Uncanny X-Men #3: Southern Fried Goblins

Gail Simone turns up the level on her patented, handy-dandy Southern Gothic Atmosphere Dispenser in this issue. The gang is all together, in their new rural digs, long enough to have a few heartfelt conversations before Wolverine dips out for a little plot-related brooding, and we get to see the villain indulge in some gleeful creepiness, before the story devolves into something of an exposition dump when the New Kids introduce themselves.

The new kids themselves are legitimately interesting, each imbued with the regulatory X-Men Tragic Backstory, but their personalities are well-rendered and distinct, even if the revelation of their histories could have been handled a fraction more adroitly. Nightcrawler also suffered from the nerfing that seems to be mandatory for veterans when a writer is attempting to establish that a new character is a threat. His line about enjoying furry conventions for the sake of the parties was fantastic enough to (almost) redeem the fact that this incarnation of the character seems to have forgotten how to fight.

However, that was a minor complaint. Primarily the Hallmark of this series is it’s slightly skewed, deeply creepy aesthetic coupled with the draggle-tailed catch-as-you-can circumstances that this new incarnation of the team is dealing with, divorced as they are from financing and basically every other resource. Setting them up in a sprawling, down at heel southern mansion plonked down in the middle of a swamp works, if only as an inverse of the 1990’s status quo.

Rogue continues to function as the heart and nervous system of the book, and that was a very smart choice on Simone’s part because it is clear that she knows this character right down to the dirt. Her voice rings out, pure and clear and exactly as cracked as it should be. Every panel she appears in is practically perfect, and a lot of that perfection stems from the frankly phenomenal art.

David Marquez can draw these characters for the rest of his life, as far as I’m concerned. His panels are highly detailed, fully developed, without ever reading as stuffed or too cluttered. His action sequences are easy to follow, and his characters are phenomenally well acted.

This issue was fun, deeply atmospheric, and beautifully rendered. The plot stuttered in a few places, but not badly enough to blur the intent. It’s well worth picking up.