Uncanny X-Men #12 Cuts Through The Darkness To Give Us Hope
by Tony Thornley
If Uncanny X-Men #11 was about establishing the bleak new world for mutants, this issue is about finding hope in the darkness. After what mutants have been through in the past year, it’s exactly what they need.
The next chapter in this new mutant saga comes from Matthew Rosenberg, Salvador Larocca, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Joe Caramagna.
Logan and Scott are together again, and they are determined to prevent the end of all mutants. This leads them to an Office Of National Emergency facility full of illegally incarcerated mutants. The duo free the prisoners, some of which we know–such as Magik, Havok and Moonstar–and others we don’t. Unfortunately, not everyone makes it out alive…
It’s a testament to Rosenberg’s skill as a writer to that he wrote a story that’s so dark and bleak, but hopeful at the same time. The actual conditions of the world is only a few beats away from the infamous Days of Future Past, but showing that the X-Men are fighting back against these forces elevates it. It comes together as a classic X-Men story.
The character work that the entire team puts in is another major strength. Rosenberg nails the character interactions perfectly in his script, while Larocca is able to let the beats land. Rosenberg’s color work sets the tone all through the issue, bathing panels in harsh light while filling the backgrounds with browns and greys that set the oppressive mood.
Larocca’s line art is good here but not perfect. In addition to the character acting I previously mentioned, he dials back his photoreal style a bit, which gives the pages a better sense of motion. However, character faces shift drastically in some panels, including a sequence I had to re-read a time or two to ensure it really was Wolverine I followed all across the page.
This is such a breath of fresh air for the X-line. It’s a story that’s finding its footing a bit still but really is what the line needed. Instead of wondering what mutants are going to do about extinction, they’re hitting it full force with optic blasts and adamantium. I am here for it.
Uncanny X-Men #12 is available now from Marvel Comics.
