Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • Last Bad Pitch

      Chase Magnett
      October 3, 2005
      Ambidextrous
    Recent
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • Comictober 2020: DRACULA MOTHERF**KER

      Daniel Gehen
      October 27, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • Amanda Waller: DC's Most Terrifying Woman

      Chase Magnett
      August 3, 2016
      Big Two, Columns, DC Comics, Suicide Squad
    Recent
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Stan Lee

      nguyen ly
      November 7, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • Bloodshot in gunfight

      Getting to know Bloodshot before the movie

      Chase Magnett
      March 11, 2020
      Columns, Indie, Valiant
    Recent
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • 4.5

      TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      October 29, 2020
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 4.5

      Oil and Water

      Chase Magnett
      October 19, 2011
      Reviews
    Recent
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Minck Oosterveer: The Man and The Unknown Trunk

      Chase Magnett
      October 26, 2009
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • The Phantom by Don Newton: A Six-Pack of Greatness

      Chase Magnett
      May 9, 2014
      Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • Boom for 7/29/15: The Circle of Life

      Chase Magnett
      July 29, 2015
      News, This Week in BOOM!
    Recent
    • 2020 Ringo Awards Winners Announced

      Daniel Gehen
      October 26, 2020
    • BAD IDEA Announces 2021 Publishing Slate

      Daniel Gehen
      September 29, 2020
    • A Full Replay of NCSFest 2020 is now Available

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2020
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • 'The Mercenary: Cult of the Sacred Fire' is an Awesomely Fun Jolt of Otherworldly Adventure

      Chase Magnett
      November 28, 2017
      Books, Indie, Reviews
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: If I win Powerball, I will buy Amazing Fantasy 15
  • DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)
  • Collecting Profile: Batwoman
  • Collecting Profile: Daredevil
  • Collecting Profile: Floronic Man
  • Review of Cheetah in Wonder Woman 1984
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Big Two

More Human Than Inhuman: Uncanny X-Men #3

Chase Magnett
February 24, 2016
Big Two, Big Two Reviews, Marvel Comics

For more than a year whispers have swirled around Marvel’s X-Men line of comic books. While their far more profitable movie rights are still owned by Fox (see: Deadpool), comics rumor mongers have said this franchise was doomed in funny books. Is there any truth to this though? Are the X-Men bound to follow the other ill-fated, Fox licensed franchise of The Fantastic Four? There’s no way to know much of anything outside of the boardrooms at Marvel, but we can take a look at the line itself to see how it’s faring. So this week Chase Magnett is examining all five of the ongoing series in the X-franchise to see how healthy it is.

Now for today’s review…

Uncanny X-Men #3

Written by Cullen Bunn

Pencils by Greg Land

Inks by Jay Leisten

Colors by Nolan Woodard

Letters by Joe Caramagna

If you were to replace only a few specific details of this review of Uncanny X-Men #3, then you would have a review of Uncanny X-Men #2 because it’s almost the same damn comic. Magneto’s team of X-Men continue to try and find mutant healers to save while fighting off The Dark Riders, spending all of the panels in between recapping the plot of this story. It’s so dedicated to reminding readers what happened in previous installments that it functions like a chapter from a Melville novel (minus any depth or thematic poignancy), and this is only issue three.

Unlike its spiritual predecessor Uncanny X-Force, the characters on this team are not diversified by their personalities, but appear to share variations of a single one. Magneto, Psylocke, Sabertooth, and M are all grim, angry, and determined. They represent the sort of character that makes for an interesting element of a diverse team or possibly even a duo. This is an entire book of that same note played over and over again though. There is no variation of dialogue or dash of humor; it is relentless in its seriousness. By the time M is confronting Xorn in a cave her rough talk is just like the tide beating on the sands of the beach, slowly eroding my patience with superhero comics.

This monotony makes the appearance of Xorn the most most exciting thing to happen in any of the X-team books this past month. His eccentricities and general weirdness stand out as something worth paying attention to, a literal and metaphorical star amid all this shade. Xorn’s personality plays well off the general grim tone of everything else happening here. Otherwise, the conversations and action serve little purpose in driving plot or character forward. This scene is simply one bright spot.

Uncanny X-Men #3 Ugly Faces

Greg Land’s artwork isn’t as clearly posed or lifeless as in the past, Psylocke’s face appears to have been drawn even if it does not seem entirely natural when set at a three-quarters angle. The details of character’s faces are often problematic with very few defining lines and no set expressions. Mouths and cheeks are sometimes given a watery appearance that may come from the inking or coloring process on the book. That lack of definition only adds to the general sense of sameness between all of the characters, while the most compelling illustrations are of Magneto in a darkened mask or Xorn locked in his own steel helmet.

There is a discrepancy between the level and style of detail found in many scenes. The exterior of Xorn’s retreat appears to have been mapped on Getty Images after a search for keywords “Asia” and “mountain”, while a lair filled with frozen mutants actually appears as though someone drew it. These jumps in style provide the comic with a mildly schizophrenic tone as if it were assembled over a long period of time rather than drawn within the course of a month by one person.

The greatest sin of Uncanny X-Men #3 is not the changing level of attention to artwork, but that it provides an untenable level of sameness. Characters and individual scenes reflect one another and what has already been established. There is no sense of forward momentum or call to continue reading for fear that this track will continue to skip on the record player. It’s possible the song will move forward, but even if it does that doesn’t make it likely to change its all too familiar tune.

Check Out Other Installments Here:

Extraordinary X-Men #7

All-New X-Men #4

Old Man Logan #2

All-New Wolverine #5

More Human Than Inhuman: Uncanny X-Men #3
1.5Overall Score

Cullen BunnGreg LandUncanny X-Men

Share On:
Tweet
More Human Than Inhuman: All-New X-Men #4
Preacher Volume Two: Until The End of The World

About The Author

Chase Magnett
Comics Theorist

Chase is a mild-mannered finance guy by day and a raving comics fan by night. He has been reading comics for more than half of his life. After graduating from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with degrees in Economics and English, he has continued to research comics while writing articles and reviews online. His favorite superhero is Superman and he'll accept no other answers. Don't ask about his favorite comic unless you're ready to spend a day discussing dozens of different titles.

Related Posts

  • CYBERPUNK 2077 Mini-Series at Dark Horse Comics

    Daniel Gehen
    June 23, 2020
  • A HARROW COUNTY Omnibus is Coming

    Daniel Gehen
    January 22, 2020

Support Us!

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Friends of the Site

  • SOLRAD
  • Your Chicken Enemy
  • Psycho Drive-In
  • Women Write About Comics
  • The Beat
  • Loser City
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders