Uncanny X-Men #6: One More Sleep ‘Til X-Man Day

So after the last few issues we have finally arrived at the crux of things. Though the build up thus far was for me well paced and well thought out the payoff was sadly lacking. Whatever it was that had the three writers gelling so well up until now seems to have left the building. Did Kelly go for a coffee and leave the boys alone for too long? So much unnecessary repetition and exposition, as practically everyone has to discuss the change in Warren, individually having to ask him who’s side he is on. The whole raison d’être for triggering his change in the first place was also completely fudged over. Why WAS it necessary to do that? If it was to bring forward that other persona then I have to say….it utterly failed. He was still talking about himself in the first person and referring to Archangel as “he” and not “me”. He was questioning what they did and even the very statement “damned me to my own living hell” is kind of off kilter here. He still has choice, still has consciousness and conscience. No mindless killing machine here, not at all like the big confrontation in Uncanny X-Force and the Dark Angel Saga. Nothing to see, move along.
Then yet again when confronting Nate, yet more exposition and over explaining. And although appealing to his heroic nature was a natural course of action, when it’s made clear he has already done away with that side of himself they are all stopped so easily by some vines springing up from the ground? Omega level he may be but this was hardly the dramatic conclusion to the confrontation that was called for. I was distinctly underwhelmed. Couldn’t have put it better myself Pixie. It quite literally fell flat.
But finally the kids arrive and try a different tack, like the second generation of X-Men arriving at Krakoa. Well done Armor for getting to the heart of things. She has been criticised of late for being whiny, but to me she is simply doing what all future generations do of their elders and questioning authority in the face of what seems like illogical oppression and blind dogma. And it works. She gets the answer that his own ‘mother’ couldn’t get from him, the very thing that we all have been wondering since this began. Why Nate has changed so drastically. He is dying and in his panic has resorted to the dramatic action of reshaping the whole world as some final gift.
And then that’s when things get crazy. Much like Age of Apocalypse and Age of X it is of course Legion that ushers in the new. It could almost be seen as his secondary mutation. The final image does definitely spark some interest in me in the story to come. Throughout the issue the art was a little questionable for me, too many images of X-Men charging, as though Cinar was creating poster images with no real impact and even the colors of Rachelle could do little to lift my spirits. But in the end it is the look of Rockslide and Pixie alone that has me excited for the next issue, which is lucky as this issue was really getting to drag, both visually and narratively speaking. But now finally this is what all of these Age Of stories are about. A What If of grand proportions that gives insight into a different iteration of well known characters. And what better way than to open with those who weren’t there when it all began. The fact they are all stood in shock clearly means they are still aware of who they really are and the Age of X-Man hasn’t truly kicked in yet but I’m sure it will now pick up steam and drag us along for the ride.