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It's weird, but having read the review, I still can't imagine I won't like it.

Because yeah, I do sort of want to see Cyclops react to things for a whole issue as told by Mike Carey, who hasn't been able to use him that much yet in his run (being my favorite X-Men run since.. I don't know, Inferno?). There's a reason why he was voted so high on the best Marvel characters poll (and he's probably the most surprising character to me in either poll except for the fact that people actually like Hal Jordan).

You seem to say that Carey does a lot of things well in the comic but because it's just a comic that deals with fallout and character reactions and what not, it's not good.

But then I'm the hardcore fanbase that this run really caters to, even if I haven't really been for a decade. This run makes me feel like I am again.

Two issues with the cover:

Rogue is turned way too far at the waist for a romantic embrace. Her shoulders are turned about 90 degrees, but her head is facing forward. Yes, this is anotomically possible. No, it isn't done when your lover is holding you. I'm guessing the artist wanted to draw both her boobs AND her butt. Nothing sells like T&A. Also, her left boob is significantly smaller than her right one.

Second, it looks like Gambit is ready to take her head off with a card. He has it all charged up, ready to blast her in the back of her skull. What a classy, stand-up guy.

The second point is intentional. In case you didn't notice, Rogue has her glove off and is about to touch Gambit's ear. Since the end of the Pandemic arc, her touch is an instant kill too. So as the cover shows it, they're each ready to kill the other one.

Maybe I'm just nuts, but I don't see what people are loving so much about Mike Carey's run. IMO, it's been okay, but not great, and hampered by terrible art. I think I liked Milligan's run more. It seemed like Milligan was rushed off the title and all his plotlines got dropped when they decided to revamp all the X-titles. If I'm wrong on that, then Milligan's run wasn't as good as I thought it was. Seriously, what was the deal with 'Daap'?

Yeah, count me in with those who actually do want an issue of Cyclops mourning the death of his son. But then again, I love me some Cyclops.

I actually really liked a lot of those post-crossover, epilogue-ish issues in the 90s (even moreso than many of the crossovers that preceeded them).

Tight character work, very strong dialogue, a constant sense of peril that impacts the status quo, pacing the likes of which you don't see out of Marvel anymore EVEN within the longer arcs (which was particularly noticable when put next to the BRUTALLY paced Shi'ar storyline, and is probably a reason why Brian didn't like this issue as much, since the last many have been go-go-go-go-go), great use of previous stories in a way that doesn't take away from the story but instead uses them as building blocks for both plot and character development, and this intangible "FEEL" that I really can't describe but that I felt the Morrison X-Men didn't have and Whedon's really doesn't have even though he tries to grasp for it desperately.

I just wish that the art was more consistant.. Actually, no. I wish that it was more traditional.

You also sort of have to factor in the level of difficulty. Carey put together a team that on paper shouldn't have worked, that on paper sort of felt like the Howard Mackie X-Factor team and he made it work very well, and very logically to boot.

I really think if you look at the sheer range of what Carey does over genres (between Minx books and Lucifer and X-Men and My Faith in Frankie) and how good he is consistantly. I really think he's in the top three genre writers to have come across in the last ten years.

Hey, that's what I've been trying to say about Carey's run, Matt! Excellent way of putting it. I haven't read the latest issue (I'm on that stupid West Coast time, while Brian is on Mephisto time), but I have some faith in Carey. And even if the issue isn't that good, it won't invalidate his very good run so far.

I think maybe that's my problem with this title. I get from the writing that I'm supposed to feel the "sense of peril" that Matt D mentions, but it's hard to feel it when I'm looking at Humberto Ramos's art.

this intangible “FEEL” that I really can’t describe but that I felt the Morrison X-Men didn’t have and Whedon’s really doesn’t have even though he tries to grasp for it desperately.

I think the feeling you're describing is familiarity.

It's weird how, yes, Carey's run has been better than just about everything X in the last few years (since Morrison/Milligan X-Force), but it's still a boring, confusing mess that I don't want to read. This issue sounds better in the 'confusing' regard, but still not going to buy it. Learned my lesson there.

[quote]I think maybe that’s my problem with this title. I get from the writing that I’m supposed to feel the “sense of peril” that Matt D mentions, but it’s hard to feel it when I’m looking at Humberto Ramos’s art. [/quote]

I agree, luckily Ramos on X-Men is over. He will do the New X-Men story in the crossover (unfortunately, becuase Scottie Young is better than him, still Ramos is more appropriate to kids x-men than to adult ones, so maybe the damage of his pencils will be lessened - especially because I don't really care for New X-Men). Carey will be paired again with Bachalo in his last series of X-Men stories ever (it seems) for the Messiah Complex event. Who will come after Bachalo on adjectiveless (that could also be closed, considering a new X-force series will start after the event) is still unknown.

You liked Choi's art, Brian? It felt really stiff to me (although part of that could be the coloring, which made the whole book look like a cut scene from a Final Fantasy game).

Oh, and Mr. Sinister's hair looks stupid.

I dunno if I would say it was GOOD. Solid, though!

Michael said:
"Oh, and Mr. Sinister’s hair looks stupid."

Don't you mean "stupid in a different-looking way than the stupid way it usually looks, along with everything else about him being and looking stupid no matter who draws him"?

You know what, I liked those costumes from the 90s. Probably, because as Apodaca says, they are familiar to me. I even think Beast looks pretty awesome in that last pic. Makes me want to read the Endagered Species stuff just to see more Beast pics.

How does Cyclop's visor stay on his face?

"How does Cyclop’s visor stay on his face?"

The same way all of DC's domino masks stay on.

Does anyone remember GSXM 1? Cyke's power got ramped up quite a bit. In the old stories, he had a thin little visor. In GSXM 1, the little visor could no longet contain the force of his blasts, so he had to upgrade to the big honkin thing that clipped around his ears. (So how did he ever hear anything? Little mics & speakers?)

So my question is: What happened to the big visor? His powers haven't decreased, but his visor gor a LOT smaller.

I actually enjoyed this issue. After so much action it's nice to see the characters evaluate things a react to them.
I found this other review with another point of view about this issue here http://independentcomicssite.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=221&Itemid=1

BTW, After this Bachalo is doing Amazing Spider-Man, after that I don't know.

Choi a delightful alternative? I felt I was looking at freshly-scrubbed, cherubic little faces all over the place. I was dying for any sort of artistic uniqueness to the almost-shocking uberrealism. Even a spare Leinil Yu-like pencil scratch would have been welcome.

No thanks. I'd rather have the X-men with exagerrated, almost anime-esque facial contortions of Ramos's work than the almost-femme looking cleanness of Choi's.

Not saying that Choi was GOOD, per se, just that it was an improvement over Ramos.

it might be because i'm a big RoguexGambit fan, but I thought this issue was VERY free-freshing after the Ramos attack on X-Men. :S
the artowkr i really loved, as well as Oback's color job.
i really didn't have any major issues with this... issue of X-Men. I'd say it's worth a read.

(sorry one more comment on Choi's style)
some people like the anime-ish stylized in Ramos, some prefer the realistic of Choi.
i personally love and welcome the new style Choi brings because i like some comics to look.. well, human. (same reason why i LOVED Salvador Larroca's style oh so many issues ago.)
Though Ramos' style was very clean and strict, i still prefer the flowy and romantic realistic look Choi has, as well as Oback's coloring with his style.

X men