Every Wednesday, when I get home from my local comic shop, I always have at least one book that I am just DYING to read. Sometimes it is because the cliff hanger the issue before was just that good, or sometimes it is because I know that if I don’t read certain things by Wednesday night, I will have to stay away from the web until I get around to it. And then there is the third reason a book is at the top of the pile, habit. Habit is why I read Uncanny X-men 524 while I was still in the parking lot. This title has always been a first read for me since I first bought X-Men 1 on my first real trip to a comic book store. The sad truth is, I there is only one reason why I bother anymore.

Cover of Uncanny X-men 524

Now I didn’t plan to make a big case out of the state of the X-men in this post, but I don’t really have a choice; this issue is the half way point in the most recent X-universe crossover “Second Coming.”  This is the event that I am told, I have been waiting for for a while, and it sees the character Hope return to this time.

I have to confess, I have been reading the majority of the X-titles for a while, and I have read all of this cross over, and I have NO IDEA what is going on, and quite frankly, I haven’t since Matt Fraction, the writer of this issue, and the captain of the x-universe lately, came on board.

His stories often seem to be a lot of really cool stuff (like Magneto bringing Kitty Pryde back to earth, AWESOME,) but I truthfully have no real understanding of how that, or any of the last dozen issues fit into any real story, and I was hoping that I would start to understand it better with this cross over, but sadly that is just not happening, (but I am still keeping my fingers crossed.

All my whining though, does not do this issue justice. The art, by the Dodsons, lives up to their usual standard, and the events, (and I am going to resist spoilers here,) really propel the “Second Coming” story, and set the stage for the second act of the story. the only complaint I would have in regards to the art, is that sometimes I am not sure who is who, and I find myself jolted out of the story.

I have just reread the above, and I find myself saying, “I get it, you are all whinny about the X-books, now please, what is the reason you even bother to read them?” (and if I am saying that, then I am sure you are.) The answer is simple, Hope.

There is just something about this character that intrigues me. I don’t think that she is the reincarnation of Jean Grey (as I have seen here or there speculated,) but I just find the idea that she is raised by Cable, and is to be mutantdoms salvation and interesting combination. To top it off, I have loved the way she has been written since her inception, and there is some of the best moments so far here when she finally meets Cyclops (and Magneto for that matter.)

All in all, I would say that this is an alright issue, seeing as it is the sixth issue in a twelve issue crossover, but I would only tell you to buy it if you are up to date with what has been going on in the X-books.

Till tomorrow,

John

[have anything you would like me to review, just email me your suggestions, and I'll get to them sooner rather then later]