Book of the Week 6/25/08 X-Men Legacy #213

Written by Mike Carey
Pencils by Scott Eaton
Inks by Andrew Hennessy
Colors by Frank D'Armata
Letters by Cory Petit

This was a huge week for comics and I had the pleasure of reading a lot of quality books but in the end X-Men Legacy #213 was the title that struck me as the best thing that I read. I've been very lukewarm about this book because I didn't understand the motivation behind this book and why we needed it and while that still may be the case I think this is pretty much the best post messiah complex X-title out there and this is the only X-book that seems to have any read direction.

The current plot in this book revolves around the return of Mr. Sinister, who we saw die in Messiah Complex, and how his return is connected to Xavier. Carey is really doing some retconing but that's something that comics need to stay fresh and I'm really interested in the story that he's telling and where it's going. Something that engaged me within the first couple of pages is Sinister telling and showing Charles how much of a jerk he's been to the X-men and it's nice to see that addressed and to see Charles' reaction to his past mistakes.

I can't say that I am a huge fan of Eaton's pencils yet but I can say that I like him more and more as time goes on and I'm really glad that his Charles Xavier no longer mimics Patrick Stewart. His art does have a nice classic feel to it so I am digging that. I do think he could benefit from some better coloring though, the colors seem to be a little too wet and streaky.

All in all I'm happy that I am enjoying one of the X-books out there and, as I said before on the show, Sinister is one of my favorite villains and Carey is giving us a very interesting glimpse into his past and I like it.

Also, the very last page.......very cool.