Uncanny X-Men #4: Not a Lot of Rockin’ or Rollin’

Gail Simone and David Marquez’s Uncanny X-Men relaunch keeps on coming, and with this issue we’re given the origin story of Sarah Gaunt. We also have Rogue and Nightcrawler on the hunt for Wolverine, who was in dire need the last time he was seen. What dark secrets does Sarah hold that has made her want to kidnap and kill young mutants? Is there hope for her yet?

Sarah Gaunt was a former lover of Charles Xavier, who ended up having a child with him. It’s clear that he didn’t want to have the child, but it’s still not clear what happened here, or if it was his rejection of the child that led to her fate as Gaunt. It’s clear that something happened that caused her to start her quest for power, but it’s clear whatever trauma that she endured is the reason why she has such a hate for mutants, especially those with ties to Xavier. Unfortunately it’s a trope that’s lost its luster after the last few decades where Marvel has done everything in their power to destroy the legacy of Charles Xavier. It’s hard to champion the cause of a man who has been made into a monster. The rest of the issue Rogue and Nightcrawler are searching for Wolverine. That lasted for about 2-3 pages.

There’s a lot that I dislike about Gail’s run thus far, but I’ll stick to the issues I have with this issue. There’s an awful lot of exposition and dialogue, unfortunately the majority of it was bad. None of the characters sound like they should, and the dialogue is clunky and flat. The fight was kinda dull to read about, and I’m unsure if it’s because of the lack of interest in the characters, or the boring story. I don’t care what happens to any of the characters involved in this story, which is something that I have a large problem with. Uncanny should be one of the flagships for the X-Men line, and it doesn’t feel like it is. The story this issue is an awkward read, the characters are dull and uninteresting to read about, the villain draws neither menace or compassion, despite the issue being billed as her origin story. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to stay invested over the next 14 issues if Gail’s story continues like this.

David Marquez’s art was the best part about the story here, yet I didn’t care for it. His style seems to have changed since I last saw his stuff during the Jason Aaron run on the Avengers, and it’s not for the better. The costumes are bland, an over reliance on telling a story with a heavy emphasis on shadows and black backgrounds, leaves little to want to indulge in the art. I’m unsure if this is something that’s going to be something he sticks with, or if it’s something that he’s experimenting with, but if he continues to draw like this, it’s going to be another hindrance in this new era for the Uncanny X-Men.