Broken Frontier

After battling Proteus through several realities and losing a founding member, the team ends its "World Tour" on a strange, unfinished note . . . .

In the conclusion to what this reader thought was going to be the endless "World Tour" storyline, the strangest team in the X-line, currently made up of Blink, Sabertooth (from Age of Apocalypse-Earth), Morph (from a "perfect" Earth never seen in Marvel Comics), Power Princess (Squadron Supreme-Earth), Heather Hudson (from another never before seen reality in Marvel Comics), Longshot (Marvel 616/Mojoverse), and Spider-Man (2099), finally end Proteus’ rampage through bodies and realities. Though the way Blink’s team ended up "defeating" this all-powerful mutant leaves a few disturbing possibilities for the future, the fact remains, it has been a long and wild ride and frankly, I don’t know if Bedard and team will ever be able to top it.

Though Exiles creator, Judd Winnick, has long since left this book, the series of writers and artists following in his footstepshave not shied away from his emotion driven, psychological style. Tony Bedard has kept the flow, slaughtering some of our favorite characters, keeping them dead, and throwing in twists and turns so spastic no one knows for sure what is happening or what will happen next. This, coincidently, is exactly how a book about a bunch of mismatched heroes plucked unwillingly from various realities in order to save other realities should feel. On top of that, Bedard keeps the story larger than life to the Nth degree by forcing the Exiles to become police chasing down "the one that got away" in the form of the Proteus from the "House of M" storyline—I’m sure you’ve heard of it. When Bedard finally lets the dust settle for the team, we see he intends on pushing the team further by changing the dynamic more than formerly thought possible.

Where the status quo of the team has changed, the art has not. J. Calafiore has been penciling this book for so long his hard edged lines and angular figures have become the signature of the series. While he isn’t working on this title as regularly as I would like, the fact he is on the regular roster is pleasing. His art, especially with Mark McKenna’s inking, is tight, solid, and distinct. The sharp lines, tight features, and backgrounds that are just vivid enough to let the readers know they are in a strange and different world every time they read this comic, give the book a feel all its own. It is also a feat to be able to do justice to Proteus’ powers; a feat this art team has succeeded at time and time again through all sorts of realities.

These monumental stories that last roughly a year can be hard to keep up with, but with Exiles it is worth it. "World Tour" is over and everything has changed, leaving this reader wondering what could possibly happen next.