Sometimes, a comic run doesn’t really shine until you can hold it in your hands, collected in a beautiful trade that tells a powerful story. While I have enjoyed Gail Simone’s Uncanny X-Men since it debuted, reading the entirety of its most recent arc in the Uncanny X-Men by Gail Simone Vol. 2: The Dark Artery trade paperback really enhanced my reading experience. With an impressive variety of artists throughout the trade, and a story that finally legitimized the heroic new Outlier mutants, this trade has made me more excited for whatever Simone does next in New Orleans.
The trade paperback of Uncanny X-Men by Gail Simone Vol. 2: The Dark Artery includes issues #9 through #16, a whole eight issues that include a major arc and several capsule issues. At just around 175 pages and coming in at $19.99, this collection is a solid investment if you like Uncanny X-Men or From the Ashes comics in general. With art from Andrei Bressan, Javier Garron, Gavin Guidry, David Marquez, and Luciano Vecchio, plus stunning color from Matthew Wilson, this trade is also a lovely display of diverse art styles.
Marvel
The Dark Artery starts with two wonderful issues that establish the collaboration, care, and power of the Outliers, the newest X-Men students created by Gail Simone. Andrei Bressan’s art is unique and a joy to absorb, and I think these two issues have my favorite characterization of the Outliers Deathdream and Calico from Simone yet. The story is brutal, emotional, and packed full of classic X-Men themes like “teens in malls” and “attacking Sentinels,” with exciting modern twists.
The third issue in the collection is my least favorite, but only because it is solely tied to the X-Manhunt event, and barely even focuses on the X-Men of Haven House. Featuring absolutely beautiful art from Javier Garron, the story itself is just not very compelling and features Xavier escaping from Graymalkin Prison and easily defeating Rogue’s team. I did enjoy seeing that, if only because we rarely see Xavier using his powers as an all out assault, and I also loved the full page of the iconic Deathbird, but eh… Just kind of messed with the flow of the Uncanny story, and felt very forced overall.
The fourth issue, the final before the “Dark Artery” arc begins, is a standalone issue with art from Gavin Guidry featuring Gambit reckoning with a figure from his past, the terrifying reptilian called The Vig, who in many ways raised and mentored the young Remy. This story reminded me of Gambit’s solo series from the ’90s, with its focus on Remy’s past and his relationship to New Orleans, so as a fan of Gambit and ’90s X-Men, I enjoyed this issue.
Marvel
Finally, this collection includes all four issues of Uncanny X-Men’s second major arc, “The Dark Artery.” I won’t get into too much of the content of this arc, since all the issues have been reviewed extensively at AIPT and other sites. However, I enjoyed this story, mainly for Marquez and Vecchio’s stunning art, the super-fun dark emo costumes the X-Men are transformed into, and the teamwork that the X-Men and Outliers show. This arc really cements the Outliers as true X-Men, no longer just apprentices. Plus, Hoturo’s final declaration that “This place is X” was the absolutely perfect ending to this trade, and finally made this team feel whole, ready to grow together.
Overall, I was a big fan of this thick trade paperback! I wasn’t obsessed with every issue when I read them individually, but presented as a collection of interconnected issues, I think they work really well together, and make me excited to see what happens next for the Haven House X-Men. The art is beautiful and offers a wide variety of styles, while Matthew Wilson’s coloring ties the disparate art together. Gail Simone clearly cares about these characters a lot, and her interest in bringing classic X-Men stories into the modern era is evident in every story.
You must be logged in to post a comment.