My Little Pony Friendship is Magic #1
The Return of Queen Chrysalis
Writer: Katie Cook
Artist: Andy Price
Colorist: Heather Breckel
Letterer: Robbie Robbins
22 Pages, $3.99
Bet you didn’t see this review coming.
Neither did I. When I finished laughing after I hit the “Buy” Button on my iPad (although $3.99 for 22 pages seemed sorta “grinchy” and not the least bit funny for comic fans with children– I guess kids comics don’t get a price break from mean ol’ comic book publishers anymore)… I tried to figure out how to review this thing.
And by calling this comic a “thing”, I don’t mean anything negative. I was never a 4-year-old girl and I don’t have any children (that I know of) and the closest I have ever come to My Little Pony (before this comic) was a bunch of commercials on Saturday Morning TV and having a Tea Party (the good kind, not the crazy political kind) with my niece on a lazy afternoon that went on for a MEGA two hours and 21 minutes. I had no idea Stuffed Animals could be so piggy over imaginary cookies or caffeinated drinks.
So lacking any other perspective on how to review this book, I’m just gonna review it my “normal” way… And I promise to keep my swearing to a minimum throughout. So no “Fucks” or… (Oops! I already did it!) Damn it! Ah Hell… (Can I write a sentence on IMJ without swearing?)
*Ahem.* Anyhoo, this comic is about Ponies. (You may have guessed that from the title.)
These Ponies are all very brightly colored, with fluffy and curly manes that would make Kim Kardashian weep. Their names range from Pinkie to Cutie Belle, Buckaroo, Scoots (she either likes to run around a lot or doesn’t wipe– not sure), Rainbow, Twilight (ack!), Cheerilee and Fluttershy. They all seem to be on an incessant quest for something called “Cutie Marks” (how to achieve these marks is never explained to me). These “cutie” symbols, once acquired, are apparently then applied to the Ponies’ hindquarters… Which I’m guessing is really good news to the World’s Tattoo Parlors– as millions of adolescent girls are now being taught through My Little Pony to yearn for TRAMP STAMPS when they turn 16 (or older– depending upon your country of origin).
Interestingly, there don’t seem to be any Dude Ponies in this land. (The only dude-like animals I saw were “adult” horses with Barbershop Quartet moustaches and, I think, a small dragon.) So these little Ponies aren’t galloping after Justin Bieber types. They seem more infatuated with the (aforementioned) Cutie Marks, cakes and sweets– and lots and lots of sugar. (Apparently they haven’t been introduced to that joyful horse stable staple, the Salt Lick, yet).
Many of these very girly Ponies are also catty little things– seemingly obsessed with their hair and weight (an early Hippo joke really rubs one filly the wrong way). Others are more withdrawn and willing to be led– especially when several of the little Ponies begin to transform into zombie-like ponies (Damn you, Robert Kirkman! Must you and your Walking Dead punks infect every single square inch of modern pop culture?)– who lumber around like non-responsive drones. This being My Little Pony #1, these drone Ponies don’t try to eat the other Ponies, of course. (Given their sugar intake, I bet their meat would definitely be sweet!) But the Zombie Ponies do try to capture the still sentient ones.
This leads to a massive chase ending at the town library (which one Pony chides another intelligent Pony for always going to), where the remaining Ponies realize they are being attacked by Changeling Ponies— who are trapping the sweet, normal ponies in chrysalis cocoons and taking their places around town. After a magical missive sent to realm’s Queen is replied to with a form letter email, the pastel girl Ponies realize they must fend for themselves.
And kick butt they do– waking most of the stolen Town Ponies from their forced slumber… Only to realize certain key Ponies (many of whom happen to be related to the main characters) are still missing. The story ends with our protagonists setting out on an adventure to rescue the missing Ponies. Whew! No decompression in My Little Pony!
I’ll leave the Ponies’ obsessions with appearance, sweets and Cutie Marks to the salivating child psychologists out there and give you my review. There’s a LOT OF ACTION here. Almost too much. Some of it is scary, but mildly so (my Dad used to watch Dirty Harry movies with me when I was a kid, so your kid’s Mileage May Vary). And there’s also a SHIT TON of dialogue. (Oops.) So even though you’ll have to shell out $4 bucks for this comic, your kid will definitely get YOUR money’s worth– twice as much if they’re just learning to read.
According to the comics newz, My Little Pony #1 is, by far, IDW’s best-selling comic book to date. If that isn’t a damning statement toward Marvel & DC’s relentless grim n’ gritty strategy, nothing is. – Ian MacMillan
Arrow #1
Writers: Marc Guggenheim,
Andrew Kreisberger, Ben Sokolowski, Beth Schwartz
Artists: Mike Grell, Sergio Sandoval, Jorge Jiminez
Colorists: David Lopez, Santi Cases
Letterers: Wes Abbott
40 Pages, $3.99
Collecting the first three mini-comics originally offered exclusively as digital downloads, Arrow #1 is a spin-off of the “hit” CW TV show starring Stephen Amell as a young Oliver Queen. This book is trying to grab the TV show’s continuity by adding “off-panel” scenes and show things that happened in-between episodes… Although it takes far too long to get to that point.
This issue is divided into three chapters (hence the 3 original digital-only downloads). The overall plot is written by series creators Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg, but each chapter has its own scripters and different art teams– making the end result seem really choppy. Overall, the flow of this issue is terrible.
The first chapter is penciled by the legendary Green Arrow artist Mike Grell, who famously drew (and wrote) Green Arrow comics in the 80s… Possibly the last time the character’s solo book was any good. Grell’s work here is very solid, with excellent detail work– but it’s much different from what he was doing 30 years ago. Ben Sokolowski draws the second chapter, and while his art has a decent style to it– I didn’t get the feel I get when I’m looking at the work of a top-notch artist.
As for the plot, the first two chapters do not add a single thing to the TV show’s unfolding storyline, and what is accomplished is generally done poorly. The first chapter is practically just vignettes from Arrow’s TV pilot… Minus everything that makes TV different– you know, like sound and moving objects. The second chapter is simply a retread of the show’s premise, with a crooked businessman on Ollie’s list getting a chance to come clean. It’s like the plot of every episode, except it’s confusingly narrated by the criminal… I think? I didn’t realize this at first– and once I did, I had to go back and reread the earlier pages so they would make some sort of sense to me.
The third chapter is the issue’s high-point (as high as you get in a comic like this). It focuses on the villain Lady Shiva, delving into her origin. Illustrations by Jorge Jiminez are pretty damn solid. The art flows nicely and is very energetic. Your best bet is to buy the third one digitally if you need to have some comic from the show… But other than that, this full issue falls flat.
40 pages for the $3.99 admission price is very nice, DC… But next time, you might want to check to make sure they’re worth printing first– before you publish them. – Tom Devine
Uncanny Avengers #2
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: John Cassaday
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
20 pages, $3.99
I am really, really hoping that since I’m looking at two #2 MarvelNOW! comics this week (whose first issues have already been reviewed in our Capsule Reviews column), that my reviews will be a bit shorter than my typical ones. Mostly because I won’t have to review them as first issues and/or I won’t need to lay out all the bullshit that came before in whatever title they are replacing.
Fellow comic critic extraordinaire, W.D. Prescott, had the absolute displeasure of reviewing the first issue of Uncanny Avengers— which he gave a ZERO star rating. While I did not review that issue, I did check it out to see if it really was as terrible as W.D. said it was. When I finished reading the comic, I came to the conclusion that I would never question (not that I really ever did) W.D.’s reviews ever again. It was every bit as awful as he said it was.
I am sad to say that Uncanny Avengers #2 is every bit as bad as the first issue– and in some places, even a bit worse. I say “sad” because writer Rick Remender is better than this. There is no doubt in my mind that he is a good, if not great, writer. I have no idea what is going on with this title but it’s awfulness can either be attributed to editorial mandate or Remender fulfilling the fate of a once exceptional indie writer being utterly stripped of any greatness they once possessed by working for Marvel Comics.
It’s safe to say this is no longer a mere assumption on my part. You no longer see many Marvel books with the names Nick Spencer or Ed Brubaker attached to them anymore, do you? Seems like they were smart enough to get The Fuck Out of Dodge before their talent or drive was totally drained from them. Both writers are, and have been, doing quite well over at Image Comics. I wish for Remender to quickly follow suit because both issues of Uncanny Avengers are by far the worst comics he has ever written.
Not to beat a dead horse, but Uncanny Avengers #2 holds to the Marvel NOW! mission statement of reusing/recycling old plot devices and having little to nothing actually happen in the issue. I remember the FIRST time I saw the words “Die Muties” written in spray paint on a wall in an Uncanny X-Men comic back in the 80s. Seeing it in this comic in its 3rd panel? Have to say the “Shock Value” has worn off. Why the hell is Marvel dragging us though all of this AGAIN? This is something the X-Men comics have already gone through. Just because it happened decades ago doesn’t mean it never happened. It’s all so tired. You know what else it is? Lazy. So god damn fucking LAZY.
For a company that wants to completely disown Chris Claremont, Marvel sure has no problems stealing his once original ideas and repurposing them for their current crop of shit stories. The Phoenix Force and this whole hatred/fear of mutants are storylines that have worked in the past. But again, these stories have already been told. It’s time to move on. Maybe that’s the #1 reason why Marvel doesn’t keep a majority of backlist trade paperbacks in print. Why give people the option of buying trades with stories that are similar and BETTER than their monthly comic output? Pathetic and sad.
One other bit of the past that Remender seems to be borrowing from: The Bendis era of slut shaming and all around misogyny. Oh, and that whole having nothing at all happen in an issue thing I mentioned before. Ya, the Bendis Days were some real good times in the history of the Avengers. Some examples of this are when a villainess mentions how Rogue used to “please” Magneto. Then the Red Skull calls Rogue a whore. And Rogue herself mentions “all those bondage drinking games” that she and Gambit used to partake in.
Sorry, Remender. This is just vile and completely unnecessary dialogue that does nothing to get any point across in any of the scenes in which the words are spoken. I didn’t let Bendis get away with writing this shit when I reviewed his books and I won’t be letting you– a writer who I thought was better than this– get away with it either. Why is any of this dialogue in the script? Does Remender (or Marvel) think any of this shit is “edgy” anymore?
When I first got into The Uncanny X-Men when I was a kid, Rogue was my favorite X-Man. The character was strong and strove for redemption. There was also an underpinning of sadness because she could never “touch” another living person without hurting them. I am kinda glad that I stopped reading X-Men comics years ago because this current version of Rogue is not at all what the character once represented. (A lot like Cyclops and Spider-Man, now that I think about it.)
Well, at least Marvel is consistent in ruining characters I once loved.
One last thing about this issue (although there is so much more nonsense I could get to): The Red Skull’s origin seems to be reconnected yet again as the Skull appears here as a clone awakened by Arnim Zola. Now, correct me if I am wrong, but hasn’t this plot point already been used once for the Red Skull? That’s a serious question by the way. I am no expert on Red Skull history but I do vaguely remember this already happening in like the 70s or 80s. If you know the answer please let me know in the comments. If I am correct, this is yet another example of uncreative laziness.
So, the Red Skull wakes up in the year 2012 (the year is mentioned in the comic) and has only been “alive” for only a few months. No mention is made of the Skull’s previous incarnations or even the last time we saw him– which was in Captain America: Rebirth. How fucking convenient. It’s like Marvel wanted a brand new Red Skull to maybe kinda sorta line up with their movie version. Actually, I believe this is EXACTLY what is going on here. 70 years of Red Skull continuity be damned. Marvel’s got to sell comics that make sense to all of those nonexistent readers who don’t get into their comics because of the movies.
Which begs the question: How many more middle fingers from Marvel do the Zombies need until they get the message that they– and their precious continuity– mean absolutely nothing to the company?
Oops, sorry. Two more things. The Red Skull has implanted parts of Charles Xavier’s brain into his own, so he now has some of Chuck’s telepathic powers. I wanted to mention that in case you didn’t rage enough during the earlier parts of my review. And I firmly believe that John Cassady should stop drawing superhero comics. He and Greg Land should go form a studio called “Boring As Fuck Sequential Art”. They can produce comics for dudes who have horrible taste in art– who also happen to be porn aficionados. – Jose Melendez
Nowhere Men #1
Writer: Eric Stephenson
Artist: Nate Bellegarde
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Fonografiks
32 pages, $2.99
In this first issue of Eric Stephenson’s Nowhere Men, he attempts to peak our interest by throwing a good deal of information at the reader while giving very little of the actual plot away. Many of you may know I’m a huge Eric Stephenson fan. I’m on board for anything he does… But I don’t know if giving us so little information was his best idea. Shockingly, I believe this book wasn’t entirely successful. Maybe I had too high hopes for this comic? I don’t know… But with that in mind, I will continue to pick up the title for the alluring mix of science, intrigue and rampaging primates. Nowhere Men #1 is intriguing– I just hope there is more to come.
Kind of like Matt Kindt’s Mind MGMT, Stephenson’s Nowhere Men uses a variety of storytelling modes to construct the image of an under-the-radar, suspect government agency– including a mix of newspaper clippings, advertisements and leaps in time to tell the story. Stephenson hints at the greasy doings of World Corp, a giant research company that is led by a group of supposedly charismatic, intellectual rock stars. Though we’re told early on they’re the Beatles of science, Issue #1 doesn’t reveal the pertinent details of how they ushered in this new Scientific Revolution. This missing detail is intended to create an aura of mystery, but in the end it’s more frustrating than anything else… Especially since I’m already reading Mind the Gap and Morning Glories– two of the slowest series Image publishes.
The book opens with the four main characters– all bright, young scientists. Dade Ellis, Simon Grimshaw, Emerson Strange and Thomas Walker are set to take over the world. Then the narrative leaps forward several years in time– and voila!, they really have taken over the world. At the same time, they manage to play god by creating a gem-encrusted, immortal gorilla monster… But they end up having to take the monster down. When the scientists are fighting the monster, the book’s art really comes alive. I love the storytelling at this point and definitely felt this part of the issue was the best– even if it was kind of short.
The mid-section of the comic is dominated by a lot of talking heads, who are all very angry and very, very vague. The artist does good work showing every emotional face you could imagine– so at least it’s not the same thing over and over. We get a hint of mystery in the book’s last section, where the researchers appear to have been quarantined and left for dead… But who really knows where this is going?
Stephenson’s dialogue and Nate Bellegarde’s drawing didn’t do enough to get me excited. Jordie Bellaire’s coloring shines when Bellegarde gives her something to work with– which he doesn’t do nearly enough. The premise of Nowhere Men could lead to something unique and interesting, but the debut issue leaves much to be desired. The blueprints for a great comic are here, but only time will tell if future issues improve upon the execution. – Tom Devine
Nowhere Men#1
Writer: Eric Stephenson
Artist: Nate Bellegarde
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Fonografiks
29 pages, $2.99
If the rating below (Come on, I know some of you skip to the bottom– you just can’t wait can you?) doesn’t show how much I didn’t like this comic, hopefully this exploration of bad storytelling will illuminate my feelings.
First off, do not let page count fool you. While I count 29 pages, that includes:
– A pointless two-page splash of a fake article that is basically the Myspace information box for each of the four scientists the book centers on.
– A useless two-page splash of crystalline gorilla
– A two-page I-don’t-know-what-the-fuck-it-is
– A two-page splash of a generic space station
– A two-page newspaper interview to end the book, which enraged me (more on that later)
So, while you could condense each of these two-pagers down to only page (or even smaller panels), I argue they are all completely unnecessary– meaning you are only getting 19 pages of story… Which includes two pages of a shot-by-shot storyboard of said gorilla rampaging, which (again) doesn’t need to be that long.
To say the writing felt lazy is an understatement.
There are three stories going on and I couldn’t decipher how two of them are related to each other. The first two stories deal with the four scientists– one takes place “some time ago” and the other one occurs “many years later.” After these two stories, another story happens “now”– and it involves a completely different cast. But how are the sequence of events supposed to go? Is it “some time ago” to “many years later” to “now” as it is now… Or is it “some time ago” to “now” to “many years later?” This is never made clear. And because there are two different casts in the three stories that seem to have no connection to each other, I’m never given a chance to care about anything going on in the comic. All those pages lost to pointless splash art could have been used to start telling me something that at least resembled some semblance of a tale.
Even with all that, I was willing to give the comic a 2 star rating– but the end completely blew it. I have this thing where I find it incredibly stupid for a writer to use a different kind of storytelling in their “normal” form of storytelling. Take Grant Morrison’s Batman #663— the infamous “prose” issue. It wasn’t that Morrison’s writing bored me to tears as I attempted to read an issue I didn’t care for… It was the fact that I bought a fucking comic book and got a short story with bad lettering and “art” whose transparency setting must have been set at 75% instead.
If I wanted a prose piece, I would have bought a magazine or an anthology. Likewise, I don’t want fake newspaper articles in my comics when the story can–and should– be done as sequential art. Is it so hard to remember when your writing a fucking comic book– that you’re writing a fucking comic book?!
I hope this, in some small way, explains my rating. – W.D. Prescott
All New X-Men #2
Writer: Brain Bendis
Artists: Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger
Colorist: Marte Garcia
Letterer: Cory Petit
20 pages, $3.99
For the second issue in a row, All New X-Men manages to not be as bad as I initially thought it would be. Also like the last issue, All New X-Men #2 has small moments where you can see the potential for it being a good comic… But, in the end, there are too many things working against it. I think I can sum up my reading experience of this issue quite well with just one word: Frustrating.
Not “frustrating” like reading Bendis’ Dark Avengers– where I wanted to tear the comic in half while reading it. Rather, it’s “frustrating” because (and I cannot believe I am saying this) I think I want to like this book. Bendis is NOT writing this title like he did The Avengers. It seems like he is actually trying to do something here, but so far he’s his own worst enemy.
There is a 7-page scene where The Beast attempts to get the Original X-Men (from the past) to go back with him to the future. The rhythm of the conversation is like an infinite loopty loop where the dialogue keeps coming back to the same points already made– with the characters asking the same questions. It goes on way too long and by the end, nothing much is said.
There is also The Beast’s reasons for wanting the old X-Men in the current timeline. He wants the Original Scott to talk to Current Scott in order to show Current Scott how far he has strayed from the course. Beast keeps repeating that Current Scott has killed Professor X and if he continues on this path it will lead to a Mutant Apocalypse. Two things there:
1. Beast NEVER mentions that Scott was possessed by an entity whose influence lead to Scott killing the Professor. That’s a pretty big omission, no? It’s not like Summers just one day decided to kill the Professor of his own free will.
2. Hank saying unless Scott is stopped it will lead to a Mutant Apocalypse is a ridiculous assumption AT BEST. There’s that damn Bendis Logic™ again. Telling us how things are going to be but not even attempting to explain why.
During this conversation, The Beast tells the young team that if they do decide to go with him, they will be making the “ultimate sacrifice”– because after seeing the future, their innocence will be lost. That right there is a HUGE understatement and why this whole plot line doesn’t work… At all. Hank has absolutely no problem with most likely emotionally scarring these kids. Scott has killed Prof X. Bobby looks like a bizarre freak. Warren was (and still is) an angel of death. Hank is dying from his current mutation. And Jean? Jean is dead. Ya, I’m sure they are going to handle all of this news really well.
Long story short, the Past X-Men decide to go with Hank and the rest of the book shows them interacting with the current team. There are a few jokes that Bendis has written that are actually amusing and there are character moments that play very well. The ending of the issue is kinda forced– but, you know, Bendis Logic™.
Stuart Immonen’s art is still the #1 reason to consider buying this comic. It really does look exceptional and his storytelling, as always, is top-notch.
The thing making me want to like this book? The way Bendis writes the Original X-Men. Their enthusiasm and naivety are a breath of fresh air in what is otherwise a depressing, cruel and oppressive current Marvel U. I’d like to see more of that. I would also like to see Bendis let the story and plot lines grow organically– instead of repeatedly telling the readers this is the way things are and the reason these things are happening is “just because”. I have no hope that any of this will occur, mainly because you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Which is too bad. The All New X-Men has a real chance of being something more than it is, but I just don’t see it getting there.
So, ya, frustrating. – Jose Melendez
Masks #1
Writer: Chris Roberson
Painter: Alex Ross
Letterer: Simon Bowland
22 pages, $3.99
Much like IDW’s Infestation and Infestation 2 (which I just reviewed in this week’s Insideman’s Pull List), whenever you plop a bunch of unrelated licensed characters together– you run the risk of screwing everything up for the sake of trying to artificially create an “event”.
Thankfully, that doesn’t really happen here. At least, I don’t think it does. (The reason why I only “think” Masks #1 doesn’t screw the classic pulp characters involved will become apparent in a second.)
It’s been a long-held belief of mine that Alex Ross sorta screwed his own pooch when he aligned himself with Dynamite and began drawing/painting covers for virtually every damn book they released. Didn’t matter whether the title itself was any good or if Ross really had a good vision for the cover– he painted one anyway. This kind of mass production transformed Ross from a comic artist currently without peer to sort of the mass-produced Thomas Kinkade of Comics. It also forced him to explore different “styles”. By that I mean Ross began painting the various Dynamite comic book covers in different primary colors… So we got Ross’ “Red” Period (where all his covers where primarily red in color), his “Blue” Period and on and on.
Then something weird happened. When he started painting covers for Dynamite’s new Shadow comic, the “old”, really good Alex Ross suddenly came back– like the pulpy subject matter had finally renewed his interest in comic art again. (It also proved all those other covers for all those other crappy comics were probably painted as little more than uninteresting contractual obligations.) The Shadow covers were actually dynamic and dramatic– achieved in many realistic colors! Oh Joy!
And now we have Masks #1– and the “old” Alex Ross (the highly acclaimed one who marveled so many comic book fans in such DC books as Kingdom Come) is truly back. The art is clear, the layouts (99% of the time) completely comprehensible and the world is alive and vibrant.
That’s the good news.
The not so good news. Chris Roberson’s script is rather one note in spots– primarily because it is filled with SO MUCH set-up. I suspect (and hope) the pace will dramatically improve and hit a higher gear with Issue #2. (Given Roberson’s abilities, I expect this to happen.) But right now, for this issue– there’s a lot of foundation building.
He seems to nail the various characters rather well– even playing up The Green Hornet (Britt Reid) as the lesser trained, more bon-vivant of the bunch. And Reid’s gotta be somewhat of an idiot: He “meets” the Shadow on page two, then the Shadow’s alter-ego, Lamont Cranston, on Page 7… And doesn’t get the connection between the two until Cranston brings it up. Now I understand the Shadow has the “ability to cloud men’s minds” but Ross paints such a huge, distinctive honker on both the Shadow and Cranston– your mind would have to be at least “partly cloudy” to begin with to not note the striking resemblance.
The only real problem I have with the comic comes with the introduction of The Justice Party– a clandestine group of men that backs extreme politicians who suddenly sweep into prominent positions in New York (City and State) politics. The group is apparently all mobsters– and they start pulling a “Marvel Dark Age” Norman Obsorn on the city– hiring crooks as cops and passing new laws that totally obliterate any rational idea of jurisprudence and free rights. The new New York Governor even calls a midnight session of the State Congress to create new, burdensome laws (seemingly aimed at the poor) and an elite, heavily armored (and masked) police force that goose-steps all around New York City. It all gets sort of ridiculous by the end.
Primarily because, like… Why didn’t the Shadow (with his fairly omniscient powers) just STOP THIS SHIT before it ever started? Whack a few bad guys here, assassinate a few would-be crooked politicians there… And BAM! Problem solved.
And yes, The Justice Party does seem to be an allegory to United States very own Tea Party– a political group that rose to some power and favor back in the 2010 US Elections. (Since I believe the Tea Party is filled with a bunch of fringe nut-jobs and crass opportunists… I’m perfectly okay with the comparison.)
I should note I was 100% on board with the comic until the last third of the book. Given the creators involved, I am going to overlook some of the silliness inherent in these villains and hope Roberson has a sane explanation for them down the line. Seeing Alex Ross back in top form was more than I could have ever hoped for anyway. – Ian MacMillan
X-Men Legacy #1 & #2
Prodigal Part 1 & 2
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Artists: Tan Eng Huat, Craig Yeung
Colorist: José Villarrubia
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
20 pages, $2.99
Considering the “finale” to last month’s X-Men Legacy series was such a disaster, I thought my foray into the MarvelNOW! X-Men comics would amount to a pile of creatively worthless #1 issues– and a broken heart at the loss of my personal comic heroes. And when I read All New X-Men #1, I had that gut-wrenching feeling I would be proved right.
Then a funny thing happened… I read the new X-Men Legacy #1.
First off, it’s better than most of the other MarvelNOW! books. While the dialogue has some flaws to it, the story and art work well together– and there’s even an interesting idea in here too. In my time with the X-Men, I’ve only seen Legion in the Legion Quest storyline– which resulted in the Age of Apocalypse. It was a shame, because I thought the character was really interesting and he could be a great counter-balance to Charles Xavier. I’m not sure if he’s had much development in the past 4 years I’ve been away 
from “X” comics, but it looks like he’s going to be getting some attention now.
I kinda hope X-Men Legacy stays a mainly Legion-centric title, because I think I can at least deal with that comic. Legion is trying to follow in his father’s footsteps and continue his legacy– even though the death of Xavier shatters all the work Legion did to control the thousands of personalities in his head.
And I think this is one of the reasons I’m liking this comic book. The series starts off in this weird prison that makes no sense. Come to find out, this prison is a construct Legion has created to keep his different personalities under control. Throughout the story, we switch between reality and the world of Legion’s prison. We see how the events in each affect the other and through that, we get more development for a Marvel character than most new Marvel books afford their characters.
We also get (what I assume to be) a new character who has the ability to see cause and effect… And is able to change events to his liking. He’s nameless and looks like Floronic Man (when FM isn’t just a pair of floating eyeballs) and I have a theory about him which will also make me want to continue buying this series.
So surprisingly, I am actually suggesting you check out this comic. It’s not great, but it is different and interesting. You don’t get that a lot with Marvel these days. I believe you should support such stories, especially when they look promising. – W.D. Prescott
