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Uncanny X-Men 537 And Action Comics 901: Wednesday Comic Reviews

Published Wed, 25 May 2011 06:00:17 -0500

Last updated Wed, 25 May 2011 08:06:59 -0500

Two comics out today, both seem to be telling stories already told.

Reading Uncanny X-Men #537, the silent, intangible Kitty Pryde being pursued across Utopia by Kruun of Breakworld, unable to summon the help she needs, I immediately flashbacked to another X-Men comic from almost thirty years and five hundred issues ago. Uncanny X-Men #143.

In that issue, left alone in the X-Mansion on Christmas Eve, Kitty is pursued by the N'Garai demon, the claws of which can penetrate and hurt even her phased flesh. She is young, inexperienced, on her own, but she both survives and triumphs.

In this issue however, Kruun also armed with knives that can hurt Kitty, she has a whole island, and a couple of people she can turn on for help, even if it is for naught.

We have a chase, and one that the aggressor has prepared for. Kitty finds herself falling into trap after trap, until she's able to slightly turn the tables. But while Uncanny X-Men #143 had a happy ending, this is anything but.

I'm not particularly a fan of Breakworld and its ilk that Joss Whedon created for Astonishing X-Men and that are currently being sequelised for Uncanny X-Men, so that has a big strike against me for this issue. But it's a genuinely thrilling race through Utopia and a kicker of an ending to boot, all while the Dodsons give us their best Kitty Pryde throughout. I just wished it involved antagonists that don't instantly turn me off.

Of course if there's a character I dislike more than Kruun and his kin, it's Doomsday. And it turns out he has kin too. Yes, there's even more to get turned off by in Action Comics #901 if you are a Doomsday hater like me. I hated his original appearance, I've hated subsequent uses… but can I be turned round by Paul Cornell's magic way with words?

No. No, I bloody can't.

Kenneth Rocafort's art style for half the book doesn't help. His digitally scanned pencils, while no doubt saving time, appear light and sketchy on the page, something incredibly unsuitable for the action scenes porytrayed. This improves when Jesus Moreno takes on the art and provides some gravitas and weight to the images, but why they gave him less Doomsday pages to draw is a mystery. Jesus' Doomsday (and that feels a strange phrase to write in and of itself) feels at least like he exists on the page and his punches and eyebeams may actually do some damage.

But what's most lacking, surprisingly, is Paul Cornell. The inventiveness of the Action Comics without Superman seems to have been lost. It feels dull, boring and, remarkably, stupid. The characterisation we'd seen with Lex Luthor, the way he interacted with the world made a sensational book. Here, Superman and his friends seem bland. Uninteresting. Uncharacteristically to, I mean, is this the Superman dialogue you've been waiting for?

Also, if Doomsday had any merit at all, it was in the threat of a single creature destroying so much and so many. By spinning off variant versions, the threat doesn't so much increase, as diminish – he's not so special any more. If he ever was.

Also, I don't know if people care anymore but Barack Obama is President Of The United States in this comic and he appears on panel addressing the superhero population of the planet. He's around here at the moment, if I do bump into him while I'm in London, I'll try to get a signature.

My expectations had been raised for both books of late due to the stellar work of the writers. But both have been dashed, though Action Comics has fallen further. Two more off the pull list?

Uncanny X-Men #537 and Action Comics #901 are published today.

Comics courtesy of Orbital Comics in London. Currently hosting a Paul Duffield exhibition, watch for their Slovenian Comix gallery from the 12th of June and a signing by Klaus Janson on the 15th June.

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