Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Uncanny X-Men #504
Marvel Comics
Fraction, Dodson, Ponsor

This issue has a couple of threads starting out here. It doesn’t make for a terribly exciting issue, but it does make for a decent read. There isn’t much action, but there is some nice character interaction. I can’t say this issue is very memorable, but it served its purpose. I’m sure things will pick up from here with the foundation built in this issue.

Colossus is upset about the loss of his love. He decides a tattoo is in order, but that doesn’t quite work with his steel body and all. After seeking some comfort from Nightcrawler, he is eventually sent on a sabbatical by Cyclops.

Cyclops has been distant from Emma. Emma, being a mind reader, asks if she can probe his head to find out what the problem is. He agrees and Emma finds herself in Cyclops’ mind, which reads like the mind of any normal person who fantasizes about every single person they know. Emma eventually finds where his secrets are and is met with some resistance. The tension is there, but the confrontation is not. I suspect this will play out more in issues to come.

The issue includes some other moments with Colossus stumbling upon an old villain and Beast and Angel recruiting a potential X-Man, but that’s pretty much the whole issue.

The comic tells a good character driven story, but this one is an opening shot and doesn’t include a ton in the way of conflict. We get some good Scott-Emma interaction and some team dealings with Colossus-Nightcrawler and Beasat-Angel, but that’s really all we see. There are pieces moving here that aren’t fully explained. This issue asks for patience for the arc to unfold.

The art is interesting because of the various situations and outfits we find the woman in Scott’s head. That is, perhaps, the most obvious visual where the art works overtime. Also notable is how brilliant Colossus stands out. He may be getting a tattoo, but he looks all buffed out like he came out of a carwash. It’s a very eye grabbing visual display with virtually no action in the entire issue.

The die-hards may really like this issue, but I put myself more in the camp where I need a little more to be captivated in the X world. The comic is a good start to the arc, but I need more than just Scott and Emma playing “hide the box in Scott’s mind” for half an issue. It will be interesting to see where some of this goes, especially the new recruit.

3 out of 5 geek goggles