| Comic Review | Paul Milligan |
X-Men:
First Class #5 (of 8)
Writer: Jeff Parker
Penciler: Roger Cruz
Inker: Victor Olazaba
Colorist: Val Staples
The X-Men tangle with a giant troll only to discover too
late that they’re walking into a trap. A mysterious group
incapacitates the team and kidnaps Iceman. As the X-Men race
to find their missing teammate they are joined by a crippled
doctor, one who seems to know an awful lot about the X-Men’s
attackers. What are the bad guys planning to do with Iceman
and how does the Thunder God, Thor figure into things?
I know I’ve said this
before but I still do not understand why this comic is
not a part of the Marvel Adventures line of comics. It
certainly fits the criteria, clearly being written as an
all-ages comic. It’s also the best all-ages comic that
Marvel publishes, far beyond the other all-ages comics in
the Marvel Adventures line. Why not use this book to boost
the quality of that line? Because I can’t see any reason why
this book is a part of Marvel proper (given it’s obviously
modern setting and being somewhat contradictory of
established continuity) and not an ongoing Adventures
series.
Okay, I’ll drop the rant.
This book has definitely maintained the level of quality set
up in the first issue of the series. Jeff Parker continues
to display his talents at telling perfectly paced
self-contained stories that never seem rushed or cramped. He
also has a great knack for writing the teenage versions of
the X-Men, making them both interesting and likeable. Which,
coming from someone who is normally bored to tears by the
X-Men books, is really saying something.
Parker’s partner in crime on the series, Roger Cruz, is
really turning out some great work too. His art is much more
solid now than it was in the first issue. I love his version
of the young X-Men, especially Iceman, who hasn’t looked
this cool in a long time. I’m not the biggest fan of his
take on the Beast, though. Cruz doesn’t make him nearly
bulky enough and, in some panels, he could easily be
mistaken for Cyclops without the visor. His Thor isn’t half
bad though.
All in all I have to say that this book has turned out to be
a heck of a lot better than I imagined it would be. Here’s
hoping that Parker and Cruz get a chance to do another
First Class mini-series after this one wraps up. The
kids need a good X-comic (and so do I).
Special thanks go out to Jeremy Shorr, owner of
Titan Comics for allowing us to use his advance
preview books for review purposes.
