Uncanny X-Men #26: Change of Pace

Uncanny X-Men #26 is a character-driven issue that resets the Louisiana X-Men after the Lady Darkhold storyline. The issue’s pacing is polished; every page leads into the next scene cleanly without wasting page space on heavy exposition. That pace also works well with the artwork, which gives the characters a sense of movement, such as Gambit’s and Rogue’s stroll through Woldenberg Park in New Orleans.

The issue’s focus is on its characters and developing them for the next arc beginning with Uncanny X-Men #27. Gambit and Rogue’s relationship has been at the center of Simone’s Uncanny run so far, especially with Gambit’s growing curse from the Left Eye of Agamotto, and this issue sets up their future. On the other hand, Nightcrawler’s conflicted sense of self has been a significant part of the character’s writing for a very long time, and Gail Simone brings that back in issue #26 by reviving Nightcrawler’s relationship with MacKenzie.

Vecchio’s artwork resembles an older, more classic age of the X-Men. When it comes to the characters, Vecchio draws them all with a lot of heavy lines and motion. Each character’s drawn in motion in the issue, whether it’s Gambit and Rogue walking or Nightcrawler stumbling down the stairs in his underwear. Matthew Wilson’s colors enhance the issue’s moodiness and the introspective tone that Seminole writes the characters with. The colors shift between the characters, with the Outliers each being framed with a different color palette, which makes each scene change feel natural rather than abrupt.