Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Uncanny X-Men #493
Marvel Comics
Brubaker & Tan

Another outstanding issue in the Messiah Complex X-Men crossover. It’s marked as chapter six, but this thing just feels like a natural extension of part five. It almost could have been one double sized issue.

First off, the cover is outstanding. Seeing Cable with all his bandoliers and weapons cradling an infant in his arms is just outstanding.

The issue begins with the main X-Men team in the jet heading back to the mansion that is under attack. The fate of Nightcrawler is that he is alive but badly hurt. I actually have two problems with this issue and they both occur in this sequence, so I will address them now. How did Angel and Colossus get away? And on two panels Storm looks way too much like Emma. It’s scary how much she looks like her in fact.

From here on out we have a rock solid issue with action and plot movement that made this an excellent overall read.

The Sentinels are attacking the mansion. They took out the mind freaks like Emma and Xavier (Chuck as Wolverine calls him), leaving the mutants to do the fighting the old fashioned way. We have plenty of action from Cyclops, Bishop, Nez, Warpath and some others while Beast runs around trying to pick up the wounded.

Then we get little one-pagers with Sinister and Mystique and then with Cable and the baby. We move the plot nicely here. I would have liked to have seen Predator X as Cable does make a pass at mentioning predators in general.

Then we find out that Bobby rescued the New X-Men and that Hellion is alive, but not well. X-23 takes this personally and nosedives out of the plane to join the fight against the Sentinels. Very cool. Bobby lands the jet and the New X-Men are in the battle as well.

Finally, Dust determines the Sentinels are being controlled by some type of nano-sentinels. They escape with minimal damage.

The end of the issue has Cyclops and Wolverine having a bit of a strategy session. Cyclops pulls out the ace by ordering Wolverine to assemble X-Force and find and kill Cable. How cool.

I cant say I am thrilled with the makeup of X-Force, but I can live with it. Wolverine is at his best when he leads a team. It’s just that simple. I am glad to see X-23 is on the team though as this will be a good character development for X-23 to be side by side with Wolverine

The artwork is outstanding (minus the Storm thing I mentioned). Beast, Wolverine masked or unmasked, Dust and Cable all look outstanding. Once again, the action is easy to follow and the expressions are full of life and meaning.

This issue has everything I need to make it a must read. This whole series has been outstanding and this issue stands up to any of them. Although the shock ending of part five is not equaled in this one.

Any stranger to the land of X can read this thanks to the rundown in the front cover.

Still, I demand excellence from this title and crossover so my tough love leaves this one just shy of a perfect mark.

4.5 out of 5 geek goggles.


Uncanny X-Men #493

Marvel Comics
OCT072133D

Uncanny X-Men #493 (Variant Cover Edition)

OCT072133V