Uncanny X-Force #2
Note: I did not read Rick Remender's run on Uncanny X-Force. So, any complaints I have about being a bit lost could be entirely unfounded.
Uncanny X-Force has been off to a rocky start. It certainly is hard to follow the run that everyone had been talking about, and Sam Humphries has some pretty big shoes to fill. Every time I mention that I haven't read Remender's run, I'm greeted with blank stares. So it seems that all eyes are going to be on Humphries as he takes over.
I hope Humphries can step out of Remender's shadow, but after two issues, I'm still almost totally in the dark about what's actually going on. Now, I don't expect things to be resolved or know everything about what's going on, but I'd like to know something.
It certainly could be worse. I mean, I could just be flat out not interested in what's going on. At least Humphries has kept me hooked into his tale. It's a bit like reading a Sherlock Holmes novel without really knowing what he's investigating or knowing what he's thinking. If that sounds frustrating, that's probably because it is.
It sounds about as frustrating as reading an issue of a comic with three seemingly unrelated story lines. Now, of course they're going to be related in some way. You don't waste pages on things that don't matter. A little clue of how they might together would be excellent.
So I don't look like a fool with zero reading comprehension, I'll tell you that one starts to tie in. That does a lot to help me actually enjoy this book. I complain a bit about what's going on, but seeing a hint of the cogs working together is a great feeling. I really hope the next issue gives me a bigger view of the whole machine, though.
Ron Garney's pencils aren't bad. In any other book I would say they were great, but I'm sure this book is going to have a lot of action in it and Garney doesn't seem to shine at that. A lot of the poses that Betsy is shown in during a fight seem a little off.
They aren't anatomically incorrect or even look uncomfortable. I'm just left wondering what she was doing to end up there. I keep trying to puzzle out how exactly she punched that guy or sometimes just where in the maneuver she was to end up how she is, and I can't. It's a bit distracting.
It's the colors that really shine in this book, though. Especially on the scenes in the nightclub. The flashing lights allows a way to set the mood of the scene without making it seem really stylized. It was a nice way to make what could otherwise be a very boring page pop.
This book is worth reading, but you might have a better experience to wait for the trade on this one. That way you don't have to wait a month to see another piece of the machine.