Comics / Comic Reviews / Marvel Comics

X-Men Endangered Species

By Zak Edwards
June 25, 2007 - 13:53

X-Men: Endangered Species One-Shot

This issue is about a funeral, and who the deceased is is not mentioned nor does it matter.  The whole mutant community is feeling the death of one of their own, as it means there is one less in an already dwindling population.  There are no explosions, guns, skin-tight costumes, and even extremely limited use of powers.  What happens is grief.

Mike Carey has been writing extremely high-energy story-lines for the “Adjective-less” X-Men title and it’s interesting to see him take a break from all the excitement.  Touching on ideas like the loss of individuality and the hardening of people towards their own kind, a very emotionally driven story has been created.  Carey switches between many of the characters from all the major X-Men titles, exploring how they are all feeling.  From the cynical and seemingly heartless Emma Frost to a scared, angry Mercury from the New X-Men.  Some are feeling regret, some sadness, and others, like Beast, are feeling the bleak future.  His discussion with Jamie Madrox at the end serves to give the whole issue a deeper significance.  Carey shows that even in a comic with super-heroes, one doesn’t need to blow something up to make a point (but stuff blowing up is still awesome!).
Scot Eaton’s art is fairly good, although he seems to have problems in a few areas.  First off, he can’t convey emotion very well, sometimes characters look like they are actually smiling at the funeral, besides Emma Frost, who is supposed to be.  Also, the youngest members and some of the oldest members all look to be the same age as Cyclops.  Finally, Emma Frost does not know how to dress for a funeral, being shown in fishnet stockings and a miniskirt.  All of that aside, Eaton is a very talented artist, I just believe his artwork would be better appreciated somewhere else.

8/10    Awesome script makes up for art that would be best used elsewhere.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12