Much like the rather infamous Spidey reboot, the X-men have taken a dramatic turn to shake things up. Cyke has proclaimed "there are no X-men," and that may be true in one sense--if the X-men stands for "Xavier's students" then perhaps they are really gone. Westchester is obliterated, even more so than usual. Professor X is dead, disappeared, gone or a skrull. And the original members have hit the road for some much needed time off before the inevitable return of an X-team, if not the X-men.This issue has a real old school feel, a Kirby or Claremont vibe where the X-men were taking endless vacations in between bouts with Magneto and the Brotherhood. The X-men back then were real horndogs, chasing skirts every which way, and eventually these romantic pursuits would get put on the back burner due to some new unexpected menace. That's where this issue differs. In the olden days you just couldn't write an issue without some sort of baddie making an appearance and either kicking ass or getting his handed to him. Not so here. Something odd happens towards the end, but nobody more ominous than Tony Stark has a cameo.
About that, finally we get something regarding the Initiative and the X-men. Since they were kind of shut out of the Civil War, Marvel never really had to deal with the X-men being registered or not. Perhaps Professor X's inclusion on the Illuminati allowed him to keep his students out of bounds. But since Xavier is out of play and the school's out for Summer (sshoooooool's out for-EVAH!) guess that's why the Tin Man finally comes a'calling. His interaction with Scott is the highlight of the issue. It doesn't last long but it is impeccably drawn by Choi. Iron Man (he's armored up and looking more and more like Samus Aran (read = bad-fucking-ass) floats in above the rubble of the institute and looks every bit the immensely pwerful figure he is. There's also a world weary look on his face, its subtle but Choi has it there nonetheless, and he keeps repeating himself, almost like he HAS to say what he's saying rather than meaning what he's saying. Scott is cocky and yes, a little bit whiny. He rebuffs Tony, at one point quipping "what, we have to get registered for being born now?" But Scott forgets a lot of others didn't ask for what they have and they still registered. Their powers may not extend right down to their DNA, but they are there.
After this confrontation Cyke takes the good woman to the Savage Land for a holiday. Most of the issue takes place here, and I finally am coming to terms with Emma and Scott as a couple. I can see how it works now, or at least I am starting to. And its not (just) the sex although I've got to say that the amount of skin portrayed in this issue outnumbers the total depicted in the last 50 issues of everything else I've recently read. Its not a bad thing to come up with an excuse to have Emma in a skimpy bikini and have this be her formal wear for the duration of the issue. There are at least three separate instances where the two are waking up and clothed only in covers and even then only partially. That too wouldn't have happened in your father's (i.e. Kirby and Claremont's) X-men. Looks like the shirt chasing has been replaced by rampant sex. Oh Cyke, you're all grown up.
As you might imagine, Choi + Oback + softcore X-porn = some unbelievably good art. I'd have to say that Cyke might be the one coming off the best, I sweat the guy has at least 4 more abs than a normal person and has apparently lost or burned all of his shirts. Maybe i'm just used to seeing Emma slutting it up all over the place, and Scott sticks out but maybe not as he clearly puts Ka-Zar's physique to shame. And of course there is the 'normal' Emma and then there is the Choi-nearly-naked Emma and I... I just lost track of what I was going to say.
Other Choi-creations were tip of the hat quality. His Nightcrawler in image inducer mode is the perfect mix of Eurotrash dandy with just a hint of gay (its the moustasche--its gotta be the Jeff Kent moustache). Colossus looks more like an Abercrombie and Fitch model (who sketchs, Peter sketchs?) and Logan is his typical dirt dog self--on that last score I've seen better. The three (wild and CRAZY) guys are doing a little euro-trek and some comedy ensues when Kurt's image inducer gets hacked. Meanwhile Warren has gone to San Fran to rendezvous with some others and finds something odd.
Yet this issue as previously stated is more about Cyclops getting his bearings. I stated earlier that I am beginning to understand why Scott and Emma are a couple. About that--I can see why she is with him. She clearly loves the guy, its kinda sweet actually, the Ice Princess having a soft spot for a guy who she would clearly hate in the past, a powerful if not the most powerful X-man alive. And its sort of an old-fashioned girl hanging on the guy's arm style of attachment, which again is so enjoyably not what you'd expect from a woman who could easily destroy Cyclops from the mind out. But Cyclops's love in return is a bit more complicated 9as you'd expect from captain broody). I can't escape the idea that he is just passing time with her. Sure, they make-out often enough, and there's all of the sex, but he rarely has anything really romantic to say to her. Is this the comic equivalent to a one-night stand?
At the very least what this issue has done was deepen my interest in the future of this couple, much less the X-men as a team. because the team will be back, or rather the teams (X-force, X-factor, the Young X-men, and yes some sort of high profile big gun 'uncanny' team). But here you get something you rarely get in team issues where 22 pages just doesn't allow for much depth. Here you get some honest character development. And too bad if that comes at the expense of Action with a capital A. because we have most of these characters locked down by now. Its really hard to show something new, and damn if Brubaker hasn't accomplished just that. Doesn't hurt that Choi could make the most boring scene captivating either.
Rating: Snake-eyes
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