Marvel’s Epic Collection series can be a bit of a mixed bag from time to time. Just the fact that they cram so much into one book means that, by the law of averages, some lesser material is going to get in. Or, as is the case in the X-Men: Bishop’s Crossing trade, there’s not enough content to justify an Epic edition, meaning the book features a lot of padding. The good news (for me, at least) is that most of the filler in this trade is dripping with nostalgia for the old school Gambit fans among us.
Collecting 16 issues from the X-Men’s golden era (1991-92) — including two annuals and two issues of Ghost Rider — Bishop’s Crossing does indeed track the introduction of the time-displaced X-Man to the main Marvel continuity. It just also tracks the introduction of Omega Red, the generic superspy Maverick, and the walking deus ex machina that is Gambit’s wife Belladonna Boudreaux. It also features the murder of the original Hellions team, the return of Sunfire to X-books, the re-emergence of the walking deus ex machina that is Mikhail Rasputin, the Brood impregnating the second Ghost Rider, the emergence of the X-traitor storyline and more!
Right away, modern readers will have to get reacquainted with how comics from the ’90s read. This is definitely still the era of “tell over show,” as there is tons of exposition on every page and a lot of story beats happen in the margins of the panel. This leads to some odd pacing, sort of like playing a video game with poor frame rate. You can tell what’s supposed to happen, but a bit of the kinetic energy is taken out of it. It’s something that will likely feel familiar to readers who have read a lot of the older X-Men books, but it’s a far cry from a lot of the more evocative visual stylings of modern comics.
Speaking of things that are “of their era,” we also need to talk about the character designs that came out of the ’90s X-books. The good news is, this comes fresh off the Jim Lee redesigns of the X-Men, so the main rosters of both teams are indeed in their (arguably) most iconic looks. All of the side characters, re-introductions and villains in this book, however? Those are….well, less successful. Sunfire’s speed skater look is maybe the most successful, and the XSE uniform they recycle from Bishop is fine, but what in the sweet hell is Belladonna’s outfit and hairstyle? Why does every villain from Fitzroy’s timeline look like the Ultimate Warrior in Firepower? I won’t harp too hard on it, but this book has more mullets than the Florida coast. Shoot, if you want a sign of how ’90s this book is, there are actual pages taken directly from the Marvel Swimsuit special spaced throughout the book.
Speaking of art, a collection this size is sure to have highs and lows. So while this book as career highs from the likes of Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio, I’m less warm to the pencils of Ron Wagner and downright despise the cacophonous mess made by the laundry list of pencillers in the Shattershot crossover issues. There are also turns from Andy Kubert and John Romita Jr, two artists that I really enjoyed at the time, but in retrospect find a lot of problems with. Both are certainly consistent artists, and it’s not as if their work in this trade features some grand faux pas that stands out, but looking at the pages now, I just don’t like their weird blocky figures and uneven line work. That being said, that is entirely subjective, and neither has much work in this trade. On the other hand, I remember hating the pencils of Jae Lee as a kid, but looking at them now, I rather enjoy the abstract, Sienkiwiecz-esque art style that he employs. So to each his own.
The writing in this trade, similarly, has highs and lows. While I don’t know that any one storyline completely nails it, this book does set a lot of great long-term stories in motion. This trade features the first date between Gambit and Rogue, the start of the X-traitor story, and (of course) the introduction of Bishop, which in itself has its ups and downs. For one, Bishop is absolutely an interesting and memorable character who is important to the X-Men legacy, but in his introductory arc, he’s a bit of an unlikable sociopath. I know we get the justification that they are bad guys from the future, but there sure is an implication that Bishop has killed an awful lot of people. He also refuses to believe that the X-Men he meets are indeed the real deal despite them proving themselves multiple times. It’s not as if he makes up for it when he joins the team, either, given that he instantly attacks Gambit and Rogue without provocation because the dude looks like the man who raised him. But it’s important to remember that in the ’90s, the hyper macho, gun-toting Terminator type was all the rage — never mind the fact that Bishop’s power seems to obviate the need for a gun in the first place. We can blame the mullet on it being the ’90s too.
Overall, X-Men Epic Collection: Bishop’s Crossing is an important portion of the X-Men canon. The introduction of Bishop is a phase shift for the series (and not just because he’s only the second prominent Black character to join the team), and the wealth of seeds planted for long term stories make this essential for X-fans. Of course, the title of this collection is more than a little misleading. Given the lengthy dips into his love life and an exploration of his past, this trade is just as much, if not more, about Gambit as it is about Bishop. Not all the stories land (Shattershot and the Mikhail Rasputin stories in particular), but the introductory chapters for Omega Red and Bishop are eternally memorable, and “Brood Trouble in the Big Easy” is schlocky fun. For ’90s kids who grew up on the X-Men, you won’t regret adding this book to your shelf.
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