X-Men #3: Home Invasion

After the breakneck speed of the last two issues Jed Mackay dials it back from 11 to a solid 7 and this allows for some much needed exposition around Scott’s team and how they came to be in possession of the Sentinel factory. Not that there’s still not a heap happening here, but rather Mackay splits the story between Scott meeting face to face in town at a diner with Agent Lundqvist of O.N.E to discuss the San Francisco incident from issue 2 and a break in by specially camouflaged government agents into the X-Men’s new home with assistance from Vanisher (I hate that guy)

For me personally it’s the best written and drawn issue of the series so far. Specifically Mackay’s portrayal of Scott as a leader, how he deals with disgruntled agent Lundqvist, his frustration with Rogue and her team and really just writing the character in a way that allows the character to breath and become three dimensional. Mackay also takes time to dig into Temper’s character a bit and and I objectively appreciate what Mackay says about Krakoa from Idie’s point of view, which builds on what Victor Lavalle was doing in Sabretooth however out of context I can’t help but feel that many readers are going to take it as a further slight against the previous era, from an x- office that is by and large viewed as anti the previous era (even if that’s not necessarily true). As for the rest of the team, Mackay doesn’t dig into their characters other than having them react to the “home invasion.” I mean if you broke into a house guarded by Magik, Psylocke, Quire, Juggernaut and Temper to try get at Cerebro, well if you got caught, you can imagine the beating that would ensue, so no surprises there but the creative team still make it fun.

As for the art, Ryan Stegman gets to draw an issue which has got some head bashing but also has some close back and forth between characters and he gets to show off emotional expression in the heated exchanges between several characters in the style he ‘s drawing this book in and it works pretty damn well. In fact I would say this the most facially expressive issue so far and between Stegman’s pencils, JP Mayer and Livesay’s inks and Marte Gracia’s colors we get exchanges where the visuals properly carry the emotional weight of the dialogue attached allowing the reader to feel characters emotions. Clayton Cowles isn’t one of the best in the business for nothing, the lettering is as always a flawless affair.

Overall it’s a solid entry that balances a little in house action drama with some back and forth interpersonal drama that also gives us some explanation as to how and why we find ourselves where we are. Mackay seems to have made the choice to give Scott PTSD and quite honestly if any X-Men SHOULD have PTSD it’s Scott. Not sure how other fans will take it, but I’m very interested to see how the creative team tackle the idea and reasonably make it a part of the story. Between the above and some humorous, pithy dialogue in a rather tense situation I’m left with the impression that Mackay is finding his feet with these characters and that the best of this book is very much yet to come.