Review: Uncanny X-Men Volume 3 - The Good, The Bad, The Inhuman

Following the events of Battle of the Atom, Cyclops is more determined than ever to ensure that his students are prepared for the harsh reality that exists outside of their school. They’re also adjusting to the new additions of the time-displaced X-Men to their ranks, which subsequently prompts some awkward tension between a teenage Jean Grey and Emma Frost and Cyclops.

Uncanny X-Men Volume 3: The Good, The Bad, The Inhuman collects Uncanny X-Men #14, 15.INH and 16-18, written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Chris Bachalo and Kris Anka.

The Good, The Bad, The Inhuman is interesting for a very specific singular reason – it is one of the very few modern trades released by a mainstream comic book company that doesn’t feature a multi-issue story arc. In other words, each of the issues collected in this book are one-and-done stories that focus on exploring the relationships between the cast members of Uncanny X-Men. There are equal pros and cons to abandoning the tried-and-true four to six part story arcs that have become common place in the comic book industry.

The major appeal to taking a break from the multi-part format is that it gives a nice little window of opportunity for new readers to jump on board. Since the focus is on building the relationships between the characters, the reader won’t feel too lost since they don’t need to know too much of what occurred from preceding issues. This also means that Bendis is playing to his strengths. While he’s renowned for being the man behind many of Marvel’s biggest events, he’s always seemed a little more at home when writing dialogue than building story arcs. That rings true for The Good, The Bad, The Inhuman. Every word that comes out of Emma Frost and Magik’s mouths feels purposeful, as their sniping at others and overall feisty attitude creates a lot of great moments throughout. Bendis particularly likes to play up Emma’s playful rivalry with Kitty, as well as her deep-seated hatred towards Jean Grey. For this reason, the series two blonds continue their streak of scene-stealing and stand out as the two most interesting characters in Uncanny X-Men.

The downside to Bendis’ focus on one-off stories is that they have the same effect as filler episodes from a TV series. It stalls the tension within the series, bringing the action to a grinding halt. While it’s refreshing to take a break from a story arc to allow the characters to breathe, the problem is that not a whole lot has been happening in Uncanny X-Men as is. Up until this collection, Bendis has been building towards some kind of conflict – be it with Wolverine’s school, the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., Mystique or humans in general. There are no primary antagonists to speak of, nor does he really attempt to resolve the issues his characters are having in their personal lives. As such, this really leaves the reader with the feeling that Bendis doesn’t really know what he’s doing and like there’s no real direction to his run. Tonally, it seems like he might be aiming for a title similar to the beloved ‘90s quirky teen book Generation X. What is preventing this title from replicating the qualities that made Generation X such a hit is that Bendis simply doesn’t have a cast of characters that is memorable enough. Yes, Emma and Magik are fantastic, but what about the rest? The teen mutants he’s created continue to be forgettable and lack the personalities readers need in order to root for these guys. Aside from Tempus, none of them have distinguishable designs or costumes. That’s why Bendis needs six part story arcs against badass villains, because otherwise he’s essentially just treading water with a bunch of characters that no one is truly invested in.

The Good, The Bad, The Inhuman is an eerily accurate title for this collection. It features some great character moments as a result of Bendis’ aptitude for writing snappy dialogue. Fans will love Emma’s signature bad girl persona, while readers will continue to fall for Magik and her lack of a filter. However, the meandering plot deflates any tension that Bendis had been building towards. This trade also fails to flesh out its younger cast members, something which has been an issue from the get-go with this series. There are really only a couple of issues worth reading here (#15.INH and #16). You might want to grab those two issues separately and save your money to get a trade that’s more worth it.

RATING: C+