Before Messiah Complex came Endangered Species. This is the prelude to the X-Men Event of 2011. What does it mean to be a leader? What does it do to a person? What do the choices you make mean about the person you are? This mini-series delves into these issues and will give an X-Men reader what they need to know about their favorite mutants before everything changes in July.
This was a very solid outing, and it made me happy that I decided to pick-up this mini-series in the first place. I had originally thought I would just pass on the mini-series, but I'm very glad that I decided to pick it up after all. Although the forward progression of the threat that'll likely be focused on in Schism is almost non-existent, here the characterization of the featured characters is far worth it, especially because there's a clear focus on one character, so as to not dilute the strength of the script. I'm interested to see what comes next in the third chapter of the mini-series, as it looks like this one will focus on Cyclops himself, with likely some introspection. If anyone can make those kinds of issues/scripts work, it's Paul Jenkins, as it's definitely in his wheelhouse. Read Full Review
At the very least, though, Andrea Mutti is a somewhat better fit for the story than Roberto de la Torre was in issue #1. De la Torre's art lacked sufficient variety to differentiate the present day and flashback scenes. Luckily, here Mutti's line-work and Lee Loughridge's colors are adjusted to reflect the changes in setting and tone. Mutti's figure work lacks consistency at times, but overall this is a more visually successful entry. The question is whether issue #3 can deliver some new wrinkly to what is quickly becoming a tired approach. Read Full Review
On the plus side, this issue does largely lay out the facts of Magneto's life in chronological order for the first time since "Testament" was released, which is likely to be helpful for those who missed the series. And the art, itself, is good. The results are technically competent, but unengaging. Most damningly, the book is a poor trailer for Schism itself. Read Full Review
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