The X-Men Update

[Russ-L]

So I figure I'll use this thread to post my thoughts on current X-Books, what I'm liking, reading, disliking, etc. Feel free to post your comments or ideas.

X-Force #28
Another outstanding issue by Kyle, Yost, Choi and Oback. Having Clayton Crain doing the Necrosha arc gave Choi and Oback plenty of time to stay current with the Second Coming art. Previously the two teams have alternated months. X-Force 27 and 28 are going to be close contenders for my issue of the year voting. This issue is technically the penultimate chapter of Second Coming, an event that has crossed over into most of the X-Books for the last sever months, but the action has it's conclusion here.

The true nature of Hope is starting to reveal itself but I still have many questions. I'm sure many of these will be answered this week with Second Coming #2. We lose a long time main character in this issue as well. Although with comics no one is ever truly "dead" and I expect this character to make a comeback fairly soon.

It's a shame that Kyle and Yost are ending their run on X-Force and monthly comics in general. They have been a bright spot on the X-Universe since coming on board New X-Men a few years ago.

If you haven't been following Second Coming please do yourself a favor and pick it up in hard cover or trade. It's a wonderful story, a lot of action, solid storytelling and fantastic art.

[Johnny M]

I've really been enjoying it and I'm pretty much an X-idiot. It's gotten me back in, that's for sure.

[Chris S]

I fully enjoyed the whole Second Coming story line. But out of it all I think that they did the deaths with respect the 2 major characters that pass on where sure treated with respect (though I am bummed about both of them.) I am really excited about the new X-Force line up. I just read X-Men #1 and I might be a little over the undead story lines that seem to be popping up in popular culture. Really, vampires again? What ever happened to C.H.U.D.s? Lets bring them back.

[ljacone]

Has there been any good stories about Cyclops lately? It seems like every time I read something about him it involves him taking it on the chin from the other X-Men for some thing or another that he has done. I'd like to see him as the big time hero again.

[Russ-L]

[ljacone]

[Russ-L]

No I didn't read any of the MCP Cyclops stuff. Just the Wolverine Weapon X stuff by Barry Windsor Smith.

[ljacone]

Also, what is the deal with X-Factor Forever? It's like X-Men Forever in that its the old story being continued in a new direction? I'm guessing its a mini from the solicits.

[kwoktalk]

It's a mini series. Louise Simonson is just picking up where she left off. Completely separate from the X-Men Forever stuff.

[Russ-L]

The Forever lines are all separate. Louise Simonson left X-Factor after issue 64. X-Factor Forever is Louise Simonson writing issues 65-X in a limited series. So it's a little more compressed than what Claremont is doing with X-Men Forever but same concept. In a few months, Claremont is going to do New Mutants Forever. Again same concept of Chris picking the book up after he left in issue 55. It's a neat concept. I'm getting them all in trade, X-Men forever has actually been pretty cool.

[ljacone]

Cool. Sounds like a good pickup in collected form, then! I have read some of the original X-Factor but not nearly all of it. I should just buy the Essentials but Lord knows I have enough phonebooks to read already!

Thanks everyone!

[nacho]

X-Factor Forever is really fun. It's very compressed, but it's a good story, and the art is fantastic. The art feels modern, yet it's not all that dissimilar from Walt's work on the title years ago. It just "fits".

[Russ-L]

Finally get caught up and finished Second Coming. Nice end to the series. I think Second Coming #2 could have been rolled into the issues of the regular series' as a bookend. There wasn't a whole lot new that was brought in.

I'm not sure how I feel about Hope. The fact that she's "created" 5 new mutants is interesting and the recently announced Generation Hope has me curious. I'm not sure that we really need this title. I think this could have rolled into Legacy, especially with a new X-Men ongoing and the whole Wolverine family of titles starting.

That being said I'm not sure if I'm going to get this one monthly or trade wait. I got the entire 75 issue run of Generation X and this is certainly a take on that concept. Wonder if this will be a ploy to get Banshee back....

On another note I've been listening to some podcasts and they've been talking about how Scott is acting like a bit of a jackass. I disagree. I think finally after all these years Scott is asserting himself as a leader. He's making the tough choices. Scott tossing the medal in the Heroic Age one shot makes sense to me. He accomplished the goal of saving not only San Francisco but mutant kind itself. But it came at a very very high price. So I think Scott was written to feel guilt over being recognized for something that others sacrificed more for.

I still stand by my prediction, and it may take 20 years, but Emma is influencing Scott and when Jean comes back it's all coming out in the wash.

[demonbear]

didn't really want to admit it, since i always thought he was 'meh.' at best, but Cyclops has become an interesting character. i guess pairing him off with emma was genius and has given him a personality that he never had, when he was with jean. i like that he really takes no shit from anybody and is willing to make the decisions a good, strong leader has to.

i like what i've seen from Uncanny since fraction's taken over. i haven't gotten the series monthly since joe kelly and steve seagle were on the book!

[Russ-L]

I just got the Dark Phoenix Sage 30th anniversary hard cover. I've had the trade for over 20 years. Finally being able to read it in an oversized format will be really nice. Plus it has all of the extra material, the What If issue, that behind the scenes issue, and I think the back matter additions for X-Men Classic. I've read this story probably 10 times but can't wait to read it again.

[Johnny M]

[Russ-L]

Yeah I've been keeping in my back pocket for a while.

Jim and I talked about doing it not that long ago. I thought this hard cover didn't come out until September.

[Dezreavey]

[JordanFromJersey]

So, "Second Coming" is over now right? Someone want to spoil me on the ending please? Who died? Did Cable survive? Etc.

[Russ-L]