Exiles (2001 Series) #49

July 9, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Mission Impossible

What happens when the Exiles land on a world with an Impossible Man gone mad?

Writer: Tony Bedard
Pencils: Jim Calafiore
Inks: Mark McKenna
Colors: JC
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Marts
Cover Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Publisher: Marvel Comics

In an amusing done-in-one issue, the new Exiles team lands on a world where a superpowerful Impossible Man has gone mad. Armed with the ability to transform anyone into anything, and with a mind that is no longer interested in the pesky but mostly harmless fun that has always defined the character, the Exiles have to stop him before an entire Earth is lost.

Predictably, this issue turns into a dual of the goofballs, with Morph taking on Impossible Man directly while the rest of the team tries to minimize the damage, and wind up on the sidelines for most of the fight. It’s amusing and a nice little one-shot story leading into next month’s issue #50. It seems a bit superfluous, though. Bedard came on three issues ago with a storyline set in the “real” Marvel universe, then jumped into this comic relief story. As a result, we still haven’t really gotten a grasp of the direction this series is going to take under his stewardship.

While I still applaud the decision to add Beak to the team, I have to wonder how long Namora is going to last. She’s a thoroughly unlikable character, and while that may work sometimes in order to build conflict, she doesn’t seem to add very much to this book. At least, so far she hasn’t. On the other hand, he deserves points for mining lesser-known and obscure characters like Controller to create his storylines. It reminds you that while this may technically be an X-book, the scope of the title really is the entire Marvel universe.

Jim Calafiore steps back to this title briefly, filling in for regular artist Mizuki Sakakibara, and he does a very good job. He knows each of these long-time characters, and has a great take on Beak. I especially like what he does with Impossible Man, giving him clever transformations. Of course, dealing with a version of ol’ Impy that can transform other people and objects gives him much more to play with, and he succeeds on a visual level, making everything look clever.

Hopefully next issue, the 50th, will allow Bedard to finally open up and tear into the sort of stories I started reading this book anticipating. He’s a great writer, and while his first four issues have been enjoyable, they haven’t blown me away, and that’s what I’m hoping for.

Rating: 7/10