X-Men #28: Elimination X

The issue’s story is about pushing mutant morality to the edge and using the immoral personalities of our new villains from the Beyond Corporation as the yardstick to measure it by. That storyline itself is simplistic. Yet another group of sociopathic villains is trying to kill the X-Men. Their motivation? Profit. It’s not the most original story, especially when it comes to the X-Men. While most of the Beyond Corporation are pretty forgettable, the X-Men themselves are written well in this issue. Kid Omega and Magneto in particular are particularly well-penned.

Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons, and John Dell are one heck of an art team. There’s depth to the artwork that really gives scenes that pop-out look. Characters don’t blend into the scenes, and every object feels distinct from the backgrounds. The panels on each page are laid out cleanly, and the linework is smooth. Angles are used deliberately in dialogue and in action as a way to accelerate pacing; two characters arguing seems like it can explode at any turn of the page.

The issue’s level of detail combined with Arthur Hesli’s colors, which are vibrant and warm in this issue, has an animated feeling to it. As for Hesli’s colors, the fire coming off Magik’s soulsword and the beams that Cyclops fires from his visor bring temperature to the page.

Despite being featured on the cover, Psylocke is only in a small piece of the issue while Greycrow is absent save for mentions in dialogue. As they’re part of the Danger Room storyline, it’s not a big deal, but it is misleading.