Welcome back to the latest edition of The All-New Uncanny X-Piles! Where it’s all about the Children of the Atom all the time. If you’ve been keeping up with their exploits lately then you know some huge revelations have hit the X-Men courtesy of Jonathan Hickman’s House of X and Powers of X. And now we enter the mutant’s first big event of the year with X of Swords! Here we take a look at Chapters 14-16 and see how the event holds up so far.
Marauders #14
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Gerry Dugan & Benjamin Percy
Art: Stefano Caselli
Colors: Edgar Delgado
Letters: Cory Petit
Cover: Russell Dauterman & Matthew Wilson
If you asked yourself what’s the worst possible outcome from Wolverine killing Saturnyne in chapter 13, Dugan and Percy paint quite the vivid picture here. So it’s a good thing that she survives but it serves an explicit warning to Logan what’s at stake here and reminds him who is in control here. The rest of the issue is an enjoyable look into the two opposing teams but more so the Arakkii warriors since we know so little about them. From Isca to White Sword, Dugan and Percy deliver quality moments but it’s the discussion between Redroot and Death about their Krakoan opponents that once again shows the contrast between the them.
Stefano Caselli’s artwork is always fun to see and he doesn’t disappoint here. Along with Delgado’s colors this is just a great looking character driven issue that hits all the visual beats to enhance the story. From the tense and frantic poison sequence to the moment with Cable, Apocalypse, and Annihilation which is quite uncomfortable.
Some might call this a “filler” issue especially since it feels like we’ve been waiting forever for the actual fight to begin. However, it’s an issue that doesn’t disappoint and should be picked up. 3.5/5
Excalibur #14
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Tini Howard
Art: Phil Noto
Letters: Ariana Maher
Cover: Mahmud Asrar & Matthew Wilson
For those of you waiting for the fight you’ll be happy to know that THE TOURNAMENT FINALLY KICKS OFF! However, Howard reveals that Saturnyne has some unexpected twists to the rules that catch both teams off guard as well as us. Though opening between Iscaa the Unbeaten and Betsy is a great back and forth between the two and Iscaa’s energy has been some of my favorite throughout the event. Though the outcome of this fight was to be expected it’s how things played out that was the big surprise. The rest of the issue is a crazy ride and though it came out of nowhere, Howard makes the wild events enjoyable.
This is a comic drawn by Phil Noto so there’s not much more to say about his stunning visual storytelling that hasn’t been said already. From Jaimie once again donning his newly won cape from Sinister, Betsy’s shattering defeat, and a wedding crashed by a dragon there’s nothing to miss in these panels. So you’ll want to come for the start of the tournament but stay for the unpredictability of it all. 3/5
Wolverine #7
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Benjamin Percy & Gerry Dugan
Art: Joshua Casara
Colors: Guru-eFX
Letters: Cory Petit
Cover: Adam Kubert & Frank Martin
The tournament has turned into something else entirely and though we do get some straight up fights some feel more like contests where the odds aren’t in Krakoa’s favor. It’s these twists that have Wolverine pulling double duty in the tournament but each has some unexpected consequences. Percy and Benjamin not only reveal the promise Wolverine made to Solem but they hint that the Arakii warriors might have known about some of the contest parameters which gives them a noticeable advantage.
The visual storytelling from Casara and Guru is damn near perfect! Aside from the straight up fights the Summoner vs Wolverine battle in Blightspoke is a visual treat. The breaking of the realities as the two wield their blades will probably be the most unique fight as far as visually and I’m here for it.
My only complaint here is once again someone attempting to force Wolverine and Storm to happen in any capacity. It really came out of nowhere but I guess you can blame it on the alcohol. 3/5
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