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X-Men: X of Swords #16
Wolverine #7
Endurance. Survival. The true lesson of pain.
27 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 11, 2020
6 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Benjamin Percy
791 books1,201 followersBenjamin Percy is the author of seven novels -- most recently The Sky Vault (William Morrow) -- three short fiction collections, and a book of essays, Thrill Me, that is widely taught in creative writing classrooms. He writes Wolverine, X-Force, and Ghost Rider for Marvel Comics. His fiction and nonfiction have been published in Esquire (where he is a contributing editor), GQ, Time, Men's Journal, Outside, the Wall Street Journal, Tin House, and the Paris Review. His honors include an NEA fellowship, the Whiting Writer's Award, the Plimpton Prize, two Pushcart Prizes, the iHeart Radio Award for Best Scripted Podcast, and inclusion in Best American Short Stories and Best American Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 13, 2020
This series is going in a weird direction but atleast wolverine is funny again. I like funny wolverine.
November 16, 2020
D'accordo, probabilmente ci sarà un grandioso ed elaborato piano di Saturnyne dietro a tutto questo, e forse alla fine tutto avrà un senso.
Per ora però abbiamo una saga (X of Swords) incentrata sullo scontro tra i campioni di Arakko e di Krakoa, con mezza saga passata a recuperare le fondamentali, mitiche e spettacolari spade dei campioni.
Spade che poi, a quanto pare, non servono a una benemerita mazza.
Dopo i due scontri deludenti su Excalibur, qui cominciamo con Magik che affronta il bestione enorme avversario... non a duello, ma -con Saturnyne che piega le regole con un gioco di parole- a braccio di ferro. Arbitro venduto.
E poi, abbiamo Logan e Summoner affrontarsi in un caleidoscopio di realtà moribonde. Alla fine Logan vince, ma per Saturnyne perde visto che lo scontro era alla morte: il suo avversario muore, quindi il punto va alla sua squadra.
...
Ororo sfida Logan a una gara di bevute, immaginando di poter piegare così le regole del gioco.
Punto per Krakoa (il secondo dopo il matrimonio di Doug), ma scopriamo che la majestrix se l'è presa con Wolverine per il suo tentato omicidio, così il vino era molto forte e i due ora sono ubriachi.
Wolverine combatte ancora, vince ancora e anche stavolta il punto va agli avversari (qui con una mossa che ricorda quasi Munchkin).
Insomma, per ora abbiamo un torneo che è una farsa, avversari potenzialmente epici che diventano macchiette, e spade potenti che son buone solo come stuzzicadenti a quanto pare.
La saga si sta rivelando una grande delusione proprio ora che doveva entrare nel vivo... troppo Excaliburesca temo.
Per ora però abbiamo una saga (X of Swords) incentrata sullo scontro tra i campioni di Arakko e di Krakoa, con mezza saga passata a recuperare le fondamentali, mitiche e spettacolari spade dei campioni.
Spade che poi, a quanto pare, non servono a una benemerita mazza.
Dopo i due scontri deludenti su Excalibur, qui cominciamo con Magik che affronta il bestione enorme avversario... non a duello, ma -con Saturnyne che piega le regole con un gioco di parole- a braccio di ferro. Arbitro venduto.
E poi, abbiamo Logan e Summoner affrontarsi in un caleidoscopio di realtà moribonde. Alla fine Logan vince, ma per Saturnyne perde visto che lo scontro era alla morte: il suo avversario muore, quindi il punto va alla sua squadra.
...
Ororo sfida Logan a una gara di bevute, immaginando di poter piegare così le regole del gioco.
Punto per Krakoa (il secondo dopo il matrimonio di Doug), ma scopriamo che la majestrix se l'è presa con Wolverine per il suo tentato omicidio, così il vino era molto forte e i due ora sono ubriachi.
Wolverine combatte ancora, vince ancora e anche stavolta il punto va agli avversari (qui con una mossa che ricorda quasi Munchkin).
Insomma, per ora abbiamo un torneo che è una farsa, avversari potenzialmente epici che diventano macchiette, e spade potenti che son buone solo come stuzzicadenti a quanto pare.
La saga si sta rivelando una grande delusione proprio ora che doveva entrare nel vivo... troppo Excaliburesca temo.
November 22, 2020
I know that I am biased, because Wolverine is one of my least favorite characters of all time and I fantasize about putting him on trial for murder. But this was one of the worst issues of X of Swords yet.
We begin with Magik facing the giant crocodile creature Pogg Ur-Pogg. She --quite understandably, given that this is the X of Swords event-- assumed that she would swordfight him. Saturnyne told her no, and made her arm wrestle him. She quickly lost. Magik called out how pointless this was, but Saturnyne --and, seemingly, all sanity in this universe-- just kind of shrugged it off.
Then we face Wolverine have a blink-and-you-miss-it duel with Summoner, where he loses despite winning. Because, madness. This is the second time where Saturnyne uses an odd phrasing of words for a ludicrous outcome. She had called Illyana's arm wrestling match a "contest of arms," to literally refer to arms instead of weapons. She called Wolverine's duel a "battle to the death," where dying was the outcome that scored a point. Which is ludicrous. When a character died in Excalibur, an issue that dropped the same day as this issue, it's not like Saturnyne called that deceased combatant the winner.
We watch Wolverine and Storm drink, which is ridiculous. Yet another "duel" that has nothing to do with swords. And Marvel really isn't thinking about fans who are recovering addicts and don't want to be confronted with drinking. But to be fair, that is an ongoing problem with our society that isn't specific to Marvel at all.
Then Wolverine has a final fight where, yet again, it doesn't matter if he technically wins the fight. The point goes to Arrako anyway.
This issue is frustrating for anyone rooting for the X-Men, sure. But it's also just frustrating from a writing standpoint. The writer can't establish rules for the reader, only to break them and ignore them flagrantly, without any way for the reader to anticipate the "trick" to it. In what way could the reader possibly predict that a sword-fighting event, where the whole premise is that every character must have a sword, will inexplicably turn into an arm wrestling event where swords are abandoned? There is no rhyme or reason to it. It's not like a fairy trickster used an interesting play on the words of an agreement. It literally just felt like Saturnyne changed the rules as she went.
And once again, let us keep track. Since this event has started, Saturnyne has displayed: telepathy, precognition, projecting precognition telepathically, teleportation, matter transmutation, freezing time, energy bands, and maybe more powers than that. She isn't supposed to have ANY powers. She never has, before this X of Swords event. But here we are, more than halfway through the big event, and not a single character has commented upon the fact she is displaying all these powers she isn't supposed to have. In this particular issue, she mostly teleported characters about. The way her half shrouded form seemed to speak to characters from the air suggested she was projecting her voice, and/or she was out of phase with the dimension the other characters were in. Make of that what you will.
Cannot wait for this event to be over.
We begin with Magik facing the giant crocodile creature Pogg Ur-Pogg. She --quite understandably, given that this is the X of Swords event-- assumed that she would swordfight him. Saturnyne told her no, and made her arm wrestle him. She quickly lost. Magik called out how pointless this was, but Saturnyne --and, seemingly, all sanity in this universe-- just kind of shrugged it off.
Then we face Wolverine have a blink-and-you-miss-it duel with Summoner, where he loses despite winning. Because, madness. This is the second time where Saturnyne uses an odd phrasing of words for a ludicrous outcome. She had called Illyana's arm wrestling match a "contest of arms," to literally refer to arms instead of weapons. She called Wolverine's duel a "battle to the death," where dying was the outcome that scored a point. Which is ludicrous. When a character died in Excalibur, an issue that dropped the same day as this issue, it's not like Saturnyne called that deceased combatant the winner.
We watch Wolverine and Storm drink, which is ridiculous. Yet another "duel" that has nothing to do with swords. And Marvel really isn't thinking about fans who are recovering addicts and don't want to be confronted with drinking. But to be fair, that is an ongoing problem with our society that isn't specific to Marvel at all.
Then Wolverine has a final fight where, yet again, it doesn't matter if he technically wins the fight. The point goes to Arrako anyway.
This issue is frustrating for anyone rooting for the X-Men, sure. But it's also just frustrating from a writing standpoint. The writer can't establish rules for the reader, only to break them and ignore them flagrantly, without any way for the reader to anticipate the "trick" to it. In what way could the reader possibly predict that a sword-fighting event, where the whole premise is that every character must have a sword, will inexplicably turn into an arm wrestling event where swords are abandoned? There is no rhyme or reason to it. It's not like a fairy trickster used an interesting play on the words of an agreement. It literally just felt like Saturnyne changed the rules as she went.
And once again, let us keep track. Since this event has started, Saturnyne has displayed: telepathy, precognition, projecting precognition telepathically, teleportation, matter transmutation, freezing time, energy bands, and maybe more powers than that. She isn't supposed to have ANY powers. She never has, before this X of Swords event. But here we are, more than halfway through the big event, and not a single character has commented upon the fact she is displaying all these powers she isn't supposed to have. In this particular issue, she mostly teleported characters about. The way her half shrouded form seemed to speak to characters from the air suggested she was projecting her voice, and/or she was out of phase with the dimension the other characters were in. Make of that what you will.
Cannot wait for this event to be over.
November 13, 2020
Art is dope, story is all over the place. This event seems kind of silly and weird not what i was expecting at all. The arm wrestling match with Magik was lame, the fight between Wolverine and Summoner was short and if he really is dead seems like such a waste. It all felt weird and silly at times some good moments and amazing art.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2020
All that freaking build up with the swords for this? Starting to feel cheated here.
November 16, 2020
In and of itself this issue had a lot of interesting visuals, a relatively fun story and a bit of comedy to go alongside it.
Yet when reviewing it in the frame of this X of swords arc. Blurgh. It was so, so, soooooo bad. It's become a weird parody/joke of a serious series. The world is under threat.... So let's have a marriage, a drinking contest, an arm wrestle etc etc etc.
I can only imagine it's veering the series toward Saturyne being the bad guy and is power drunk or something because this whole thing is becoming a joke without something to rescue it.
It's built up so well and it feel like it's built up toward sweet FA. Massively disappointed.
Yet when reviewing it in the frame of this X of swords arc. Blurgh. It was so, so, soooooo bad. It's become a weird parody/joke of a serious series. The world is under threat.... So let's have a marriage, a drinking contest, an arm wrestle etc etc etc.
I can only imagine it's veering the series toward Saturyne being the bad guy and is power drunk or something because this whole thing is becoming a joke without something to rescue it.
It's built up so well and it feel like it's built up toward sweet FA. Massively disappointed.
December 23, 2020
This tournament is so obviously rigged. Which makes this issue annoying to read. I don't like the way the foreseeable Storm vs Death whatever was set up either – it stinks of a drunk rape situation. I also don't care much for the artwork here. Although the fight scene on Blightspoke is quite a psychedelic treat… so, kudos to the colorist!
Pogg Ur-Pogg is half right though: Magik is not adversary but she IS confectionary 😉
Pogg Ur-Pogg is half right though: Magik is not adversary but she IS confectionary 😉
November 11, 2020
Brilliantly insane and beautifully illustrated.
Surprising nobody at all, Saturnyne isn't playing fair. But whether this will work for or against the Krakoans is yet to be seen. But it's clear that the tournament is being played by her rules, and her rules are whatever she wants them to be. Which rather throws this whole thing wide open, really.
I did have my concerns that this would all boil down to a series of dull and repetitive sword fights, but clearly I needn't have worried.
Surprising nobody at all, Saturnyne isn't playing fair. But whether this will work for or against the Krakoans is yet to be seen. But it's clear that the tournament is being played by her rules, and her rules are whatever she wants them to be. Which rather throws this whole thing wide open, really.
I did have my concerns that this would all boil down to a series of dull and repetitive sword fights, but clearly I needn't have worried.
June 18, 2025
I’m pretty sick of Saturnyne’s BS, well written
January 31, 2021
Chapter 16- So many cards in the deck. And we've only just begun to
deal hands for the game.
Saturyne
deal hands for the game.
Saturyne
December 4, 2022
*Score: 5/10*
Useless volume, doesnt seem to move plot anywhere and wolverine's personality in this volume is annoying and not consistent with previous volumes, so minus points on writing for this volume.
Useless volume, doesnt seem to move plot anywhere and wolverine's personality in this volume is annoying and not consistent with previous volumes, so minus points on writing for this volume.
November 21, 2020
This deserves five stars just for Joshua Cassara's art.
Full review coming soon.
Full review coming soon.
November 22, 2020
This is what happens when you act like a caveman. SMH
So far it seems like Saturnyne is stacking the deck against the Krakoans.
So far it seems like Saturnyne is stacking the deck against the Krakoans.
April 7, 2022
Dammit Opal. Keep stacking the deck against Krakoa. This issue started off weird but redeemed itself later. It’s terrible that it’s all a game on Opal’s whims. SMH.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2022
Wait… what’s happening? I really don’t understand, but ok.
October 25, 2022
This tournament is beyond weird. I'm liking it though...
November 11, 2020
Ouchh this one bad! Too many cross-overs in the Marvel universe at the moment so instead you follow all of them you always feel like your missing something and it's hard to keep track. The art was great but that's all!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews