Editor's Note: Uncanny X-Men #503 arrives in stores tomorrow, October 15.

A night on the town. Two friends and a car. Kinky leather outfits. Oh, and a very morbid telepath on the loose. Sounds like good times.

The X-Men have not had it easy since moving to San Francisco. Aside from dealing with anti-mutant hate crimes and the High Evolutionary, Pixie was brutally attacked by the Hellfire Club, which is now under the control of someone called the Red Queen. After closing in on the Club's headquarters, they found themselves on the defensive against Emma Frost's ex-teammate Empath, who has somehow gained a massive power boost.

The plot itself is straightforward, but not in a bad way. Some of the younger X-Men go out to a bar and discuss life. Meanwhile, Empath is on the run, and the X-Men are chasing him down. Yet Fraction and Brubaker manage to turn the chase into an example of how dangerous a telepath can be. Empath's mental attacks are disturbingly manipulative and surprisingly effective. I was expecting it to be a quick hunt, but it turned into a unique plot. The plot, however, quickly comes to an anticlimax. Instead of a great showdown, the main storyline ends in a predictable, boring, and slightly cliché way. That said, the issue does end in a pretty surprising manner that definitely caught my interest, and involved some pretty smart metafiction through song lyrics.

The main problem though, is the dialogue. Instead of flowing smoothly and sounding natural, it comes across as an almost forced attempt at sounding "hip." It works somewhat with Cannonball and the other younger characters, but when Pixie says "I'm strong. I'm dark. I'm goth as hell!" it just comes across as laughable. It also manages to undercut the mood of a scene. Case in point, the Wolverine/Nightcrawler banter while chasing Empath. Great interaction between the two, but when put in the context of Empath's disturbing rampage through San Francisco, it just kills the tone.

Where the dialogue and plot sometimes fail, the art definitely makes up for it. Greg Land gets some flak, but I am fan of his art. The characters come off as well proportioned and heavily detailed, and the action scenes have a strong sense of motion. It is realistic, and it works. Plus, the art manages to fit the tone of the scenes perfectly, from the awkward humor of the opening scene to the haunting atmosphere of Empath's attacks. Ponsor's colors only accentuate this and are extremely vivid.

I used to stay away from the X-books due to confusion and fear of their long continuity. I only recently picked up Uncanny X-Men, yet Brubaker, Fraction, and Land have managed to really capture my interest and have crafted an accessible book. This issue alone has its flaws, but the overall arc, especially the revelation on the last page, is enthralling.

---

What did you think of this book?
Have your say at the Line of Fire Forum!

---