2009 continued a trend set by the previous year by having the X-Men titles deal with a series of line wide changes and crossovers. Mutation was certainly the theme in terms of the various titles of the franchise.  Young X-Men was cancelled near the beginning of the year, leaving the younger mutants to fight for panel time in X-Infernus, Uncanny X-Men, X-Force, and X-Men: Legacy. Wolverine became Dark Wolverine when Daken left Wolverine: Origins to star in his own book. As a result, Logan was down to one solo title and Wolverine: Weapon X was launched just in time to coincide with the hirsute mutant's solo feature film. X-Men: Legacy switched focus from Professor Xavier to Rogue and her new role as a sort of guidance counselor to the students. X-Factor was renumbered at the end of the year, making the jump from #50 to #200 once the powers that be decided to add up the total of issues of both volumes. The X-Men moved out of their new home in San Francisco and into a newer home off the coast of California, which just happened to be Magento's old home, while the older and wiser New Mutants received a new book to call their own. If that wasn't enough, there were three crossover events: Messiah War, Utopia, and X-Necrosha kept things further in flux. 

Unfortunately, we could always rely on Cable to provide us with the same "Bishop chases Nathan and Hope" plot month to month.   

 

In this article, I'll take a look back at the various mutant related ongoing titles to see how they weathered the various changes that were thrust upon them during 2009. Did they leave the year better than they started it? What were the highs and the lows? What's the outlook for them as we enter 2010? 

 

 

There were several titles published last year that skirt the edges of the X-Men universe.  Marvel Comics decided to capitalized on Deadpool's rising profile thanks to the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie, and the "Merc with a Mouth" was granted two more solo series in addition to one already written by Daniel Way.  If that weren't enough, Wade Wilson got more face time in the Deadpool: Games of Death one-shot and Deadpool: Suicide Kings mini-series.  Least we forget, Deadpool also played a major role in the Messiah War crossover. At this rate, Marvel may burn out the character before he has a chance to hit the silver screen in his own solo film starring Ryan Reynolds.

 

Over in the Omniverse, Chris Claremont's New Exiles came to a close, allowing for Psylocke to return to the X-Men over in Uncanny X-Men.  Hoping that there would still be fans clamoring for a title that involved mutants popping around a multiverse of different worlds, a new volume of Exiles was launched, only to see cancellation after only six issues due to poor sales figures. It would appear that Claremont's version of the book may have soured fans' interest in the concept or that the idea had finally ran its course.  

 

Probably the brightest star on the fringe of the X-Men galaxy was Captain Britain & MI13.  Writer Paul Cornell and penciler Leonard Kirk were able to take the unlikely combination of Captain Britain, Pete Wisdom, the Black Knight, and Blade, and generate a really sharp and exciting superhero title.  As if on a dare, Cornell was even able to develop Dracula into a major threat within the Marvel Universe.  This book had the wonderful balance of action, humor, and character development. Plus, there was pleasant smattering of continuity fodder for fans of the original Excalibur title from '80s and '90s. Sadly, the numbers were not there in form of sales and CB&MI13 was cancelled during the first half of the year.  Cornell and Kirk were able to finish the year with a few odd jobs, namely a vignette in each of the three issues of Dark X-Men: The Beginning, as well as the follow-up mini-series, simply called Dark X-Men.  Hopefully, the X-Office will continue to provide the duo with another ongoing series next year.  They're too good to let go.

 

 

When X-Men Forever was originally announced at the beginning of 2009, you could almost hear a large portion of X-fandom collectively say, "Yeahbutwhat?!" The '00s was the decade that legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont returned to the franchise that he helped foster into greatness back in the '80s. Unfortunately, his output, not from a lack of trying, just could not reach the heights achieved during his original sixteen year run on Uncanny X-Men. Now, Marvel was creating a twice monthly title that would allow Claremont to pick up where he left off eighteen years prior and do whatever he wanted with the characters.  

 

It was called X-Men Forever, and so far, it's been really good. More than just good, this book has been fun. Unlike Claremont's other work during the decade, he hasn't had to acclimate to what has been done to the characters while he was away during the '90s. With X-Men Forever, the only material that matters is what the writer wrote prior to his original exit. That's not to say that there haven't been any bumps in the road (the second arc was a bit off), but for the most part I've enjoyed the wild ride that Claremont has taken me and the characters on. 

 

X-Men Forever really excels when artist Tom Grummett is providing the pencils. His style gives the book a nostalgic feeling and his storytelling and character designs have been outstanding. He seems to be able to translate the writer's vision in a way that makes Claremont's heavy dialogue less noticeable or less cumbersome. This book just seems to work and it is always the first comic I pull off the pile to read on the Wednesday that it hits the stand.

 

 

Wolverine certainly had an interesting year. Maybe "chaotic" is a more appropriate word.  Logan's main solo title, Wolverine, saw gaps of months between issues that would rival Astonishing X-Men. The "Old Man Logan" story by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven had hijacked the title for eight issues.  While McNiven's art was gorgeous, he wasn't the fastest worker. The whole ordeal would have been worth the wait if the story had actually been something worthy of it.  Unfortunately, Millar's story didn't really deliver. It was overly decompressed and many of the big moments were easily telegraphed. 

 

To make matters even more confusing, Marvel wanted to use the book to showcase Wolverine's son, Daken, who was appearing in various titles throughout the company as a member of Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers. But before Wolverine could be renamed Dark Wolverine, "Old Man Logan" needed to finish up. This resulted in the eighth chapter being shuffled off into a separate Old Man Logan Giant-Size one-shot, while the seventh chapter that appeared in Wolverine #72, hit the stands after Wolverine #73 came out. Wolverine #73 and #74 contained two standalone stories, but the powers that be decided to split the two tales in half with a chapter in each issue. 

 

With the 75th issue, the book was renamed Dark Wolverine, starring Daken.  The first arc was surprisingly good.  Wolverine: Origins writer Daniel Way was joined by NYX: No Way Home scribe Marjorie Liu and both were able to finally give the character some much needed personality. The art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, fresh off of X-Infernus, was energetic and had an almost animated feel to it.  The following "My Hero" arc was the ugly opposite number of the opening "The Prince" three-parter.  The second story had a Daken almost devoid of personality, a guest cast of Z-List villains ("The Prince" had the Fantastic Four and the Dark Avengers), and muddy art that provided a completely confusing ending.  

 

Dark Wolverine has already been solicited to take part in Marvel's next big event Siege. This is unsurprising given the character's heavy involvement in the overarching Dark Reign umbrella that has cast a thematic shadow over most of the Marvel Universe this year. Where it goes is anybody's guess. Daken's future faces even more uncertainty given that the book that sired him, Wolverine: Origins, is rumored to wrap up next year.   

 

According to Daniel Way, Wolverine: Origins will come to an end with its 50th issue. This book was once considered forgettable by many, not just because of the continuous retooling of Wolverine's background that took place throughout the series, but also due to the events within being almost completely ignored by the rest of the books in the X-Men franchise.  Last year's Original Sin crossover with X-Men: Legacy opened the door, but Daken's inclusion in Dark Avengers finally solidified the events within as no longer being dismissible.   

 

There were a few bright spots for Wolverine: Origins during 2009.  The art by penciler Doug Braithwaite and inker Bill Reinhold has been beyond excellent.  It was certainly more fitting for the character and the story than former regular artist Steve Dillon.  Scot Eaton, recently off of X-Men: Legacy, filled in for the four-issue "Romulus" arc, elevating the story despite the inclusion of its ridiculous central villain baring the same name. In addition, Daniel Way has proven to be an entertain scripter, it's just the overarching plot of Wolverine: Origins that gives me pause: Romulus has been mucking with Wolverine for over a century all the while pitting various men against each other in an attempt to find an heir worthy enough to take over his criminal empire. Logan's past is convoluted enough without all this other material getting tacked on.  I guess we won't have to worry about it for too much longer if the rumors of cancellation are true.

 

Last year writer Jason Aaron and penciler Ron Garney produced one of the best takes on Wolverine in a long time with the violent, yet weirdly fun "Get Mystique" arc in Wolverine.  Aaron followed that up with the Wolverine: Manifest Destiny mini-series, since Wolverine had been overtaken by "Old Man Logan".  He was reunited with Garney for the launch of Wolverine: Weapon X.  This book served a few purposes. It was provided a first issue for people to jump on who may have been brought in by the film in May (a similar tact was used with Invincible Iron Man). Also, there wasn't a title to showcase the solo adventures of Wolverine, especially one that was severely caught up with its own mythology like Wolverine: Origins. The result has been an entertaining book by a writer that has a solid take on Logan's character.  Depending on what happens to Dark Wolverine, a reversion back to the original title character for example, Wolverine: Weapon X will probably continue to be the Wolverine book to get. 

 

 

Cable, Cable, Cable. As with last year, Cable has been telling the same story from month to month. Even the extremely disappointing Messiah War crossover with X-Force was nothing more than the same Cable story, but with guest stars. The story continues to be "Cable and Hope on the run from Bishop" with the only variations being the time and setting from issue to issue. I will admit that the introduction of Emil did help change things up for the better. He was the same age as Hope and he provided much-needed opportunities for her to express herself outside of being around Cable. Then Bishop appeared and we were back to the same routine.

 

Hopefully, Second Coming will bring a final resolution to this circle chase. What this holds in store for Cable as a solo series is unknown. If it gets cancelled, then it should be applauded for lasting as long as it did on one overly repetitive story. If gets a new direction, then it's about time.  Either way, something needs to to happen with this book and soon. It had worn out its welcome about ten issues ago.   

 

 

After a fairly dismal performance coming out of Messiah Complex last year, X-Factor in 2009 was almost a return to form.  Writer Peter David made no secrets about his desire to make the title a much-talked about series.  The year long arc kicked off with a one-two punch from issues #39 and #40. The former was one of the best issues of series as well as the "Year in X". The shocking nature and fate of Jamie and Terry's child was tragic and went a long way to rekindle interest in X-Factor. The next issue concluded with the much anticipated return of Layla Miller, who had been missing in action since the crossover. The fact that she was now an adult made a certain amount of sense given some of the clues dropped in the book over the past few years. 

 

From this point and to the end of the year, both Jamie and Layla would stay in the future timeline that she was abandoned in during Messiah Complex. The results were mixed. While rest of the cast were given more opportunities to flourish, X-Factor tends to work better when Madrox is our filter and has the rest of the team to work off of. Two steps forward and one step back it would seem, but still an improvement over the previous year. I will have to admit that "Dirty, Sexy, Monet" was probably one of the most inspired story titles for an issue that came out this year.

 

Peter David really got fandom buzzing by seemingly resolving the decade long debate over the true nature of Rictor and Shatterstar's relationship. X-Factor #45 concluded with a kiss between the two and the reaction of firmly split. Some readers saw the move as another attempt by the writer to hype up his book with more shock and awe.  Others felt vindicated that their suspicions had finally been confirmed and happy to see a few more gay or bi-sexual characters a mainstream superhero comic book. I count myself in the later group and found the moment shared between Rictor and Shatterstar to be quite touching.

 

In an attempt to keep X-Factor in the comic book press, Marvel Comics decided to incorporate the book's fifty issues in with the original run. December saw the title jump from #50 to #200 allowing for two back-to-back double-sized issues.  #200 also had the team return to New York City and interacting with the larger Marvel Universe while apparently pulling a little away from being exclusively part of the X-Men franchise.  It'll be interesting to see if this odd assortment of mutants can play nice with the likes of the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. Whatever the result, bringing Jamie and the rest of the cast back together is definitely a step in the right direction.   

 

The Kids Are Alright 

 

The youngest generation of X-Men had an extremely messy year. Young X-Men could never recover from its disastrous start, despite a drastic improvement over the remaining seven issues. One of the positive outcomes of the book's demise was the idea of the former New Mutants as a collective unit once again. The former students were targeted by Donald Pierce during the first arc of Young X-Men and Dani Moonstar and Roberto Dacosta remained onboard as advisers to the kids. Add a few appearances by Karma in Uncanny X-Men and the Magik's return to the family in X-Infernus, and you have the groundwork laid for the relaunch of the New Mutants as a team and an ongoing series.    

 

The first arc in of New Mutants didn't get the book off to a strong start.  Most of the characterization was overshadowed by four issues of fights with the newly resurrected Legion. There felt like very little variation between most of the issues and the story seemed to be padded to fill out the first reprint volume. Writer Zeb Wells managed to squash doubts about whether or not New Mutants was going to work as a book in the 21st century with the back-to-back success of issues #5 and #6. The fifth issue was a much needed "post-game" story that allowed for a great deal of character focus.  The sixth issue was New Mutants the first chapter of the title's involvement in the X-Necrosha crossover and it was a homerun. Not only did Wells allow the now adult New Mutants a moment to reconnect with their former mentor, Charles Xavier, but due to the circumstances of the crossover, he was able to resurrect long dead teammate, Doug Ramsey. In doing so, Wells was able to introduce a new interpretation of Cypher's powers and ended the issue with a heart-wrenching cliffhanger. 

 

While the second generation of X-Men appear to be sticking around in their own title, at least through the next major crossover, Second Coming, the fourth generation kids (if one would consider Generation X the third generation) continued to exist without a book to call their own. Despite numerous appearances and name-drops in Uncanny X-Men and X-Force, Surge, Prodigy, and company didn't really have their own book to call their own. That has appeared to have changed slightly with the revamping of X-Men: Legacy.  

 

 

2009 was the year that X-Men: Legacy transformed from a book that focused solely on Charles Xavier to one where Rogue was the central character. The transition occurred at the beginning of the year in the "Salvage" arc that dealt with Rogue coming to terms with her powers and Xavier making amends with Danger. Writer Mike Carey also added a dash of Gambit and a whole lot of continuity references. As with most of Carey's X-Men work, the readers appreciation of the arc usually coincides with their knowledge of X-history. Xavier got a nice send-off in X-Men: Legacy #225, which brought his storyline back around to Exodus and the Acolytes, allowing the professor the opportunity to display what he had learned about himself and mutantkind's struggle during his journeys.

 

Rogue took over as the lead with a two-part tie-in to the Utopia event. This began her connections to the younger students will simultaneously reconnecting X-Men: Legacy closer to the status quo in the flagship book, Uncanny X-Men. The year ended with Rogue becoming a sort of mutant guidance counselor to the students and a fight with '90s throwback and Generation X villain, Emplate. The "Devil at the Crossroads" was creepy and a decent enough start for the books new direction, but it still felt an issue too long.

 

I continue to think that Mike Carey is the best writer on the X-office team. His stories respect continuity, yet are not usually dependent on it. He also has the ability to put a new spin on familiar ideas or characters without them feeling forced. Also, his character work has been extremely strong. Rarely do their voices seem unsuitable given their established history. Still, a reader's appreciation mileage may vary, depending on their knowledge past events. 

 

Sadly, Carey has been on the book for about three years and has had to adjust the core concept twice. He hasn't been given enough time to really dig in and and create his own world over an extended period of time. While the new Rogue and students idea has a lot of potential, there is the looming threat of next year's crossover event forcing yet another change. Hopefully, the folks in the editorial office will just let Mike Carey do what he does best and let him write some great stories without having to zig and zag around someone else's book.

 

 

The existence of Astonishing X-Men continues to vex me. Originally it was a series to showcase Joss Whedon as a writer with John Cassaday providing some really excellent visuals. There were delays and continuity hiccups as a result, but in the end there were twenty-four issues and a giant-size conclusion that told a complete story. At the same time, Astonishing X-Men was a series available for readers that wanted to read stories featuring the X-Men without having to follow any of the other mutant titles. 

 

Warren Ellis' run on the title has made it so removed from the other X-books that it feels pointless. Both arcs have been big science fiction tales that make the X-Men look like they were just plugged into the plot. Whedon's stories at least felt true to the characters and the plots rolled out of who these people were. Warren Ellis' X-Men talk sharp and look great drawn by Simone Bianchi and Phil Jiminez, but they just feel empty. The three issues of his second arc that came out this year feel like they take place within a about two hours. It's all big screen explosions and gorgeous, witty heroes to the rescue. It's all just empty calories. Also, the plot dealing with the resurrecting of dead mutants is just too close to X-Necrosha to be engaging to me. Marvel will undoubtedly continue to publish Astonishing X-Men if the numbers continue to be solid, though.

 

 

X-Force has done the impossible and has become one of the must-read X-Men related ongoing titles. Writers Craig Kyle and Chris Yost have done this by skillfully balancing action, character development, and franchise continuity. It also doesn't hurt things when the blockbuster art team of Mike Choi and Sonia Oback are providing the visuals. Regular artist Clayton Crain can provide stunning, visceral work, but it has been somewhat muddy and hard to follow, particularly at the end of one of his stint when it appears he's trying to hit a deadline.

 

Messiah War was a rough speed bump in what could have been an almost perfect year for X-Force. The fact that the team had to get pulled out in the middle of a mission to take part in the crossover with Cable had a very meta-textual feel to it. The reader, like the team, was forced to follow Cable and Hope around, while dear friends were about to die (or died as was Boom-Boom's temporary situation). Kyle and Yost made the most of the situation and were able to keep the energy high and the characterization solid. Still, Wolfsbane continued to exist outside of the events that effected the rest of the team leading me to question why she was even in the book in the first place. I would love to see Rahne back with her pals, the New Mutants, now that they have a regular series again.

 

Some may question whether it was smart to involve X-Force in two crossover events with only four months between the two.  However, X-Necrosha is an X-Force story that New Mutants and X-Men: Legacy have decided to join in on. This story had its groundwork laid in X-Force, so it doesn't feel forced as did the books participation in Messiah War did.

 

Kyle and Yost have already announced that they will be leaving X-Force after the conclusion of next years big X-Men event, Second Coming. What this will mean for the book is anyone's guess. Will it continue with a new writer? Should anyone even attempt to follow the duo? Your guess is as good as mine.

 

 

In 2008, Matt Fraction was able to get people to notice Uncanny X-Men again for the first time since its adjectiveless sibling hit the stands at the beginning of the '90s. In 2009, the writer re-established the book as the flagship of the line. It seems only fair. Uncanny X-Men was the first X-book and the longest running one. Also, it's probably the only one of Marvel Comic's oldest books to not have to endure a weird renumbering scheme.

 

It doesn't hurt that Matt Fraction is one of the more respected new voices to enter mainstream comics in the last few years. Another aspect of Uncanny X-Men that may have helped is that Fraction has narrowed his focus to very small cast while simultaneously giving brief panel time to just about every other mutant around. In other words, Cyclops, Emma Frost, and Beast dominate the book as far as development and dialogue, but once in a while Nightcrawler, Colossus, Northstar, Dazzler, Psylocke, and others get to run around, blow things up, and make cool remarks. Deep characterization is kept to a select few, but there's all these other familiar faces popping in and out to remind us that this is the X-Men.

 

The downside to this structure is that Uncanny X-Men feels incredibly uneven. Sure there are some pockets of depth, but due to the thinness of the rest of the supposed cast, the title feels shallow. Fraction has provided some really interesting changes, but he's doing so at breakneck speed. The mutants were barely in San Francisco before moving out into the ocean aboard Magneto's old asteroid base. The "Nation-X" arc will run until Uncanny X-Men takes part in Second Coming, after which I can't help but feel that it once again go through another metamorphosis. I believe the book should be about mutation, but I would like it to take it's time to explore some of these ideas a little longer.

  

The Utopia crossover with Dark Avengers also brought the X-Men more solidly back into the Marvel Universe. The mutants felt like they were a vital part of the overall 616 tapestry once again. Unfortunately, if you were a fan of the Dark Avengers, you might have felt short-changed by the event. This was an X-Men story that happened to guest star Norman Osborn and his flunkies. Still, Utopia helped bring more attention to Uncanny X-Men despite it's various faults.

 

The art in Uncanny X-Men has certainly been hit or miss. It hits when Terry and Rachel Dodson provide the visuals in their wonderfully iconic, curvy style. The book really tends to miss when Greg Land gives everybody the same fashion pictorial face and body. There's a difference between using photo references and reusing the same poses and plastic expressions over and over again. When the Dodsons throw in a dash of cheesecake, there's an element of whimsy and fun that tends to trump sexualization. Land's cheesecake is empty, flat, and obvious. I don't think I can truly enjoy this book until he's no longer drawing it.