Mr. Sinister is back, and his plan has hatched in Exceptional X-Men #8. So far, the team has only trained, but this may be their biggest challenge yet. One problem, though, is the team doesn’t know Axo has been kidnapped! In this transitional issue, Mr. Sinister’s plan is revealed, and our heroes get a sense that something is up.
Exceptional X-Men #8 opens with Axo tied down and being fully tampered with by Mr. Sinister. Unable to speak, Mr. Sinister does all the talking, explaining why his powers can help his genetic master plan, all the while with plenty of glee. Eve Ewing does a great job capturing Mr. Sinister’s voice, with Carmen Carnero delivering goofy poses and lots of emotion. He’s a weirdo and almost loveable, save for the twisted stuff he’s doing to Axo.
After this opening, which is frankly drawn out over seven pages, the story shifts to a subpar clone of Axo taking his place. This adds some comedy to the issue as he licks socks and eats weird things. Clearly, Mr. Sinister didn’t try too hard to make this clone functional.
I bet that sock tastes weird.
Credit: Marvel
The action in the issue involves a random fire but offers clues that something is very up with Axo, as his teammates are with him. Again, it’s a little drawn out, as the characters take a while to figure out that Axo is not himself.
As far as character work goes, Ewing continues to do great stuff. Kitty has an interesting moment with her girlfriend, and there’s a laugh-out-loud moment involving an attempted call to Emma Frost. Regarding the latter, Melee and Bronze make a good point about telepaths being hard to reach.
Exceptional X-Men #8 is a bridge issue, elevated by an unforgettable Mr. Sinister performance and clever character interactions, even if the pace sags and the plot inches forward. It’s a weird and fun detour that keeps the team grounded in personality while building toward bigger things.
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