When the villainous Deathbird appears unconscious outside
the satellite headquarters of S.W.O.R.D., Special Agent Abigail Brand calls on
the X-Men to investigate the incident. After telepathic and medical examinations,
they discover a mysterious symbol in the recesses of her mind and a growing
child in her womb. Meanwhile, Rachel must cope with new revelations regarding
those who were responsible for the massacre of her family several years back.
X-Men Volume 4:
Exogenous collects X-Men #18-21,
written by Marc Guggenheim with art by Harvey Tolibao and Dexter Soy.
After a shaky start, X-Men
hits its stride under Guggenheim’s direction. The Arrow writer smartly pulls the team away from its Earth setting,
strips away much of its larger cast and relies far less on recent events to
propel his story forward. One of the issues that plagued Brian Wood’s tenure on
X-Men was its inaccessibility due to
its reliance on past storylines. While it could be argued that Guggenheim does
the same, here he’s illustrating his depth of knowledge of these characters and
their lives. For instance, much of the emotional core of Exogenous is built around the gut-wrenching massacre of the Grey
family which occurred in Uncanny X-Men #466-468.
He provides further references to past events involving Deathbird and Cyclops’
brother Vulcan. Guggenheim effectively builds on the past and does so in a way
that really pays tribute to the X-Men’s vast history.
The narrative itself is great. It’s a straightforward
mystery in space that snowballs into the reveal of a rather creepy villainous
organization. While the plot itself may be simple, the stakes are high nonetheless.
Whether considered spoilers or not, at one point two X-Men are near death and Rachel
must decide the fate of the individual responsible for her family’s murder.
The area where Guggenheim excels most is with dialogue and
character development. For the most part, each of the characters feel distinct.
Monet in particular stands out due to her sass and attitude, which contrasts
against her more dour teammates. Guggenheim also plays with the rivalry that
existed between Jubilee and Monet way back when both were part of Generation X,
which is a nice nod to fans of that book. Similarly, Abigail Brand’s dialogue
is punchy and Storm is as fierce as ever. The biggest surprise, however, may be
in just how badass Cecilia Reyes was. As arguably one of the most obscure
X-Men, Guggenheim utilizes her flawlessly here and depicts her as a
relentlessly heroic doctor who will do whatever it takes to ensure the survival
of her patience. The usage of her powers in this storyline is creative and
shows off how criminally underrated she is, with some action panels highlighting
how powerful she truly is. Above all else, Guggenheim is to be praised for his
work on Rachel Grey. As the most irritating character of the past three
storylines, we see a much more different side to her. She’s smart, assertive
and is shown to be the powerhouse that she truly is. More importantly, we see a
more emotional side to her. Her mourning for the family she never got to know
is both tragic and poignant, helping to define her past being a stand-in for
Jean Grey. Also, major props for using Deathbird.
It’s truly a shame that Guggenheim only got to spend four
issues writing the lovely ladies of the X-Men. He has a firmer grasp on the
characters than his predecessor did and provided the kind of story that these
women deserved right out of the gate. Exogenous
has everything a good X-Men story needs – drama, clever dialogue (most of
it delivered by Monet), intense action, a sense of family between the X-Men,
and an emotional center that keeps the reader invested. While the art is
inconsistent, especially since art chores are shared by Tolibao and Soy, but
the writing more than makes up for it. It’s debatable, but Exogenous is possibly one of the most enjoyable X-Men trades that
has been released during the Marvel NOW! era.
Rating: B+
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