Hmm. It had to happen. That knowledge fails to soften the blow, however...
Alex Ross has failed, if only temporarily, to make us care for a story. I do not know that we should have expected or even wanted closure at the end of the first of a series of fourteen issues, but certainly we deserve enough power and intrigue in a story of this supposed importance that it at least makes us eager (or even curious) for the following issue. Thus far, though the basic plot premise is mildly fascinating (if not yet especially original), the actual Earth X script has read like a corny and generic entry from Kurt Busiek's reject files, adding little to the Earth X sketch book teaser featured in the pages of Wizard magazine over a year ago.The art work struggles to keep us interested, and, for the most part, it surprisingly succeeds; John Paul Leon's illustrations are edgy, at once unfocused and tight in a manner highly reminiscent of Frank Miller's better works, with additional conflict between the varying, somehow ambiguous degrees of depth (which in turn resembles the work of new WildCats artists Travis and Richard Friend.) Stylish and interesting as it is already, it seems like something that might yet increase in quality and win the reader over even more as the series progresses, though that will not be an issue if the writing does not soon improve.
Like Steve Gerber's wicked miniseries Nevada, the majority of Earth X consists of standard comic book format, framed at the beginning and end with plain text dialogue and no illustrations (which, in a book that, thus far, is only saved by its illustrations, is probably not an intelligent method of delivery.) The dialogue is shared by two faceless characters (one literally, though this is not fully explained in issue one): Uatu (the Watcher) and his protege, the android X-51 (the new Watcher), without whom Uatu claims to be blind (too bad, really, since the only thing that makes his dialogue endurable is the visual assistance!) Uatu takes X-51 on a dingy journey through the future of the Marvel Universe, where the entire population is now metahuman (that's "super human" for the benefit of my fellow comic book-illiterates.) This is where the series shows potential, in its theoretical hook: would the world still need heroes if everyone was as powerful as the saviors of old? Unfortunately, this promising facet is barely even acknowledged in issue one, much less explored. Instead, it is passively revealed that Hydra (a giant, plant version of Star Trek's the Borg, as far as unacquainted readers such as myself can tell) has consumed most of the old school heroes, who seem to be android replacements of the apparently dead originals, anyway, so no big deal. Only Captain America is his original self, though he is barely recognizable, what with his tattered American flag toga and weary, beaten brow (perhaps that description gives the wrong impression, for in fact, Cap is given majesty and weight with this design that his ridiculous regular costume has never managed to convey.) Also, the "A" on his head is now a permanent fixture in the form of what appears to be an old, creased scar (a move which seems to be nothing more than a clever slap in the face to the young man who tried to remove the "A" a couple years past, one Mr. Rob Liefeld, the comic book industry's equivalent of the black sheep sibling who, despite his repeated failures to get himself together, always manages to charm Mom and Pop into letting him move back home to do laundry and "get back on his feet.")The "dark future" aspect of Earth X makes it difficult to refrain from making comparisons between this book and Kingdom Come. Sadly, though perhaps it is unfair to set this book to such high standards, Earth X is a hollow shadow beneath KC. This series could be dropped from the old pull list and immediately forgotten, though most likely, I am not alone in my tentative decision to give the series at least one more chance (it seems that Alex Ross deserves as much, as he has never before insulted readers with a crappy piece.) Hopefully, this will eventually prove to be something special, something deserving of the hype and happiness associated with any new Alex Ross project. In the meantime, Earth X has proven to be a devastating disappointment. Overall Rating: 7.9 (a powerless script which is dragged defiantly into realms of quality art and innovation by original yet stylish art work.)
R.I.Y.L. WildCats, disappointment, art over story and style over substance. P.C.P. Any of the big-budget action films of the last year or two, which wrap empty, generic attempts at emotional drama in a pretty, easy-to-swallow package."You may speak with her voice...but you are not Jennifer. Do you hear me, you crazy Hydra queen?!?! You aren't her!"
E-mail the reviewer Back To HomeVol. 2, Issue #18
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