Without a doubt, Scott Summers has become one of the most hated Marvel protagonists of all time. Having betrayed the X-Men in an attempt to save mutant-kind, the former leader of the X-Men has fallen a long way. The new volume of
Uncanny X-Men walks a fine line between your distaste for Scott and your curiosity for what he'll do next. Who else could write such a tale other than Brian Michael Bendis?
Marvel interviews had revealed recently that there would be a traitor among this new group of X-Men, and, right off the bat, we find ourselves in a S.H.I.E.L.D. base, where an unknown mutant is giving intel to Maria Hill. Both the writing and the art keep the identity of this character ambiguous, and I found myself bouncing back and forth between possibilities given the clues that were occasionally dropped throughout the book. The informant informs Maria of what most readers are aware of already: Scott's powers are not the same. In fact, several of the X-Men associated with the Phoenix Five events have had their powers altered. Scott has a new, uncontrollable form of his optic blasts, Magik is seemingly more powerful than ever, Emma has lost her telepathy, and Magneto's powers are a fraction of its former glory.
For the most part, the writing of these characters is pretty spot on. At this point, I have come to accept the fact that Scott truly believes that what he is doing is the right thing. The only real issue is both the writing and visual portrayal of Emma Frost. Long been known as more or less a sex icon, Emma is being written in a much more reserved and conservative fashion. Her dialogue doesn't quite fit, and her new look is hardly a representation of the White Queen. This may partially be due to her being knocked down a few pegs after losing her telepathy, but I would have expected at least a remnant of her former domineering personality to shine through.
When all is said and done,
Uncanny X-Men #1 is certainly an intriguing tale. A mutant civil war is undoubtedly in the midst, and it will be interesting to see how relationships will be strained, alliances will be made, and loyalties will be tested. You may not like Scott Summers right now, but I can guarantee you that this opening issue of
Uncanny X-Men is a pleasure to read.
Score: 8.5/10
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