Customer Reviews

New X-Men Vol. 4: Riot at Xavier's

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I've had mixed feelings about Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men. On one hand, the stories he has told thus far have been good, and are responsible for introducing Cassandra Nova, Xorn, and the Special Class of X-Men. But I have sometimes found the pacing to be a bit off, and the art tends to really bug me. In Riot at Xavier's, those two problems are pretty non-existent. For once, the art is consistently good and the story is told at the right speed.
Quentin Quire is a star pupil at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. He is an Omega-level mutant and has the potential to be the world's next great telepath, on par with Jean Grey, Emma Frost, and Charles Xavier himself. His intelligence and little patience causes him to be unliked by his peers, especially the popular Slick, Tatoo, and the five Stepford Cuckoos. Upon learning that he was adopted and finding out that a respected mutant was the victim of a human attack, he decided that he had had enough of trying to pursue Xavier's dream in the world that hates and fears him, and he decides to give people a reason to hate and fear him. Displaying how affective his powers can be by showing the handsome Slick's true, and grotesque, form. He assembles a gang that dresses similar to how mutants were dressed in racist depictions made by humans to generate fear of mutants. Calling himself Kid Omega, Quire leads his gang in acts of violence against humans and instructs them to challenge Xavier and the X-Men.
Cyclops, Beast, and Emma Frost must deal with Quire's uprising while Xorn, the newest teacher and X-Man, leads the "Special Class". This class consists of the most bizarre and grotesque mutants at Xavier's. In a cruel twist of irony, mutantkind has gotten to the point where the ones that appear human can show a sort of racism to the ones who do not appear human. Members of the Special Class include Beak, Angel, Ernst (a young girl with the wrinkled face of an elderly woman), Martha (a brain in a jar), and Dummy (sentient gas). He takes them on a trip to the woods where Beak and Angel begin to get intimate, and the U-Men return.
As Quire calls for the students to let go of Xavier's dream (he goes as far as to wear a "Magneto was Right" t-shirt in front of Xavier), we begin to see a darker side of Charles Xavier. He begins to show signs of oppression and hatred to Quire. Granted, the kid is out of line with many of the things he says and does, but it is interesting to see Xavier, who is based on Martin Luther King, begin to act to a fellow mutant the way some humans act towards mutants.
A few things I noticed in this story line was that the X-Men didn't seem to do very much themselves. This is the story of Quentin Quire and Xorn's Special Class. Xavier and the X-Men are present at the events, but it seems that this story is about the students. I also must say that it seems unlikely that a bunch of punk kids can take out Wolverine as fast as they did, but Quire is an Omega-level mutant. Speaking of Wolverine, he and Jean Grey were barely in this story. However, Jean does factor in to a very important sub-story.
As I said, this is definitely Grant Morrison's strongest arc of New X-Men yet. His stories probably aren't for everyone, and they are definitely not the best comics I've read, but these are entertaining and poignant stories (also, if you are a fan of the phenominal Astonishing X-Men, these stories directly tie into Joss Whedon's masterpiece).

Riot at Xavier's, the fourth collected volume in Grant Morrison's New X-Men run, continues the strangely gifted writer breaking the unwritten laws of the X-Men mythos. An Omega level telepath named Quentin Quire, spurned by the death of celebrity-like mutant, begins forming a gang inside the school as their opening day to the public approaches. Loaded with snappy dialogue, Morrison's master storytelling, and superb art by Frank Quitely (who actually managed to ALMOST do all the art for a full storyarc), this volume ends on a tragic note, along with some hard choices to make for Beak, and Jean learning of the psychic affair between Cyclops and Emma Frost. However, this volume is only the calm before the storm, and is followed by the pivotal events in Assault on Weapon Plus, and the cataclysmic events in Planet X and Here Comes Tomorrow.

Art is at its best and storywise one of the best in the Morrison era. Actually in this volume starts the good stuff plot wise that will lead to the next also amazing volumes. The class of specials is my favourite subplot, these guyz are so cool! Although this is the most "to the ground" story it is my favourite. Morrison plays with the standardised themes in the X-Men that made the series so boring and predictable.

Higly entertaining!

The main point of Morrison's run on New X-Men has been to breathe fresh life into the old concepts as well as making room for new ones to emerge. This is very apparent in this collection, which stands out as one of the high points in his run. Combine an inventive, gripping story, snappy dialogue and beautiful art and you have the spectacular story shown here.

I've known the surreal experience of reading, and atleast trying to comprehend, New X-men for almost four years now, and beneath Grant Morrison's very deft hand and imagination, my expectations and standards have done nothing but rise. From E Is For Extinction to Imperial to New Worlds, New X-men has constantly broadened its horizons as far as fresh new ideas and innovative storytelling go. Riot At Xavier's is my second favorite storyline so far, just beneath E Is For Extinction, in my humble opinion, and the fact is, that is probably do more to the fact that it was Morrison's first swing at writing this book than it is because the stories here are better. In this collection, which collects four small parts of a much larger whole, the students who attend Xavier's school get their time in the spotlight. A highly intelligent, very ambitious student named Quentin Quire, in the beginning of the story, has just found out that he was adopted, and after hearing this news, coupled with Magneto's killing alongside several million other members of the homo superior race, sets the young boy, who happens to be an Omega Level telepath, deep and subtle influence being his forte, on the path to what he sees as glory. Following him are several other rather powerfully dangerous students....Radian, a black kid who immits a blinding light, Tattoo, another African American student who's skin displays her emotions, coupled with her other mutation, a ghost form, which is very Kitty Pride-esque, only much more frightening, Glob Herman,a see-through giant of a mutant with bio-parriffin for skin and muscule, which happens to be highly flammable, and finally, Redneck, a young white kid whose handbones can generate immense heat. Alongside Quire, whose telepathic skills rival Xavier's, these kids coin themselves The Omega Gang, and with that, begin to set the Xavier Institute ablaze within the pyres of controversy, free thinking and a rash change of ideals. The Xavier teaching staff then springs into action, allowing us constant readers to see Quietly's flair for dramnatic action and grisly hold on reality. Cyclops really stands out during this arc, as does Phoenix, Beast,and The White Queen, who evolves beyond what some have seen up to this point as a cardboard cutout of a typical snotty character. Xorn and his Remedial Class also stand out here, and this expose' into how a lower, more special sect type of class at The Xavier Institute operates is welcome and rather brilliant, as we, the readers, are able to see what being a mutant, with a little extra misfortune added, feels and looks like. Xorn feels like a mystery in this arc, as he well should, and the true hints of his power, and the cruel, frightening depths of it are shown here, along with his Remedial Class excersizing teamwork for a change. There is Basilisk, a large, pinkish boy who's brain has a seizure at its core and sets off a ray of paralizing light through a single, strange eye, Ernst, a withered young girl with superstrength and a need to look after others, namely Martha, a disembodied brain in a glass bubble, a telepath whose specialty is blinding mutant and human minds with confusion and disarray, Dummey, who is a sentient gas inside of a special, airtight suit, The Beak, whose feelings of insecurity and ineptitude glow brightly and realistically, his talents being a feathered, birdlike form, limited flight and a face that only a pecking mother could love. Finally, there is Angel, a mixed race young heathan of a girl, whose talents include a beautiful set of fly like wings, the ability to vomit projectile acid, among other fly-like abilities. Alongside Xorn, these kids really get the chance to stand out and show their humanity and talents on rather unsuspecting U-men, who first appeared in Imperial. Back at the Mansion, all hell has broken lose, as Quentin and his hypnotized gang have taken Xavier hostage, through a rather brilliant technique. Wolverine is rendered useless and helpless by Quire, quite a feat, while Beast, Cyclops and The White Queen try to thwart the rampage set aflame by frustration and loose ethics. Before all is said and done, several students will die, a headmaster will drastically rethink his methods, an affair will be discovered, a secret will be created and kept,and a threat from within will be revealed. In this volumne, secondary mutation is a big theme, and Morrison's experience at the strange helms in writing even stranger fiction come in very handy in this tale. His drastically vast takes on telepathy alone will make your mind reel and your imagination grow. The Stepford Cuckoos also get their chance to really develop as deep characters and now, they show true drives and whims. Buy this book........if you are a fan of the X-men, past , present or possible future, you will not be disappointed. More than that, you will most likely be surprised, shocked, terrified and delighted.
All Things Serve The Beam

Riot at Xaviers is a trade collecting New X-Men #134-138. I had heard great things about Grant Morrison's run on the title but this trade left me very unsatisfied. The story follows one of the Institutes most powerful students gathering up a gang of students rebelling against the system. I was very unsatisfied with the storytelling, if i needed to sum up my thoughts in two words they are: Boring, irrelevant. Frank Quietly's artwork is horrible in my opinion and this is the first time i have purchased a trade and wanted to send it back.

While the art is still at the same level, the story is my favorite of all the volumes. There are more twists and surprises. It makes you think. It is a great story.

Since when have comics become a medium for projecting current topical events (drug use, puberty-induced angst, teen pregnancy)? Morrison is a gifted writer, but its obvious that the guy is trying to kill the title.
Things are complicated enough in the X-Men titles (New X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, Ultimate X-Men, Exiles, etc.), but this takes it to a new level. Who are these people? What do they bring to the table in terms of advancing the storyline? Why is Xavier just sitting around and letting his students kill people?
And what's with the art? I can forgive on the condition that this is the same guy who penciled the original Aeon Flux, but thats about it.