I’ve long complained about Marvel’s handling of the X-Men. Ever since the 1980’s, the entire X-universe has been mired in endless mazes of continuity, tie-ins, too many differing series and lack of a jump-on point. Any time I’ve tried to get into any of the books, be it Uncanny or otherwise, I was left with a bitter taste and utter disinterest. That was until Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men came along and completely changed my opinion. It was accessible without being an alternate continuity story, and it told a focused, cohesive story with a great cast. It was everything I was waiting for.
When Whedon and Cassaday wrapped up their run, I thought that would be the end of the X-Men for me. The main books were still going on with their endless sub-events (Messiah Complex, Manifest Destiny, etc.) and there was nothing to sell me on ever picking up an X-Men book again. Lo and behold, the announcement came that with issue #522, writer extraordinaire Matt Fraction would be picking up a thread from Whedon’s Astonishing, and Kitty Pryde would be making her return.
For the first time in years, I can officially say that an X-Men title is on my pull list. Uncanny #522 is still deeply engrained in the happenings of the current X-books - Nation X - but Fraction pens the issue in such a way that it becomes a prime jump-on point for readers like me, whether they read Astonishing or not.
Looking to gain the trust of the X-Men, Magneto has secluded himself on Mt. Tamalpais to focus the use of all his powers on steering the giant galactic bullet -the one that we last saw Kitty in way back in 2008 - towards Earth. In an effort to avoid mass hysteria when people look to the sky and see a world killing bullet headed their way, the team devises a way to hide the craft from the people of Earth.
The actual plot is relatively thin; the bullet is on its way and the X-Men are trying to figure out if Kitty is still living inside and will phase it through, or if she’s dead and Earth is about to be destroyed. Of course, we already know how it ends up, but Fraction is able to spice up the narrative quite a bit through the hope and excitement that Kitty’s return inspires amongst the team. And, more importantly, Fraction throws a wrench in the final act of Uncanny #522 that puts an interesting twist on Kitty’s re-emergance, letting this issue be more than just a vessel for resurrection. If this newly developed plot thread continues throughout Fraction’s run, it will add a new layer to the team in terms of relationships and has the potential to be a memorable addition to Kitty’s character.
Issue #522 also has a back-up story written by Fraction, an 8-page tale that is a rather touching account of one of the many worlds that Kitty saved by keeping herself inside of the bullet. The strength of this story almost makes me wish for a one-shot issue depicting the various ways that Kitty has sacrificed for these anonymous worlds.
My only significant gripe with the issue as a whole is that while the bonus story is drawn by the always-superb Phil Jimenez, Whilce Portacio’s pencils on the main feature pales in comparison. It’s not that Portacio’s work is poor, it’s just that Jimenez’s is levels above it. In some ways, the facial structures and expressions of Portacio’s work reminds me of Rob Liefeld, and God knows that’s not a healthy comparison for anybody; that should give you an abstract idea of what this book looks like.
The biggest problem with Portacio’s art is that he fails to capture the more emotionally poignant moments that are so beautifully written by Fraction, usually involving Colossus’ reactions to Kitty’s return. It’s an unfortunate missed opportunity that could have elevated the status of Kitty’s return from effective to memorable.
That said, nothing can deny the fact that as soon as I closed this issue, I was incredibly elated to find that I thoroughly enjoyed an X-book. With such a strong cast of characters, it’s a real shame that it’s taken so long for me to be able to read it without gagging. Here’s hoping that Uncanny X-Men #522 marks the turning point in my relationship with mutant-kind.
