Adam Chapman
January 7th 2005, 03:21 AM
Reviewer: Adam Chapman adam.chapman@sympatico.ca
Quick Rating: Below Average
Title: Ascension
What If Magneto and Xavier didn't become enemies, and instead worked together?
<a href="http://www.comixtreme.com/gallery/data/media/1/whatifxmen.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixtreme.com/gallery/data/thumbnails/1/whatifxmen.jpg"align="left" border="0"> </a>Writer: Chris Claremont
Pencils: Tom Raney
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colours: Gina Going-Raney
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Cover: Jim Cheung, Mark Morales & Justin Ponsor
Editor: C.B. Cebulski
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Review: It feels like this concept has been done before, and this issue honestly doesn't dish up something that we haven't already seen before. Whereas most of the other What If...? one-shots seemed to have fairly substantial changes, and a clear direction, this one skips over the actual event mentioned in the title, and tells a hackneyed, typical tale, with marginal superficial differences from the mainstream continuity.
During a confrontation involving Xavier, Lehnsherr and Baron Von Strucker, the timeline changes as Lehnsherr decides to not turn his back on his friend Xavier. The scene then jumps to the "present" for the main story in the issue. The biggest problem with this issue is the fact that very little is explained, yet the status quo is pretty much maintained. One-shots like this, with the What If mechanic, are open to interpretation and creativity, but this one lacks creativity and has glaring plot questions, such as how Kitty Pryde was found without Cerebro, how she has Lockheed, why she has blue hair, and how Storm became President of Kenya. And that's just the first few pages.
The story is just generic and boring, and doesn't manage to really entertain or bring the reader in. Xavier has to frantically put together a team of X-Men as Sentinels are launched against mutant kind. It's been told before, and much better than it has been here.
The art by Raney is solid and enjoyable for the most part, but seems to lack a certain something which is often found in his work. It's the one highlight of this issue, although the artistic changes to certain characters is pretty generic, given the artistic freedoms and liberties provided by the What If? story mechanic for the artist.
If you could only pick up one What If...? one-shot, this probably wouldn't be the one to pick up. It's substandard for Claremont, although at times it's better than Excalibur, but only because in a one-shot you don't have to pace yourself and draw your story out.
Ratings:
Story: http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/half.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Art: http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/half.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Overall: http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/half.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World and Save! (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore)
Quick Rating: Below Average
Title: Ascension
What If Magneto and Xavier didn't become enemies, and instead worked together?
<a href="http://www.comixtreme.com/gallery/data/media/1/whatifxmen.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixtreme.com/gallery/data/thumbnails/1/whatifxmen.jpg"align="left" border="0"> </a>Writer: Chris Claremont
Pencils: Tom Raney
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colours: Gina Going-Raney
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Cover: Jim Cheung, Mark Morales & Justin Ponsor
Editor: C.B. Cebulski
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Review: It feels like this concept has been done before, and this issue honestly doesn't dish up something that we haven't already seen before. Whereas most of the other What If...? one-shots seemed to have fairly substantial changes, and a clear direction, this one skips over the actual event mentioned in the title, and tells a hackneyed, typical tale, with marginal superficial differences from the mainstream continuity.
During a confrontation involving Xavier, Lehnsherr and Baron Von Strucker, the timeline changes as Lehnsherr decides to not turn his back on his friend Xavier. The scene then jumps to the "present" for the main story in the issue. The biggest problem with this issue is the fact that very little is explained, yet the status quo is pretty much maintained. One-shots like this, with the What If mechanic, are open to interpretation and creativity, but this one lacks creativity and has glaring plot questions, such as how Kitty Pryde was found without Cerebro, how she has Lockheed, why she has blue hair, and how Storm became President of Kenya. And that's just the first few pages.
The story is just generic and boring, and doesn't manage to really entertain or bring the reader in. Xavier has to frantically put together a team of X-Men as Sentinels are launched against mutant kind. It's been told before, and much better than it has been here.
The art by Raney is solid and enjoyable for the most part, but seems to lack a certain something which is often found in his work. It's the one highlight of this issue, although the artistic changes to certain characters is pretty generic, given the artistic freedoms and liberties provided by the What If? story mechanic for the artist.
If you could only pick up one What If...? one-shot, this probably wouldn't be the one to pick up. It's substandard for Claremont, although at times it's better than Excalibur, but only because in a one-shot you don't have to pace yourself and draw your story out.
Ratings:
Story: http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/half.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Art: http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/half.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Overall: http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/half.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World and Save! (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore)