From dhenry@plains.NoDak.edu Thu Aug 18 10:52:56 EDT 1994 Article: 1167 of rec.arts.comics.info Path: prism!gt-news!gatech!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!nntp.cs.ubc.ca!news.DataFlux.BC.CA!not-for-mail From: dhenry@plains.NoDak.edu (David R. Henry) Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.info Subject: REVIEW: X-Men Unlimited #6 Followup-To: rec.arts.comics.xbooks Date: 12 Aug 1994 22:07:29 -0700 Organization: North Dakota Higher Education Computing Network Lines: 130 Sender: scowling@angmar.dataflux.bc.ca Approved: scowling@angmar.dataflux.bc.ca Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: angmar.dataflux.bc.ca Apparently-To: rec-arts-comics-info@cs.washington.edu Status: O I have, at last, created the perfect salad. If you've ever eaten my salads, you know how important a discovery like that is to me. :-). In any case, be warned for spoilers below... X-Men Unlimited #6 "Primal Scream" Written by: John Francis Moore Art Supposedly By: Paul Smith Art Actually By: Far too many people to be believed Editor responsible for the above: Kelly Corvese Other horrified bystanders: BOB/Tom The question boils down to: Should you put a book out on time if you have to resort to twenty different fill-in artists just to make deadline? If you're a newspaper, or even something like the CBG, then, perhaps, yes. If you're a comic book -- and, what's more, one that's not tied into continuity with any other comic books sharing your characters -- what's the rush? Considering that the Harras Office can't even get the Phalanx crossover out in the right order (is that a surprise anymore?), maybe all these foobars are a Sign that There Are Too Many X-titles. Get the stuff out that you can get out right. With that out of the way, there are two things that should be immediately said about X-Men Unlimited #6: 1) It's not as bad as Unlimited #4. 2) That leaves a lot of leeway. Actually, Unlimited #6 was rather painless. I was almost convinced that I was reading something resembling, but not entirely unlike, a comic book. But, I'll save that for the Evaluation. Right now, we got plottage: This is another Savage Land story. That means your likelihood of enjoying it increases proportionately to your enjoyment of loincloths and knife- wielding natives (admittedly, that was a more decisive distinction before the Image-era of heroes arrived). It features as the bad guys those dependable second bananas, the Savage Land Mutates, and brings back Sauron as the current ruler of the tribe. The fun thing about the book was that this was the first comic book since, well, since ever that had sympathy for the poor Mutates. Even Barbarus, that four-armed loser, gets a personality in this issue. A few things are finally revealed that makes utter sense in light of 20/20 hindsight -- for instance, the Mutates were designed by Magneto to have a pathetic need to have somebody in charge of them. That's why they've happily changed alliegence to any second-rate petty despot (and when you're stuck to conquering the Savage Land, that's pretty second-rate) that's come up in the Savage Land. Heck, some of them have even gone on to work for the High Lord of Pettiness, Mr. Sinister. What's even more nice about that is that the character revelations are, for once, used in a constructive manner by the heroes of the book to resolve a non-violent ending (well, against the Mutates, in any case). This is something that's also been a long time coming in current X-titles. I note that I haven't really mentioned the plot yet; it's really disposable, compared to the fun you have with the Mutates. Featuring the dullest family in mutantdom, the Summers (and Lorna Dane) doesn't add much to the festivities, even when you add a psychotic and starving Sauron to the mix. Basically, Sauron is really hungry for mutant psyches this time around, so he sends the Mutates out to capture him some tasty Summers sausage, so to speak. Ah-heh. :-). That same poor machine, which must be rebuilt every time someone trashes the Mutates' base, is used to suck life energy out of Scott and Alex; their women folk then must come to the rescue, befuddle the Mutates, and then drive off Sauron once more. Simple, straightforward, to the point, no revamping of past storylines, no hidden mutant masterminds trying to control the world, just a quick-moving plot, nice empathy for the supporting bananas, and a writer brave enough to use both "AAAAAGGHHH" and "ZZZRROOWRRKK" in the same panel. And don't let anyone convince you that the ending of this comic book means we've seen the last of Sauron. Evaluation: This was a nice, simple comic book. It was not worth $3.95, a special format, and its own "unlimited" title to present to us, but there's nothing morally offensive about it, unlike other comic books under the same title I could name. John Francis Moore, best known to xbooks audiences as the writer of X-Men 2099, does a fine job with the story. The art, however, could've been better. Paul Smith, a great line artist (even if he is scared of the color black), supposedly did the layouts for this issue, but I'll be darned if the no less than 11 pencilers and inkers, let alone three letterers and five colorists, left any of Smith's great work to show through. That's 16 people to do the artwork on 53 pages, less ads. Maybe Marvel should less the pages, up the time to do these things, and get one decent artist to do the work, on this, which is supposed to be their "feature" title of the X-Men. The combined effect of all these many hands produces pretty darn dull art. Luckily, Moore doesn't try laying on the usual trowel-loads of angst, keeping the book enjoyable on a fundamental "well, it didn't hurt" basis. High points, at least from my aerie, include Barbarus as the New Caesar of the Mutates and Sauron using the Malice and Goblyn Queen episodes of their past against Lorna and Jean (who, of course, we all know is really lying dead on the moon). And, once again, the fact that the Unlimited format requires the comic to actually end (instead of just marching in place forever) gives this book an automatic one-up on the other, continuing X-titles. Now, lezze about those Pin-Ups (another sign that the book, most likely, was a bit rushed): --Wolverine/Jae Lee: Yeah, right. When Biz is no longer buzz to riff, you snake from Sink. --X-Men/Gary Frank: No little lines all over the faces! My lord! --Rogue/Tom Grummett: Pretty typical. Why isn't she ever shown in baseball cap and sunglasses? --The Metal Mutants/Mike McKone: Ehh. --Archangel-Psylocke/Scott McDaniel: Not bad. Points for no background. --Longshot/Doug Alexander: Nice to see a painting in there. Good Hodge, better than the lucky one. --Cyclops-Phoenix/Stewart Immonen: Easy on the ink, there, guy --Generation X/Bryan Hitch: Okay, do you see a young woman with odd eye colors there? Nope. She's a goner. I'll deal with the poor fools in the letter column, talking about Unlimited #4, at a later date. No Page Count, this time. Nothing fun enough to riff. Rating: Two and a half psyche drains "You are fortunate that Barbarus granted you freedom." -- David R. Henry - Rogue Fan Club //// "Check the credits, Frank." --MJ-ST3K "All you of Earth are IDIOTS!"-P9fOS / What was the question? -- Kate Bush dhenry@plains.nodak.edu * Evolution: Give it some time, it'll grow on ya.