ICYMI! Dead X-Men #2: Equal Parts Ominous And Reassuring

Steve Foxe is playing with fire — whether that fire will express itself as fireworks or ashes remains to be seen. But I’m betting on fireworks, myself. This plot is tangled, as tightly bound as the knot that Alexander solved with the blade of his sword, but all the threads remain (so far) distinct and traceable, so that the narrative is not obscured.

These threads include an alternate reality in which Emma Frost is the premiere mutant on the planet, the death of the Mutant Liberation Front, Akansi’s random time-flinging, Prodigy’s powers functioning…differently — for better, and for worse — and the unexpected loss of a foster -parent.

As before, Foxe allows each mutant at least a few lines in which they are allowed to truly shine.

The dialogue in this story crackles and pops and the action scenes (courtesy of Bernard Chang — more on him, in a moment) were both fun and appropriately emotionally effective. My one worry is that Foxe is unspooling more skeins than the length of the story will properly allow. For now, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, as his writing has been strong enough to carry a massive load of story.

Bernard Chang’s art is fantastic. His characters look like actual people — there are many body types and facial structures, on proud display. And he isn’t afraid of letting a woman ugly-cry should the moment call for it.