X #7
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writer: Duane Swierczynski
Artist: Eric Nguyen
Cover: Alex Garner
This issue introduces us to a new team that is hunting down the X Killer. They are led by Officer Danny Ruidoso as he also tries to make sense as to why each of them was chosen for this assignment. However, he has no idea that he’s taking orders from one of the most dangerous men in the city who is working both sides.
Swierczynski has been consistently making X one of the most hard hitting and fun titles to come out of Dark Horse. This issue is no different as the cast is expanded to include some pretty likeable characters. The new team has some familiar character tropes that we’ve seen before, though they are written well enough that they fit perfectly within this story. Which is very good since the focus shifts mainly onto the new team and their pursuit of X. Swierczynski bounces back between telling this story in first person and third, while not going too heavy on the internal dialogue. He also allows the artwork to do a lot of the storytelling, which is great since it looks so good!
Eric Nguyen’s visuals impress from beginning to end here while he goes from fast paced scenes to more quiet sequences without issues. It’s actually those scenes that stand out like the talk between Ruidoso and Lt. Setter at the bar. Nguyen keeps the mood uneasy in that setting which is heightened by the fact we know Setter can’t be trusted. As far as the action goes it just seems to come out at you with the exaggerated limbs and fight choreography.
X is everything you’d want in a street level, vigilante crime-drama! Consistent strong writing and great looking artwork makes this noticeably one of the best titles on the shelves in this category. So, if you’ve yet to take a look at X or haven’t read the series since its original run, then that needs to change and soon!
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