Monday, July 30, 2012

X-Treme X-Men #1


This book is exactly (or should that be x-actly?) what I figured it would be: pointless. There is just no need for this title to exist. It springs from an Astonishing X-Men storyline that was bad, and it doesn't get better here. Didn't we already see this book? Wasn't it called Mutant X? Oh, I'm sorry, I meant Exiles. It's the same old, same old. Just this time we get Dazzler! Hooray. No offense to any Dazzler fans out there. I like Alison. If anything, this gives Dazzler fans exactly what they want. She'll finally get a starring role. But honestly, how long will this book last? It is offered as an on-going, but shouldn't be more than a mini-series. It's too much to expect readers to stick with this book for two years, three years, or more. If this lasts one year, I'll be shocked.

It's not even that the book is bad. There's good dialog, and nice fluid art. But all of that is wasted on an over-used plot. And a plot the X-Men seem to own all to themselves. One of them gets sucked into another dimension and have to team up with that dimension's X-Men to save other dimensions? Oh man, sign me up for that original idea! Sigh.

Greg Pak is a very talented writer. It's sad to see him wasted on a book that shouldn't ever have been made. Why couldn't this just be another arc in Astonishing X-Men, like the story that inspired it? I just don't get it. Maybe Marvel was going to lose the rights to the term "X-Treme X-Men" like they almost did with "X-Factor" almost 15 years ago? It's really the only explanation I have as to why they bothered making this a monthly title.

If you love Dazzler, get this book. By all means, support this so Marvel will continue to actively use her. If you have no interest in her at all, then there's really no need bother with this.

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