Alright class, here is the release of the much discussed story arc, "Schism". Let's discuss.
Issue one of this five part mini-series is designed to kick start a new story line that will supposedly change the mutant landscape for the foreseeable future. The staff at Marvel are throwing up a “Hail Mary” play here, trying to save a franchise that they had built into their flagship title for a short time (Uncanny X-Men.) In an equally short time however, they managed to deconstruct all that was great about the X-franchise with rudderless stories such as Hope’s and Vampires. The Marvel brain trust are making some bold moves with the start of this event (such as re-booting Uncanny and introducing Wolverine & The X-Men). The question is, will these moves pay off or further isolate the longtime X-fans?
Issue one of “Schism” was better than I anticipated. I have disliked the “sneak peaks” that Marvel has been including in comics for the past couple of years. Often they reveal more information that I want to know in advance of the release of the comic. The sneak peaks for Schism actually proved to be an exception to that rule. Sure, readers have heard that there will be a division in the X-community, Civil War style. Likewise, we have learned that that the sides will be lead by Wolverine and Cyclops respectively. What we didn’t know however is the “how” or “why” of the story. This issue begins that process.
I don’t want to spoil too much of the story, so I will be careful with what I say. Cyclops and Wolverine attend a United Nations Arms Conference to discuss the decommissioning of Sentinel technology around the world. This is the point in the story where I knew writer Jason Aaron had me. I instantly had visions of “Days of Future Past” in my head. What better way to reestablish the franchise then reintroduce mutant kinds most feared foe, the Sentinel. It is unclear as to whether Cyclops pushed his way to the podium or was invited, which is a notable oversight in my opinion. Regardless, talks break down when a long forgotten villain makes and appearance and wreaks havoc in the name of mutantkind. This of course does not bode well for Wolverine and Cyclops.
As it turns out, the resurgence of this mutant foe was just a smokescreen for the introduction of a new villain, Kade Kilgore. Kade being the son of arms dealer Carlton Kilgore. I’ll be honest, I am not really sold on the characterization of this new addition to the X-verse. I know this is hard to say being we are discussing comics, but I found him very unbelievable. Regardless, he helped usher the Hellfire Club into the storyline, which can never be a bad thing in my books!
It goes without saying that the writing is solid. Jason Aaron can always be depended on for solid storytelling and is no stranger to the tales of mutants (see Wolverine.) Unfortunately I can’t say the same thing about artist Carlos Pacheco. His work on this issue wasn’t horrible, but he did butcher one important detail. Wolverine was depicted as way too wide in every panel he appeared in. I know this might seem like a petty thing to bring up, but come on, he is one of the main characters in this storyline. Shouldn’t it be important to hook somebody up who can actually do a decent job of drawing him? Maybe it is just because I am such a Wolverine fanatic, that I noticed. Either way, it begged the hell out of me!
Ultimately, the book was good. In hind sight, the Prologue to Schism makes very little sense. It is actually more like a middle-logue or something. In all actuality, I think it was just a way for the Marvel brass to stall while they got their ducks in a row for Schism. Let’s hope this event brings the x-franchise back to the top of the heap, where it belongs!