Happy 11-11-11, fellow geeks! The auspiciousness of this date is suspect, but who am I to avoid the bandwagon? But I digress...it's time for the most verbose comic reviews around! What did I get myself into this week? Read on to find out!
The action reaches a fever pitch in Uncanny X-Force #17 as the team (or what's left of it) scrambles frantically to stop Archangel/Apocalypse from committing genocide on the entire planet!
A LOT happens in this issue, which is good and bad in itself. Wolverine and the rest of the still-functioning X-Force try over and over again to stop Warren from blowing up the entire planet, and to see them straining under all that pressure feels like you've been walking on a treadmill for hours. Even a surprise assist from the Age of Apocalypse X-Men isn't enough to stop this guy. Just what kind of hax does Archangel have right now?! But hey, like that old Magic: The Gathering card said, "The tougher to crack, the sweeter the snack."
At least Jerome Opena is still busting out that gorgeous art for this book. I love his take on Archangel here. He's never been as graceful, as regal, and as goddamn scary as he is right now. A plus however you slice it.
The ending promises a showdown of all showdowns next issue, and with how much Rick Remender is spoiling us with his writing so far, the expectations for the grand conclusion is astronomical. In a way, Uncanny X-Force #17 feels incomplete as a single book because of it. What we do have is nice, though, and deserves a 4 out of 5.
Never thought we'd see Artifacts as my pick of the week, but surprise surprise! Artifacts #11 did a lot of things right! With the Curator/Survivor on the verge of collecting all the Artifacts and destroying the world, it will take a miracle to save the day...specifically, a miracle like the 13th Artifact!
Ron Marz has been a bit all over the place these past few issues, but here his writing is tighter, his dialogue less corny and carried more weight, his action scenes are better planned and the result is just an exciting and enjoyable comic. The shift in quality from meh to great is so jarring, I had to double-check to see if I was still reading the right comic.
It's interesting how this all can be traced back at the very beginning, when The Curator first appeared, and how Marz orchestrated everything leading up to this event. This is literally years in the making, and I hope the pay off is as big as it promises! The art team of Jeremy Haun, Michael Golden and Sunny Gho capped it all off with some great art. The action is easy to follow and the book feels more finished than previous artists' attempts.
It's too bad that it took 11 issues for the creative team to bust out the big guns. but I guess it's better late than never. This gets a 4 out of 5.
Can't get enough of The Geek's reviews? Visit The Outhouse and check out my review of Magneto: Not a Hero #1! Magneto? A hero? Pish-posh, I say!
Good week is good! Who said comics don't surprise you anymore? Anyway, if you liked these reviews, or have any comments or suggestions for future ones, let me know by dropping a comment in the comment box below! Thanks for reading!
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