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Haven’t posted in a while, been real busy and Thor’s been bugging to catch up on my reading but today is a special day. Forget the deadlines, forget Sentry (the TBP I’ve been reading for two days now) – it’s comics day! Four X-titles were released: two of my favorite series and two limited runs.

X23: Target X
Writers: Kyle and Yost
Art by: Mike Choi and Sonia Oback

“What was X23?”

“She was a weapon.”

X23 was first introduced in Xmen Evolution then she next appeared in Quezada’s NY where she was a mysterious prostituted young woman with hardly any lines. Then came “X23” where Kyle and Yost told the heart wrenching story of her origin. In this limited run, they tell the story of the two years between the destruction of the FACILITY and the time she appeared in New York. The art was AWESOME – very realistic but not in the slutty Greg Land way. There was the obligatory flashback but it was not a cut-and-paste thing – Kyle and Yost added new snippets from X23’s training and how Dr. Sarah Kinney was beginning to care for her “daughter.” The last panel showed who was interrogating X23 and that will make you want to wish for a time machine this Xmas and fast forward to next month. Here’s hoping there’ll be no delays.

New X-Men: Mercury Falling

Writers: Craig Kyle and Chris Yost

Penciler: Paco Medina

“Tell me, is that a genuine emotion?” – Emma Frost to X23

New X-men after M-day has been brutal. Forty of de-powered students murdered in a terrorist attack and three students were assasinated. During the aftermath of M-day, Wolverine called her to come to the Mansion. I think Logan believed that after the tragedy she should not be alone. Emma thought allowing Laura to stay in the Mansion with other kids is a disaster waiting to happen. The new story arch begins with Emma’s doubts. Emma – being the bitch with good intentions - asked X23 to leave but X23 has made friends - she helps eavesdrop on their teachers, she has a crush on Julian, and well, she saved their assess too. She is the closest thing to becoming a teen-ager with the New X-men. In her first “girl-talk-in-a-coffee-shop” experience, true to form, the coffee shop was attacked and blown up by armed men. This has a very interesting twist in the end of the fighting and explosions. I have been told to drop some of my Xmen titles… this will not be one of them

X-men: Phoenix Warsong

Writer: Greg Pak

Pencils: Tyler Kirkham

“My little death machines.” – Emma on the Cuckoos

Cool cover! Zombies! Celeste giving new flesh to the Zombies! Celeste blasting the Zombies! Emma lobotomizing Celeste to block out the Phoenix! Stupid X-men for believing Dr. Sublime’s massive interactive databank of recording powered by an automated response program! Mr. Pak is ruining the story! Still the adrenaline high was worth it.

X-Factor: Multiple Issues

Writer: Peter David

Pencils: Pablo Raimondi

“X-Factor – putting the “fun” in “dysfunctional.” - Rictor

This is my favorite book. Stories about dysfunctional relationships and persons always draw me in (I think that’s why I love listening to Aimee Mann). Also, X-Factor reminds of Angel Investigations which I miss. I have forgotten about Monet, Syrin, Rictor, Guido, Rahne, and Jaime before I picked up this new run. They have always been practically second stringers – rarely taking the spotlight in the X-men titles until Peter David. David adding Layla Miller to the mix was genius.

Issue 14 does not have a single panel of heroes fighting their arch enemies (The few panels where Monet was hitting Jaime because a duplicate seduced her a few nights before while Jaime slept with Syrin don't count. Oh and by the way, I would hit him too.) There were three pages of male-bonding in a bar, four pages of Guido explaining to the wife of the man he killed that he was used by the Singularity, three pages of Jaime talking to a shrink…. You get the picture but the dialogue was priceless (especially the male-bonding part).

The art is better too – the coloring still maintains the feel and character of the book but the pencils are far better.