X-men: Divided We Stand # 1Review

Authors: Mike Carey, Chris Yost, Craig Kyle, Matt Fraction, and Skottie Young
Artist: Brandon Peterson, Sana Takeda, Skottie Young, and Jamie McKelvie

I thought they had cancelled X-men Unlimited? I was almost 100% they had, but for some reason what I am reading feels like an issue of an overpriced X-men Unlimited comic. This book is a collection of short stories that deal with the aftermath of Messiah Complex. But did we really have that many loose ends to tie up?

We get five stories that feature Cannonball, Nightcrawler, Anole, Nehzno, and Hellion. Cannonball returns home to Kentucky to be picked up by Paige and they hit a bar, because Cannonball is depressed that the X-men broke up and needs to drown his sorrows. Then we get the stereotypical family vs. family in KY from Chuck Austen’s horrible run. It’s the Guthries vs. the Cabots in a bar brawl….yeeeeehhhhaaawwww! Nehzno makes his return to Wakkanda to be reminded that his “kind” isn’t welcome there, even by family. Northstar pays a visit to Anole who feels like he doesn’t belong in his own town thanks to the X-men, Hellion looks to Magneto for vengeance against the X-men, and Scalphunter gets a visit from Nightcrawler to discuss how good his migas plate is.

So, back to my question; Is this two issue limited series really needed to tie up loose ends? Sure, but it would have made a hell of a lot more sense to release it right after Messiah Complex ended. While I appreciate the character study we get in each chapter, the stories were just dull. The best one comes from Skottie Young, even though Northstar has mysteriously lost his French accent, it was still a touching story about not able to fit in at home after you have seen the things you have while in the X-mansion. Anole (who I had no idea was gay) feels like an exile and hurts because he doesn’t trust himself around his family and his town. But it’s also a dual theme of not just hurt, but abandonment, much like the Hellion story.

The remaining three were just boring and really served no purpose. So what if the X-men disbanded? Why is Cannonball so pissed? Just call Boom Boom, Boomer, Meltdown, or whatever the fuck she is calling herself these days and get X-force together again. Shit, I’m sure Sunspot and Magma aren’t doing anything but eating bonbons and watching reruns of Where are they Now: New Mutants Edition! Nehzno can’t fit in because he is an outsider, not because he is a mutant. Way to rule your kingdom Black Panther! I found Fraction’s story really lame. Nicieza already gave us a look at humanizing Scalphunter in the Gambit series. He even talked about how clones can’t have a soul, but that part didn’t bother me. What bothered me the most in this story is for Nightcrawler (who is still a man of the cloth right?) to even threaten to kill him is just out of character. What is the purpose of Nightcrawler visiting this guy for days, eating his food, and quoting Walter Benjamin? What I guess was supposed to be an emotional story about finding God, really felt empty (this is coming from the wuzz that cries at movies too.)

Skottie Young really defined the way the New X-men looked and I really miss his art in a monthly book. Brandon Peterson has really changed the way his art looks, he has come a long way from the days of being a Jim Lee clone. To be hones the art was fine in every story. The only bad thing I can say is Takeda’s art makes everyone look really young. I couldn’t tell an age difference between Nehzno and his mother, unless of course Wakkanda women just age well. I have mixed feeling about this book. I feel like its stories that needed to be told, but not really necessary to buy. But hey, if you want to know what happened to some of these characters after Messiah Complex, you know you already have a copy. C+