Broken Frontier

Charles Xavier is dead. What will the X-Men do? Based on the cover you can guess what at least one member of the team is doing. Will more follow his lead?

In the story about the effects of Xavier’s death, aptly titled "Aftermath," we see the X-Men struggling through the morning period as well as dealing with the more mundane results of the death of the owner of a school, leader of a group of superheroes, and beacon of mutant hope. The obvious questions are answered. What will Scott do? What will Jean do? What will Bobby do? What will happen to the Ultimate X-Men now that their creator is gone?

A lot. With Robert Kirkman writing there is no way anything else could happen. Say what you will about his run, a lot has happened. People have died, heroes have turned villains, and teammates have left. This issue is more of the same. These young men and women have faced many villains and hardships and now their defacto leader (Cyclops) comes up with a plan to survive. While it may seem a bit off the wall, Kirkman builds up to it clearly, making it seem that Scott’s decision is the decision he would logically make. Though there is very little action in the second part of "Aftermath," Kirkman gives his readers more of the same big changes he has become known for with his run on Ultimate X-Men.

Yanick Paquette is also a great addition to the list of artists who have worked on this book. His line work is sharp and thin, his backgrounds are clear and realistic, beautifully so. Serge LaPointe inking over Paquette’s pencils only adds to the dramatic angles and pointed features of his heroes. With Stephane Peru coloring over all of this, Ultimate X-Men #80 can’t help but to look anything short of amazing. It seems these three work together fluidly, with one complementing the other in a way few artists are able to these days. There is not one superstar outshining the rest, but three magnificent artists creating a magnificent work of art.

Yes, I have my complaints about Kirkman’s run. I’ll admit Nightcrawler as a crazy bigot is a bit hard to swallow. I’ll admit, the fact that artists haven’t been sticking with the book for very long lately is a bit aggravating. But I know with Kirkman writing everything has a purpose, everything. And though there have been several artists, not one of them has been less than excellent.

This book is building towards something bigger than any of us thought. If you don’t believe me flip to the final page before you read it and you’ll see what I mean . . . .