Uncanny X-Men #5: Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

Uncanny X-Men #5 concludes the first arc of Gail Simone’s run with something between a bang and a whimper. The ending is something of a foregone conclusion – the bad guy defeated, the heroes triumphant – and while it’s enjoyable, something feels off about this issue, and dare I say this run thus far as well.

It’s not Simone’s fault. She (and the rest of the current X-retinue) has been given the unenviable task of following up the groundbreaking Krakoan era and return Marvel’s Merry Mutants back to something akin to run-of-the-mill superheroes. That seismic shift in trajectory is like a pendulum has swung from one extreme to the other, and the results can be nothing short of jarring. That isn’t to say Uncanny hasn’t been enjoyable, but it’s missing a secret ingredient that cannot be easily replaced.

Rogue, for example, is revealed in this issue that she’s been seeing a speech therapist to help her overcome her Southern drawl. That’s interesting, but doesn’t wholly add anything. The same can be said for the newest mutants – Calico, Deathdream, Ransom, and Jitter – who all have potential but haven’t had the space yet to be properly fleshed out and thus become compelling characters. It may be a little much to ask for a mere five issues in, but so far, not a single one of them has impressed themselves onto me as a reader yet in any meaningful fashion. Cynically, I’m left to ask: “Don’t we have enough mutants characters running around?” Surely, there are plenty of neglected youthful X-Men that could fill this void without further cluttering up the scene with new kids. And although I’m unopposed to new characters, that charge is also being filled over in Exceptional X-Men – why duplicate the effort here? Especially for such little reinvestment?

Having the new kids takes away pivotal page space from the established characters. This issue is narrated by Jubilee, which is nice – until you realize that Nightcrawler and Logan barely have anything to do, Rogue has a separate plot thread in combating Sarah Gaunt solo, and Gambit is underutilized until the finale. With that in mind, having five lead characters is plenty; there’s no need to sacrifice their page space to shoehorn in brand-new mutants, too.

David Marquez’ art is a pure joy, though, and truly the highlight of the issue. His style has a chameleonic effect depending on what he’s drawing; here, it’s a bit scratchy but with plenty of character heft to give everyone their visual moment to shine (shout-out to Remy’s box of not-Pokemon cards). Matthew Wilson’s color vibes quite well with the pencils and inks, creating a gorgeous-looking book (maybe the best-looking X-book around right now). It’s too bad the story itself feels like a puzzle that’s missing its final piece, because Uncanny X-Men has the potential to be the breakout book of the entire X-line right now. As it is now, it’s just a few pieces shy of a completed picture.