Written by Chris Yost; Now: Penciled by Paco Media, inked by Juan Vlasco, and colored by Mrate Gracia; Then: Art by Dalabor Talajic, colored by Juan Vlasco.
The Story: One of the apes who got the crap beaten out of him with a femur bone in 2001: A Space Odyssey has his own bone to pick with Cyclops.
The Good: Chris Yost knows his X-Men. He’s stated before that his goal is to eventually write Uncanny X-Men, and after reading his work on X-Force and New X-Men, it’s kind of weird that he hasn’t been approached for the job. First to Last is an Uncanny story rudely marginalized as a filler arc for Gischler’s X-Men run. But it’s that high stakes story that was missing from much of Fraction’s run of Uncanny from the time this came out (Quarantine…why was that story so long?). But Yost’s story, all taking place in one day, has so much weight and so much potential impact, that not being told in the flagship book is simply disrespectful.
And just as the title suggests, this story has both classic X-Men goodness (protecting a world that hates and fears them!) and some new juiciness (mutantkind was being watched over for all these years?) Yost’s story, that staggers between the current era of the X-Men (or, the era right before Schism) and the “First Class” era of Cyclops, Beast, Marvel Girl, Angel, and Iceman, gives the reader the unique opportunity to see just how much team has changed since its offset. Beast is no longer a member; Angel is a homicidal hero; Jean is dead; Iceman is jaded; and Cyclops…Cyclops went from boy scout to general. But we also get to see changes in other characters too. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver we see starting to question their father’s choices in the “Then” segments. Toad we get to see as a lackey being pushed around by both his peers and his enemies in the past, and then taking drastic measures to not be pushed around in the present. Xavier…isn’t even in the “Now” segments, which is a point in and of itself. His dream doesn’t really matter anymore. But the biggest change is by far seen in Magneto. In the “Then” segments, he is totally willing to wipe out humankind when the Evolutionaries make the offer, but in the “Now,” (SPOILER ALERT) when they return to him with the same offer, he refuses, stating “I laughed at Charles Xavier and his dream. But my dream cost me my children…it cost me everything!” He might not be saying that he’s abandoned his beliefs, but he now sees them as a downfall and not a virtue.
As impressive as Yost’s understanding of the X-Men characters is, the art in this issue. Both Medina and Talajic were excellent choices for this story. While Media has a more modern style, it isn’t so modern that it loses touch with the roots of the X-men. And Taligic, though retro, it isn’t so retro that it feels outdated and insignificant. These two artists were the perfect blend, and pages where you get to see both of their work at the same time. They’re different enough so that you always know which era you are reading, but similar enough so that the story has a sense of continuity. And some of the panels are just amazing. Medina’s first double page spread of Pillar, one of the Neo mutants, attacking Utopia has a marvelous Clash of the Titans motif that pays off in every way. I actually preferred Taligic slightly more, but that might be because of his establishing shot of the Sentinel. Using more than half a page, he creates an image of a Sentinel that isn’t monstrous, but godlike.
The Bad: Wait a minute. Seriously–you mean to tell me that there was a group of all-powerful beings whose only purpose was to protect all homo superior, but they let things like Genosha, The Legacy Virus, and House of M just happen? Of all the times to confront Cyclops on his supposed failure to lead his species, why now? Why not after House of M when they could really go “Dude, what the hell?” Why wait? And is killing all of mankind really the only trick these all-powerful beings have? As cool as the villains are, they aren’t the most logical. It’s like saying “Skittles is so much better than Good ‘N Plenty. Quick, let’s burn all the Good ‘N Plenty factories to the ground ALL AT THE SAME TIME!” Eventually Good ‘N Plenty will go away–I mean really, how much time does it have left? It might terrorize children sifting through their Halloween candy, but no one’s going to eat the side until everyone forgets they’re.
And where Hope? When the Evolutionary is making his rounds trying to determine the leader of all mutants, shouldn’t he pay the Messiah Child a visit? In fact, if it weren’t for a single line said by one of the Neo, it would be impossible to tell if this story happened before or after Second Coming. It would have probably served more use if it did come beforehand. But it’s the same question…why now?
Conclusion: Despite a plot hole or two, this is an excellent story with great art. I hope Yost does write Uncanny some day–he (and Craig Kyle) has the strongest grasp on these characters right now. And it’s also cool to see Cyclops develop his own nemesis, one that doesn’t really care much about the X-Men as he does just wanting to kill Scott Summers.
Grade: A-
-Roman Colombo
Filed under: Marvel Comics, The Graphic Novel Reader Tagged: Chris Yost, Craig Kyle, Cyclops, Dalabor Talajic, Juan Vlasco, Magneto, Marte Gracia, Paco Medina, Uncanny X-Men, Victor Gischler, X-Men, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: First to Last
