10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly Good, March 3, 2008
This review is from: X-Men: Blinded by the Light (Paperback)
I say surprisingly because for the five months leading up to Messiah Complex most of the stories spanning the various titles (this one, X-factor, and Uncanny) were based around an attempt to get everyone more pumped about the event. While Uncanny X-men turned out as one would expect, mediocre at best, X-Men Blinded by the Light somehow managed to succeed.
The story kicks off right where Supernovas left off and while it is not necessary to have read the previous issues it is beneficial. From there the reader is plunged into a battle with the Marauders which eventually leads to Cannonball and Iceman heading off on their own in search of Destiny's Diaries. While most of the story revolves around the two characters, practically every member of the Astonishing and New X-Men teams get screen time as well. Carey manages to provide the reader with enough surprises and action to keep them entertained while at the same time highlighting the importance of the coming X-Event.
If there is one weakness in this book it is the artwork, but I found it well suited for the story. Humberto Ramos has the unfortunate reputation as being one of the most hated X-Artists to work the title in sometime. Of course this is a detail only common in the online community as he has an extensive fan base that just doesn't seem to make their presence known online. His pencils are something between cartoony and manga inspired, and the colors make them pop creating a very lively art style I think works perfectly with Carey's writing. Chris Bachalo's style is very similar to Ramos, but other than a nice full page spread most of his work in this title seems rushed and not up to the quality of his work on Messiah Complex. I don't think there are any disputes about Choi's art which offers a more realistic but equally impressive style.
All in all this is one of the best X-Men stories in the last few years and certainly the last few months. If you're looking for something to get you hyped for Messiah Complex this is the book to choose, even over Endangered Species, but even casual readers should check Blinded by the Light out.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Strong writing let down by subpar artwork., January 31, 2008
This review is from: X-Men: Blinded by the Light (Paperback)
Mike Carey, best known for his work on a couple of Vertigo titles over at DC Comics, first appeared in the X-world in 2006, and almost immediately became a fan-favourite; indeed, he has a cult among hardcore fans few can rival, arrived at quite quickly. I have never been as impressed by his work as some of those, but he is a very talented writer, with a strong grasp of the history of the X-Men, and a flair for dialogue.
Carey began his run with the promise of a famously strange lineup: longtimer Rogue as the leader; Iceman, an original X-Man normally treated as immature comic relief (like the Fantastic Four's Human Torch); former New Mutant and X-Forcer Cannonball; all respectable choices, although Rogue's leadership position was an odd choice; however, after that it just gets bizarre: Omega Sentinel, an obscure creation featured on Chris Claremont's "Excalibur" v.2; Lady Mastermind, a not-really-reformed villainess; Mystique, another of the same; and a nano-controlled Sabretooth (who dropped out before this story begins). It was an interesting lineup, bolstered by judicious appearances by the Astonishing X-Men and the New X-Men. And, after twelve issues with this strange lineup, Carey proceeds to completely disassemble it in the space of five issues, leaving only two members still standing by the story's end, the rest having been incapacitated or defecting to the villains of the piece: Mister Sinister's Marauders (including former X-Men Gambit and Sunfire). In their place, the story is largely taken over by the cast of "Astonishing X-Men" and "New X-Men".
The story involves Mister Sinister, his Marauders, and their new allies, the Acolytes (led by Exodus) seeking to recover the Destiny Diaries from the X-Men, having launched a campaign to systematically bar the X-Men from knowledge of the future (hardcore X-fans will recognize the numerous ultra-obscure characters who bite the big one in the early chapters). A multi-front war is waged between the X-Men and Sinister's force, spanning from New York, to Louisiana, to Flint, Michigan. This whole story is a leadup to the excellent "Messiah CompleX" crossover that follows thereon, and it's good buildup, ending on a very portentious note.
The one consistent mark against Carey's stories has been the art; save two issues, it has all been done by Chris Bachalo and Humberto Ramos, the latter doing essentially the entirety of the main story here. Ramos' manga-inspired style just isn't my idea of what comic book art should be, although I understand he has his fans. The real gem is the final issue, by Michael Choi, which is jawdroppingly beautiful; thankfully, Choi will be pencilling "Uncanny X-Men" post-"Messiah CompleX", and hopefully he will stick around for a while.
I was tempted to drop the rating to three points for the art, but I decided on four, because the story is more important.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An inspiringly new take on an old title, March 6, 2009
This review is from: X-Men: Blinded by the Light (Paperback)
When Marvel Editorial decided to inject new life into their X-Books, I was shocked to see Mike Carey's name attached. A writer more associated with fantasy than action, Carey's Lucifer for Vertigo is a great read but exactly the type of writing I'd associate with the X-Men. Long regarded as a quagmire of continuity-laden references and characters coming back from the dead, the X-Men was a series that enjoyed healthy sales despite its set backs. Marvel made the bold decision to snap their franchise into shape by hiring Joss Whedon, Carey and Ed Brubaker to shake things up.
While the Joss Whedon series lived in a la-la land free on any connection the Marvel Universe and the Brubaker series struck out into outer space adventures, Carey's book took the straggling left over heroes and made the best of it. Rogue takes center stage in this series and her rag tag team of former villains and also-rans makes for an intriguing series. For the first time in a long time, readers did not know what to expect in the next issue which is always a good thing. Chris Bachelo's distinctive artwork graces the series and also brings a new quality of personality that was sorely needed. Unfortunately his art is not in every issue which definitely breaks up the flow if this book. Nevertheless, I highly recommend it.
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