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A war has been brewing for over thirty years, but for the first
time since the start of said war it truly feels like something is at
stake. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby first introduced us to Charles
Xavier and his rival Magneto in Uncanny X-Men #1 and the two
factions would engage in battles for decades to come. Xavier
dreamed of a world where mutants and humans could live
together, yet Magneto believed that such a dream was
impossible and that mutants must achieve their place as rulers of
humanity. Over hundreds of issues the two sides would face off
but there was never any sense of finality to their conflict. Even
when Magneto embraced the dream of Xavier it was simply a
temporary situation that lasted a few brief years.
Chances are if you are a comic fan youve read paragraphs
like the above over and over, perhaps youve even used similar
words in explaining the X-Men to a newcomer. The biggest
problem with the title, and its peripheral titles, running for over
30 years is the fact that while line-ups might change and creators
might come and go, the situation for mutants hasnt. How many
times has a character in an X-book spoken of an impending war
and the need for mutants to prepare for it? So many times that it
has become cliched. With the exception of fictional countries
such as Genosha or government programs that fail before they
get off the ground this war has been impending for so long that
any tension surrounding it is rather flat. Bound by a need for
continuity to be maintained with other Marvel titles a war
between humanity and mutants is not a likely event.
Ironically enough the mythic war has finally arrived, yet the
30 plus years of build-up have nothing to do with it. Marvels
new Ultimate X-Men title has been unleashed on the public and
this is a book that looks to take no prisoners. While the
mainstream X-Men titles have featured characters hiding from "a
world that hates and fears them" there rarely seemed like a
situation where most of them could not live in hiding if they were
careful. Contrast this with the world of the Ultimate X-Men
where government created Sentinel robots track down mutants
and exterminate them in public. This isnt a world where two
mutants are recruiting mutants to change the future before a war
breaks out. This is a world where two mutants are recruiting
mutants to save their lives and fight the war that has already
begun. Hopefully Im not stepping on Jasons toes too much but
this month Im so excited about an X-title for the first time in
years I feel the need to talk about it.
As if the tension of absolute mutant intolerance isnt enough
to give the title a dark and desperate atmosphere the characters
of Charles Xavier and Magneto are presented as extremely
ruthless. While this is nothing new for Magneto both Xavier
and his X-Men utilize some shady and ethically arguable tactics
while recruiting members for their group. While he has altered
memories in the past, I wouldnt doubt that this new take on
Xavier would be willing to take a life if it was necessary to
protect his students. Suddenly the chess match between Xavier
and Magneto seems much more important and at the same time,
its not unlikely that a Sentinel could come along and eliminate all
the pawns at any moment.
I had large reservations about whether or not Mark Millar
and company could come along and revitalize a franchise that
has been stagnant at many points in its history. Thanks to the
fresh take on continuity, the creative team has taken a promise
made in the first Uncanny X-Men comic and make it a reality.
The war is here and its time to choose a side. While I eagerly
await Morrison and Caseys take on the mainstream continuity
X-books for my money Ultimate X-Men is exactly the type of
intense drama necessary for such a concept to work. And the
last page - wow.
J
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