey in the former Legacy X-title, Rogue was maturing into a more wiser character. She's always been a 'punch-first' type girl but she's been molding that into a more compassionate outlook.
But here, she is out for blood, Wanda's blood. Frankly, I don't blame her. From her perspective, she is doing what needs to be done. From House of M till today, Wanda has been the fault and focus of what has happened to mutants for the last 10 years. And while Wanda may have made her amends, Rogue only sees that Wanda is about to unleash yet another catastrophe upon mutantkind and she will stop that at any cost.
So her attack on Wanda was brutal as was Grim Reaper's fatal attack on Rogue afterwards. Neither of these deaths were gratuitous or for mere shock value, but instead growths and consequences of where this story is going.
And I must say, Simon's words and actions at the end were heartfelt. Him telling a dying Wanda that he came back from the dead for her, that without her, there is nothing and that this is NOT the end for them, man, so raw and emotional. He uses his energy to help a dying Wanda finish her spell to gather all the mutants to their side. He dissipates and Wanda seemingly collapses dead.
#14 is one of the best, most striking issues I've read from Marvel this year.
But #15 highlights what I've enjoyed the most about this book; the underlying philosophical differences between humanity and mutants. Grim Reaper explained it best to Logan; how everyone is SO convinced of their own righteousness of their path that they are unwilling to talk, to compromise to ensure a better future for all. Egos are the end all to everything.
And this Unity Squad is a microcosm example of this point. This team never had the time nor took the time to learn to work together as a true team, the Avengers and the X-Men both had their secrets and doubts yet never fully expressed them to each other. Wanda doesn't tell any of the others about her altering the Twins' plans so Rogue kills her under false pretenses. Cap realizes too late his own hypocrisy about letting Alex become the true leader of this squad.
This title may receive some criticism over being too decompressed, too talky but when the talk concerns such long-standing issues of the MU, when it's so brutal and harsh, I love reading it.
Sentry is full-blown gonzo scary, the Twins abscond with the entire mutant population of Earth, Kang seeks allies throughout time to help avert the collapsing timestorm and a Celestial shows up on Earth's doorstep carrying judgement?!
I have no idea where Remender is going with this story and I love it.
THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD!
LAST WARNING!
Wow, just wow, stunned by these last two issues.
First things first, McNiven is a welcome addition. Clean, precise art, he really excels at showing the emotions on the characters' faces.
And what emotions. #14 sees not one, but three deaths: Rogue, Wanda, and Simon.
I've read opinions elsewhere that Rogue may be out-of-character in this arc. Under the penmanship of Mike Carey in the former Legacy X-title, Rogue was maturing into a more wiser character. She's always been a 'punch-first' type girl but she's been molding that into a more compassionate outlook.
But here, she is out for blood, Wanda's blood. Frankly, I don't blame her. From her perspective, she is doing what needs to be done. From House of M till today, Wanda has been the fault and focus of what has happened to mutants for the last 10 years. And while Wanda may have made her amends, Rogue only sees that Wanda is about to unleash yet another catastrophe upon mutantkind and she will stop that at any cost.
So her attack on Wanda was brutal as was Grim Reaper's fatal attack on Rogue afterwards. Neither of these deaths were gratuitous or for mere shock value, but instead growths and consequences of where this story is going.
And I must say, Simon's words and actions at the end were heartfelt. Him telling a dying Wanda that he came back from the dead for her, that without her, there is nothing and that this is NOT the end for them, man, so raw and emotional. He uses his energy to help a dying Wanda finish her spell to gather all the mutants to their side. He dissipates and Wanda seemingly collapses dead.
#14 is one of the best, most striking issues I've read from Marvel this year.
But #15 highlights what I've enjoyed the most about this book; the underlying philosophical differences between humanity and mutants. Grim Reaper explained it best to Logan; how everyone is SO convinced of their own righteousness of their path that they are unwilling to talk, to compromise to ensure a better future for all. Egos are the end all to everything.
And this Unity Squad is a microcosm example of this point. This team never had the time nor took the time to learn to work together as a true team, the Avengers and the X-Men both had their secrets and doubts yet never fully expressed them to each other. Wanda doesn't tell any of the others about her altering the Twins' plans so Rogue kills her under false pretenses. Cap realizes too late his own hypocrisy about letting Alex become the true leader of this squad.
This title may receive some criticism over being too decompressed, too talky but when the talk concerns such long-standing issues of the MU, when it's so brutal and harsh, I love reading it.
Sentry is full-blown gonzo scary, the Twins abscond with the entire mutant population of Earth, Kang seeks allies throughout time to help avert the collapsing timestorm and a Celestial shows up on Earth's doorstep carrying judgement?!
I have no idea where Remender is going with this story and I love it.