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Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Phil Jimenez
Cover: Phil Jimenez

“Exogenetic pt 2”: Well folks, there’s a brand new mutant killing machine out there, and it’s got some tricks the X-Men haven’t seen before!  Yeah it basically looks like the Sentinels we all know and love, but these are made from dead mutants, have an organic make up, and can shoot alien Brood hatchlings from their finger tips! Add all that to being 50ft tall, and it looks like someone has been very busy trying to exterminate the rest of Mutantkind.  If this kind of pressure keeps up for these guys, we won’t be seeing any of those friendly baseball game stories for quite some time!

The issue opens up with the Sentinel giving Emma a back hand any tennis pro would be proud of that sends her flying across town! Good thing she can turn to diamond form, which is the only thing that saved her life.  Cyclops and Wolverine take a shot at it, and while Scott has some success, Wolverine ends up on the wrong end of a fiery repulsor blast! Luckily, Armor is there to catch his fall and deliver some smart ass remarks to make him feel better.  Now, most of the book focuses on this fight with a little bit of a reveal towards the end, so I’ll just get to what you want with this review!

I’m a lot happier so far with this arc than the disaster that was Ghost Box, and I’m hoping Ellis brings this one home because it seems to have more potential.  Though I’m confused as to why this trend of using the dead to do the dirty work in yet another Marvel title seems to be the “in” thing. Isn’t Necrosha enough for now?  Hopefully Ellis makes his twist on things stand out from the other and keeps it fresh.  Now, I’ve heard people complain a lot about what Ellis is doing and calling it “quirky.” Well this is comics people, so “quirky” comes with the territory! I know I didn’t like Ghost Box, but that’s because nothing happened and Forge was the “bad guy.” I’ve always thought Forge was corny and barely made for a good hero, and he sucks even worse as the antagonist of a story. Also in this issue we get more of  Warren Ellis’ version of Beast, and I understand why he writes him this way… it’s FUN! He writes Beast as a horny little intellectual school boy, because when he is around his girlfriend, Abigail Brand, she brings that out in him. It’s a realistic portrayal, and it’s nice to see Beast a little less stuffy and grim; and if he wants to ask his woman for a quickie in the back of the jet after a grueling mission, then so be it! Okay I’m off the soapbox now, whew!

Phil Jimenez gives this issue a visual punch to make the Sentinel fight worth taking up about 80% of the book! From panel to panel he is so fluid and on point that I actually went back over the issue several times to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I especially liked the entire Wolverine/Brood fight, which is visceral from panel to panel and tells a story all by itself.  My only complaint is similar to the one I had about Uncanny X-Men #516, and that’s power application.  Jimenez sets us up with this intense picture of Storm flying in and frying a Brood with lighting, and then poof! She doesn’t show up again until the end of the book.  Ellis and Jimenez could have had  her at least help out Beast and Abigail, because it makes no sense to have someone as powerful as her just take out one Brood.

So despite my issues with Ellis’ previous arc, I’m still thinking him and Jimenez can turn this around and keep me buying this title that started off great!

Armor: So how’s the whole “I’ll just run up the monster and be the stabby hero” thing working out for you?
Wolverine: Shaddup tiny!

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