It’s a slow week here for X-Men fans, with only two X-Men-related books on the shelves this week, but that doesn’t stop us from bringing you some fresh reviews! Check out what Infinite Speech, Spiderman Geek, and the Comic Book Clergyman all have to say about this week’s stash. Don’t forget to add your own review or thoughts below in the comments section!
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Deadpool vs Carnage #1
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Salva Espin
The setup here is simple. Carnage escaped from jail and is on a random murderous spree. Deadpool thinks the TV is telling him to go after Carnage while he was channel surfing.
Cullen Bunn actually writes a good Deadpool. This isn’t his first go at it, so he must be doing something right if Marvel keeps giving him these kinds of assignments. When it comes to these short Deadpool stories, there is no denying that they are nothing more than a guilty pleasure. There is not a whole lot of substance to Deadpool vs Carnage. It’s a flimsy set of circumstances that brings these too characters head to head, but that means that we can get to the match-up more quickly. Before we get to that, we do get treated to some typical Deadpool comedic moments on his road to tracking down Carnage. It’s not until about page 18 that the two come face to face. The fight is both brutal and funny and also serves to highlight each character’s basic powers in a couple of creative ways.
Salva Espin’s art is more than adequate and holds a very 90’s comics vibe complete with Cletus Kasady rockin’ a mullet. Sharp ink work coupled with vibrant colors from Veronica Gandini brings the package together nicely.
The bottom line is that Deadpool vs Carnage is not a must-buy, but it is a guilty pleasure that probably won’t disappoint. Deadpool is perfectly suited for these little adventures and I can’t think of anyone better to pen those than Cullen Bunn. –SMG
Rating: 6.5/10
Magneto #2
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Gabriel Hernandez Walta
How to make a successful Magneto book:
Step 1: Make Magneto badass.
Bunn has already mastered this step in just two issues. He has successfully bridged the Magneto we know and love from the past along with the uber-awesome Magneto from the X-Men films. This version of Magnus is truly scary in terms of the lengths he’s willing to go to accomplish his goals.
Step 2: Make Magneto sympathetic.
Magneto has to be a sympathetic character. He has to walk firmly in the gray area of life. Again, Bunn has Magneto attempting to protect mutantkind from those who would destroy them, yet puts Magneto into morally ambiguous situations that make the readers squirm and yet understand where he’s coming from.
Step 3: Throw in some concentration camp flashbacks.
Perhaps this is overdone, but I, for one, love them. This issue hearkens back to Greg Pak’s awesome Magneto mini-series where we see young Max Eisenhardt be formed into the master of magnetism we know today through his horrific experiences in a Nazi camp.
Step 4: Make it dark.
When I heard that Walta would be on this series, I thought it was a strange pick. Walta’s art doesn’t feel grim and gritty, but here it is a perfect fit. It’s dark, really dark. There are heavy lines and dull colors. The art is an example of great cartooning in the midst of a heavy story. It’s visceral and even gory in parts.
All Bunn and Walta have to do is follow these simple steps and Magneto will continue to kick ass. –JJ
Rating: 8/10
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What did you think about this week’s X-books? Let us know below! You can check out more X-Piles right here!
infinitespeech@comicattack.net – @InfiniteSpeech
jeff@comicattack.net – @FrJeffJackson
spidermangeek@comicattack.net – @SpidermanGeek
