Review: X-Men - Fatal Attractions

Under the leadership of the fanatical Fabian Cortez, the Acolytes launch a series of deadly attacks on humans. Then, Magneto returns to reclaim control over the Acolytes and offers his fellow mutants a sanctuary on a satellite orbiting the Earth. There’s just one catch – those who do not join him are free to die alongside the humans Magneto despises. The X-Men, along with splinter teams X-Factor and X-Force, must stop their powerful adversaries in a fight to the finish.

X-Men: Fatal Attractions collects Uncanny X-Men #298-305, 315, Annual #17, X-Factor #87-92, X-Men Unlimited #1-2, X-Force #25, X-Men #25, Wolverine #75 and Excalibur #71. It is written by Fabian Nicieza and Scott Lobdell, with art by Andy and Adam Kubert, Greg Capullo, Jeo Quesada, Ken Lashley and John Romita, Jr.

Unlike previous X-Men crossovers, Fatal Attractions is relatively short and it features a succinct narrative aimed at celebrating the X-Men’s then-30^th anniversary. Story-wise, it serves as a loose sequel to the events of MutantGenesis and X-Cutioner’s Song. It follows the aftermath of the virus Stryfe unleashed upon mutants, leading to the death of Colossus’ little sister Illyana. During this time, the Acolytes make their reappearance and Magneto returns after having seemingly being killed by Fabian Cortez. Magneto’s presence is felt early on, but once he makes his official appearance in this collection it becomes quite clear that he is more powerful and more unhinged than ever before. This ultimately leads to one of the most shocking moments in X-Men history – spoilers – Magneto rips the adamantium out of Wolverine’s body and then Professor Xavier lobotomizes Magneto to ensure he can never harm another living soul again. This turn of events shattered the status quo and would have severe repercussions for all characters involved.

While Fatal Attractions itself spans a mere six issues, this deluxe hardcover collects an impressive array of issues that build-up to the shocking events of the crossover. These issues, particularly the ones of Uncanny X-Men, involve the games played by the young and villainous Upstarts. We see their attempts at impressing the Gamesmaster in order to win their wicked contest for world domination. Consequently, it is Fabian Cortez who has leveraged his “murder” of Magneto and control of the Acolytes in order to gain an advantage over his competitors. The concept and execution of the Upstarts is quite fascinating and works effectively. Unfortunately, this plotline is sidelined the moment Fatal Attractions kicks in. Quite a few issues of X-Factor are collected here as well, though they don’t offer the same punch or context as the ones from Uncanny do. In fact, they feel quite out of place.

Fatal Attractions is impressive in its ability to deal with complex philosophies and difficult subjects, all while developing its characters with a surprisingly degree of care. The most important figures in this collection are Professor Xavier, Magneto, Colossus, Jean Grey and Jubilee. They are the emotional touchstones that help us navigate through the events leading up to and through the crossover.

Once again, we see Professor Xavier and Magneto debating the viability of Xavier’s dream. After all that has happened to him and to his fellow mutants, Magneto is convinced that Xavier is delusional and that peaceful coexistence will never happen. This, of course, isn’t an entirely new viewpoint for Magneto. The difference comes with Xavier’s approach to dealing with Magneto. For years, he’s attempted to see the good in his friend and has tried to rehabilitate him. This time around, passivity isn’t going to cut it. This time, Magneto needs to be stopped at all costs. What’s great about what Nicieza and Lobdell do is that they embrace the moral grey area between Xavier and Magneto’s ideals rather than outright paint either character as being “right.”

Colossus is given incredible prominence in the stories collected here, which is great considering how often he gets ignored by most writers. He blames Xavier for taking him away from his simple life, selling him on a dream and then having that dream amount to nothing but the deaths of everyone he holds dear. His presence is a visceral reminder of the failures the X-Men have faced throughout their existence. On top of that, his defection from the X-Men to join Magneto’s Acolytes was yet another twist that illustrated how far Nicieza and Lobdell were willing to go in order to shake up the status quo.

Amongst the darkness and moral ambiguity of Fatal Attractions, there were two beacons of hope in the form of Jean Grey and Jubilee. While Xavier contemplates and ultimately settles on using drastic measures to bring down his rival, Jean Grey does not waver from the moral highground. We see her, rather importantly, questioning Xavier’s actions and motives. She is a counterpoint to Colossus and even to Xavier in that she is the physical representation of Xavier’s dream. She’s kind, intelligent and has a strength of character that is unmatched in this particular collection of stories. With Jubilee, Nicieza and Lobdell explore her innocence slowly being chipped away (not that she was ever all that naïve to begin with). It is through Jubilee that we feel Illyana’s death and experience grief. It is also through her that we may see a better future. Two of the best moments from this collection feature her prominently. Notably, Uncanny X-Men #303 features a grief-stricken Jubilee consoled by Jean Grey and Wolverine #75 sees the titular hero saying goodbye to Jubilee in order to seek out answers to the questions he has after the loss of his adamantium.

After the lackluster and convoluted crossover X-Cutioner’s Song, Fatal Attractions served as a reminder that storytelling could be done in an evocative and thoughtful way during the notoriously “extreme” ‘90s. Nicieza and Lobdell effectively deal with themes of life, death, pacifism, extremism and everything in between all while crafting a twist-filled epic that celebrated the X-Men’s monumental 30 year anniversary. While there are a whole host of characters to keep up with and a fair amount of dangling plot threads, Fatal Attractions is a more intimate and accessible crossover than those that preceded it. It’s a must-read for any fan of the X-Men and is quite possibly one of the most important events in the history of the X-Men.

RATING: B+

Review: X-Men - X-Cutioner's Song

When an assassination attempt leaves Professor Xavier in critical condition, the X-Men scramble to find his attacker – their one-time ally Cable – which leads them into conflict with his X-Force team. Then, Cyclops and Jean Grey are kidnapped by the forces of Apocalypse. The X-Men must divide and conquer in order to save the life of their mentor and rescue their captive teammates.

X-Men: X-Cutioner’s Song collects Uncanny X-Men #294-297, X-Factor #84-86, X-Men #14-16, and X-Force #16-18. It is written by Scott Lobdell, Peter David and Fabian Nicieza, with art by Andy Kubert, Greg Capullo, Jae Lee and Brandon Peterson.

X-Cutioner’s Song was the first major X-Men crossover event for Marvel since 1990’s X-Tinction Agenda, the aftermath of which saw the birth of Chris Claremont and Jim Lee’s commercial smash X-Men #1. X-Cutioner’s Song, spearheaded by Nicieza, David and Lobdell, is framed as a trial by fire in the foreword for its hardcover collection. It came at a precarious point in the publishing history of Marvel’s Merry Mutants. The creative forces that had helped usher in a new era of commercial success for Marvel had jumped ship to start their own publishing house, which left the company without their big guns and with a sizeable hit to their stock. X-Cutioner’s Song was thus proposed as a way to maintain interest in the X-Men titles and to prove that Marvel was not hindered in any way by the so called “X-odus” of Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, Marc Silvestri and Whilce Portacio. Sadly, the desperation is easily felt within the crossover and it remains an example of the excessive storytelling of the 1990s.

To use a term popular with describing today’s crop of X-Men and Marvel Studios films, X-Cutioner’s Song suffers from being overstuffed. Despite a remarkably simple premise, the narrative gets weighed down by the presence of its massive cast. There’s roughly two dozen mutant heroes, plus numerous villains, who are all vying for the attention of the reader. There is certainly a hierarchy to the characters involved. Wolverine, Cable, Bishop, Cannonball and Havok are the unequivocal leads in X-Cutioner’s Song. They carry the story forward, while the rest of the characters act as decoration for fight scenes. Even still, we do get some great moments between Cyclops and Jean Grey, as well as some further character development for Archangel. I’m also impressed by the dialogue written for both Boom Boom and Jubilee, whose sass helps to balance out the otherwise soapy writing.

The pacing of X-Cutioner’s Song is brisk. There’s plenty of action, including a rather memorable fight scene between the X-Men and the Mutant Liberation Front. It’s during these sequences where we actually see the characters shine, particularly due to the punchy one-liners and the collaborations between the members of the X-Men and X-Factor (X-Force is sidelined for much of the crossover, unfortunately). All of the explosions and elaborate displays of mutant powers do a lot to distract from an otherwise thinly plotted storyline.

Most of the issues I have with X-Cutioner’s Song revolve around its lead villain Stryfe. He was created in 1990 as an antagonist for the New Mutants and X-Force. He was portrayed initially as a mysterious masked figure, whose face was later shockingly revealed to be exactly the same as Cable’s. Thus began a debate between who was the “real” Cable. X-Cutioner’s Song provides no concrete example into Stryfe’s true identity or why he’s so bitter towards Cyclops and Jean Grey. By refusing to give readers the answers they need, Stryfe’s motivations remain unclear. Since the narrative never offers exposition or insight into Stryfe’s character, readers will undoubtedly be left feeling lost and with more questions than answers. Furthermore, there are issues regarding his general conception and portrayal. He’s a madman, which is always a riveting trait in a supervillain, but is very cartoonish. From his dialogue to his outlandish armour (complete with faux-nipples), he typifies the ridiculousness of the early-‘90s.

Despite its many (many) shortcomings, this crossover is remarkably entertaining – like a mindless popcorn flick. It’s punchy, exaggerated and dynamic. What makes it all the more enjoyable is the gorgeous art provided by Andy Kubert and Greg Capullo. Their art is distinctive and full of character. Kubert’s style came to define the visual representation of the X-Men in the ‘90s and provided the art for X-Men from 1992 up until 1996, becoming one of the longer running artists to work on Marvel’s Merry Mutants. Given the fact that he was Jim Lee’s successor, he did a remarkable job filling a legend’s shoes. Conversely, Capullo took over for Rob Liefeld in the pages of X-Force. This meant that the book went from being defined by its outrageous fashions and mind-boggling proportions to being one of the most beautifully drawn titles in Marvel’s wheelhouse. Capullo is near-incomparable and his characters are truly gorgeous. His take on Jean Grey is especially stunning and it’s quite possible that she’s never looked better than at his hands. Sadly, the art by Brandon Peterson and Jae Lee isn’t quite as remarkable. Peterson’s style is similar to his predecessor Whilce Portacio. It’s rough and largely unattractive. Jae Lee, meanwhile, suffers from inconsistencies. At times, his art is fluid and expressive while at others it seems rushed and lacks detail. While on the subject of inconsistency, it’s worth noting that there are quite a few visual continuity errors. Notably, costumes look different from one issue to another and Polaris’ jaw strap disappears and re-appears (note: she’s supposed to be wearing one due to suffering a broken jaw in the pages of X-Factor).

All in all, X-Cutioner’s Song serves as a reminder of the often outrageous storytelling that pervaded comic books in the early-‘90s. It certainly has an “everything and the kitchen sink” vibe to it and it never really delivers on its promised focus on Cyclops and Jean Grey (since it spends way too much time on Cable and Wolverine – shocker). Taken from an entertainment standpoint, it’s a fun read. We get to see a whole lot of characters interact and there’s plenty of great art to see. With a better villain, or at least one that’s elaborated on more, and some careful editing, X-Cutioner’s Song could have been a very compelling crossover. As it is, it’s merely just a representation of what typified a rather infamous era in comic book history.

RATING: C+

Top 5: Best X-Men Spin-Offs

As the legend goes, the X-Men were on their way to becoming a footnote in Marvel's history when Len Wein and Dave Cockrum introduced a brand-new crop of mutants in Giant Size X-Men #1. When it hit stands in 1975, the book increased interest in the X-Men and their popularity continued to rise into the 1980s.

During the '80s, no comic book was hotter than Uncanny X-Men. The series' writer Chris Claremont crafted intelligent and imaginative stories that captivated readers. Sales were so strong that Marvel sought to capitalize on the success of the X-Men and thus began launching comics starring offshoots of the X-Men.

Lovingly called X-books by fans, these titles and their respective teams have gone on to become almost as popular as their parent book. Listed here are the five greatest and most successful X-Men spin-offs to date.

05. Alpha Flight (Vol. 1)

1983-1994

Number of Issues: 130

Genres: Action/Adventure, LGBTQ, Mythology, Superhero

Think: Canadian Avengers

Originally introduced during Chris Claremont and John Byrne's tenure on X-Men (before it became Uncanny), Alpha Flight was a government-funded Canadian superhero team that once included Wolverine in its ranks. Even though they were initially peripheral characters, the group was given its own ongoing series in 1983. Unlike most other comic books, the series featured an entirely Canadian cast and its stories were set in the True North. Alpha Flight is also remembered for tackling environmental issues, discussing mental illness and featuring the very first gay Marvel superhero.

04. New Mutants (Vol. 1)

1983-1991

Number of Issues: 100

Genres: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Leading Ladies, School Life, Supernatural

Think: Teen Titans

In the same year that Alpha Flight made its debut, New Mutants hit newsstands. This title showcased the adventures of a group of teenage mutants who were training to become the next generation of X-Men. Much like its parent book, New Mutants boasted a diverse cast and focused heavily on character development and relationships. The legacy of the New Mutants is long-reaching, with many of its members going on to become teachers and X-Men. The original line-up also proved so popular that it was revived for a third ongoing series in 2009.

03. Uncanny X-Force (Vol. 1)

2010-2013

Number of Issues: 37

Genres: Action/Adventure, Martial Arts, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction

Think: Suicide Squad

As a team, X-Force has been around since the 1990s. Even though these previous incarnations achieved success, it would be Rick Remender's version in Uncanny X-Force that led to critical and commercial acclaim. Led by Wolverine, this version of X-Force was a secret black ops unit that tackled forces too dangerous for the X-Men to handle. The book was responsible for returning Psylocke to prominence, reviving interest in the Age of Apocalypse and established Remender as one of Marvel's most sought after writers.

02. Generation X (Vol. 1)

1994-2001

Number of Issues: 75

Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Leading Ladies, School Life, Superhero, Young Adult

Think: Beverly Hills, 9010 (with mutants)

More than a decade after the debut of the New Mutants, Marvel introduced a brand-new crop of teen mutants in the aptly titled Generation X. This series featured former X-Man Banshee and a newly reformed Emma Frost mentoring the titular group of heroes. Significantly more humorous and adventurous than its predecessor, Generation X was heralded for its more realistic treatment of its characters and was instrumental in establishing Emma Frost as a key player in the X-books.

01. X-Factor (Vol. 2)

2006-2013

Number of Issues: 114

Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Leading Ladies, LGBTQ, Mystery

Think: Angel

Originally conceived as an homage to the noir genre, X-Factor focused on a group of mutant private detective as they investigated a variety of mutant-related cases. The series was written by the enormously talented Peter David and was noted for its clever dialogue, soapy relationship drama and colourful cast of characters. Beyond that, the series was also praised for featuring a Muslim superheroine as one of its main characters and including much-publicized homosexual relationship. X-Factor continues to be one of the X-Men's most unique spin-offs and proved itself to be the little comic that could by reaching well over 100 issues.