Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

Rachel and Miles Review the X-Men, Episode 18

Week of December 17, 2014

In which it’s a good week for Iceman and Rachel is pretty much done with Sixis.

Reviewed:
Death of Wolverine: The Weapon X Program #4 (0:28)
Storm #6 (2:04)
Axis #8 (4:15)
Axis: Revolutions #4 (5:55)
*All-New X-Men #34 (8:50)

*Pick of the week (11:31)

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10 comments

  1. I am SO with Rachel on SIXIS. It feels like it’s going on forever.

    Also, I’m usually pretty good at not caring about continuity in this way, but what’s happening in Axis makes me confused about other books. Like in Storm, when people are distrustful of Storm and mutants in general, is this like a week after the X-Men took over Manhattan and tried to kill all humans? Because at that point, it would be a much harder position to argue with. I guess it’s probably meant to be before Axis, since it’s still dealing with the aftermath of Logan’s death, but honestly I feel like I’d just be enjoying everything more if the giant mess of Axis wasn’t there for me to be wondering about at all.

    But at least the young X-Men are in another universe, so we don’t have to worry about them. For the record, my vote for Panel of the Week would have gone to the Jean Grey hug.

    1. That hug would’ve been my vote for moment of the week.

      Sixis is SO poorly integrated into the rest of the Marvel Universe. It’s just baffling as hell.

      1. I agree, that hug was awesome.

        But at the same time, I have to respectfully disagree on Sixis. I admit, it is fumbled at times, unclear at others, and the various tie-in issues are often much better than the original story.
        However, I’m getting the feeling that this is Remender purposely doing so, almost playing out a parody of giant crossover fights by just going “screw it, some heroes are evil and others are jerks, and some villains are now good, and they’re all fighting. And Spider-Man plays straight man to everything.”

        In that respect, it’s a shockingly enjoyable storyline. I’m not bothering to figure out where it fits into continuity with non-participating books, seeing how few company-wide crossovers ever do that right. I think Secret Wars ironically did it best, basically going “read this book!” at the end of one issue and the start of another… one of the few things Secret Wars really did well.

        Red Onslaught could have been an event all on his own, the “evil heroes” thing was an event over in DC’s books that meandered for far longer (thanks to schedule slippage and crappy 3D Covers that kept getting delayed), and we’ve also already done X-Men vs Avengers… but now Remender seems to just be going “we didn’t have a good reason last time, now I say screw giving reasons and screw making a big event for each idea. Let’s just have fun moments and stupid punchy action with our heroes and villains.”

        And then we get genius moments, like happy-go-lucky Iceman being turned into Batman parody Iceheart.

        I think my favorite moment right now in the main books, though, has to be Carnage making Spider-Man promise to erect a statue in his honor for his sacrifice. Because this is Carnage.
        The side-story books, though, are far better. Hobgoblin and Carnage have been far more enjoyable than the entire event. I’m actually hoping that Roderick Kingsley remains a good guy after this event, because he’s a lot more enjoyable to read.

        …that said, it’s a poor X-Men event, and really doesn’t seem to gel well with the rest of marvel continuity. I really wish that the event wasn’t nearly as long, and was better-integrated with the 616 Marvel Universe, but after so many events that don’t seem to matter even while they’re being written? I’m up for stupid, punchy, self-referential fun.

  2. I’m not sure why I didn’t notice it before tonight, but I’m incredibly jealous of your framed Baker Street original artwork hanging on the wall behind Miles. Now I must have one myself!

    1. Thank you! It was a gift from Guy Davis, back when I was editing The Marquis. Sharon Ford is my Sherlock Holmes, now and forever. <3

      1. Sam was my (anti?)hero right as I was transitioning from high school to college. She was one of my fictional queer role models, insofar as being out and proud at a time I was pushing against the closet walls but not yet out yet. That whole ripper/slasher thing, on the other hand, I wasn’t all that down with.

        What a great gift. I guess I could always email him and beg!

  3. I just can’t get down with the art on the Storm series. I think it is okay at best. And while I agree that I can’t judge Storm #6 until I see how it resolves, I found it a lot more interesting than the Yukio story which definitely didn’t need to be a two-parter. Give me some 1980s Claremontian density any day over that.

  4. Man, that Iceman story in Revolutions was perfect. It’s a great example of what Axis should have been, rather than what it actually was.

    I find All-New X-Men incredibly sloooow. I think I would have greatly preferred a series of “What happen to Bobby? What happened to Hank?” issues rather than this incremental progress week to week. Feels like Bendis is writing for the trade here.

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