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Uncanny X-Men #475
Book Released: 06 July 2006
Review posted: 10 July 2006
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Billy Tan
Publisher: Marvel Comics
4.50 out of 5 Stars
Reviewed by Adam White
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It’s hard to believe I remember when Uncanny X-Men #275 was a new comic, yet here we are at #475. Granted,
I stopped buying the X-titles a long time ago because they were atrocious (Chuck Austen, anyone?), but my biggest problem
with the books was that they were all directionless — not one of them had a clear mission or cast and the stories were
just rehashing everything Claremont did in his initial run. Regardless, I have a long history with the X-Men titles so every
time they get a “major revamp” I usually check out at least one issue to remind myself that they all still suck.
I thought I might luck out when Ed Brubaker came aboard on Deadly Genesis, but the first issue of that series was one
of the worst comics I read that year (I reviewed it too, yet it never got posted — I may have to break that out of the
mothballs). Glutton for punishment that I am, I decided to give it another go when Brubaker took over Uncanny with
#475, and the results may surprise you as much as they did me.
Brubaker solves two dilemmas that have plagued Uncanny right off the bat: he sets up a definite team and gives
them a definite mission. Brubaker discards the rotating cast of the last ten years or so and puts together a team that even
has an actual reason to be together — Xavier
Brubaker has wisely chosen a team of broken characters, ones that he can not only fix from a
writer’s standpoint but that can also try and fix themselves as part of the story.
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gathers the new roster because of their past anger with him and the misdeeds he has done to them. Xavier has been retconned
several times in recent years, from Onslaught onward, but the mutual distrust these characters share is genuine
regardless of the changes to the character. Brubaker pulls together this team based on their long histories as X-Men, yet
doesn’t “Lobdell” you over the head with it in exposition; in fact, I don’t recall any exposition at
all, a welcome change for the X-titles. Another boon for the title is that Xavier gathers this new team for an actual
purpose: they have to follow the recently-revealed third Summers brother into space to save the Shi’ar Empire from
destruction and help Xavier repent for his sins, thus perhaps learning to forgive him in the process. Brubaker has wisely
chosen a team of broken characters, ones that he can not only fix from a writer’s standpoint but that can also try and
fix themselves as part of the story. Warpath was an especially inspired choice, and also dominated the scene that was the
highlight of this issue.
Given Uncanny’s somewhat recent history with poor artists, I held little hope for Billy Tan (best known for
his work on X-23); Ron Garney stunk up the pages on his run, Kia Asamiya was
Uncanny X-Men #475 was honestly shocking in its quality, and far surpasses all other runs
on the book since Claremont originally left the title.
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ill-suited to the title, and the (I guess unrelated) Philip Tan produced possibly the worst art ever seen in the pages of
Uncanny X-Men. However, Billy Tan is a pleasant surprise as his style doesn’t suffer from the utter suckitude
of those other “artists.” Tan gives each character a definite look right out of the gate and provides them with
costumes that reference each one’s most classic outfit while still putting a new spin on it. Tan handles the action
and the conversations equally well, and has the ability to go far if Marvel keeps him on the title.
Uncanny X-Men #475 was honestly shocking in its quality, and far surpasses all other runs on the book since
Claremont originally left the title. By separating his team not only from the other X-Men but from Earth entirely, Brubaker
has the latitude to really make something of this series again. If Marvel gives Brubaker and Tan free reign on the book then
I have a feeling I might just become an X-Men fan again for the first time in a very long time. And that, quite frankly,
would be nothing short of a miracle. So if you’re an old-time X-Men fan who sticks to the Essentials instead of
new issues, you may just want to give Brubaker’s run a look — you might be as surprised as I am.
—CCdC—
Cover image used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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