review: X-Men #188-189 (2006)

Publish: Marvel Entertainment
Writer: Mike Carey
Artists: Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend, Antonio Fabela

Rating: 7/10

Mike Carey is another new writer for me, and another good find. I may be the only one, but I think this is much more interesting so far than the Uncanny X-Men relaunch. There's a good deal of action, some mysterious, powerful bad guys, some surprise and controversy, deft handling of existing storylines, good characterization and dialogue -- what more could you want in a superhero book?

I've seen other reviews dismiss this series mainly for the Chris Bachalo art, with criticisms about consistency and proportions, but I disagree. Personally, I don't see the lack of consistency, at least not any more than with any other artist, so I can't address that. As for the proportions, well, it's a much more cartoony style, more along the lines of Arthur Adams than Neal Adams, so sure, it doesn't look like your artist's anatomy book, but that doesn't make it bad. It's a stylistic thing, which reasonable people can like or not, but I don't think you can criticize the style for what it is. Of course, the art's not perfect, and I would fault him for, on almost every book I've seen of his, drawing at least a couple of completely inscrutable panels, where I literally have no idea what I'm looking at. And there's also a tendency for ultra-heavy shadows, which can further make some scenes hard to read. But in general, I find Bachalo's art fun and dynamic, and a nice change from all the "realistic" stuff out there.

Overall, fun, well-done superhero fare. I'll definitely see it through.