Review: X-Men - Mutant Genesis

A recently reformed Magneto returns to villainy in order to exact his revenge on humanity after learning that his rehabilitation may have been a manipulation. His first order of business? Kidnap and brainwash the X-Men into being his faithful servants. Then, Wolverine’s past comes back to haunt him when a mysterious assassin named Omega Red comes to hunt him down.

X-Men: Mutant Genesis collects X-Men #1-7, with story and art by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee. Additional dialogue is written by John Byrne and Scott Lobdell.

Mutant Genesis collects the first few issues of the blockbuster relaunch of the X-Men from 1991. This series was a turning point for the X-Men, as they’d been previously split apart and fractured. The original X-Men had formed the splinter group X-Factor, while the remaining members of the X-Men had been living in Australia for the latter part of the 1980s. The original and current X-Men were thus reunited during preceding storylines, which brought back plenty of familiar faces back into the fold. Despite being a relaunch, Mutant Genesis isn’t entirely new reader friendly. Anyone expecting to pick this collection up and understand everything that’s going on is going to be disappointed. Both arcs collected in this volume build upon concepts, characters and narratives that were previously established during Chris Claremont’s legendary run on the X-Men.

The first storyline present in Mutant Genesis is a three-parter that serves as Claremont’s farewell to the X-Men. In it, the titular team of superheroes faces off against Magneto high above the Earth on the villain’s satellite base Asteroid M. It’s a splashy and action-packed story featuring a plethora of mutants, which makes the story feel important and gives it a larger scale. Artist Jim Lee, who joins Claremont as co-plotter, helps to enhance the overall feel of the narrative. His art is fresh and dynamic, contributing some of the most iconic depictions of the X-Men of all-time. His then-new designs for the characters brought colour and life back into the world of Marvel’s Merry Mutants. These first three issues illustrate a synergy between Claremont and Lee, but also a slight schism. Lee’s art is so lively, yet it’s bogged down by Claremont’s habit of character grandstanding through dialogue. Gorgeously drawn panels are thus marred by massive blocks of text.

The question remains, does Mutant Genesis serve as an explosive finale to Claremont’s tenure on the X-Men? Yes and no. When you take away the quality of Jim Lee’s work, the story itself fails to match the depth and scale that became synonymous with the X-Men in the 1980s. This had been a continued problem with Claremont in general, as the quality of his stories declined sharply around 1989 when the Outback era reached its conclusion. The great thing about Mutant Genesis is that Claremont makes good use of his large cast and helps to pen yet another fantastic Magneto vs. the X-Men story. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t stand up very well to the test of time. Much of the conflict hinges upon a minor event that occurred several years before, which can be troublesome for people less familiar with Claremont’s oeuvre. It’s a bittersweet finale, of course, particularly because we know that Claremont left prematurely and likely would have ended things a bit more differently.

The rest of Mutant Genesis consists of a Wolverine-centric story conceived by Jim Lee, with dialogue written by John Byrne and Scott Lobdell. It features Wolverine being kidnapped by Omega Red at the behest of a new group of villains known as the Upstarts. The X-Men must then find and rescue their teammate before he outlives his usefulness to the Upstarts. As far as the story is confirmed, Lee’s first foray into being the sole plotter for the X-Men wasn’t half bad. Despite the rather large cast of characters he’s dealing with, he juggles them well and keeps things intimate by keeping the focus on Wolverine. He gives us glimpses into Wolverine’s past and even brings in Sabretooth. He also gives us a number of panels of Psylocke displaying just how badass she is. Nevertheless, there’s nothing too remarkable about the narrative that stands out. It’s solid, but lacks a sense of gravity. In other words, it’s filler and seems to be there only to give us a preview of what we can further expect from this series.

There are also a number of issues with Lee’s art in the final four issues in this collection. It doesn’t look quite as polished, particularly when it comes to their faces. His distinctive style isn’t as noticeable here, which is rather unfortunate. This also means that the flaws you’d normally overlook because of the beautifully drawn characters are all the more glaring. He’s clearly not the best artist when it comes to rendering backgrounds, nor does he seem to know quite how to edit his panels so they’re not too busy. More often than not, transitions seem abrupt and it’s often hard to follow the dialogue as a result of this.

There’s no denying the legacy of X-Men: Mutant Genesis. It has gone through multiple reprints and exists as one of the most iconic moments in the X-Men’s illustrious history. It doesn’t have the same critical acclaim that the Dark Phoenix Saga has, but the nostalgia factor is high on this one for those of us who were ‘90s (or even ’80s) babies. The stories presented here are great. They’re fun and they’re very much what you’d expect from a ‘90s comic. The art, however, is the real star here. Lee’s pencils are why this collection has been reprinted and collected (and sold out) so many times. That said, this volume feels incomplete. Since there’s a subplot involving Dazzler and Longshot in Mojoworld, ending the collection on issue 7 feels abrupt. This storyline wouldn’t be resolved until issue 11, so a larger collection would be nice to see in the future.

RATING: B

Review: Justice League Volume 2, The Villain's Journey

In Justice League Volume 2: The Villain’s Journey, writer Geoff Johns and artist Jim Lee deal with the aftermath of the Justice League’s first adventure as a team. They explore the consequences of saving the world and the voracious appetite the public has for celebrities.

Five years after the Justice League defeated Darkseid, the team has become a worldwide phenomenon and is loved by many. However, not everyone is pleased with the presence of the Justice League. The government is eager to learn their secrets and there is a menace threatening to destroy the League’s reputation. Johns has a very clear understanding of modern society. This is seen in the way in which the public has become fascinated by the presence of a team of superheroes. Much like contemporary celebrities, they are plagued by the paparazzi and constant media scrutiny. He also manages to write the characters distinctively and is able to convey their unique personalities with his dialogue. That said, he still struggles to find a balance with the characters. He continues to favour Green Lantern, while Aquaman is largely relegated to being a background character.

There are two very important narratives that drive this collection. The first is that of the primary antagonist David Graves. His motivations are clear and his character is well developed. His design is also to be commended. It is eerie and menacing without being cartoony. The second plotline is that of Steve Trevor and Wonder Woman’s tenuous relationship. Johns continues to allude to their past together, but never quite divulges what really happened between the two. Truth be told, a flashback sequence would have been nice. Nevertheless, his decision to focus on these two characters is admirable. Most contemporary writers have largely ignored Steve Trevor and it’s very uncommon for Wonder Woman to be given much attention in Justice League stories. The tone for the Amazon Princess’ character is much more even and Johns seems to have a firmer grasp on how he wishes to portray her. It’s also worth mentioning that nearly all the most memorable action scenes and the most touching moments within this collection feature Wonder Woman in some way. This includes a rather satisfying knock-down drag-out fight Wonder Woman has with Green Lantern (he definitely had it coming, that pig) and the kiss between Superman and Wonder Woman that sent fans into a tizzy.

Justice League Volume 2: The Villain’s Journey is the perfect follow-up to the first collection of the New 52 Justice League stories. It smartly deals with the conflicts that would arise following the foundation of a team like the Justice League and takes great care to address the emotional needs of the characters. Johns’ writing has become much more consistent and Lee’s art is as dynamic as ever. For fans of the world’s greatest superheroes, this will be a collection you’ll want to read. That said, new readers should be forewarned that they’ll still be needing to do a little extra research to make sense of some events and references (namely, Green Arrow's origins and the Court of the Owls).

Rating: B+

Review: Justice League Volume 1, Origin

In 2011, DC Comics made a surprising announcement when they revealed that they would be re-launching their company in the fall. This consisted of the cancellation of all their existing publications and the release of 52 new titles. These issues would feature brand-new stories written under a new continuity. This initiative has since come to be known as “The New 52.”

Writer Geoff Johns and artist Jim Lee proved to be pivotal figures in this process. The pair teamed up to helm DC Comics’ flagship title – Justice League. Together, they crafted a new story to reveal the first adventure of the world’s greatest superheroes.

Justice League Volume 1: Origin collects the first six issues of Johns and Lee’s run on the title. It is an action-packed origin story that is filled with explosions and carnage. Johns smartly introduces the characters gradually. As the narrative progresses, each superhero enters the fray. This strategy allows the reader to accommodate to the new additions. Thankfully, Johns manages to capture each character’s personality quite well. Batman is the rational thinker, Green Lantern is the impulsive alpha male, the Flash is the peacekeeper, Superman is the stoic powerhourse, Aquaman is the indifferent monarch, and Wonder Woman is the unyielding warrior. He paints the characters with broad strokes, but does seem to struggle with some development. Aquaman, for instance, largely disappears in the shuffle. Likewise, Johns seems to be uncertain with how to portray Wonder Woman. At times she possesses a child-like naiveté, while at others she is an unstoppable fighter. Another character worth mentioning is Cyborg. His origin story serves as a subplot to the main narrative and, as such, comes across as disappointingly rushed. His character lacks any real substance and most of his dialogue comes across as fairly angst-ridden.

It’s hard to really determine whether Geoff Johns and Jim Lee deliver a flawless Justice League origin story. Lee’s art is quite gorgeous and the colours pop magnificently on the page. That’s not where the issue lies. The problem with Justice League is that the pacing is too quick. This means that character and plot development get tossed aside in favour of the action. There are shimmering moments of brilliance, however. A notable scene occurs when Wonder Woman tastes ice cream for the first time (she thinks it’s “wonderful” – ha!). Another standout is when Aquaman proves his mettle, after Green Lantern calls his usefulness into question. Unfortunately, these scenes are few and far between. Darkseid, the main antagonist, is woefully underutilized. His motivations are left out of the story and there is zero exposition done to provide the background information necessary for newer readers. For a title that promised to be friendly to new audiences, Johns doesn’t fill in the gaps very well. While he delivers on personality, he underperforms with exposition. This means that the casual reader will be left scrambling to figure out the powers and origins of each superhero (aside from Batman, apparently he’s the only one who deserved to have his story told).

Despite these issues, Justice League Volume 1: Origin is a remarkably fun read. The characters are (mostly) likeable and the conflict presented is satisfactory. For any fans of Green Lantern, Batman or the Flash, this collection will be enjoyable. Johns excels at writing these characters and they feature largely in the narrative. Casual readers will have to do some light reading to supplement their knowledge of these characters, but the story itself is digestible. This is a good starting point for anyone interested in the DC Universe and should add this to their reading list. The personalities are strong, the conflict is stronger, and the art is amazing. That said, don’t expect to find an abundance of strong, independent women here… apparently there’s a quota on how many badass women there can be in one book. (But who is really noticing that fact when Wonder Woman is showing that she can do everything better than the boys, right?)

Rating: B+