Uncanny X-Men #2 Review

Writer Brian Michael Bendis spent the better part of Uncanny X-Men #1 setting the stage for the team to find its footing in the second issue and in this month's installment, they do... almost. The bulk of the issue still focuses on the coming together of X-Men old and new and if it weren't for Bendis' ability to make the quiet moments between characters as interesting as the explosive action set pieces, Uncanny X-Men #2 would have felt like filler. As it is, the issue gives us a glimpse into what we can expect as far as team dynamics are concerned as the rather motley crew of mutants heads into their first real scuffle.

Though the love affair between Scott Summers and Emma Frost has been met with mixed reviews since it began, Bendis humanizes them both to a degree few writers have. The relationship between the two is in a precarious place and their struggle, one tempered by a sense of sadness tinged with hope, is grounded enough to make it relatable. There's a hefty amount of exposition as the elder X-Men explain their situation to the newcomers but Bendis manages to intersperse it with with enough conversational dialogue to keep things interesting.

Chris Bachalo's art is for the most part sleek and sexy and the first few pages featuring Emma's internal monologue are especially well designed in terms of panel layouts and coloring. Bachalo does take the occasional shortcut when it comes to the finer details which is made more noticeable by the paucity of sprawling action scenes in the issue. When panels are heavy on dialogue between relatively static figures, the flaws become less easy to forgive. Bachalo's color palette is well considered and the gradual shift in tonal themes throughout the course of the issue is a subtle but impressive trick.

Overall, it's a solid second issue that focuses primarily on setting up the action to come and with the appearance of the Avengers at the end of the issue, next month's installment should have that in spades.

Melissa Grey is a lover of all things cats, comics, and outer space. She can be found on MyIGN at MelissaGrey or lurking on Twitter @meligrey.

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