Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 4: Vs. S.H.I.E.L.D.

Uncanny X-Men (2013) (Collected Editions)

by Brian Michael Bendis, Chris Bachalo (Illustrator), Tim Townsend (Inker)

After relentless persecution and a near-fatal Sentinel attack, the Uncanny X-Men and their mutant revolution take the offensive! Their target? The international spy organization S.H.I.E.L.D.! But as the members of Cyclops' team fights to save their species, are they only digging themselves into a deeper and more dangerous hole? Who is the mysterious figure building S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Sentinels? What happened to Dazzler after Mystique replaced her? And is S.H.I.E.L.D. really responsible for the attacks? Then, it's an Original Sin tie-in as Charles Xavier's last will and testament is discovered, but what's concealed within its pages might be the X-Men's ultimate undoing! Could a previously unknown power now be their greatest threat? How will the Uncanny X-Men cope with the shadows of Xavier's past?

Collecting: Uncanny X-Men 19-25

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, X Men, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

168 pages, Hardcover

First published September 16, 2014

About the author

A comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.

Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.

Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.

Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.

Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.

Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.

He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictable storylines.


I got this in its single comic book issues, but I chosen this TPB edition to be able of writing a better overall review.


This TPB collects “Uncanny X-Men” #19-25.


Creative Team:

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Illustrators: Chris Bachalo & Kris Anka


X-MEN VS SHIELD: DAWN OF PREDICTABILITY

There is a Mutant Revolution. Scott Summers aka Cyclops is its face.

And since the beginning of this run of Uncanny X-Men there was some hidden figure conspiring to put The X-Men (Scott’s team and Wolverine’s team alike) against SHIELD.

Whenever Scott’s Uncanny X-Men appeared, not matter how abrubt had been the decision to go some place, quite soon a new kind of Sentinels appeared to try to destroy them. Tensions got higher when it was discovered that that new Sentinel technology was developed by SHIELD.

Scott Summers and Maria Hill, Director of SHIELD, both tried, on their own sides of the conflict, to guess who was behind of this insidious operation, lining up the usual suspects but all was fruitless dead ends.

Until a dreadful suspicion arise…

…so, Scott’s Uncanny X-Men goes to Logan’s school to check out about that suspicion.

And it was when all the mystery goes pooft! No, I won’t spoil it, but even me that my knowledge about what the heck is going on in current X-Men titles is limited and conservative, once they postulated that suspicion, I just needed a couple of nano-seconds to guess who was behind this insidious attacks, and a couple of issues later, I found out that I was right.

I don’t know what was worse, that it was so obvious who was the hidden figure or how absurdly elaborate was the call of using that character, totally detached of what was supposed to be developed in this title, since I am still waiting that so-called Mutant Revolution.

Besides that while the battle of X-Men and SHIELD against the hidden menace was cool and entertained, it fell in the cliché scenario:

-Good team vs Good team, then both goes vs Real Evil Character.

Oh, but they combined the TPB with another following storyline…


A TESTAMENT WITHOUT WILL…POWER

Jennifer Walters (aka She-Hulk) besides being one of the famous Gamma-irradiated heroes in the Marvel Universe, she is a quite good attorney, and she received in her desk the last will and testament…

…of Charles Xavier.

So, she goes to the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning (opened by Wolverine) and calls all the interested to the hearing of the said testament.

It could a real cool story, but…

…a Marvel Event got in the middle.

I realized when I was reading Invincible Iron Man and now Uncanny X-Men that while some of the Marvel Events are cool to read the main issues, it provokes a mess in the tie-in titles. Creative Teams are working on their own storylines and bam! They have to put everything on hold for two or three issues just to insert an isolated and irrelevant sub-event to tie-in with the main Marvel Event.

In this case, it was Original Sin.

One could think that if the choice in Uncanny X-Men to tie-in with the Marvel Event was the last will and testament of Charles Xavier, it could be something cool, and it could be, it just that well, it didn’t work in that way.

Because something so huge like the last will and testament of Charles Xavier fell into the merge of two cliché scenarios:

-Good character done something dark in the past and friends found out.

-A mutant arise with a power level so huge that existence is in peril.

And here I am, still waiting for the Mutant Revolution.

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

A post AvX lesser powered Magneto still wants to wage war against anti-mutant forces, but is reduced to having to to be covert in this breath of fresh air book. A wonderful depiction of a shaven headed, weather beaten but still determined Magneto carving out yet another legacy and with the perfect artwork to match! 8 out of 12. Four Stars.

2018 read

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most people in the Marvel universe want, at the very least, to punch Scott Summers aka Cyclops aka leader of the rebel X-Men aka murderer of Charles Xavier aka world-class douche in the throat. In this volume, Captain Killjoy has another axe to grind and his anger is the axis in which this story revolves.



Ha Ha! Who are you trying to kid, bub?

Scott Summers, also a fugitive from SHIELD because of the whole killing of Professor X thing, is having a problem with Sentinels trying to blow up his students, so he assumes that SHIELD is behind the hullabaloo.



Now he can add creepy stalker to his C.V.

So he’s got a plan. It involves revenge. Of course he does - they always have some vengeful, misbegotten plan.



Show the kids how it’s done Professor Pout.

Also contained herein is the last will and testament of the late Professor Charles Xavier. In order to read it, a bunch of X-Men who want to bitch slap one another need to be in the same room.



The Professor has two big reveals: 1. He was once married to Mystique – Gadzooks! 2. There’s a level gazillion mutant out there who needs to have his psychic dampers checked – yawn.



Bottom line: Bendis continues to hit screaming line drives into the gaps with his witty, well –rendered X-Men work. The S.H.I.E.L.D. storyline really hums along at a breakneck pace and the reading of the will storyline was a decent way to do a more reflective piece.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pot Luck Buddy Read



If you haven't been keeping up with this title, there may be SPOILERS in this review.
{insert spooky voice}
You've been warned! Ooga Booga Booga!

As the title suggests, Cyclops and his Uncanny X-men declare war on S.H.I.E.L.D., and hilarity naturally ensues.



Now, this isn't a spoiler since you're also getting things from Maria's POV, but all the attacks on the Scott's crew are only being made to seem like they're coming from S.H.I.E.L.D. I fucking hate typing out that acronym, and she's scrambling to figure out what the hell is going on.
When they finally do the Big Reveal at the end, I was a bit...
Underwhelmed?



Yes, I knew who the character was, but it was more WTF? than WOW!, if you know what I mean.
Maybe this was something I would have found cool if I had been following all of the other multiple X-titles out there? Not sure.

Anyway, the war with S.H.I.E.L.D. Goddamn it! All those freakin' capital letters and periods! was secondary for me. There were plenty of other highlights in this volume.
Such as...
The unmasking of Mystique, who has been posing as Dazzler since volume 1! FINALLY we find out where Dazzler has been kept, and we also get Magneto back for a bit when he pulls off her rescue.
Although, she does go through a bit of an identity crisis after she gets back.



Do we like Dazzler's new look, or is it too gimmicky?
Well, I will say that now it's a helluva lot easier to tell her apart from Illyana and Emma Frost. Before? I sometimes had to squint really hard, because the blondes tend to blend together.
I don't know, though. Jury is still out on Angry Dazzler for now.



The really juicy bits of this thing have to do with a buttload of secrets that get spilled when She-Hulk shows up at the Jean Grey school with Xavier's will!



Naturally, everyone has to be present in order for her to read it.
Dum, dum, dum...
Which means that the X-men have to invite Scoot & Co. over for tea.



To me, the secrets the old man had been keeping made the whole volume worth it. I still can't believe...



Get this review and more at:

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well fuck me silly, despite the hate Bendis run gets, I had a fucking fantastic time reading this volume. This is the first time Uncanny X-men made me excited throughout. Why? Because we going to WAR baby! Well for like 2-3 issues but still.

Scott is like still a dick, but you kind of feel for the dude...kind of. And Maria Hill is like "Listen Dawg you need to chill" but Scott is just like "Nah man, you fucked with my people, I got my EYE on you. LASER EYE!" Oh shit snap and crackle with a pop. So then after Scott tells Hill to basically fuck off he goes after the X-men and bam boom bang it begins. However, this is also a tie in to Original Sin. What's that you say? That's that crossover event when everyone has a big secret that'll change the life of everyone! Xavier has a couple and it brings all our favorite x-men together from Wolvie, to Cyclops, To Kitty and more!

What I liked: Man oh man Scott being a total prick is entertaining as hell. Also, how great was that moment when the X-men go visit Scott and his people with their 4 man team and Scott comes out with like 25 and they don't give a flying fuck. Iceman can own you all bitch. Oh and then the whole "Twist" actually worked here. And it's conflicting too because who is bad who is good really? By the end it got me excited for the direction of this series.

What I didn't like: The twist on the culprit behind the attacks is a little meh. Also, the time traveling thing is getting a bit much on that end.

Overall this was entertaining, well paced, and one of the better tie in event comics. I really loved the ending and it got me hyped to see where it's going. Haters gonna hate, but Bendis, I like. That's what matters <3

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wraps up some of the ongoing story threads, while leaving others intentionally dangling and opening up new possibilities. I was happy with the direction this book was taking, and the unfinished plot with Xavier's will seems like it's going somewhere interesting. Totally not thrilled with the Dazzler redesign, though. The angsty haircut-and-dyejob is just such a tired cliche, and I could have done without.

[Ｆｒａｎｋｈ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The one phrase I can accurately describe the fourth volume of Brian Michael Bendis' The Uncanny X-Men with is that it's been 'a series of escalations'. The previous volume was comprised of oneshots that are more or less independent of one another. It's something I immensely enjoyed but perhaps a more critical reader will find the lack of a unifying arc as wasteful. Luckily, Bendis answered that expectation by getting us back on track with The Uncanny X-Men Vs. S.H.I.E.L.D which ran from issues #19-25.

Since the events from AVX and Scott Summers' murder of Professor X, mutants relations with the government especially the S.H.I.E.L.D agency have been more tense than the usual, and this friction will ultimately play out for this volume's plot. Current head Maria Hill is hunting down Cyclops and his colleagues Emma Frost, Magik and Magneto, believing them as the new face of a more radical mutant revolution. Meanwhile, Scott has recruited young and promising mutants and, together with his colleagues, has been training them for combat and bringing them into missions. Essentially, The Uncanny X-Men allows readers to experience progress and evolution of Scott's new team of heroes, as well as sympathize with the struggles they have against their usual public enemies, both super-powered and human. This Bendis title started rather weak in its first debut but has steadily become an engrossing, exciting and well-crafted tale that's part-Shakespearean drama, part-coming-of-age story and part-political intrigue.

The Uncanny X-Men Vs. S.H.I.E.L.D probably serves as the climactic point of the series' narrative where chess pieces laid before in the previous volumes are finally coming out to play across the board. This include the ongoing strife and misunderstanding among Scott's team, Wolverine/Storm's school, and S.H.I.E.L.D. Whenever Scott's convictions and reputation, alongside his infringed team, are being questioned, the faculty and student body of the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning also take heat which is somewhat unfair when the X-Men have obviously been divided into two distinct factions since AVX and Xavier's death. To Maria Hill, that difference doesn't matter. Mutants have been engaging in more revolutionary phases that she and S.H.I.E.L.D want to limit as much as possible which only end up making things worse.

Special Agent Hill even employed the assistance of one Alison Blaire (a.k.a Dazzler) as her mutant liaison which shape-shiffter on-and-off villainness Mystique took advantage of. She abducted Dazzler and posed at her for a good amount of issues. While stashed away, Alison's mutation was used to sustain a mutant growth hormone for the population of Mandripoor where Mystique created a new haven for mutants to roam free and indulge every whim. Magneto (who was battling his own demons after the death of his best friend) managed to rescue Alison from captivity and he agrees to help her take revenge on Mystique.

On the other hand, new kind of Sentinels are hunting down X-Men again, this time having the ability to suppress mutation while near vicinity. Magik is the only one who can defend them, considering she can tamper with her sorceress powers from Limbo, something she has been able to handle much better now, thanks to the tutelage of Dr. Strange. Hijack, a mutant recruit Scott let go of last time, came back to help them defeat the Sentinels and earn his place back in the program. The instigator behind this mass production of new Sentinels is no other than Dark Beast, much to Dr. McCoy's chagrin. Scott and Hank's friendship continue to deteriorate as well as Bobby's respect for Scott.

These two major conflicts (Sentinels vs X-Men vs S.H.I.E.L.D; and Dazzler's quest to get even with Mystique) have been interesting to follow with plenty of restrained exposition in favor of more action-oriented panels which I really preferred. The visual composition for this series has been one of the most recognizable and fun from all the MARVEL NOW! titles I'v encountered so far. There is also plenty of humor to be had in spite of the undermining seriousness of the situations which is really a trademark quality of any Marvel comic book. The most critical storyline for this volume, however, had to be the one with Charles Xavier's last will and testament. The build-up for that issue alone was palpable. Everyone can't agree if Scott Summers should be there but legal representative Atty. Jennifer Walters (She-Hulk) insisted and so after much debate, they fetched Scott from his secret school (Weapon X facility, much to Logan's understandable distaste). The youth were left at the secret school under Emma's care as Scott was accompanied by Magik back to the Jean Grey school. The last will and testament was a hologram and midway through the Professor revealing his greatest shame and secret (and NO, apparently it wasn't MARRYING MYSTIQUE BEFORE HIS DEATH), they had to take a break because it's so SURREAL TO SEE the Professor speaking again, granted it was only a projection. AND YES, XAVIER AND MYSTIQUE GOT IT ON. It was so...weird! I love the sibling relationship they had in the James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence versions (and I do ship them to a degree) but comics-Mystique and Xavier are...just weird together in a romantic context. BLEH. Magneto should have joined this gathering. I would love to see how he would react to this news.

Now everyone figures out why Mystique has gone off the rails after her husband's death. AND THE JEAN GREY SCHOOL MAY OR MAY NOT BELONG TO HER. Logan revealed that he signed back the property to Xavier before he died. So...the widow gets her late husband's possessions, right? Well, Storm ain't having that! But that upsetting news is just a sideshow.The real main attraction is the secret Professor was tackling concerning the mutant Matthew Malloy whose powers are so uncontrollable he can destroy everything in his path with just a single thought. Said adult Malloy has been seen in between pages causing disasters within close vicinity of him. And Xavier is begging the X-Men to help him and ensure he doesn't remember what he is capable of which meant all available psychics at their disposal must help repress Mallow's memories and put the strongest locks in that Pandora's box. As we have see at the end of this volume, they may be too late. Malloy looked like he embraced his fullest potential on that last panel. Also, it's worth mentioning that Scott has been slowly but surely adjusting properly to the fact that he had killed Xavier (well, not according to Bobby at least. He argued that Scott still keeps looking for an excuse to justify the murder). But it's still going to be a looooooong way to go before he gets absolved by everyone else...including by his own judgment.

Volume IV had been so magnificent and entertaining all throughout and I was so THRILLED to see Charles Xavier again in a pseudo-flesh presence or whatnot. I'm not even going to bitch about Magneto's startling absence and the severe lack of Cherik in this volume because that's how amazing the overall content of this volume had been. Hopefully, we will get Magneto again in the next volume since he had agreed to help Dazzler track down Mystique. In my headcanon, he'll find out about the marriage between Ravena and Charles and he will definitely have something to say about that trite affair. Can't wait for the next installment. SRSLY!





[CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE]

RECOMMENDED: 9/10

DO READ MY REVIEWS AT:

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good one!

OMG this felt so epic! It starts with Mystique making her move and all that and we see SHIELD going after Hijack who has been fired from the X-Men and then we se SHIELD confront Scott who is in the Jean Grey school to meet Beast and its a situation where all 3 parties are in the same place and then the real Dazzler comes in and we find out whats been going on and the coming of the sentinels and well we find out the real person behind it and its a great revelation and I didn't see it coming but its fun Dark Beast . Though I would have liked to see more of the villain and his motives explored in detail rather than just been forgotten in a second.

But it makes for a good read and I love the drama and tension there and what the team does next and well the way all the situations resolve itself is awesome and then we have the last will of Xavier and we see what original sin he kind of did and the origins and power of Matthew Malloy that changes everything and its also fun to see the conflict between both the factions of the X-Men and its great to see the art of Anka which is so good omg I just love it! One of the best volumes of the series so far!

[Terence · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Uncanny X-Men time and time again are being attacked by sentinels as soon as they teleport to help a new mutant as well as more random times like at a pro-mutant rally. Cyclops intends to get the truth of what's happening even if that means battling S.H.I.E.L.D.

When Professor X's last will and testament is read, the X-Men learn some shocking new information.

Vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a really misleading title because the X-Men don't really even fight them. This title should have been Answers because that's what this issue provides more than anything. Some of the answers are satisfactory while others left me groaning mildly. No worries though this volume still has the expected destruction and hatred every X-title provides.


Vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. was a good volume, but I'm still hoping for something more from the next volumes.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't help but think that when I decided to stick with All-New X-men monthly over this that I chose the wrong Bendis X-men book. A lot of plot lines come to a head in this volume (the identity of that guy who was on the cover of New Avengers that you forgot about who Bendis decided to stick into the X-men is revealed as well as the fall out between Mystique and Dazzler), making this a good read. As stuff is tied up, new plot threads begin as a new mutant is revealed who is closely linked to Xavier (the nu mutant and Xavier seem to have a relationship not too dissimilar than Jean and Xavier? This probably intentional by Bendis, maybe?) I wish Kris Anka drew the whole volume as well cause I prefer his art over Bachalos.

Bendis is also telling an interesting long-term story with Scott Summers. This means that he'll sometimes revisit character points several times in an arc, and even an issue, but he's also trying to take the character somewhere from point A to B. From being branded the murderer of Xavier to being the leader of the new mutant revolution to wherever he's taking him next (the next Xavier archetype for the X-men?) the comic book nerd in me is interested. Reminds me a little of what he did with Luke Cage in Avengers, which sometimes be boring and tedious but at other times interesting.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wish Bendis would take a big step back from the giant pile of Marvel series he's writing and really just focus on nailing one of them. He's spread all over the universe, and as such pretty much none of his current series are paying off.

For instance, this volume finally sees the X-Men unveiling the mysterious person behind all the super-advanced Sentinels that have plagued them since the beginning of this series. It's been one of the driving narrative forces behind this series, and one of its most nagging questions. I might go even so far as to say it's the only thing keeping me interested. And here, well. The answer's just kind of plopped out, via an incredibly anti-climactic and unsatisfying twist. Turns out, this whole time it's been Dark Beast operating behind the scenes. A character from another universe who we have not seen or heard from in this storyline at all. I think the last time we even saw him was in Remender's Uncanny X-Force run years ago. It's totally unearned and not even remotely shocking.

Then we move on to the Original Sin tie-in (sort of?), which is three straight issues of exposition. That's it. It's three issues of X-Men standing around, almost exclusively in one room, arguing about Xavier's will. Then it's just the will being read. Nothing happens. I have no idea how it connects to Original Sin (I guess just because She-Hulk "realized" there was a will, but a will shouldn't be a secret?). It couldn't be more boring if it were just blank pages. I guess it will all pay off in the next volume, but I don't even care at this point.

So, if you're thinking about getting into either of Bendis's X-Men series, I'd say just skip them altogether. They aren't going to pay off. Same probably goes for Guardians of the Galaxy, but I'm going to give it a few more issues for some reason. And to think Bendis used to be my favorite Marvel writer!

[Tomás Sendarrubias García · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bueno, pues después de haber estado preparando durante varios meses el conflicto entre el equipo de Cíclope y SHIELD, había llegado el momento de que estallara ya de una vez, y Bendis iba a detonarlo en este nuevo arco, Contra SHIELD. Con Kitty y su equipo desaparecidos en el espacio (recordad que estaban metidos en el jaleo del Juicio de Jean Grey con los Shi'ar), Cíclope y los demás están dispuestos a todo para recuperarles, incluso si eso supone tener que obtener los recursos de SHIELD... para lo cual tienen que resolver primero el enigma de por qué SHIELD está utilizando centinelas para intentar cazar a Cíclope y compañía.

¿Pero es realmente SHIELD quien está detrás de esto? Porque sabemos que Mística está reemplazando a Dazzler... ¿puede ser Mística quien está detrás? ¿O hay alguien más?

De hecho, la cuestión de fondo de este arco es quién está detrás de los ataques a la Patrulla-X y cómo han conseguido hackear Cerebro para poder atacarles cada vez que acuden al encuentro de un mutante nuevo. Y así van a ir las cosas, con Cíclope y los suyos intentando no verse aplastados y no arrastrar al resto de los mutantes a la destrucción...

¿Y qué tal está el arco? Pues bueno... apañado, no mucho más. Es que Bachalo me cuesta, de verdad.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good. The outcast X-Men get hunted by both SHIELD and Sentinels, and She-Hulk shows up with the Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier. Because everyone hates Scott Summers now, there's a lot of that kind of banter going on, but over all it's balanced with what's going on with Mystique, Dazzler (sporting a new Mirror Universe look), and some new powerful mutant who has shown up.

I get that the X-Men are pissed at Scott for killing Professor X, but the hatred towards him is silly, as Scott was possessed by the Phoenix Force or something. I need to find out where those stories are, so I can read them. It's just awful, though, how he's treated. But then I'm out of the loop on almost 25 years of X-Men stories, so maybe not.

Anyway, nice read, and looking forward to the next volume. Nice to see some action in this one, Bendis.

[Murat Dural · Rating 4 out of 5]

Çok güzel, birbiri ile bağlantılı iki X-MEN ya da nasıl demeli S.H.I.E.L.D öyküsü okudum. Çizimler, kurgu bir yana Türkçe baskı adına kapak, sayfa kalitesi, çeviri zaten çok iyi. Tüm yayın ekibini kutlarım.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

​(Going into this book I said to myself, "please don't suck like the last book, please don't suck", because I don't know if Bendis was off overseeing his craptastic Powers show on PSN or he had five other books to write at the time, but boy was that disappointing for a guy I consider The Machine of comics writing.)

Aaaand Bendis here is redeemed. This story was tense and escalated and off-centring enough to be a wild ride - too much fun not to read from one end to the other as fast as possible.

I love Maria Hill here. I've been loving Magik and Hijack and even Cyclops here. It's even hard to argue with Magneto showing up and being a hero.

Then we get an Original Sin crossover, and thank gods it feels like a natural, organic outcropping of the current storylines - not some bolt-on Frankenstein monster of a diversion from normal life (only to have everything reset to status quo as soon as it's over).

And thank gods Bendis keeps some of his charming sarcasm:


And a *fantastic* shocker for us to digest (super-spoiler alert)


[I'm totally with the Ice Queen on this one, that's so ridiculous it's hilarious]


However, for reasons best left at the bottom of a can of PBR, Bendis decided he'd indulge us all in a masterful lesson in why you show, don't tell: pages-long exposition telling us of a new mutant, heretofore never mentioned, who was a fundamental shaping force on the life of Charles Xavier. And how boring a tale was this. I mean, it made Bendis write this horrific line of dialogue:

(Fuck me, Bendis just HAD to go make a liar out of me and destroy any organic growth we might feel here - unless he was aiming for a cancerous tumour)

And then turn around and give us Punk Rock Dazzler:

[I would've pined after this Dazzler like a madman in my 20's...maybe 30's too...OK, I'm probably still going to be hung up on her - that's a look with all SORTS of agency to it]

God damn it Bendis, which is it: heartfelt, authentic moments or diarrhea leaking out your brain? Of all the Original Sins to drum up, a rando mutant is the darkest secret you could dream of? Garbage. Garbaggio. VerschiedenGebrauchenBarchenMull.

And I'll say this: as much as I have loved Bachalo's art on X-Men books for so long (but not so much this book), the work turned in by Kris Anka is very pretty and a wide spectrum of styles:

[Michael Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh man I still love this title. I know Uncanny has had its ups and downs over the last several years, but it's a home run for me. I love this team and these characters. I love the way that this moved the story forward and finally gave some closure to a couple of the larger threads that have been running through this volume of the series. Granted, it did feel a little rushed at times and there was really...no interesting motivation for the villain. But the action more than made up for it. If nothing else, this was amazing popcorn entertainment.

I do think there was more, though. The new mutants they've been bringing in, like Tempus and Hijack, are incredibly interesting. I'm still chomping at the bit to find out what happened to Tempus. They're also doing some interesting stuff with Magik. I'm just greedy for every piece of information that I can get from each volume.

The second story is an Original Sin tie-in that is barely identified as such (which is just how I like my tie-ins). It's a bit of a rebuilding story where we get some information from Xavier's will that reveals his big secret and then a setup for what's going to be the next arc. I love when stories take the time to build up the big opponent before opening up the conflict. Excellent ending splash page, too.

The art was great. I love Bachalo and Anka so having them together in one book was fantastic. Every page perfectly set the mood and conveyed everything that was happening. Just amazing.

I loved this book and can't wait to read more.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just realized I finished this one already. That can happen when you are reading single issues and not a collected trade or graphic novel. This has been one of my favorite series, but the issues in this trade aren't very memorable. Lots of great moments, but some of the "vs. Shield" stuff felt forced. And speaking of forced, hello Original Sin tie-ins (the story has an Uncanny power to derail good storylines across many Marvel titles). I also say keep Scott as an unapologetic revolutionary. Much more interesting that way. He can deviate from the norm and still be a non-bad guy. His emerging whoa-as-me, what have I done internal conflict is boring, overdone, and pigeonholes him into a narrow comic book definition of what a hero is "supposed" to be. Don't chicken out and apply the default formula.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been the best volume so far. I did love the last two books in this volume. I loved seeing Charles Xavier even if it was just a hologram. The story is progressing nicely however, I think I have to get caught up with the All New X-men to get the full picture.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Gerry Sacco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two thirds of this trade is really good, the latter third is rather boring.

Art is good to great overall, though one issue collected is fairly poor.

Not bad, I enjoyed the cool Magik stuff.

[Blythe Penland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this volume was very, very strange. If I'm being honest, the main reason why I even read up to this point in Uncanny X-Men was because I wanted to know the last will and testament of Charles Xavier since I've been reading All-New X-Men. I was so exceptionally unprepared for what he had to say. And we didn't even find out who he left the Jean Grey School to. After all of that! I mean, the buzz before the will was read was who the school would go to. Apparently, Logan gave it back to Charles before his death, so it's not his. Some thought it would go to Scott, and, if not Scott, then who? But no one at the Jean Grey School would give it up without a fight. Not if it did indeed go to Scott. I know it was discombobulating to hear that Mystique is Mrs. Xavier, believe me I know, but the fact that no one could get over it was a little offensive. Raven Darkhölme may be completely off her rocker, and there is not an X-Man out there who hasn't a qualm with her, but I do believe that there was once a time when Raven and Charles loved each other. It might have only been weird because Charles Xavier was an old man, but I forget that Raven can live, like, twice as long as a normal human or mutant as part of her powers and she met Charles when they were both children. I'm way more shaken up by the fact that a mutant who could quite possibly be even more powerful and destructive than a Dark Phoenix version of Jean Grey is out there somewhere. Matthew Mallory. I can't imagine the complex emotions he must be going through now, or even what he went through as a child or a pubescent. Worse than that, we don't know how he makes his powers do their thing. And as much as he seemed to want to suppress them as a teenager, I'm sad to say I'm getting more of a revenge feeling from this guy now. He did lose his wife to a Skrull invasion last year, so you never know. I wonder whatever happened to his kid, though. The fact that he has a child was mentioned for a brief second. As much as Charles Xavier kept trying to defend his course of action with Matthew, I don't blame him for what he did. In fact, he probably did the most morally right thing. He didn't set of the ticking time bomb, but he also didn't dismantle it completely. Scott's reaction was completely unwarranted. This instance did not makes Charles a hypocrite. He only even felt that he could give this task to his X-Men because he thought he could trust them. (Can't trust Scott, btw.) I also want to acknowledge the fact that the one sending Sentinels after the Uncanny X-Men all the time was an Age of Apocalypse Dark Beast? I mean, what the heck? First of all, I'm not familiar with that story line at all, but more importantly, he didn't even give a reason and the he just died without fulfilling his mission of killing everyone who showed up to the Jean Grey School that day. That felt like the dumbest plot line. I really thought there was going to be some super obvious bad gay or double agent sending these Sentinels and I got a big fat bowl of disappointment. I can only imagine how wronged Dazzler must feel, so it only makes all the sense in the world that she would change her look as well as her personality. I would probably do the same thing in her shoes. I recommend this book to those who miss Charles Xavier-it might provide you with some closure.

[Travis Duke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bendis is continuing on in vol 4 and its pretty on par with the previous books. I happen to read vol 1-4 in comic form but decided to chop my budget so here I am reading the graphic novels now. Dazzler is found with Magnetos help and Hijack saves the day. She hulk enters and has the last will of Charles Xavier. After some details we learn there is a super mutant that charles hid from everyone. Mr Matthew Malloy is causing trouble all around town since Xavier is gone and he cannot help Matthew anymore. Now the x-men must step in and help Matthew. The story isnt a knock your socks off book but its pace is good. Bachalo does a fine job on most of the frames but Anka really gets sloppy sometimes, overall a good book

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the Original Sin Tie-In Volume, and we also had Xavier's will. This volume seemed like more of a set up for the next volume than anything else. Xavier reveals he existence of a mutant he's been "hiding" for many years who may be the most powerful mutant ever. His will requests the X-men look the mutant up, and this leads into the disastrous events of the next volume.

There is a subplot with the X-Men vs. Shield, but really it didn't seem to be the main focus of the volume. That could have just been me, as the whole Shield subplot was running through the whole series, but I guess it really came to a head here.

Another good volume, and the series did seem to move forward after spinning its wheels a while.

[Chantaal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think my dislike for Bachalo's art colors (haha, colors - his palette has like, six of them) my perception of this volume as a whole. It's not very clear on some levels, from character motivations to the action scenes to the art itself.

Don't even get me started on punk rock Dazzler's redesign, Christ.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

*A LOT* happened in this volume.

So, big bad guy was disappointing - almost a throw-away. I was hoping for someone actually closer to the team.

The Matthew Malloy thing is interesting, I want to see where that goes. And Logan has a great line during the reading.

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as bad as some of the past trades but Scott's costume sucks so bad I hate it....anyway interesting story and okay art. I will pick up the next one

[Christal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, so good! Loved Dazzler, She-Hulk, and the Professor X reveal! Less exciting was who was actually behind the attacks on Cyclops and Co. Eager to see where this goes next!

[Lionel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first arc is an OK story.... then what a mess. I don't actually know why this is an Original Sin tie-in but you can't drop a bomb like that and leave it for after

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had been a while since I had read the previous volumes of Bendis' Uncanny X-Men (about 2.5 years to be percise), but while browsing at the library I stumbled onto this and decided to what happened next.

While this volume was more coherently put together than the last one I remember, I must agree with those who feel as though Bendis has begun to falter by this point. We do get several plot points wrapped up in the first arc, which is good. However, only one of them felt like a true payoff to me. Cyclops and company finally find out who has been using SHIELD tech to send Sentinels to attack and gain information on the X-Men. The air of mystery didn't quite hit the mark and when the foe behind the plot to pit the X-Men and SHIELD against one another is revealed...it felt a little out of left field. I won't spoil it here, but I was left thinking: "Oh...okay. I guess that makes sense, kind of." For me the biggest payoff is that we finally find out where Dazzler has been and Mystique's subterfuge has finally been discovered. I felt like this was a better build up and revelation and helped to explain the look and attitude of Dazzler in A-Force.

The second arc in this book revisited the painful notes of Professor Xavier's death as Jennifer Walters (aka She-Hulk) comes to read Charles Xavier's will. Once those specifically named are at the table, a holographic Charles explains questionable actions of his past and charges his former students with continuing to aid a young man who does not have control of his powers. This story wasn't bad, but in some ways did feel a bit shoehorned in, due to serving as the tie-in for the Original Sin event that was happening at the time. Some of the characters showed dismay and horror, feeling that Xavier's actions completely contradicted the message he constantly preached to the X-Men. However, to me, this felt a bit forced as well. Considering we have been getting "Professor Xavier is a jerk!" reveals like during Onslaught and Deadly Genesis, for quite some time now, I wonder how any of his students could be as surprised or shocked as they were portrayed.

My final note of comment concerns the art. I like Chris Bachalo work...sometimes. There are certain titles and/or characters that his more cartoonish feel I fully appreciate. I can't say that it worked the best for me during the X-Men vs. SHIELD arc. With the swarms of Sentinels and team fights, it seemed all too much. I much preferred Kris Anka's art in the second half.

I probably would say this may not be a solid three, but that is where it will land. I was slightly annoyed that it ended on a cliffhanger, since typically you think of a trade as a collection of issues that make a full arc or two, but since that seems to be the trend for Bendis' Uncanny X-Men, I can't get too upset when it happens again in volume four. It was...fine. I don't know if my life or knowledge of the characters is any better than when I first sat down to read it, but it was good enough to keep me entertained and pass some time. If you like Bendis or the X-Men it may be worth a look, but see if your library has it like I did.

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Konflikt na linii Scott i spółka, a Maria Hill i SHIELD wkracza w decydujące stracie. Dodatkowo ponownie ktoś szczuje Sentinelami X-menów, co tylko zaognia konflikt i sprowadza wszelkie pionki tam, gdzie chce cichy manipulator, jaki pragnie unicestwić mutantów.

Pamiętacie mutanta o ksywce Hijack? David Bond został usunięty ze szkoły im. Xaviera przez samego Cyclopsa. Teraz w jego mieszkaniu znajduje się oddział SHIELD wraz z szefową, żądając wydania miejsca lokalizacji tajemnej placówki mutantów. Jednocześnie mutanci ruszają do kolejnego, potężnego mutanta, którego wskazało im Cerebro. Szkopuł w tym, że na miejscu zamiast nowego nabytku do drużyny, na herosów czeka tabun morderczych maszyn.

Summers ma dość całej sytuacji i wypowiada wojnę Marii Hill. Przy okazji dowiadujemy się wielu zabawnych rzeczy, jak tych że szefowa SHIELD czuje silny pociąg do przywódcy mutantów... Mrrrrr. Bendis ponownie pokazuje talent do tworzenia dialogów i interakcji między ludźmi. Chyba najbardziej ucieszył mnie wątek Dazzler. W końcu się dowiadujemy co się z nią działo, a i co będzie... To dla mnie postać, która rozwinęła się w tym tomie najbardziej.

To tylko połowa omawianego tytułu, bowiem wielkimi krokami nadchodzi wydarzenie zwane Original Sin, a które skutecznie namiesza, przynajmniej na moment, w świecie Marvela. Nie inaczej jest tutaj, bowiem przed szkołą im. Jean Grey pojawia się Jennifer Walters z testamentem Xaviera w ręce. Warunkiem odczytania jest jednak stawienie się kilku osób na odczyt, w tym jednej problematycznej. Scotta. Jednak rewelacje jakich się dowiedzą mutanci troszeczkę zdruzgoczą wizerunek starego nauczyciela. Okaże się, że Xavier jest żonaty, ma dziecko co łączy się płynnie z serią All New X-Men oraz zachował w tajemnicy obecność kolejnego mutanta poziomu omega .

Jest tu kilka wzruszeń, masa wzajemnych pretensji i złośliwości. Jest kilka zapadających w pamięć dialogów. Co do warstwy wizualnej to miałem pozytywne odczucia, aczkolwiek mam jeden problem z Bachalo. Rysunki są fantastyczne, ale... twarze. Zwłaszcza kobiece. Wiele modeli było do siebie tak podobnych. Takie same oczy. Już nie chodzi nawet o te bliźniaczki. Nawet Hill miała kilka takich przypadków i tylko kolor włosów nakreślał, kto kim był. Kris Anka za to popisał się naprawdę sympatyczną, kreskówkową kreską. Obaj zatem spisali się naprawdę świetnie.

Cóż, mimo że fabularnie nie jest zbytnio odkrywczo, bo wątek ataków Sentineli uważam za nieco rozciągnięty, to przynajmniej kończy się on należycie i zaskakująco. Nowe zagrożenie na horyzoncie rysuje się naprawdę potężnie, więc czekam na to co będzie dalej, jednocześnie licząc się z tym, iż serii nieubłaganie zmierza już do końca. Zatem cieszmy się, że cała seria trzyma jak dotąd jednakowy wysoki poziom. To idealne miejsce by zacząć przygodę z mutantami. 4/5