This week, summer turns to autumn, and with it comes Uncanny X-Men #3. Gail Simone, David Marquez, Matthew Wilson, VC’s Clayton Cowles, and Tom Brevoort are the creators behind this issue, the third of the “Red Wave” arc. Despite the extensive introductory work of the previous two issues, Uncanny X-Men #3, a.k.a. “The Inside Man,” still largely functions to deliver more exposition to the reader than anything else.
The book initially turns its focus back to Graymalkin Prison, using this opening scene to add intriguing complications to the title’s antagonists. Though the Warden Doctor Ellis is pleased with her personal mutant hunter’s results, the risk factors associated with Sarah Gaunt’s continued involvement are becoming troubling. Despite being equipped with some of the best security technology on the planet, the aptly named Ms. Gaunt has no problem infiltrating Inmate X’s holding cell whenever she pleases. This first glimpse at Charles Xavier since being incarcerated below his former mansion is brief, but his terror about Sarah’s return is beginning to spread to his captors. Ellis’ right hand man Phillip, intuits with his own psionic power that Gaunt will keep hunting mutants, not for the Warden Doctor’s ends, but to kill them.
Speaking of Sarah Gaunt’s prey, Rogue and co. are still shacking up at Haven in the Louisiana bayou. Gambit’s friend and his family are happy to host the Outliers alongside the X-Men as long as they earn their keep through housework. After a brief tease that the host family’s daughter Chelsea might be a mutant herself, the chores are completed just in time for a game of Catch the Elf. Rogue, Remy, and Jubilee observer as each of the Outliers attempt to nab a belt from Nightcrawler. Bamfing about the outdoor obstacle course, Kurt handily evades each of the teens until Deathdream accidentally takes the exercise too far.
In a similar manner to the previous issue’s introduction via combat, the other large chunk of exposition arrives interspersed with failed attempts to Catch the Elf. Each of the Outliers have already seen their fair share of trauma before they had ever met, from parental abuse, violent kidnapping, intense bullying, and repeated deaths (in Deathdream’s) case. Even the most abrasive among them like the highly bigoted and sheltered Calico is more nuanced in light of the way her mother taught her to understand the world. Despite Kurt and Deathdream’s mishap, this bonding time is going well, even if the X-Men can’t help but wonder if “the Endling” that Harvey X foretold is one of their new strays.
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The rough-and-tumble training session turns out somewhat well, only to be cut off by Rogue’s vision of a dying Logan. Wolverine left Haven earlier in the issue but if you assumed this was an off-ramp to his solo title, you’d be wrong. At the outset of his latest trek through the wilderness, Logan is stalked by Sarah Gaunt. Able to conceal herself from his enhanced senses until it’s too late, Gaunt tears into Wolverine. Describing her realm and claws of Somber Steel, it seems that Sarah has become tied to some sort of infernal or demonic power long after she first met Charles Xavier. The ghoulish Gaunt deals Logan some fatal blows, which is the vision that overwhelms Rogue. Gaunt is not finished with her prey though, as throughout the fight, she presses Wolvie for the Outliers’ location. She also mentioned this blindspot to Xavier at the top of the issue, and it remains to be seen how that connects to the cause behind Rogue’s vision.
Marquez and Wilson once again knock it out of the park in this issue. By this point, they’ve proven that they have a feel for the action and how to make this cast look so beautiful. On top of that, their art nails the comedy beats surrounding Nightcrawler. The exchange between Xavier and Gaunt also deserves a shoutout; Marquez and Wilson amp up the sense of tension and claustrophobia without having to show more than Xavier’s face and Gaunt’s finger.
Does the issue have any significant flaws? Not really. Uncanny #3 is a solid next entry in the series, and if it struggles anywhere, its that the series is three issues in and still feels like its just begun. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and hopefully Simone, Marquez, and Wilson get all the runway they need for this story. Next issue’s cover certainly seems to be upping the horror factor, just in time for Halloween.
Uncanny X-Men #3 builds upon the first two issues, deepening the lore behind the Outliers and the newly christened Sarah Gaunt. The momentum unfortunately slows even further, but it promises to pick up next issue for some scary scenes and Logan’s life on the line. The X-Men have barely had the chance to get through a single training session with the Outliers, but is that enough for them to be put to the test against such a monstrous opponent?
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