Uncanny X-Men #11: Fun And Games, X-Men Style

Gail Simone continues to astonish with her writing, which highlights her Janus-like ability to look forwards and backwards at the same time. She looks forward by propelling the relationships of established characters in new and exciting ways, even as her dialogue and exposition cheerfully nod at past great storylines.

As an example of this, consider her all-new, all-different danger room sessions. They’re brutally low-tech (resembling a super-powered rodeo) but they allow her the chance to stretch Rogue’s leadership abilities by forcing her into the uncomfortable position of having to think like Cyclops. This entire sequence also provided readers with the opportunity to examine the good old concept of ‘fun and games, X-Men style’ through an entirely different lens. That’s not the only double duty her dialogue serves: Simone is constantly slipping in linguistic quirks that were taken directly from Claremont’s stories, little stylistic nods. Take, for example, the speech rhythms she lent to Deathbird when she has the warrior say, ‘and that, little traitors, is something you will never accomplish’. That brief pause, incorporating a contemptuous diminutive, is pure Claremont.

When I said that Simone is pushing the boundaries on relationships, I meant more than making Gambit and Rogue’s relationship so much more sensual than it has ever been (I don’t care who you are, ‘kiss me soft, then deep’ is hot) she’s also taking Xavier to places that other writers have touched upon but never truly reached.

Some writers bang the drum about Xavier’s many failures as a father every chance that they get, but never with this sense of nuance, and never with an eye attuned towards the idea of redemption. Nobody has ever asked the question, ‘How far is Xavier willing to go in order to redeem himself to his children?’ The answer is as convoluted, as complex, and as flawed as the man himself.

Of course, Comics are a visual medium. In this instance, words are nothing without images. Javier Garrón’s line work is dynamic, lucid, and detailed enough to give this world a realistic, lived-in feel that is entirely appropriate to the art. It’s bright, rough, occasionally a little dirty, and absolutely perfect for the story that he and Simone are telling.

I just can’t wait to see what happens next.