Uncanny X-Men #18 Review

Uncanny X-Men #18 boasts a really swanky cover that only pertains to the contents in the loosest, most metaphorical sense. This issue is a jumbled combination of plot threads and timelines as Brian Bendis deals with the fallout of Hijack's expulsion, the sudden disappearance of Kitty's group (as seen in All-New X-Men), and flashbacks to the initial arrival of Kitty and the young X-Men. There are some strong scenes of characterization here, but the issue fails to come together as a cohesive whole.

Thematically, the only element that really ties all of this together is that Cyclops is upset and struggling to maintain control. Beyond that, the script meanders between timelines at will and focuses on everything from his personal guilt over the death of Charles Xavier to Emma Frost's hatred of Jean Grey. With as much as Kitty and her students factor into this issue, it really does make you question whether All-New and Uncanny should exists as separate entities. Or at the very least, make you wish the rest of the junior mutant cast would assert their presence more. It's great to see old Cyke interact with young Cyke and Kitty and Illyana rekindle their friendship, but what about these other characters that are supposed to be the heart and soul of the series?

Marco Rudy brings a very striking look to the series as he steps in for a month. He uses the chaotic shape of Cyclops' optic blasts to frame each page, while also employing both inks and watercolors to distinguish various panels. The heavy deign-oriented focus sometimes gets in the way of the basic storytelling and panel flow, but it's a surreal approach that fits in well with previous issues from artists like Chris Bachalo and Frazer Irving.

Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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