Uncanny X-Men #14

Deep within the earth’s surface lies an ego maniac’s newly created world. Mr. Sinister has shaped a perfect world in his image with a society who look & think like him. Gathering up his troops for the inevitable meddling of Scott Summers and his X-Men, Sinister rules with an iron fist. But what happens when one of his citizens revolts and tries to overthrow him?

The Pros

This is a fascinating look at one of the X-Men’s most cunning villains and the utopia he’s fabricated for himself. The cover title might say Uncanny X-Men, but don’t look for any X-Men in this issue, you won’t find any. Mr. Sinister takes the spotlight in his own made up country and lives in a castle that would make Dr. Doom jealous (not that Doom displays jealousy, but you get the picture). Sinister City has mixes of Victorean engineering with celestial energy for power & weapons. Livestock for milk, because his majesty likes milk and the entire clone population, except for his mistress(es) Madelyne, has no women… I’ll let you make your own jokes.

Even though this is an AVX tie-in, writer Kieron Gillen has given us a well deserved break from the typical & usually dull AVX tie-ins. Guest artist Dustin Weaver and colorist Jim Charalampidis’ painted visuals has a fairy tale style that really works.

The Cons

If you’re a fan of the typical AVX tie-ins Marvel usually spits out month after month, then you’ll be very disappointed with this issue.

The Outcome

This was different, but still a great read. Move over Dr. Doom, there’s a new tyrant in town and his name is Mr. Sinister! From Marvel Comics.