“Fallout from Mike Carey’s Age of X event continues to be the primary conflict both physically and emotionally in “X-Men Legacy” as the team fights the two remaining Legion personalities still loose and causing havoc, Styx and Endgame. It’s a nice change of pace considering that too frequently when an “event” ends, we’re given a quick exit and little to no ramifications post “event.” Sometimes, of course, that’s a welcome respite from an event we didn’t like or were tired of in the first place. In the case of Age of X, though, some very interesting threads were left hanging and now Carey is doing an admirable job of dealing with them…”
You can read the rest of my CBR Review of X-Men Legacy #253 here.
As always, likes and retweets are much appreciated and you can check out all of my CBR Reviews thus far here. Also, I’ve got a bio up on CBR now, woo!
Tags: comics!
-
“Rather than ending on a nice tied up moment from this arc, we’re immediately launched into the next story and end on a cliffhanger for that new arc. It’s a technique that writers should try to employ more frequently given the serial nature of comics”
I agree in essence, but I grew up on comics that always did this (primarily Marvel) where not only was there no solid end to the story, ofttimes the story was interrupted by another story (even before “events”) and resumed later. Which is also a good technique, when employed well, but sometimes you just need a story to come to an end and start a new one next issue. (Subplots and repercussions notwithstanding.) Makes it easier to reread runs. (And of course collect into trades.) Neverending stories can get on the nerves.
-
Question: Is Carey’s take on Rogue more akin to her sunny, larger than life incarnation from the 90’s, or does it take after the more somber takes of the 00’s? I haven’t read many of the “main” X-Men comics, but I like Rogue, so I’d like to know before I decide to take the plunge and buy the book.
-
@Keith: I see your point – it’s the same reason True Blood drives me crazy with its cliffhangers…just when I feel I can stop, they hook me with a cliffhanger. But it’s still a smart way to structure the bulk of your stories when your paycheck is dependent on people picking up the next issue!
@Ian Perez Zayas: I would say Carey’s take is about dead center between those two takes. She’s definitely not as sunny and farm fresh as her early 90’s days, but she’s not nearly as dark as I saw her in other places over the last 10+ years. I think it’s a good balance. More importantly than personality I think is that Carey really respects the character – he sees her as a good leader and role model (especially to younger mutants), and he treats her as much smarter than most writers do. He uses her powers very creatively, as I suspect Rogue would actually use her powers (if you were saddled with those powers for years…you’d get very smart about how to utilize them if you were fighting super villains all the time). Carey’s Rogue is very selfless and self-possessed. There’s always a bit of melancholy in Rogue I think, no matter who writes her, but Carey has a good balance that doesn’t drag her down and make her seem overly dark. I haven’t loved all of Carey’s stories equally (with or without Rogue) but he’s definitely the writer that I feel has the best handle on her of any I’ve read in the last 20+ years.
-
Thanks for the information. To be truthful, “my” Rogue will probably always be the version from the X-Men: Evolution cartoon, who, from the sounds of it, would be the complete opposite of Carey’s take, to the point where now I kinda want them to meet. In any case, one of the things I’m glad Carey did is have Rogue come into control of her powers, as I’ve long felt that doing that was the natural next step in the character’s evolution–one which, given the big two’s chronic aversion to natural change, I expected never to happen. I’m glad to hear she continues to blossom (I feel like that’s the wrong word for such an established character, but I can’t come up with any better) under him.
True Blood! What I always find strange is that when taken together, the entire series (at least until season 3) takes place over the course of a few months, which never fails to feel weird.
Comments are now closed.
4 comments