X-Men United #3 (Marvel Comics)
Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I'm going to be reviewing the 2nd issue of X-Men United from Marvel Comics!
Going on a mission with Captain America seems like it would be a relatively easy task right? Well for Melee, Jitter & Laura Kinney it’s been anything but that. So just how did a mission to right a wrong from Captain America’s past go so wrong? Let’s jump into it!
Credit: Marvel Comics // X-Men United #3 by Eve L Ewing (Writer), Tiago Palma (Artist), Brian Reber (Color Artist), VC’s Joe Sabino (Letterer), Stefano Caselli & Federico Blee (Cover Artists)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The Story
After the misstep in issue #2 things bounce back in a big way with a story that’s deep, impactful and incredibly moving. It’s an absolute home run of an issue that I really enjoyed, and moved me very much. Eve Ewing’s writing in this issue is absolutely incredible and the story feels like one of those classic X-Men stories.
The issue starts off where the last one left off with Captain America & the team that went with him in the home of Maurice Canfield but at separate points in time. Maurice Canfield was one of 300 African American soldiers who were used as test subjects at Camp Cathcart as part of Project Rebirth. Project Rebirth was the U.S. Governments attempt to recreate the super soldier serum that had lead to the creation of Captain America in World War II.
The issue kicks off into high gear immediately with Maurice attacking the various members of the team and Captain America because Maurice has no love for the government, or anyone associated with it. After the battle ends the story turns into a heartfelt story about the man in the house. I don’t want to spoil it to much, because the story is a deeply moving one like I mentioned. I really really enjoyed that part of the story because it did NOT hold back or pull any punches. It deals with a time in America’s history that saw a lot of injustice and evil in the country. It does not shy away from showing those injustices and shows it in a way that deepens the impact of the story.
The end of the issue teases the next one in a very impactful way, because someone is making a call to Emma Frost on her cell phone. They do show who is on the caller ID but I won’t say who it is and I’ll leave that for you to find out once you read it. What I will say is if you know who the person on the call is, you know what they’re associated with and it cannot be a good thing that they’re calling.
The Artwork
Tiago Palma & Brian Reber are on the artwork for this issue and they continue their stupendous work. The way the issue is drawn gave a sense of familiarity. Even if you haven’t started the series yet, or haven’t read any of the various X-Men comics in the last couple of years, the art style is still a similar one from what you’d be used to that it makes jumping into it very easy. I particularly liked the flashback sequence and the style it was done in. A lot of time and care was put into it, especially when you’re dealing with the subject matter you are in it. The job Tiago & Brian do on the artwork for this issue is simply incredible and cannot be praised enough.
Overall Grade: 8/10
A deeply moving, and impactful story from Eve Ewing that should be read by everyone. Together with artwork that has a lot time, and care put into it make this one of the best issues of the run thus far.
