Post by goldenfist on Sept 11, 2008 8:57:47 GMT -5
Ign.com reviews Secret Invasion: X-MEN #2.
It's hard to recommend these Secret Invasion tie-ins to anyone who's not already a fan of the book's stars. Titles like Incredible Hercules and the three Avengers books buck the trend, but for the most part you should only really tune in if you're interested in these people. The same is true of SI: X-Men, but X-fans will probably find a lot to dig into, considering the X-Men's new status quo is still such a question mark.
I'll cut to the chase, here. SI: X-Men seems to have a very basic premise: the X-Men defend their new digs from invading Skrulls. It's fine as far as it goes, as long as you don't ask why exactly the Skrulls need to secure San Francisco in particular. Much like Civil War: X-Men or World War Hulk: X-Men, the series is mostly a showcase to break team lines and have an amalgamation of X-Men battling alongside each other.
The difference with SI: X-Men is that it's written by Mike Carey, arguably one of the bigger X-Men designers in the franchise at the moment. Rather than throw a fill-in writer on the book, Marvel have gotten a relative vet to handle it, so in this issue readers get amusing little asides like a reference to Stefan Szardos, or a pitch-perfect interaction between Emma and the Cuckoos. And when dubious things occur, like Warren Worthington and X-Force's Archangel appearing at the same battle, you know your "hrmmmwhat?" is intentional, and not an editorial slip-up.
The book is also an excuse to bring in some X-Men that the core titles haven't gotten around to yet, like the former New X-Men kids, Husk, and the Beaubier siblings. With "Manifest Destiny" still so new, SI: X-Men is kind of a fun glimpse into the future of the franchise, and where it might be headed. In some ways, SI: X-Men #2 is a kind of celebration of the line and what "Manifest Destiny" allows for it.
Still, at the end of the day it's still just a superfluous, glossy tie-in that's light on plot and misfires completely at doing anything that doesn't involve Skrull battles. There's an ineffective thread involving Nightcrawler's talking crystal ball that's attempting to draw a link between Skrull religion and (ostensibly) his own beliefs, but Hercules managed to do the Skrull religion schtick a lot better. Cary Nord's art is dodgy at times, especially with faces. When multiple squads of X-Men begin appearing it's sometimes difficult to figure out who's who. There's certainly some fun to be had here for the hardcore X-Men reader, but most others probably won't see the point in picking SI: X-Men #2 up.
Review Score: 6.2 Passable
It's hard to recommend these Secret Invasion tie-ins to anyone who's not already a fan of the book's stars. Titles like Incredible Hercules and the three Avengers books buck the trend, but for the most part you should only really tune in if you're interested in these people. The same is true of SI: X-Men, but X-fans will probably find a lot to dig into, considering the X-Men's new status quo is still such a question mark.
I'll cut to the chase, here. SI: X-Men seems to have a very basic premise: the X-Men defend their new digs from invading Skrulls. It's fine as far as it goes, as long as you don't ask why exactly the Skrulls need to secure San Francisco in particular. Much like Civil War: X-Men or World War Hulk: X-Men, the series is mostly a showcase to break team lines and have an amalgamation of X-Men battling alongside each other.
The difference with SI: X-Men is that it's written by Mike Carey, arguably one of the bigger X-Men designers in the franchise at the moment. Rather than throw a fill-in writer on the book, Marvel have gotten a relative vet to handle it, so in this issue readers get amusing little asides like a reference to Stefan Szardos, or a pitch-perfect interaction between Emma and the Cuckoos. And when dubious things occur, like Warren Worthington and X-Force's Archangel appearing at the same battle, you know your "hrmmmwhat?" is intentional, and not an editorial slip-up.
The book is also an excuse to bring in some X-Men that the core titles haven't gotten around to yet, like the former New X-Men kids, Husk, and the Beaubier siblings. With "Manifest Destiny" still so new, SI: X-Men is kind of a fun glimpse into the future of the franchise, and where it might be headed. In some ways, SI: X-Men #2 is a kind of celebration of the line and what "Manifest Destiny" allows for it.
Still, at the end of the day it's still just a superfluous, glossy tie-in that's light on plot and misfires completely at doing anything that doesn't involve Skrull battles. There's an ineffective thread involving Nightcrawler's talking crystal ball that's attempting to draw a link between Skrull religion and (ostensibly) his own beliefs, but Hercules managed to do the Skrull religion schtick a lot better. Cary Nord's art is dodgy at times, especially with faces. When multiple squads of X-Men begin appearing it's sometimes difficult to figure out who's who. There's certainly some fun to be had here for the hardcore X-Men reader, but most others probably won't see the point in picking SI: X-Men #2 up.
Review Score: 6.2 Passable