Uncanny X-Men #500 Cover

In a sudden turn that I completely did not expect (OK, I expected it a little), Uncanny X-Men has quickly become one of my favorite Marvel books and I get more and more excited each week as the release date comes closer and closer. And unlike the Mark Millar books I look forward to, that release date doesn’t move back multiple times. But that is a complaint for another post.

As for Uncanny, after my initial disappointment in #500, this book just keeps topping itself. This month, we find out more about the X-Men’s newest foes, the Hellfire Cult. Also, we get another glance at just how dark the X-Men are getting (hint: Cyclops + torture). So, hit the jump and read my full review below, with lots of gushing over the writing and the art.

Hot damn, can Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker write. I already knew this, but I just can’t believe how talented they are every time I read a book by either one of them. And then you get them together and the duo is unstoppable. Uncanny reads like a really great TV drama most of the time, with some great action mixed in. However, the most interesting scenes are just those with dialog between characters. For instance, in this issue, there are 2 great scenes. One involves a hospitalized Pixie (see Uncanny X-Men #501) getting a visit from her favorite mutant rockstar, Dazzler. The other scene has Wolverine driving Pixie to her new house. It is a very sweet scene. For some reason, Wolverine loves to take these young, vulnerable, female mutants under his wing. Also, this scene features Logan singing Life’s Been Good by Joe Walsh, which is just plain awesome writing.

One more thing about the writing. I’m pretty sure it is Fraction who adds this little tidbit into the issue (at least, it seems more like his writing style than Brubaker’s), but I love when a character is first introduced in the issue, and their name is said, then a blurb about the powers and usually a little quirky thing. For example, in the scene with Logan singing, the caption reads “Logan – Wolverine. His Maserati does 185″. Things like this just add a little more fun to each issue and proves Fraction and Brubaker are 2 of the best comic book writers out there right now.

His Maserati Does 185

Now, one would think that with writing so good, the art can’t match. Uncanny breaks this idea outright. I’ve heard a lot of people complain that Greg Land seemingly catches characters in mid-emotion and that their faces resemble a candid photograph sometimes. I completely agree, except, for me, this is not a downside. This is brilliant art. Everything in the comic is so perfectly matched with the writing of the scene. One panel has a close-up of Cyclops and you get a tiny hint of a smile. The ability to show that extremely subtle emotion makes Land’s art astonishing. And the scene with Logan driving makes you really feel like you a driving 100 MPH right along with him. I can’t say enough. You just gotta look at it and take in the beauty.

I don’t think I can say anymore. Well, actually, I could go on for pages about how much I love this creative team working on X-Men. I’m not the biggest X-Men fan in the world, but these guys write it so perfectly, that I can’t help but love it and want to pick up every issue with their names in the byline. Just go buy it already!