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    Miscellaneous Comments:    1 August, 1999

    Perfect X-Men.

    Arcade has been kidnapped by Dr. Doom. His assistant - Miss Locke - threatens the loved ones of the X-Men and Xavier pulls together a large number of team-members to launch a two-front assault on the various bad guys.

    Cool.

    Type of Series: Super-Hero Team; Action-Adventure; Science-Fiction;

    Similar Comics: The Uncanny X-Men is a team book like the Avengers or Fantastic Four, but the writing tends (as a rule) to be of a higher standard. And don't get me wrong, I love the Avengers and Fantastic Four, but The X-Men will always be the best game in town. I first encountered them through re-prints in Marvel UK's Rampage magazine. From the very beginning, with Xavier travelling all over the world to assemble a team, I was hooked. Especially by the character code-named: Wolverine. Twenty years later, I still adore the team. Part of it is nostalgia, sure, (especially in the case of the older comics) but part of it is just a genuine recognition of quality writing.

    Strengths: Christ Claremont. In the midst of all out superhero action, he finds time to write enjoyable character stuff. This issue opens with Ororo and (Kitty's friend) Stevie Hunter on a night out together, and we are made privy to Ororo's reservations about a friendship with Hunter. Sure, it has no bearing on the story about to unfold, but it is interesting, and it does humanise the X-Men's leader.

    Weaknesses: Since this is part one of a multi-part story, and it is an X-Men comic, you know that the first attempt to rescue Arcade will come unstuck. So, I suppose, for all it's brilliance, the issue is a tad formulaic.

    Plotting: Rapid and exciting. The story takes place over something like eleven locations: Lincoln Centre, Amanda Sefton's place, the Grey home, the X-Mansion, the American Southwest, Bobby Drake's college, a concorde in mid-flight, an island somewhere in the bahamas and three places within Doom's castle.

    Logic: Well, everything seems to make sense. With Arcade kidnapped it would make sense for his staff to bully a team of heroes into a rescue mission.

    Originality: None.

    Ending: Well, you just know everything is going to come up a cropper, but I didn't really expect that Arcade was part of the plot.

    Re-Readability: High.

    Impressive Characters: When Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Colossus and Angel go into action, they are a very impressive team.

    Impressive Writers: Claremont is on top form here. Character moments (like the one I mentioned with Ororo and Stevie), action-sequences, the buzz of seeing a team being put-together and [best of all] foreshadowing of events to come: Xavier is aware of a subtle shift in the Earth's magnetic field - something he feels Magneto is responsible for - and down in the Caribbean Scott Summers and Lee Forrester find themselves washed up on a deserted island.

    Impressive Artists: This issue sees Dave Cockrum's return to the book. There was a time when I didn't much care for his art style. But that was many years ago. I like his stuff now.

    Impressive Dialogue: Wolverine and his team have just entered Arcade's cell when Doom's goons arrive in battle-suits.

    Less-Than-Impressive Characters:

    Less-Than-Impressive Writers:

    Less-Than-Impressive Artists:

    Continuity: Strong. Arcade is one of the villains from 'recent' Uncanny X-Men issues, and this story picks up from Marvel Two-In-One #68 where The Thing and Angel had an indirect run-in with him.

    Guide:

    Reviews:

    Other Info:

GRADE: A

Review by Michael Leddy

Comments are welcome: dec@iol.ie

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