Comics / Comic Reviews / Marvel Comics

Uncanny X-Men #15 Review

By Andy Frisk
July 9, 2012 - 11:46

Mr. Sinister, a longstanding foe of the X-Men (and one of their most metaphorically packed enemies), has been at his genetic replication shenanigans again and has a whole host of Sinister clones poised to engage the Phoenix Five when they come calling at his underground “Sinister London” city. The Five expect a quick and easy battle, but Sinister has something unique up his sleeve that he feels will make him the victor of the upcoming battle: Madelyn Prior…actually several Madelyn Priors. Meanwhile, Colossus learns that the power of the Phoenix holds no sway over Cyttorak. It appears that Colossus might be burdened with the power of the Juggernaut for some time to come. Also, the intergalactic prisoner Unit continues to exert his influence over Danger.

Kieron Gillen continues to write some of the best X-Men stories being published currently. He plays along with the obligatory crossover event Avengers vs. X-Men, but continues to put his unique storytelling stamp on the X-Men by keeping the underlying events of the past several months (in publishing time) moving forward. He’s dealt with Mr. Sinister, who isn’t the easiest villain to write a compelling story about, very well, and pitting him against the Phoenix Five is a masterstroke. One almost wishes Sinister could take care of the Five and save the Avengers some serious trouble, but we wouldn’t have the mandated summer cross-over event then would we…

Daniel Acuna handles the artistic chores this issue and his beautiful and highly realistic (almost photorealistic in some aspects of the way he handles lighting with his coloring) work is always a joy to behold. I’ve been a fan of his all the way back since he worked on the long ago aborted comic (and franchise) The Eternals.

These little side excursions from the main event title of this summers’ Mighty Marvel Crossover are proving to make the whole thing more palatable. Hopefully, those drawn in by the main event are deciding to pick up Gillen and Acuna’s Uncanny X-Men. They’d be in for a pleasant surprise and discover what all the hype about Gillen’s run has been.

Rating: 8.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12