Broken Frontier

Finally we have reached issue #200 of the adjective-less X-Men comic. Has it been worth the wait? Gambit returns, if that helps at all . . . .

Issue #200 brings you everything you could want in an X-Men comic, even Wolverine. With Rogue reeling from having absorbed eight billion minds (that’s right eight-freaking-billion, but now is no time to consider realism, we’re talking the X-Men after all), her team goes to Mississippi and calls Cyclops asking for help. Meanwhile, Gambit and Sunfire face off against Cable on his now deserted island and a couple of mysterious murderers are in the Big Easy killing people. If that isn’t enough, the first part of Mike Carey’s "Endangered Species" story is here as well. Good thing this is a big issue!

Though Carey took over X-Men the same time Ed Brubaker took over Uncanny X-Men, he has taken his book in an entirely different direction. With short stories of no more than six issues each, sending Rogue’s team on various adventures here and there, he has kept his team hopping. Whereas Brubaker’s first arc lasted an entire year. This is a good thing, folks. For those of us who follow Marvel’s Merry Mutants meticulously, a different feel on the big two is always an added bonus. Though I have said before some of the things Carey has done have been confusing at best, disturbing at worst, his stories are consistently fun to read, shocking, and full of classic X-Men action and adventure. Issue #200 keeps up the pace. Carey even gives his readers a shock that I’m sure few saw coming.

Speaking of shocking, these strange tales are drawn by none other than the shockingly astounding duo of Humberto Ramos and Chris Bachalo. These two men have distinct styles that are enough alike and enough disparate that juxtaposing them together creates the kind of feel the story initiates. The images are sharp, surreal, and full of over-the-top battle scenes where the X-Men brawl the Marauders. Carlos Cuevas and Tim Townsend are old hats at inking this sort of work and continue on spectacularly, only adding to the already impressive pencils. Finally, the bright colors of Edgar Delgado and Antonio Fabela create a true feel of comic book superhero action that cannot be ignored.

Then of course, there is the first part of "Endangered Species" wherein Beast searches for an answer to the total and complete absence of mutant births since M-Day. After recapping what Beast has been up to since M-Day (between his various adventures in New X-Men, Astonishing X-Men, The Initiative, Wonder Man, X-Men: Civil War, etc, etc, etc. I am assuming) Carey leaves his readers a second shock ending. Not bad for one comic! And though Scott Eaton’s art is a far cry from Bachalo and Ramos,’ it is a good fit for the story. It is dark, heavy, and there seems to be a hint of sorrow in every line. Not standard X-Men fare, but great for the story.

In the end X-Men #200 offers the beginning of a tale sure to surprise, delight, and intrigue its readers. This is a phenomenal team working on this book right now. Let’s hope they stay on for awhile longer.