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snick_backupAnd now I think I want to reread the whole thing, possibly in hard copy, so that I can actually think about the plot and character arcs properly.
So, this book was much less a slog in the second half - basically as soon as we got through the interminable, convoluted, and really annoying Dark Angel arc, things started clearing up. I was prepared to be really annoyed with Fantomex got kidnapped and taken to Otherworld, which was yet another apparently major story element I'd never heard of. However, the comic introduces it pretty gently. And everything after that arc builds on the elements introduced in the first half of the series, which means finally, finally I knew what was going on.
So now, having seen the whole thing, I'm rather pleased that Remender actually had a point with these 35 issues. All the tangle of events in the beginning were meant to lead up the Otherworld and Final Execution arcs' meditations on the moral justification (or lack thereof) for pre-emptive strikes in the name of security. Now, I think he does kind of a crap job of actually exploring this theme; the dialogue is moralizing and trite and obvious, and we reach our conclusion basically by banging the same gong enough times that we can't hear the other side of the argument anymore. I would not recommend this comic as an ethical discussion. However, I'm fairly impressed with how he developed the plot threads in order to bring up these points, and for the most part I think the characterization works well, too. The character arcs are consistently developed, IMO, and make emotional sense to me.
IMO, Psylocke and Fantomex ended up being the heart of this book, which pleases me very much, since they're mostly who I was reading for. I'm not actually sure what my feelings are about their relationship and what the comic seems to be saying about each of them; that's something I'd like to reread for. In particular, this tossed-off comment at the end about how Fantomex should be given some leeway for his behavior since he has three opposing brains to contend with sounded like a) a cheap out for when he's a jerk, and b) a way to smooth over any complaints about inconsistent characterization (not that I really noticed any to complain about?). However, they definitely kept me engaged, both together and separate. And now, YAY, I am all caught up to properly appreciate what Sam Humphries is doing with them in the Marvel NOW incarnation of the title.
Deadpool had some shining moments, too, and also Evan (aka Genesis aka Kid Apocalypse) got some major development in the last arc, which was spiffy, since I'd already read all the relevant Wolverine & the X-Men issues where we see Evan moping around and trying to belong. Just in general, that title and this one read together quite nicely.
I'm a little bit amused that our secondary villains in that last arc are a mutant gang including Mystique, The Blob, and Sabretooth - it's exactly the same crew that was mucking things up back in that Claremont omnibus which I am still reading.
I have to say, by and large, the art on this book in the second half was really excellent, if a bit of a hodgepodge. Phil Noto did most of the final arc, which was therefore unsurprisingly gorgeous. The Otherworld arc was drawn by Greg Tocchini, whom I wasn't familiar with but who has a sort of broad-strokes style with a lot of heavy lines and emphasis on painting, which ends up making it feel really robust with a lot of physicality to it. And of course the first half included that three-issue arc drawn by Esad Ribic, which I just loved.
So: who has read this? I NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT.
Crossposted from Dreamwidth. Comment here or there. (
DW replies)
So, this book was much less a slog in the second half - basically as soon as we got through the interminable, convoluted, and really annoying Dark Angel arc, things started clearing up. I was prepared to be really annoyed with Fantomex got kidnapped and taken to Otherworld, which was yet another apparently major story element I'd never heard of. However, the comic introduces it pretty gently. And everything after that arc builds on the elements introduced in the first half of the series, which means finally, finally I knew what was going on.
So now, having seen the whole thing, I'm rather pleased that Remender actually had a point with these 35 issues. All the tangle of events in the beginning were meant to lead up the Otherworld and Final Execution arcs' meditations on the moral justification (or lack thereof) for pre-emptive strikes in the name of security. Now, I think he does kind of a crap job of actually exploring this theme; the dialogue is moralizing and trite and obvious, and we reach our conclusion basically by banging the same gong enough times that we can't hear the other side of the argument anymore. I would not recommend this comic as an ethical discussion. However, I'm fairly impressed with how he developed the plot threads in order to bring up these points, and for the most part I think the characterization works well, too. The character arcs are consistently developed, IMO, and make emotional sense to me.
IMO, Psylocke and Fantomex ended up being the heart of this book, which pleases me very much, since they're mostly who I was reading for. I'm not actually sure what my feelings are about their relationship and what the comic seems to be saying about each of them; that's something I'd like to reread for. In particular, this tossed-off comment at the end about how Fantomex should be given some leeway for his behavior since he has three opposing brains to contend with sounded like a) a cheap out for when he's a jerk, and b) a way to smooth over any complaints about inconsistent characterization (not that I really noticed any to complain about?). However, they definitely kept me engaged, both together and separate. And now, YAY, I am all caught up to properly appreciate what Sam Humphries is doing with them in the Marvel NOW incarnation of the title.
Deadpool had some shining moments, too, and also Evan (aka Genesis aka Kid Apocalypse) got some major development in the last arc, which was spiffy, since I'd already read all the relevant Wolverine & the X-Men issues where we see Evan moping around and trying to belong. Just in general, that title and this one read together quite nicely.
I'm a little bit amused that our secondary villains in that last arc are a mutant gang including Mystique, The Blob, and Sabretooth - it's exactly the same crew that was mucking things up back in that Claremont omnibus which I am still reading.
I have to say, by and large, the art on this book in the second half was really excellent, if a bit of a hodgepodge. Phil Noto did most of the final arc, which was therefore unsurprisingly gorgeous. The Otherworld arc was drawn by Greg Tocchini, whom I wasn't familiar with but who has a sort of broad-strokes style with a lot of heavy lines and emphasis on painting, which ends up making it feel really robust with a lot of physicality to it. And of course the first half included that three-issue arc drawn by Esad Ribic, which I just loved.
So: who has read this? I NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT.
Crossposted from Dreamwidth. Comment here or there. (
