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| Amazing X-Men #11 Cover by Carlo Barberi and Rachelle Rosenberg |
Crises in Canada: the population is being overrun by a rampant magic curse. A small group made up from Alpha Flight and the X-Men are making their way to the source the outbreak to quell the out-of-control curse.
We are closing into the final stages of Craig Kyle's and Christopher Yost's first arc on Amazing X-Men. The story so far has been interesting to read and a fun experience. It is achieving a much sought after goal for X-Men fans by rekindling the feel of team adventures from previous runs from the X-Universe.
This does pose some unique challenges to keep in mind. A contentious point for consideration is the use of characters from other series that seem to be doing very different things in Amazing X-Men from their respective solo series. Wolverine is at Death's door in another series, yet here he has been transformed into a Wendigo; Storm is in Africa with Forge; and Nightcrawler is returning from a tussle with the Crimson Pirates. There is so much going on in the X-Universe that it can get mind boggling to try and piece the threads all together in a meaningful way. The reconciliation of this could be as straight forward as a simple time swing, i.e. the events in Amazing X-Men are not coincidental to those of other Marvel series; rather, they are complementary to them.
Given the number of characters being used in the narrative, it is not surprising that there is only so much space to dedicate to each. This balance must be struck by Kyle and Yost with Carlo Barberi to show a visually appealing story that captures all points of conflict. This is achieved, but it does mean the subplots are transitory as a result with characters moving in and out of the main plot.
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| The Avengers lend a helping hand against the Wendigo. |
For this, I don't feel there is a dominant character driving forward the narrative; the issue is more plot driven. However, it is nice to see the development of Northstar in comparison to his sister. It is telling that his time with the X-Men has matured his outlook on life and the role of superheroes. There seems to be a theme here with the role of Iceman being played up instead of just being a comedic relief for the more serious Wolverine or Storm. We are seeing sidelined characters come to the foreground in important ways.
This is supported by the art from Barberi, Walden Wong, and Rachelle Rosenberg. The colors from Rosenberg are reminiscent of the expected real-life settings of the Canadian wilderness. It is also nice to see the representation of the Spirit realm. Barberi, Wong, and Rosenberg bring to life the "beasts" of folklore with dramatic purpose. The conflict ensuing is displayed in a hectic manner to show the struggle for supremacy that is being wrought by Tanaraq.
The storytelling method is simple and effective for Amazing X-Men #11. Full-page shots are used to bring about the main point of focus for the page. This is then supported by various inserted panel shots to drive the story in the direction desired. The panels clearly bordered to ensure readability is paramount. There were a couple of dialogue pieces in this issue that I had to re-read to make sense, but I didn't find this detracting from the overall narrative, yet it did pause the pacing a little.
I have been reading Amazing X-Men for nearly a year now. It has been a great series and I am looking forward to the conclusion of the second arc with the next issue. What have you liked about it so far? Given the major events happening now or coming up from Marvel, what do you hope to see coming up in the series? Let us know and leave your thoughts below.
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