Review: Uncanny X-Men, The Complete Collection By Matt Fraction Vol. 1

Following the event known as Messiah CompleX, the X-Men packed up their bags and moved out west to San Francisco. Helmed by Matt Fraction, this signalled a new era for Marvel's resident mutants. Uncanny X-Men became a colourful and unpredictable title where old enemies and allies came out to play. This trade paperback, collecting the first year of Fraction's run, is full of pleasant surprises and is bursting full of mutants.

The first twelve issues of Matt Fraction's run are arguably his strongest. He's clearly excited about writing the X-Men, as seen in his style. It is casual and punchy, which is meant to enage readers. The overarching narrative in this collection is that of the formation of the Sisterhood of Mutants. This all-female band of baddies is comprised of some of the most dangerous women in the Marvel Universe, including Lady Deathstrike and the six-armed witch Spiral. There is an abundance of intrigue surrounding them and it keeps the reader off-balance as they attempt to figure out the Sisterhood's plan. The final confrontation between the X-Men and the Sisterhood is thrilling. It even includes a standout moment for D-list X-Woman Dazzler, where she confronts a brainwashed Psylocke (priceless!). While the arc itself is amazing, it gets bogged down with too many subplots. Beast and Angel assemble a team of scientists, Emma Frost and Cyclops work on their relationship issues and Colossus goes on a near-twelve issue sulk. On top of this, Fraction starts throwing mutant after mutant at the reader. As such, it can be an overwhelming experience for newer fans. Nevertheless, the narrative is still relatively clean and Fraction does a satisfactory job of portraying the X-Men. While it can be argued that he only scratches the surface of them, each character still feels unique and none blend into the background.

What is sure to be the most divisive aspect of this collection is not the narrative, but the art. Greg Land and Terry Dodson share art chores for these issues. The result can be extremely jarring, especially early on, since their styles differ so greatly. Where Dodson is more cartoony, Land attempts to be more realistic. As such, it creates an uneven tone for the title. Of the two, Dodson's art is more satisfying and interesting. He particularly outdoes himself in Uncanny X-Men #504 when Emma Frost enters Cyclops' mind. He illustrates this as a hotel full of X-Women dressed in costumes from various points in their career. It's brilliant. It's just too bad Dodson wasn't responsible for the pencils for all twelve issues.

Overall, Uncanny X-Men: The Complete Collection by Matt Fraction would be an excellent edition to any X-Men fan's library. It conveniently collects the first year of Fraction's run and features a lot of rich artwork. It is also highly recommended for any fans of the characters Pixie, Cyclops, Emma Frost or Dazzler, as they feature largely in this trade paperback. However, don't expect it to be as epic as The Dark Phoenix Saga or as gut-wrenching as The Mutant Massacre. It's fun and frivolous, but has heart. After being presented as a group of individuals with contrasting goals for so long, the X-Men once more act like a family (but don't expect that to last).

Rating: B+