Back for my third X-Men review this week. Up now is Amazing X-Men, continuing the quest for Nightcrawler. Last time we checked in on our heroes they were kicking some serious ass in the afterlife. What now, is it good?
Amazing X-Men #3 (Marvel Comics)
Right here right now, Beast takes on Azazel on his own ship in the sea of Purgatory! Azazel and Beast fight in the most endearing, clever way possible, throwing insults and boasts back and forth. Azazel thinks he’s a god, Beast is a man of faith; the fun they have with that one. “Math: 1 God: 0” Beast yells after a slight victory. “Agnostic overboard!” brags Azazel after McCoy gets dropped in the sea. You could buy this issue just for the few pages the fight goes on and it would still be worth it.
And right after this bout of comic-gold is over we get, yet another fun brawl. This time Storm and Nightcrawler team up to take down a whole ship of pirates while getting used to the fact that they are both together. Emotions run high as a romance meets a companionship while they hack their way through the ship, taking down pirates in the most team-oriented, clever ways.
The thing I noticed and enjoyed the most about these two stories was the spirit of it all. From its announcement at San Diego this summer this series promised to be a good time, and it has proved that to be correct in practice. Even the most jaded comic fan is bound to show a few smiles while reading Amazing X-Men. There is such a buoyancy and youthfulness to the characters that any comic fan would recognize it as some great writing.
I’m also really pleased with the story’s direction. Nightcrawler plays an active part in his own tale with plenty of great side characters and an overall narrative that isn’t at all diminished by all of the side plots. We didn’t see Wolverine this issue; so what? We got a ton of character development as well as a little snippet of the story, enough to satisfy you for one month and keep you hungry for the next.
Is It Good?
This is awesome. One of my favorite X-Men books on shelves keeps on rolling. Although I didn’t mention it above, for the sake of refraining from repitition: Ed McGuinness’s artwork is ridiculously good. He has an attention to detail and expressions that elevates the books personality while keeping things nicely in control with jaw-dropping backgrounds.
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