Post by The Fuj on Nov 25, 2012 21:43:47 GMT -5
PREFACE: This is QnD, this isn't going to be a huge blow by blow review of each issue. Just an overview, hitting the main points, highlighting what I liked and disliked and giving an breakdown of Plot, Art, Legacy,Writing, and Overall. I will be grading on a A-F scale. +/- will be given where its warranted but Ill try as much to not use them.
This determines if the story is BUY or NO BUY.
********THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS**********
Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire
Written: Ed Brubaker
Art: Billy Tan and Clayton Henry
Details Uncanny X-Men 475-486
After finally resolving the "3rd Summers Brother" plotline in X-Men Deadly Genesis, Kid Vulcan in a fit of rage heads off the Shi'ar Empire to exact revenge on the entire empire, sepcifically Emperor D'Ken.
Professor X then assembles a ragtag team of X-Men (and formally bringing Warpath into the team) to head to Shi'ar to stop Vulcan. The team consists of Havok, Polaris, Rachel Grey, Nightcrawler, Warpath and Darwin (a teammate of Vulcan's thought to be dead, but ressurected due to M-Day)
Vulcan tears through the Shi'ar and eventually goes head to head against Gladiator and loses. He gets thrown into prison where he meets Deathbird, who is also in prison. A secret cabal of Shi'ar frees Vulcan, who in turn frees Deathbird and they become lovers.
Vulcan then uses his powers to heal D'Ken (who has been in a coma since the Dark Phoenix Saga). D'Ken then arranges Vulcan and Deathbird to be married.
The X-Men then try to reason with Vulcan but get captured. At Vulcan's wedding, Vulcan kills D'Ken, throws Professor X into the M'Kraan Crystal, and kills Cosair (Cristopher Summers, Vulcan's father and leader of the space-pirate Starjammers.) and proclaims himself the new Emperor of the Shi'ar.
Empress Lilandra (the current ruler of the Shi'ar) is ousted as leader and forced to leave her empire with the Starjammers. Darwin resuces Xavier from the crystal, who regains his telepathic powers while inside the crystal. Darwin, Xavier, Nightcrawler, Hepzipah (of the Starjammers and Corsair's lover.)
Lilandra then jettisons half the X-Men (Xavier's bunch) back to Earth, stranding Havok, Polaris and Rachel Grey in Shi'ar space and on the run from the now Vulcan-led Shi'ar empire. Havok assumes leadership of the Starjammers and swears revenge on Vulcan for killing thier father.
Writing: A. Brubaker's writing as usual is top notch in this story. The characters are dead-on and thier interactions with one another is seamless.
Art: A. This is Tan's best work in my opinion. and the Clayton Henry as a fill-in artist on the Vulcan-centric storys was very well placed.
Plot- A. The 3rd Summers brother was a dangling plotline for years in X-Men continuity and it was resolved in Deadly Genesis, but in this story picked up and carried to new lengths. Vulcan is such a flawed character and I do not believe can not be redeemed like other X-Men villains turned heroes (Magneto...Rogue)
Legacy: B. I will say that the legacy of the story will not be picked up because this is a space opera and the X-Men only go into space every once in a while, so those characters will be in Limbo until picked up again. But they are strong characters so they will hold up.
Overall A-. This is a story that eptomizes the X-Men in Space. It ranks up there with The Brood Saga, and the Dark Phoenix Saga.
BUY.