New X-Men #42
By Zak Edwards
September 26, 2007 - 13:52
Marvel Comics
Writer(s): Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost
Penciller(s): Skottie Young
Inker(s): Skottie Young
Cover Artist(s): Skottie Young
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This issue has everything a book about teen super-heroes should have; teen drama, teen angst, and lots of humour spread about. All of the main kids have their own roles to play, it’s surprising that Yost fit it all in. While difficult to talk about each one without ruining things and droning on, I can say this: Kyle and Yost have developed some great characters to use. The whole cast is well put together, with a familiarity with all of them. These kids deal with the problems they have and are going through like teenagers: they don’t all get along, some annoy others, some antagonize others for no reason, but they are united together by tragedy. There is a bond there. One of the best parts is the fact that not all the characters are easy to like, either. Pixie is fairly annoying and Julian is still his usual arrogant bully. The comic is enjoyable for this downtime, it reminds me of the “Date Night” arc in Ultimate X-Men. While not high on the action, the characters were strong enough to carry a story that was a little different, not relying on the “meet villain, get beat by villain, rally and defeat villain” story-lines. Too bad it’s only for two issues.
The first thing that catches the eye is how different the art is. I had to check the credits to make sure the art team had not changed, it hasn’t. The team is the exact same as before, proving how different artwork can be in the hands of a versatile team. Where the last arc was clean with a bold colour palette, it has been replaced by a rougher style with a more bland colour scheme. It still looks great. I was concerned that once the setting had changed from the crazy landscapes and characters of Belasco’s realm to the normal world, that Young’s art would be too crazy for any believability. These concerns have been addressed. While some things do look a little over the top, like Wolverine and Colossus. Overall the characters are animated just enough to convey how mellodramatic the characters are without crossing the line into saturday morning cartoon. Young’s panels look great.
8/10 Great story, strong characters, and really cool art. All-round solid issue.
As always, let me know what you think by e-mailing me at zak@comicbookbin.com
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