X-Men (1991 Series) #194

December 26, 2006

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Primary Infection Part 1
Rating: A

A plague is about to be unleashed.

Writer: Mike Carey
Pencils: Humberto Ramos
Inks: Carlos Cuevas
Colors: Edgar Delgado
Letters: Cory Petit
Editor: Andy Schmidt
Cover Art: Humberto Ramos
Publisher: Marvel Comics

As Rogue’s team searches for the truth about the mysterious Pan, the Beast continues his examination of a stranger who dropped dead outside of the gates of Xavier’s. Meanwhile, a plague is in the works that could threaten all mutantkind.

Mike Carey still seems like an odd choice for the X-Men, but he’s definitely brought his own flavor to the title. The opening scene in the bar includes some dialogue that’s incredibly Carey-esque, and he’s culled some very unusual characters to join the team (and I don’t just mean Sabertooth and Mystique). Sometimes the weirdness works, sometimes it doesn’t. There’s a character, for example, who calls himself a “reverse Typhoid Mary,” but as far as I can tell, he’s exactly like Typhoid Mary.

Humberto Ramos, likewise, is an odd choice, but I think he’s a better match all-around. He has a good feel for basic superhero storytelling and most of his character designs work as well. I particularly like his version of the Beast, right down to the bow tie.

I give Carey credit for trying something a little different with the X-Men – not enough writers are willing to do that. In execution, it’s a mixed bag of stuff that fits and stuff that doesn’t.

Rating: 6/10

Runaways Saga #1

March 19, 2007

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Runaways Saga
Rating: T+

Just in time for Joss Whedon to take over – the whole history of the Runaways!

Writers: C.B. Cebulski & Mindy Owens
Pencils: Humberto Ramos
Inks: Carlos Cuevas
Colors: Christina Strain
Based on stories by: Brian K. Vaughan
Flashback Art: Adrian Alphona, Takeshi Miyazawa & Mike Norton
Editor: Jennifer Grunwald
Cover Art: Humbero Ramos
Publisher: Marvel Comics

With Brian K. Vaughan leaving this book and passing it on to Joss Whedon, a special like this one is a shrewd move on Marvel’s part. It’s pretty simple – the other Runaways stumble across little Molly’s diary and as they read it, we get a nice, convenient recap of the entire series to date. That’s it.

The device is simple and it works perfectly. Cebulski and Owens do a fairly convincing job of writing the text as though it was flowing from the pen of an 11-year-old girl, and the brief four pages of new material, while not particularly adding anything to the saga, fit the story just fine. Humberto Ramos handles both the cover and the framing sequence, and his style fits pretty well with the Runaways characters.

There’s not much else to say about this issue. If you’re a longtime reader of this book, there’s really nothing new for you here. If you haven’t read the title before, though, and you’re thinking of jumping on-board to follow Whedon’s run, this one-shot is a perfect way to get yourself up to speed.

Rating: 8/10