Uncanny X-Men #511 Review: The Dead Shall Rise…

Hey, everyone… Here is my first review for the week I will be doing at least three so expect to see them each day for the rest of the week. To start with I am reviewing Uncanny X-Men.  Hope you enjoy it.

X-Men X-Men #511 cover Uncanny X-Men #511 (preview | thread)
Writer: Matt Fraction
Pencilers: Greg Land and Terry Dodson
Inkers: Jay Liesten and Rachel Dodson

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with the X-Men racing to Westchester in the Blackbird trying to arrive ahead of the Sisterhood. But the ladies have a teleporter so they have a distinct advantage. However, using her powers alerts the rest of the X-Men in San Fransisco so the Mastermind sisters along with Betsy are left there as bait. Storm, Emma, Karm and Dazzler arrive moments later and attack.

Maddy, Spiral, Chimera and Deathstrike jump to the grounds of Xavier’s school to retrieve Jean’s body only to find Domino waiting for them. She manages to delay the Sisterhood just long enough for Wolverine, Colossus, Northstar and Cyclops to arrive.

Back in California, Betsy and Dazzler are fighting. Psylocke nails Dazzler with a psionic knife but Alison fights back with a city noise powered laser blast. The attack ruins half of Betsy’s face and shocks her into a partial recovery of her mind. Betsy stabs her psionic blader into her own head triggering a fight with her darker self in mindscape.

Back in New York the guys are taking the fight to the Sisterhood. Wolverine slashes Lady Deathstrike, Colossus takes out Chimera and Northstar pummels Spiral. Scott attempts to stop Maddy but his optic blast does not hurt her and she begins to merge with Jean’s body.

In the mindspace, Betsy defeats her alter ego and emerges triumphant back in her ninja body. The rest of the X-ladies beat up the Mastermind girls.

Maddy’s attempt to bond with Jean goes horribly wrong and Scott reveals that they had moved Phoenix’s body already. Without a powerful mutant to inhabit, Maddy’s power turns on her and burns her out. Without a leader, the rest of the Sisterhood flee stopping only long enough to pick up the sisters in San Fransisco.

The issue ends with Beast sneaking into Scott and Emma’s bedroom that night and informing them he is taking his Science Team on a mission. He also says he knows about both of their secrets and that he will have it out with them when he returns.

MY TAKE:  The comic was pretty good if not what I was expecting. This was another action issue and it did a pretty good job of keeping the focus on that. There were plenty of characters but not so many that it was overwhelming. There was not much plot or characterization but you do not expect too much of that in a combat oriented issue. The fight scenes were decently done even if I would have preferred to see a little bit more of what happened rather then just the consequences.

This was meant to be the climax of a fairly major story arc, however, and it did not feel like it. The whole issue felt rather rushed as if they were trying to cram two issues of fighting and conflict into one. Perhaps that is simply logical since it really had two distinctly different fights that it bounced back and forth between for the entire issue.

There were also a couple of glaring plot holes for me personally. The first is that they had to fly to Westchester and Maddy even comments that they do not have a teleporter. Last I looked Pixie was still around and in fact had been teleporting people as recently as the previous issue. Secondly, I was highly confused at how Betsy managed to fight inside her own head in her British body and then somehow wake up in another body. Defeating her dark side should not have managed to completely switch her to ninja form.

I do have to mention the annoyance I felt at the cover and solicitations as well. I did not truly believe they were going to bring Jean back this quickly but it seems crude to use her to sell more copies. In fact the whole issue seemed to be a way to return to the status quo. Sisterhood is defeated but all the women except Maddy are loose. Betsy is back in her more familiar body and Jean is still dead.

In any event, the comic itself was a pretty good read with some fun scenes and good action. I am definitely enjoying the increased focus on a smaller cast and the decrease in the amount of ongoing story lines. Not every issue can have a long and meaningful impact on continuity. Sometimes a comic is just a fun read.

Thanks for reading my review for Wolverine Files. I will be keeping to this format for the most part but please keep the comments coming and I will see everyone again tomorrow.

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DF
14 years ago

“I do have to mention the annoyance I felt at the cover and solicitations as well”

Yeah. I feel the same about the cover. I remember when Marvel did same with Astonishing X-Men 5, they did a fake cover with a bird on fire, anyway.

But let’s not forget that in issue 510 (if I remember correctly) Jean told Emma in her astral form that she will come soon.

jrpbsp
14 years ago

Yes there have been clues beyond just this issues art and copy and the next issues which said something about the popular X-woman’s return. Of course now we know they meant Psylocke but it was an obvious ploy.

In particular there was a scene in X-Men Kingbreaker when Rachel lost her Phoenix Force and called out ‘Mom?’

lebeau32
14 years ago

I’m confused and it could be because I don’t follow the X-men like I used to do, but wasn’t Jean already resurrected? I thought she went to the White Hot Room in” end song.” How is it that Cyclops siad they moved the body?

jrpbsp
14 years ago

Yep you are correct but I believe that supposed to be merely her mind or spirit that did so leaving her body dead. The White Hot Room is a sort of afterlife for the Phoenix right now.

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