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 17-19 and see how the event holds up so far.
X-Force #14
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Gerry Dugan & Benjamin Percy
Art: Joshua Cassara
Colors: Guru – eFX
Letters: Joe Caramagna
Cover: Dustin Weaver & Edgar Delgado
For those of us who thought this would be a straight up tournament between the warriors from Krakoa and Arakko the last few issues have proven that this is anything but that. The contests have ranged from arm wrestling, dance battles, foot races, and then the occasional duel to the death by blade. As wild as this issue is, Dugan and Percy make sure that the fast pace is filled with several memorable moments. Mostly the fight between Storm and Death that ends the issue in spectacular fashion proving that she is never to be taken lightly.
As Team Arakko runs up the score, Cassara and Guru makes it all worth looking at from panel to panel. They deliver a glimpse of each bout and never do they slack on the detail and entertainment in those moments. The major sequences that are Captain Avalon vs Redroot along with Storm vs Death look fantastic. And that shot of Storm after the battle was a great way to end the issue. 3.5/5
Hellions #6
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Zeb Wells
Art: Carmen Carnero
Colors: David Curiel
Letters: Ariana Maher
Cover: Stephen Segovia & Rain Beredo
If you were wondering what Sinister and his Hellions have been up to since they were supposed to be stopping this tournament before it started then you’ve picked up the right issue. It’s a fun story as Wells doesn’t hold back and allows Sinister to unapologetically be himself. By the time we catch back up to the team they’ve been through hell and things are just going from bad to worse as they come up against Tarn the Uncaring and his mutants, the Locus Vile. This was a great chance to explore Otherworld a bit more and switches things up from the familiar visuals we’re getting in the other issues. Wells also keeps a certain individuality to Hellions as it feels more like a tie-in to the event but in a very good way that doesn’t have you upset at the money you spent on the issue.
You know who I wish was here to see this?
Havok
MY EYE, you piece of #@&%!
Carnero and Curiel continue to deliver here especially with the designs of the Locus Vile. These characters have an unnerving look to them and vicious powerset which I’m sure is what they were going for. The action is bloody and intense when things get going but at no point do they sacrifice the story just to give us cool looking panels. With more blood and some very dark humor sprinkled throughout, Wells might make this one of the most important books to come out of this event when you consider the repercussions. 4/5
Cable #6
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Gerry Duggan
Art: Phil Noto
Letters: Joe Sabino
Cover: Phil Noto
With the Krakoan team far behind in the contest we finally get an issue that is straight up fights with swords. Fights that Duggan elevates with some solid dialogue and consequences. Cable’s battle against Bei is an emotional bout that sees the young mutant trying to live up to self imposed expectations. It’s a humbling experience that reaches its peak during his conversation with Cyclops until it’s cut off by Saturnyne. Which also reveals that she’s known more than she’s let on for quite some time now. As Duggan moves us to the next fight between Gorgon and The White Sword we get a game changing moment that brings a bit of hope to Krakoa.
As usual Phil Noto kills it on the art with this issue. His depiction of Cable’s fight nails the emotional beats as each panel builds towards that breaking of the young time traveler. Doug’s expressions to his wife, Bei, was strong enough that no dialogue was even necessary. The Gorgon and White Sword battle was bloody but again it was the panels of the other mutants that hit as they saw realized the inevitable was going to happen. However, with the build up towards the final fight that final page missed the mark for me. It looked good but after reading the dialogue leading up to it I expected something with a bit more energy and ferocity between the two.
As much as I liked the issue I’m still not sure how Cable was allowed to live considering the parameters of the fight. It seemed like a reach and just might fall under “plot armor” since it is his title. Otherwise, this is an issue worth picking up as we get into the finale of X of Swords! 2.5/5
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Infinite Speech
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Picked up Hellions on accident but laughed the entire way through. Wonder if we’ll get more regarding the Storm/Death pairing.