![]() We see here Xavier and Lensherr as allies and more importantly, friends. With the aforementioned scenes of violence also comes emotional depth and real chemistry between the characters. ![]() ‘First Class’ is at times, the most sophisticated of the series so far. And these are just some of the key scenes that make this film work so well, taking away the brain-dead, trigger happy mistakes of the last two X-outings and instead weaving in a more tension filled atmosphere that relies on a plot other than explosions for the sake of it. Whilst not carrying the gore-heavy violence of Vaughn’s ‘Kick-Ass’, the boundaries of a PG-13/12A rating are pushed constantly, with its cold and brutal scene of Jason Flemyng’s Azazel using his teleportation ability to dispose of C.I.A operatives in a ‘vertical’ manner and the utterance of the word ‘fuck’ by an excellent on-screen cameo. From the concentration camp and subsequent torture of young Erik (in which the first truly dark moment takes place, not even ten minutes into the film) to a grown up Erik’s use of magnetism to gain knowledge from a corrupt banker (note: metal fillings against a metal manipulating mutant with a mind for revenge is never a good thing) and his brutal pursuit of former Nazis, this is the most brutal of the X-films. ![]() Yet we still see the harshness of society’s attitude to a kind that is different from them and we see it right away. Whereas the previous X-trilogy took place in the not too distant future, by giving these characters a world in which has already existed, lends a sense of realism alongside the fact that mutants are a hidden species yet to reveal themselves to the greater public knowledge is a different spin on the world that we usually see presented. Here, a bond is formed and the idea to form a team to apprehend Shaw is put into effect. Here, Erik is looking for Shaw and murdering any former Nazis in his path until he finds a lead and when he does his first contact with Xavier takes place. Shaw pushes Erik to use his ability by employing a savage and cold way to make the boy focus and it is this ‘training’ that pushes Erik to the man he is now in 1962. We first meet Erik when he is just a boy separated from his parents in the German concentration camps and in a moment of fury and anguish unleashes his ability to manipulate metal, under the watchful eye of (you guessed it) Sebastian Shaw. Meanwhile on the other end of the spectrum is a tormented young man named Erik Lensher. It is when Xavier is contacted by CIA agent Moira McTaggart (Byrne) that he is given a chance to become a part of something, and to work alongside the government in apprehending mutant Sebastian Shaw and his ‘Hellfire Club’ who may be plotting to use the missile crisis to their own accord. He is joined by long time friend Raven Darkholme, herself a mutant, with the ability to shape shift, hiding her secret blue complexion from the real world. We see a young, slightly irresponsible professor with no real direction but harnessing a great ability of reading and sometimes controlling other people’s thoughts. This depiction of Xavier and his group of mutants takes place in 1962, with the Cuban missile crisis acting as a backdrop and mutants themselves an unknown existence. I need the space so this book joins the Culling.Whilst ‘X-Men: First Class’ shares its name with the popular comic book series that is where the similarities end. In fact, this can be a good gateway comic for new and young readers to start with the Marvel Universe. Overall, this is a fun book to read, easy and light with great stories and art. It is handy to read and lends itself to an excellent travel reading companion. It is smaller than a regular trade paperback but it is larger than manga digest. I find myself enjoying this Marvel GN trim size. I really liked that Dean Haspiel has an art style that evokes Mike Allred’s he’s a creator whose independent comics work I must check out. I wished he used his style more, instead of the glimpses he offered in some panels. ![]() Doe’s aping of the original miniseries’ Roger Cruz’ style ended flat. I was initially excited for Juan Doe’s chapter, given his reputation for his striking Marvel covers but I ended up impressed by Plati’s Jean Grey story instead. Still it has an interesting artistic line-up, mixing industry veteran in Howard Chaykin, with relative newcomers like Nuno Plati and Juan Doe and someone with indie cred like Dean Haspiel.Ĭhaykin gave a well drawn contribution as expected. This compilation does not have Parker in any creative capacity but various creators working on the one-shots. I tried out this collection of X-Men First Class one-shots because I enjoyed the two miniseries and specials penned by Jeff Parker. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |