Messiah CompleX Discussion (Spoilers)

The weeks roll on and so does Messiah CompleX. Before I begin here are some links to the reviews of the past two issues. So certain people (E) don't get confused.
McCheese said:
Issue #1
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McCheese said:
Issue #2
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Time once again for...

McCheese's Weekly Messiah CompleX Review​

Week three brings us to X-Factor. Regular writer Peter David takes over for Brubaker and Scot Eaton picks up art chores. We begin in New York where a group of Purifiers are discussing their hatred of all things mutant and how those damn X-Men know about the NEW MUTANT BABY. They are attacked by Wolfsbane. She tears them a new hatehole before getting chased outside. She then gets gunned down by Rictor. I think we're supposed to be surprised by this, but it seemed kind of obvious after last issue. Ric is trying to get on the Purifier's good side so they'll let him into their clubhouse. Rahne gets in an escape car. Ric introduces himself to the Purifiers as Hugh Mann (he actually uses Jouquin Murrieta, but Hugh Mann is funnier). Rahne and getaway driver Siryn report to Cyclops that they've successfully inserted Rictor. Cyclops has his conversation interrupted by the New X-Men in their new duds. Cut away to Dallas where Layla and Madrox find Forge. They chat with him for a while before he reveals that though he has searched all the alternate futures he could find, none of them had mutants post M-Day. But after the NEW MUTANT BABY was born two alternate Earths showed signs of change. Forge intends to send a dupe to each of these worlds. In Santa Cruz Wolverine and his team hunt down Amelia Voght. I'm not going to lie, I have no idea who that is. Anyway they catch her and she gladly and forebodingly gives them the location of the Acolytes/Marauders. Back at Forge's lab Jamie reluctantly Dupes up. One of them is annoying. Thankfully he gets zapped away first. The second hops into the machine and Forge starts the process, but Layla runs onto the pad and gets zapped away with dupe #2. Jamie is distressed by this and demands that Forge bring her back. He says that he can't. The machine wasn't designed to bring them back, the dupes are supposed to off themselves when they're done investigating so that Jamie can absorb the knowledge. Madrox takes this news poorly. Aww, he misses Layla already. Anyway while he threatens Forge he suddenly passes out. Back at the X-Mansion the New X-Men surround Cyclops and demand to be given a chance to shine. Cyclops tells them to sit until he needs them. They would prefer not to so he lets loose a blast and puts Rockslide through a wall. Having successfully shown that he's a Big Man he stomps off and the New X-Men are forced to sit on the sidelines for a bit longer. Not much longer mind you, since New X-Men gets Messiah CompleX next week. Cyclops comes off as a clear, unwavering leader and a little bit of a dick in this scene. Which is just right. Well done. Back to New York where the Purifiers check to make sure Hugh Mann is human. They discover that he is and show him a GIANT stockpile of weaponry. They even inform him that this is one of their smaller bases. Gasp!

The Breakdown
Scott still comes off dickishly, but more reasonable than the last issue. David handles his own characters better than Brubaker did and he even writes the New X-Men pretty well. The art is pretty good, but not as good as Tan's or Silvestri's.

3.5/5 Tafts
 
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Just read X-Factor #25. And it was great. I can't wait to see what happens with Layla.

Peter David and Eaton did an incredible job.
 
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Ice said:
Just read X-Factor #25. And it was great. I can't wait to see what happens with Layla.

Peter David and Eaton did an increadible job.
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I'm also excited for a Layla-centric side plot, but I think incredible is a bit of a reach.
Iceshadow said:
:lol:

Maybe he should have tried Bill Cosby.
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:lol:

Oh what fun I shall have with Rictor's undercover mission.
 
From Wizarduniverse.com, an excerpt from a small interview with Billy Tan @ WWT yesterday:



You're working on Uncanny X-Men now, going into "Messiah Complex." How far into that story are you now?

TAN: I'm finishing out my third part of "Messiah Complex," which is issue #494. I have eight pages left. From there I need to talk to [X-Men editor] Nick [Lowe].

What has the experience working on a big event like been like?

TAN: It's awesome. You couldn't ask for more—with all the X-characters. It's four issues of all the characters. I tried to draw them all every chance I got. For example, sometimes there's a page where the editors say, "It's up to you. You've got to have these characters in it, but you have another set of characters where it's up to you if you want to put them in the shot."

Who do we see show up that you chose to put in there?

TAN: Most of X-Factor. I like X-Factor's characters. I try to squeeze them in as much as possible.

So did you draw Layla in anything yet come up?

TAN: She was in the first one—[Uncanny X-Men] #492.

But she disappeared this last week.

TAN: Yes. And I got to draw her in [Uncanny X-Men #494], and her appearance looks a little different. It's going to be interesting.

Would you be interested in doing another big event after this is over?

TAN: Maybe. I may get a chance to work with Brian Bendis. I don't know. But maybe for one issue or two.
 
Prepare your sightballs to send information to your thinksack!!! It's time once again for...

McCheese's Weekly Messiah CompleX Review​

Week four finds us with the Kyle/Yost team up of doom! If you're not familiar with their work let me fill you in, they like killing off characters. A lot. Ramos is the fill in artist for a stretch. That's going to put off about half the audience for this major event. Way to go Marvel. Personally I enjoy his work. Still one would think they could find someone whose art bares some similarity to the other artists on this crossover. It's going to be a jarring change when they put out the trades. Enough about the creative team, let's get down to the issue at hand shall we. In the Canadian Rockies, not to be confused with the choke artist Colorado Rockies, a random fire breathing mutie gets ate up by Weapon X. Speaking of the randomness of this mutant, I have no idea who he is. Aren't mutants super rare now? Like 198 in all the world? Aren't we supposed to know them all? If someone does know this guy please fill me in. Cut to The Xavier Institute for Doomed Teenagers (they changed the name 3 issues into Kyle/Yost's run) where Nori wants to fry some Purifiers. Prof. X comes up and offers to train them. Nori tells him to shove it and she has a really good reason to tell him that. He wasn't there for them when Kyle and Yost... er I mean the Purifiers were picking off mutant teens left and right. Enough about my bitterness over this writing team's inability to tell a story without offing characters, for now. By the way, that "for now" is what we call foreshadowing. The point is that this scene works where Brubaker's very similar scene failed because Nori is a teenager. It makes sense for her to act like a teenager. Scott isn't, so it doesn't. Elsewhere in the mansion Forge and Cyclops talk about Jamie Prime's predicament. Scott seems somewhat unconcerned about the fact that he may have doomed Jamie and Layla when they went to do him a favor. So 4 issues in we're getting a clear look at the new and improved Scott. And one thing is clear. Scott = Dickhead. Back to the X-kiddies. Surge rounds up the troops. Hellion, Mercury, Rockslide, Anole, Pixie, and Armor are in. Elixer, Dust, and Prodigy are out. Cut to Wolverine's team who have found their target. Cut to Rictor, aka Hugh Mann (if you think I'm giving up on this joke anytime soon than you don't know Cheese) continues to infiltrate the Purifiers and he sees something that shocks him to his very core. In the alternate future Jamie-not-Prime and Layla argue about her coming with him. They go to the library and look for info. They see something that shocks them to their very core. That sounds familiar... Anyway cut to the two of them standing outside a Mutant Relocation Camp. Dum-dum-dumm!!! Back in 616 the X-Tots sneak up on the D.C. Purifier base and plan their insertion. Back at the mansion those left behind worry about the others. Now we cut to Antartica. Jesus. How many cutaways are we going to do here? Pick a spot and stick with it! Anyway Wolvie and team bust in on the Marauders looking for Rogue and the baby. Wolverine makes some blunt threats that one doubts he could follow through on considering the numbers against them. Cut away again to D.C. where the X-Rugrats break in to the Purifier encampment. Anole uses this chance to sneak into the computer lab and discover they don't have the baby. Rictor stumbles upon him and tells him that the Purifiers are the least of their worries. Ruh-roh. X-Kids vs Purifiers. Things seem to be going ok. Nori lets her anger get the better of her, but Julian saves her. For his troubles he's inpaled 5 times through the chest. The X-Cannonfodder look on as Lady Deathstrike and a group of seriously goofy looking ninjas menace at them. With no Josh around to fix him up Julian seems really boned. A great deal of character development could be wasted on this shock moment.

The Breakdown
Seriously? We can't go 3 issues in New X-Men without killing someone? It used to bug me. Now it just pisses me off. Kyle and Yost rely entirely too much on the shock of killing off charaters and I'm sick of it. The two issues before this event showed that they can do without it. Hell the first 20 pages of this issue were good, but eventually they revert to classic form and stick daggers in someone's chest. It's more disappointing that they can write without the gimmick and choose not to then if they were just hacks. Like I said Ramos is an artist I enjoy, but a lot of folks don't so not a lot of points for art.

2.5/5 Tafts
 
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L is for Lapdance. M is for...

McCheese's Weekly Messiah CompleX Review​

Week 5! This week finds us at X-Men #205 written by Mike Carey and art by Chris Bachalo. I'll save some of you the trouble of writing the following: OH NOES!!! TEH BACHALOS!!! Again, I enjoy his artwork, but it's clearly not everyone's cup of tea and it's even farther away from the artistic direction of the first 3 issues than Ramos was last week. This is a big event. They've been pimping it for months. Could they really not find 4 artists whose styles are even remotely similar? Art continuity is going to be non-existant when this thing goes to trades. But let's get to the issue at hand because quite frankly the best issue of this series so far. Jamie-not-Prime and Layla stare at a the mutant concentration camp and try to figure out a way to get in without going up to the front gate and saying "I'm a mutie. Lock me up." This subplot doesn't go any further in this issue, so this may be my only chance to tell the artists on this project to figure out how tall Layla is. Seriously. In the 2nd and 3rd issues she was at or around the same height she's been portrayed in X-Factor. Last issue she was a midget and this issue she's as tall as Jamie! Would it have been that hard to go to Bachalo and say "Hey, you know she's like 13 right?" Jesus. Rant over. Back to the story. Sinister menaces at the X-Men that just crashed his pad. He notices the same thing I noticed last week, it's 5 against like 20. The X-Men are at a serious disadvantage despite the fact that they're the ones who busted in and started this brawl. Not smart. Except Emma is there too. And for some reason that makes the X-Men unstoppable? What? They're still boned in my estimation, but the X-Men start to kick some *** despite my estimating abilities. Back at the mansion the sentinel pilots talk to each other about how they like to spy on the female X-kids. Not kidding. Inside Bishop complains about how outgunned the X-Men attacking Sinister are. Bishop is a smart guy. Cyclops says that Emma is copying a move Sinister used to pull where he shielded his guys from telepathic attack. She's doing the same to him. HOW DOES THAT GIVE THEM AN EDGE AGAINST ALL THESE GUYS, MOST OF WHOM DON'T USE PSYCHIC ABILITIES!?! Taking Sinister out of the picture is good, but they are still massively outnumbered. It's not a big complaint, but it irks me a little. But the X-Men are doing pretty well for themselves despite the stupidity of the odds against them. Nightcrawler teleports Exodus far away. Finally a move that makes some sense. The fight rages on. Angel asks Sinister for the baby. Sinister says he doesn't care to take part in Angel's misdirection. He clearly doesn't have the baby. Gambit tries to slink away. He's met by Wolverine who threatens him with his claws. Gee, never seen that before. The X-Kids are still in Washington and still facing off against Lady Deathstrike and her ridiculous looking Reavers. X-23 cuts a Reaver in half for getting to close to Julian's body. A brawl insues. Rictor (Hugh Mann) and Anole save Pixie and tell her teleport her team out of there or they are all going to die. She reluctantly tries it. The X-Rugrats are teleported out of Washington, but they land all over the place between Washington and the X mansion. Emma flips because Pixie is screaming in her head. Which makes sense since Pixie's wings appear to have been shredded by attempting this teleportation. She explains that the blind teleport scattered the kiddies and that Rictor is with them and the Purifiers don't have the baby. Iceman goes to grab the kids. Emma says that because of this she lost contact with the attack team which is really bad because Sinister is blocking her out now. If somehow Carey saves Julian one issue after Kyle/Yost did their killing students thing I will be very happy. Wolverine and Gambit fight. Wolverine is winning. Stabs him a few times and orders him to give up the location of the baby. Emma's influence now lifted Sinister takes down Angel and Colossus in two qick moves. While this shows the importance of Emma's mental block I still think that the Maraucolytes (Marauder + Acolytes) combined abilities should have been able to win this fight without him. The X-Men prepare to escape. Storm tries to hold the Maraucolytes at bay. Wolverine leaves the area where he was stabbing Gambit and the Omega Sentinel chucks an unconscious Angel at him. Except it isn't Angel. It's Scrambler! Wolverine is powerless and she blasts him but good. She explains that Lady Mastermind provided the illusion and they ask if he has a preffered way to die now that he can die. Kurt ports in and saves him. Logan tells him that the Maraucolytes don't have the baby. Before he can say who does Scalphunter puts a hollowpoint through Nightcrawlers chest. If you don't know what a hollowpoint is or does, it's safe to say the Elf is looking just as screwed as Julian was last week. Logan calls to Emma for help. He tells her that an X-man has the baby. Back to the pervy Sentinel pilots. One complains that he feels sick. Suddenly liquid cable thingies shoot out of him and connect to the cockpit. The X-Men discuss that "he" has the baby, but Cyclops thinks the "he" would let them know he's still alive. If you don't know who has the baby yet hit yourself in the head. The sentenels bust into the mansion and are talking very robotically about destroying the X-Men. Ruh-roh. The last two pages show Cable running through the wilderness with the NEW MUTANT BABY!!!

The Breakdown
This is the kind of issue I've been waiting for since this crossover began. Carey really shows why he is the best regular X-writer working right now. He handles all the characters perfectly and he amps up the drama and excitement big time. As for the Cable reveal anyone who has read Cable & Deadpool knew that there was only one person that the words "Messiah Complex" could refer to. And then they killed him to throw us off. You could make agruments for Xavier or Magneto, but the one X character who really thinks of himself as the savior and has the balls to back it up is Cable. Very happy to see him back already and playing a big role in this thing. I loved the art. A few mistakes and Bachalo's splash pages, as always, are confusing and crowded, but I just love his style. Great stuff.

4.5/5 Tafts
 
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New X-Men was good.

Surge is pissing me off, though. And Kyle/Yost really have to stop leaning on their killing someone off crutch. Soon there'll be no one to even write about.


And Lady Deathstrike! Can't wait.
 
Ultimate Houde said:
I need a McCheese review!
Click to expand...

You mean this one?
McCheese said:
L is for Lapdance. M is for...

McCheese's Weekly Messiah CompleX Review​

Week 5! This week finds us at X-Men #205 written by Mike Carey and art by Chris Bachalo. I'll save some of you the trouble of writing the following: OH NOES!!! TEH BACHALOS!!! Again, I enjoy his artwork, but it's clearly not everyone's cup of tea and it's even farther away from the artistic direction of the first 3 issues than Ramos was last week. This is a big event. They've been pimping it for months. Could they really not find 4 artists whose styles are even remotely similar? Art continuity is going to be non-existant when this thing goes to trades. But let's get to the issue at hand because quite frankly the best issue of this series so far. Jamie-not-Prime and Layla stare at a the mutant concentration camp and try to figure out a way to get in without going up to the front gate and saying "I'm a mutie. Lock me up." This subplot doesn't go any further in this issue, so this may be my only chance to tell the artists on this project to figure out how tall Layla is. Seriously. In the 2nd and 3rd issues she was at or around the same height she's been portrayed in X-Factor. Last issue she was a midget and this issue she's as tall as Jamie! Would it have been that hard to go to Bachalo and say "Hey, you know she's like 13 right?" Jesus. Rant over. Back to the story. Sinister menaces at the X-Men that just crashed his pad. He notices the same thing I noticed last week, it's 5 against like 20. The X-Men are at a serious disadvantage despite the fact that they're the ones who busted in and started this brawl. Not smart. Except Emma is there too. And for some reason that makes the X-Men unstoppable? What? They're still boned in my estimation, but the X-Men start to kick some *** despite my estimating abilities. Back at the mansion the sentinel pilots talk to each other about how they like to spy on the female X-kids. Not kidding. Inside Bishop complains about how outgunned the X-Men attacking Sinister are. Bishop is a smart guy. Cyclops says that Emma is copying a move Sinister used to pull where he shielded his guys from telepathic attack. She's doing the same to him. HOW DOES THAT GIVE THEM AN EDGE AGAINST ALL THESE GUYS, MOST OF WHOM DON'T USE PSYCHIC ABILITIES!?! Taking Sinister out of the picture is good, but they are still massively outnumbered. It's not a big complaint, but it irks me a little. But the X-Men are doing pretty well for themselves despite the stupidity of the odds against them. Nightcrawler teleports Exodus far away. Finally a move that makes some sense. The fight rages on. Angel asks Sinister for the baby. Sinister says he doesn't care to take part in Angel's misdirection. He clearly doesn't have the baby. Gambit tries to slink away. He's met by Wolverine who threatens him with his claws. Gee, never seen that before. The X-Kids are still in Washington and still facing off against Lady Deathstrike and her ridiculous looking Reavers. X-23 cuts a Reaver in half for getting to close to Julian's body. A brawl insues. Rictor (Hugh Mann) and Anole save Pixie and tell her teleport her team out of there or they are all going to die. She reluctantly tries it. The X-Rugrats are teleported out of Washington, but they land all over the place between Washington and the X mansion. Emma flips because Pixie is screaming in her head. Which makes sense since Pixie's wings appear to have been shredded by attempting this teleportation. She explains that the blind teleport scattered the kiddies and that Rictor is with them and the Purifiers don't have the baby. Iceman goes to grab the kids. Emma says that because of this she lost contact with the attack team which is really bad because Sinister is blocking her out now. If somehow Carey saves Julian one issue after Kyle/Yost did their killing students thing I will be very happy. Wolverine and Gambit fight. Wolverine is winning. Stabs him a few times and orders him to give up the location of the baby. Emma's influence now lifted Sinister takes down Angel and Colossus in two qick moves. While this shows the importance of Emma's mental block I still think that the Maraucolytes (Marauder + Acolytes) combined abilities should have been able to win this fight without him. The X-Men prepare to escape. Storm tries to hold the Maraucolytes at bay. Wolverine leaves the area where he was stabbing Gambit and the Omega Sentinel chucks an unconscious Angel at him. Except it isn't Angel. It's Scrambler! Wolverine is powerless and she blasts him but good. She explains that Lady Mastermind provided the illusion and they ask if he has a preffered way to die now that he can die. Kurt ports in and saves him. Logan tells him that the Maraucolytes don't have the baby. Before he can say who does Scalphunter puts a hollowpoint through Nightcrawlers chest. If you don't know what a hollowpoint is or does, it's safe to say the Elf is looking just as screwed as Julian was last week. Logan calls to Emma for help. He tells her that an X-man has the baby. Back to the pervy Sentinel pilots. One complains that he feels sick. Suddenly liquid cable thingies shoot out of him and connect to the cockpit. The X-Men discuss that "he" has the baby, but Cyclops thinks the "he" would let them know he's still alive. If you don't know who has the baby yet hit yourself in the head. The sentenels bust into the mansion and are talking very robotically about destroying the X-Men. Ruh-roh. The last two pages show Cable running through the wilderness with the NEW MUTANT BABY!!!

The Breakdown
This is the kind of issue I've been waiting for since this crossover began. Carey really shows why he is the best regular X-writer working right now. He handles all the characters perfectly and he amps up the drama and excitement big time. As for the Cable reveal anyone who has read Cable & Deadpool knew that there was only one person that the words "Messiah Complex" could refer to. And then they killed him to throw us off. You could make agruments for Xavier or Magneto, but the one X character who really thinks of himself as the savior and has the balls to back it up is Cable. Very happy to see him back already and playing a big role in this thing. I loved the art. A few mistakes and Bachalo's splash pages, as always, are confusing and crowded, but I just love his style. Great stuff.

4.5/5 Tafts
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I saw it

I just like McCheese reviews. He actually reviews it

If these were TGO reviews they would go like this

I loved this issue

The thing with Rictor was awesome

Excellent
 
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