X-Men #6 – Review

Brian Wood (Writer), David Lopez, Cam Smith, Terry Pallot (Artists), Laura Martin, Matt Milla (Colorists)

The Story: The real X-Men from the future warns the current X-Men about the other mutants from the future as some mutants from the present fights the impostor.

The Review: One of the major problems of huge crossovers is the incorporation of the major themes in the ongoing books touched by the bigger story. When themes which aren’t necessarily touched upon or characters who aren’t always featured appears in a book, it can sometimes kill the pacing or the subplots that drive it forward. It’s an evil that doesn’t seem that necessary in some case, which makes it all the more disappointing when it occurs in the worst of ways.

It’s a mixed blessing then that Brian Wood is really able to use some of the characters and themes brought by Battle of the Atom to his own ongoing in a way that surprises, but also make sense. Despite the whole time-travelling characters being pushed in this book, Wood is successful in moving forward both his own plot as well as the larger one of the crossover.

Wood use his characters well in the action and to move the story given to him, plugging some of the characters only featured in his title without hurting the flow or the subplots. Jubilee’s own adopted son Shogo, Rachel’s insecurity toward the supposed X-Men from the future do connect with the twist featured in the previous two issues. Wood doesn’t let himself get bogged down by this crossover be forced on him, which is commendable of this issue and of him.

What is also commendable is the action, which is fast-paced, despite its rather short length. There is a certain diversity to what is shown, with a psychic battle, a clash of swords, one of powerful fisticuffs, with characters like Rogue, Psylocke, Rachel Grey and Jubilee being part of the whole deal. Considering action is an area where capes usually fares very well, this issue really do show something entertaining with its battles.

Where it fares on a lesser scale is with the plot itself, though, as it has the same problem that plagued almost every single issues of this gigantic crossover to begin with: the pacing. There isn’t much happening in this issue as the current X-Men at the school gets a message that the previous X-Men from the future aren’t what they seem, they fight a bit and then Jubilee makes a pretty neat discovery (which I won’t spoil). It gives pretty much everything needed for the story to progress, yet in a way that is particularly inventive.

The dialogue in itself suffers from a lack of inventiveness as well, as a lot of the interactions between characters reeks of obvious exposition. Exposition in itself isn’t something that is obligatory tedious when handled well, yet there are quite a lot of moments where characters explains in the most explicit of ways. It is sometimes necessary to explain to readers what might be ambiguous, yet it needs to be weaved naturally into the characterization and the plot. When it seems forced and tedious, it serves nothing except hurt the suspension of disbelief and the general appreciation of the story.

Where appreciation might be easier to find is with David Lopez and the accompanying inkers Terry Pallot and Cam Smith. Their art for this issue is generally strong as it clean, energetic and pretty without being impossibly beautiful to begin with. The characters, be it in action or in the simplest of interactions, are evocative as Lopez is able to bring a good range of emotions. There are some instances where the expressions are perhaps a bit hyperbolized, yet those are few and far between. The fast-pacing of the action is potently rendered on the pages as well, with the varying powers being represented with various effects and visuals that allow their concept to be explicit and rather impressive at the same time. The backgrounds are also good, albeit not done in a way that propels the visual quality to another level. The same could also be said of the panelling, which doesn’t stick to the conventions yet doesn’t reinvent the wheel either. On a general note, it’s highly competent work from Lopez, Pallot and Smith.

Where the issue shines a bit more is in the colorization of Laura Martin and Matt Milla, which goes all around the place at times, yet in a good way. There is a great visual diversity to be found here, with multiple palette being put next to each others in the panels, yet it never result in chaos. Most of what is seen truly contributes to the action or the tone, which helps the inks and pencils a great lot.

The Conclusion: The art and colorization is quite solid, as are some of the small touches to the regular cast of this book, yet some of the clunky dialogue along with the general pacing of the event hurt this book a bit in the process. An enjoyable read, yet not a great one.

Grade: B-

Hugo Robberts Larivière