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For years, faithful readers have been sitting, reading, and
waiting, hoping that the issue of X-Men they have sitting in their
hands would be The One. That elusive issue of X-Men that
would stop the continued sucking. Weve been through a lot.
Lobdell, Nicieza, Waid, Lobdell, Lobdell, Lobdell, Morrison.
There were a few bright points. Mark Waid showed some
promise, but ultimately left due to editorial interference. Chris
Claremont returned to much fanfare, and while it started off
strong, it quickly fell for a bit, and picked up as he was shuffled
off to X-Treme X-Men, where hes been doing some of his best
work in the last few years.
Many folks hoped Grant Morrison and Joe Casey would
bring about the return to the golden age, and some folks werent
disappointed. These people, I believe, are insane. Kidding, only
kidding... Unless you liked the Casey run on Uncanny, then
there may be a case for it.
But now, Casey has left us, and been replaced with Chuck
Austen, and hope returns once more. For a change, this hope
was not unfounded. In interviews, Chuck seemed genuinely
knowledgeable about what has gone before, and had a great
love for the Claremont era. Could it be? Someone who cared?
Would the editors leave him to do what he wanted? Joe Kelly
and Steve Seagle seemed to know their stuff, but their runs were
aborted by the typical infamous editorial interference prevalent in
the X-Books during this time.
Well folks, the good news is, our hope is not unfounded.
Chuck Austens first four issues, a three part story entitled,
"Hope," setting up his run, and an epilogue, are arguably some
of the best X-Men comics in years. Unlike Morrison and
Caseys recent runs, the characters are acting as fans are familiar
with, or well within bounds of acceptable behavior for them,
which may cause problems down the line, with Morrisons crap.
Especially the two differing portrayals of Xavier.
Chuck knows these characters, and has definite plans for the
book, and for the first time in ages, with a few exceptions, I find
myself looking forward to each new issue of Uncanny X-Men.
Is it perfect? Not at all. The art is a bit unstable, and the
incoming addition of Kia Asimaya - if I spelled that correctly, its
a miracle - as the secondary artist has brought renditions of the
X-Men that I have heard very few good things about, so the art
could probably use a little shot in the arm. The stories are a bit
simplistic so far, but this is only his opening arc, and hes setting
his pieces in place for the future, so I expect some breezing
through to get it over with quickly.
My major gripe is maybe hes gone too quickly on a few
things, glossing over some of the changes hes made, most
notably, Archangel somehow no longer being blue. We saw it
happen, but dont really know the particulars of it. Which is still
a step up from opening up New X-Men and seeing Beast, "Oh
yeah, Im a lion now. And gay."
If youve been turned off the X-Men for various reasons, but
still have a love for the classic characters, and stories, youd be
hard to find much wrong with Austens run on the title. Its not
for everyone, but it is a definite step up. And its not Liefeld.
So, have Marvel finally fixed Uncanny X-Men? Well, we
can hope, cant we?
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