Review by Karl Verhoven
This isn’t one for readers who don’t lap up the complexities of the psuedo-science in X-Men continuity. As seen in Vol. 2, some X-Men know the ruling Quiet Council has been corrupted by Mr. Sinister, and over the opening pages Kieron Gillen sorts that out, but the requirement is an awful lot of explanations. That’s because how things play out isn’t a matter for Immortal X-Men, but is instead seen in Sins of Sinister. A consequence is removing the hangnail of Destiny’s awareness of the future, or at least in part, and having featured a strong Storm throughout, Gillen closes the opening chapter by having her make a possibly fatal mistake. It’s all very intelligent, but doesn’t hit that sweet spot where it’s also entertaining often enough.
It’s a prelude to everything falling apart. Some Quiet Council members have always been devious in following their own agendas, but with enough good hearts compromised the centre is eroding. As the absent Mr. Sinister has been very responsible, we spend some time in the company of Doctor Stasis, who may be another of his clones, or is perhaps the genuine Nathanial Essex. He certainly believes that, as he believes Mother Righteous is a clone of his dead wife Rebecca. It’s not very often that a story featuring Mr. Sinister in any incarnation can be classified as melancholy and wistful, but this one is, and never mind the character in romantic mood. “I love you. That will not change”, he declares, “that is who I am”. He’s also the scorpion in the fable who persuades a frog to transport it across the river. Which wins out isn’t decided here, but it’s a fine diversion from the remainder, also clever, but far more accessible.
Lucas Werneck is handed an odd task overall. X-Men titles are action-based, yet Immortal X-Men is anything but. Machinations, politics and conversation dominate, so he draws drama, but with only brief pauses for action, yet handles both with a tidy efficiency. The same applies to Paco Medina on Mr. Sinister’s interlude chapter.
After a faltering opening chapter Gillen pulls things back together, but an external factor again contrives to undermine him. Marvel’s certainty is they can squeeze ever more money from fewer fans by combining four standard comics and calling it a graphic novel. Will the breaking point ever be reached?
With a dysfunctional Quiet Council either sniping at each other or actively at each other’s throats there doesn’t seem to be much hope for the X-Men at the end of this volume, and Vol. 4 ends the continuity, although there is one further collection.
