Cosmic Review #16! #Uncanny X-Men #2 and the Red Skull.

Cosmic Comic Review #16

Hey there comic fans,

    I would be lying if I said I was not disappointed in this Wednesday’s comic pulls. I suppose I only have myself to blame for not being more adventurous with my comic selections. I mainly stick to DC, and on a day like today that left me severely limited in reading selection. Let me show you what I mean:

Comic Pull List Nov/30

DC

DC Universe Online Legends #18

Marvel

Red Skull Incarnate 5/5
Regenesis: Uncanny X-Men #2

    Yup. That’s it. Pretty depressing. The good news is overall, I really enjoyed the Marvel books this week and I found that kind of funny. The Red Skull Incarnate was a 5-issue mini-series that I found very entertaining as it gave perspective on a young Johann Schmidt living his childhood during the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany. A very insightful piece that melds history and fiction into an examination of what exactly makes young Schmidt follow the path to becoming one of the most infamous villains in the Marvel Universe, the Red Skull. I definitely recommend the mini-series to any fans of the Red Skull or anyone interested in learning more about him. I am considering writing up a 5-issue break down of the series this weekend, but for now I shall move onto the comic review for this week, Uncanny X-Men #2.

Regenesis: Uncanny X-Men #2

Written by Kieron Gillen
Pencils by Carl Pacheco, Jorge Molina, & Rodney Buchemi
Inks by Cam Smith, Roger Bonet, Walden Wong, & Jorge Molina
Colors by Frank D’Armata, Rachelle Rosenberg, Jim Charalampidis, & Jorge Molina

    Now among my comic reading friends, the “Schism” was not an overly well received concept a few months ago. Many of us were sceptical about how the split would effect the quality of the story. After reading Wolverine and the X-Men and Uncanny X-Men #1s, my hesitation slowly began to fade. I can safely say that I am a bigger Wolverine fan, but Uncanny X-Men definitely has me hooked after this issue. After the events of Issue #1, Cyclop’s team is pretty battered but still ready for a fight. Enter Mr. Sinister. Even from my childhood afternoons of watching the X-Men animated TV Series, Mr. Sinister was one of those villains that I always loved to see the X-Men fight. This issue brings back those nostalgic feelings in full force. Mr. Sinister definitely shows in this issue that he is an adversary that will not be taken lightly. Gillen starts the issue in kind of a long winded whimsical way, with Mr. Sinister mockingly inviting Cyclops and his team to meet with him and then going into elaborate detail about his awesomeness. At first I found it very draining to read and fought back many urges to skip pages to catch a glimpse of what I awaited me on the final pages. Let me say, that the ending to this issue, for me, justifies the pageantry of his arrogance and brilliance. Mr. Sinister has definitely got me hooked on this story arc, and has given me hope for continuing with Uncanny X-Men. The art in this book changes frequently between Pacheco, Molina, and Buchemi. I like the variety in the book itself, and I really enjoyed the pages showing a young Mr. Sinister, but for the most part I felt that it was good but not amazing. Overall, Uncanny X-Men #2 was a great read and I would recommend it to anyone that is sceptical about picking up this X-Men title. If Gillen has given us any indication with this issue, this title should definitely please an X-Men fan looking for a fun read.

Cosmic Rating: 3.5/5

Good

- Great writing of Mr. Sinister
- Awesome ending

Bad

- Unless you have the patience, I can see some readers being bored with the initial pages of the Mr. Sinister confrontation. It could have been a bit shorter or allowed for more dialogue from other characters.
- The art was not terrible, but I felt like it wasn’t spectacular either outside of the flashback pages.

    That is all for this week’s comic review. Hopefully I can find the time over the weekend to do a review of the Red Skull Incarnate mini-series. If I enjoy working on that then I shall consider doing the same for other mini-series in the future, who knows maybe it will save me from more comic deprived weeks like this one. One can only hope. Until then, A Feast for Crows! Take care and happy reading!

Luca “Joriko” Baldassarra

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