The Unreachable Star

[ghostly1]

This is our 79th edition overall, but our 4th with the new title. A lighter week this time around, with only six titles. I should warn up front that I will be spoiling significant elements of Astonishing X-Men. So, if you want to be surprised (and if you haven't been spoiled already, that may be best), you should probably skip that review.

This week we've got...

Astonishing X-Men #4 - 4 Stars
Excalibur #4 - 2.75 Stars
Guardians #3 - 2.75 Stars
Mystique #18 - 3 Stars
Sleeper Season Two #3 - 3.5 Stars
Ultimate Elektra #1 - 3 Stars

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Astonishing X-Men #4 - "Gifted, Part Four" (Writer: Joss Whedon Artist: John Cassady)

The X-Men quietly infiltrate the Benetech facility in the hopes of finding the source of the Cure (now called 'Hope'). Meanwhile Ord of Breakworld begins to put his own plans into motion.

There's still a little undercurrent of blood-thirstyness that I find offputting. Seeing as how it's Logan expressing the sentiments, I'm not too worried, but I'd feel a little more comfortable if it didn't seem like the others were just disagreeing because they wanted to wait until they had gathered all the information they could.

Whedon also manages some nice moments in the school between a few students. These (as well as Tilde and the ones shown only in art) are the first mutants Whedon's created for the X-Universe, so it'd be nice if they stick around. They seem to act and sound like real kids (a sharp contrast to what Claremont's doing in Excalibur).

Ord's motivations seem to come out here, and it's a little underwhelming, but he gets some nice scenes in nonetheless. With the way his plans don't seem to work out, it's likely he was intended to be faintly ridiculous as a villain, even if physically intimidating.

Anyway, the 'surprise return' that's been quietly hyped is none other than our old friend Colossus. Now, I love Colossus. In fact, when I did a little thought experiment on my site about who I'd return if I had to, he was one of the top choices. Still, I hope there's a good explanation behind this, considering he was allegedly cremated (of course, recent news stories about crematoriums suggest that it's very possible the X-Men could have been told he was cremated, given some random ashes, while he was later sold for research or something). Then again, all in all, I was really still hoping it was going to be his sister to return.

So far, although light on explanation so far (it's a cliffhanger, of course), and in some ways it resembles a scene from Buffy, it is a visually great moment and his first words evocative. Best of all, though, is Kitty's reaction to first seeing him. It's a classic set of panels, and Cassady's art really shines here.

Whedon's arc is really starting to heat up. This, unsurprisingly is my Pick of The Week.

Review: 4 stars

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Excalibur #4 - "Hard Rain (Forging the Sword Conclusion)" (By: Chris Claremont and Aaron Lopresti)

While Magneto and Charles try to find the cocoon below the ocean, those on the surface have to fight off the Magistrates, who want Genosha back.

Claremont's got some good ideas here, but has trouble following them through without falling back on his hokier tendencies and laying on the schmaltz way too thick. Magneto admiring Xavier's idealism is great, but when it turns into a lovefest he loses me. Given 'alone we couldn't succeed, together we could' ties into the later theme of building a country, I'm prepared to give it a little more slack than I otherwise would.

We also get something, just a hint, in the 'How is Magneto alive' subplot. Although it's still open to interpretation, it does look a little more like 'Excalibur's Magneto isn't the real one' is a possibility.

I've said it before, but Claremont should really stop trying to write teen slang. I have no problem with him writing kids, I'm sure he has a reasonable grasp on their problems and motivations. But the slang looks dated _now_, and it's a new issue. There's really not that much harm in writing slangless teens. I rarely used slang in my teen years, and I know others who didn't. Even if it winds up reading strangely, it's a lot better than it being strange because it's a poor imitation of slang.

Other than all of these problems, it's a decent but not terribly memorable story. Which means, on the whole, the problems are what you come away from the issue remembering.

Review: 2.75 stars

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Guardians #3 - "Reach for the Stars, Part 3 of 5" (Writer: Marc Sumerak, Artist: Casey Jones)

Now that all of the kids have evidence that what they experienced was true, they must face aliens and try to do what they can to help their alien friend.

So far in this series, I was mixed towards the first issue, but rather enjoyed the second. Here, I'm mixed again, although seriously leaning towards not enjoying it. There's just too many small things that get on my nerves.

For one, there's a curious disconnect between this issue and last. Charlie, who seemed (after seeing the ship in the sky) to finally accept that Vince was right last issue, now seems completely perplexed at the fact that Vince was right, and has to be reminded of this fact by everyone. Where before she was rushing to find Vince and the ship, now she's scared of getting involved. I suppose a certain amount of back-and-forth on believing their eyes is acceptable, but it just seems over the top that everyone apparently needs to be reminded that seeing aliens right in front of you means that Vince must have been right, and then immediately afterwards are surprised to see the same alien.

When they're finally accepting what's gone on and learns the alien's true story, the issue picks up a little, only to have my suspension of disbelief shattered again by the human 'tech geek' and his sudden mastery of alien technology, to the extent of being able to retrieve data from a damaged element. The rest of the issue is predictable, right down to the character who decides to stay behind.

Guardians has apparently now been officially designated a miniseries. Which means, since I've only got two issues left of it, I might as well just finish it. Still, I'm very disappointed.

Review: 2.75 stars

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Mystique #18 - "Unnatural, Part 5" (Writer: Sean McKeever, Penciler: Manuel Garcia, Inker: Raul Fernandez)

We come to the conclusion of the Unnatural arc, as Mystique and Shortpack try to re-rescue the mutants being tested on, as well as destroy Mystique's cloned cells.

I don't know what it is, but there's something odd about this title since the changeover... I regularly find myself enjoying it mildly, but not having a significant amount to say about it. It's all right. It probably should be better than all right, but it's a nice issue. It just doesn't really shine. While it looked like a much more downbeat ending was in over, I was momentarily a little more pleased, but as it all worked out, the storyline didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped.

Review: 3 stars

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Sleeper Season Two #3 - "The Manipulations" (Brubaker * Phillips)

While Tao thinks Holden is out to make contact with Lynch, he's really on his own mission... tracking down the woman who, by her apparent betrayal, cost Holden the life of his best friend. As the information about the woman's location was provided by Lynch himself, this puts him in an interesting situation, aware he's being manipulated, but not sure which direction they want him to go.

A lot of this issue is devoted to flashback. Those who picked up the first issue of Season Two and were confused (but still interested) because they missed Season One, this is the issue for you. It goes into much more detail about Holden and his situation. Unfortunately, to someone like me, this is old news.

Regardless, Brubaker does well muddying the waters even more for Holden, both giving him a potential reason to work with Lynch again, and making him distrust his old employer. Of course, one with this series, one never knows the true motivations and plans of any of the characters, not even Holden. While he probably does want what's being offered (or, what it sounds like, anyway), we don't know whether he wants it enough to turn his life around, enough to give up the revenge he wants against Lynch.

I still think the series reads better as a trade, but I'm liking it as it is.

Review: 3.5 stars

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Ultimate Elektra #1 (of 5) - "Devil's Due, Part 1" (Writer: Mike Carey, Pencils: Salvador Larroca, Inks: Danny Miki)

Despite the title of this miniseries, you can tell by the cover that Daredevil plays a significant role here. I'd wager that the only reason they don't call it 'Ultimate Daredevil & Elektra' is because the Elektra movie is in production, and this is timed to go to trades about the same time. I can't really see any other reason one would promote Elektra to the exclusion of Daredevil.

At any rate, Elektra and Matt haven't spoken since the last miniseries, and their lives are going in separate directions. Matt and Foggy have just got an internship with a law firm, but Elektra's experiencing family troubles as her father's forced to sell a stake of his business to his cousin, who's involved in organized crime.

It's not bad, but it suffers from the decompression trend that, finally, seems to be winding down. Not much happens in this issue beyond setup. An accountant to the crime family, one who's worked with Elektra's father, decides to turn state's evidence and, naturally, does so at the firm at which Matt's interning. Elektra tries to talk to her cousin and in the process runs into the Kingpin for the first time... but instead of things happen, things are preparing to happen. That's not a significant flaw in and of itself, but with a title like Ultimate Elektra, which barely gets my interest up in the first place, it's dangerous.

I'm still likely to finish off the series, but more as a desire for completeness in the Ultimate Universe than from actually being really interested in the story. At least the art is pretty, though.

Review: 3 stars

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X-Books not being reviewed (and why):
X-Statix #26 (last issue, no reason to start picking it up now)

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That's it for this week folks. Next week, according to the shipping list, it's a very small week, especially since I dropped Exiles. We get Uncanny X-Men #448, and Birds of Prey #73. There's also the debut of Jubilee and Gambit, but I likely won't be picking them up unless a browse-through in the store is very encouraging.

This weekend is the Comic and SF Expo in Toronto, and currently I am planning on attending and covering the "Cup of Joe" panel for the website... so, if all goes well, check out the site on Saturday afternoon.

See you next week...
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Peter Dimitriadis
Webmaster, The Unreachable Star
http://www.unreachablestar.net