Rokk_Krinn
04/11/2004, 23:33
Once a week or so we see a thread on here or the DC forum from people wondering which series are worth checking out. Like all the other rabid comic fans, I usually end up posting a few recommended titles on those threads. Today, however, I finally got around to reading a title someone had recommended to me and I found myself wanting to recommend it to others. That further got me thinking that I'm going to try a little experiment: each week I'm going to post a title recommendation on either here or the DC forum and on the opposing forum I'm going to recommend a "Goodie from the Bin" (ie: a cancelled or limited series which I think people should give a looksie). Egotistical of me? Maybe, but it's not really meant that way. :) Basically, just hoping to share a little comics enthusiasm. That being said, it's time to give my first recommendation a try with the series I just read today. Just to warn there are some minor background spoilers in the review.
MYSTIQUE
Primary Creative Team: Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Michael Ryan and Matt Milla (main artists)
I'll be the first to admit that I scoffed at the idea of trying a series featuring Mystique. Not only have I been shying away from X-books but I figured this was a title focused on huge body counts and huger breasts. How was a writer going to keep you interested in an assassin without the stories becoming redundant? Sure, Deadpool hadn't done too bad in that area but that title was meant to be tongue-in-cheek and I just didn't imagine Mystique going that route. However, a gal who's advice I really respect kept telling me there was some good things about the title and so today I decided to finally break down and read the first issue (she had loaned me the first ten which comprises the first two story arcs). I finished reading that issue, paused for a second and eagerly grabbed the second issue; repeat until I'd gone through all ten issues and now I'm left with a craving to read the next couple that have come out since the loan.
Basically, the premise of Mystique is that the world security agencies - especially the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security - have gotten fed up with Ms. Darkholme and have figured a way to track her down no matter her identity. Meanwhile, Prof. Xavier in a personality mode that readers of "Ultimate X-Men" would adore, is seeking to add Raven to his cabinet of undercover operatives - agents he uses on missions where the X-Men are too high profile and he wants no traces to lead back to him or the X-folks. Aided by Forge, Xavier pulls off a nifty save of Mystique and then proceeds to blackmail her: she can work for him using his rules and guidelines or he'll have Forge turn off the scrambler they're using to hide Mystique's presence from the world gov't agencies (he quickly points out to her this would lead to her execution and, frankly, he wouldn't shed a tear). Needless to say, Mystique quickly finds herself taking on the task of one of "Charlie's Angels" (as she puts it).
The series could have easily risked falling into the cliche molds of the mediums which it likes to joke about - James Bond, Le Femme Nikita, etc. but so far it's managed to pull off its "Mission: Impossible" style storylines without reverting to farce or tired storylines. The world hopping has been fun (especially as the writers try to point out some good things about even the worse locations - except Pittsburgh) and the missions she faces really do seem like ones it wouldn't make sense for Charles to use his X-Men to perform (yes, even Wolverine for reasons that become clear in the first couple of issues). Perhaps most surprisingly is that the writing isn't "dumbed down" - there's plenty to read in each comic (I hate comics full of silent panels) and the dialogue is solid. The mood can easily and smoothly transition from fun quips to some very horrific situatitions in the span of a page or two. Lesser writers might make the experience jarring but Vaughan keeps you in the story every inch of the way.
The main character is surprisingly complex - she's an amoral selfish assassin, yet at the same time she really does seem passionate about the desire to protect mutantkind (or other oppressed minorities if the circumstances appeal to her). She just doesn't do the nice things in a very nice way. The writers have made sure to make her fun and sympathetic at the same time yet they always make sure to retain the "bad girl vibe" everyone has come to expect from the Blue Skinned Beauty.
Even a character as surprisingly well-rounded (minds out of the gutters, boys) as Mystique still can't totally float a series by herself. She needs a supporting cast and Vaughan supplies that for us as well. Besides the more cloak-and-dagger side of Professor Xavier we have two other primary support staff for Mystique: Forge and Shortpack. Forge - to use his analogy - is Q to Mystique's "Bond", but speaking of bonds the two have that as well: the two are former lovers and Forge definitely holds a bit of a grudge over Mystique's abrupt departure and backstabbing. Yet while Forge says he wouldn't find himself too sorrowful over Mystique getting killed in the line-of-duty he still finds himself asking her out for a cup of coffee. Shortpack is a pretty fun and original character - he's Mystique's "field handler" (think Jon Voight's initial role in the first "Mission Impossible" movie), a minor telepath and about the size of an action figure (and as he points out to Mystique, he's not Giant-Man; he doesn't control his size, he's stuck at a couple inches tall). Shortpack's already lost one agent to whom he was close and he's going to do his best not to lose another, even if she is a cold-blooded broomstick rider.
Yet like any action book, the title is going to require some solid art and this book delivers that as well. Ryan and Millas artwork is a nice change from the "bad manga" that has infested comics of late. Sure, they overemphasize parts of the anatomy at time (but, surprisingly nowhere near as much as you would expect) but for the most part the characters look good and individual. The visual effects they pull off with Mystique are fantastic, by the way, though I'm going to hold off revealing any surprises here (obviously, kudos to Vaughan for thinking up some of these ideas). Despite my love of dialogue in a comic (hey, I don't pay to be done with these things in a minute or two) some of the best art panels have been "silent" - the one that really sticks with me is Mystique looking out a plane window and the artwork conveys a bookload of emotion. Oh, and for those wondering, yes there's plenty of sexy looks for Mystique if that's your thing. :)
Speaking of the artwork, one can not forget the covers of this series. These covers are awestriking and - despite my reservations about the title (prior to my reading it) - almost baited me into buying an issue or two. Multiple artists have worked on the covers so far but the vast majority of these covers are fantastic enough to be published as a collection. My favourites, so far, have been issue #7 with the purple metallic inks and black negative space, and issue #9 which was rendered so well I still think it's a photograph (credits on the inside, however, say differently).
Obviously no series is perfect and there are a few things which the writer needs to either work on or will hopefully avoid. First and foremost, it would be an easy trap to try making Mystique too sympathetic or a "good gal". I'm not big into anti-heroes, but the heroic approach would just be wrong for Raven. Her thoughts are almost always about herself first and anyone else is a far distant second. Secondly, while the first two stories have worked great as "espionage" adventures the writers do need to make sure they don't overdo this lest they risk becoming as cliche as some of the series at which they poke fun. Finally, it seems like Vaughan is trying a bit too hard to do something convoluted with the series antagonists and their attempts to make Mystique a double-agent; hopefully he avoids the Morrison trap of trying to do too many clever things and backing himself into a corner or confusing so many readers he finds the audience protesting.
All in all though, I find Mystique both a pleasant surprise and a true guilty pleasure. :) The book is still early enough in its run that it's easy enough for a new reader to jump aboard, especially since the crew is making sure to avoid too much of Mystique's confusing backstory. So next time you're at the comic store, go ahead and try grabbing an issue - you just might find yourself thinking that a Nightcrawler Heroclix isn't the only great thing to come in blue.
MYSTIQUE
Primary Creative Team: Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Michael Ryan and Matt Milla (main artists)
I'll be the first to admit that I scoffed at the idea of trying a series featuring Mystique. Not only have I been shying away from X-books but I figured this was a title focused on huge body counts and huger breasts. How was a writer going to keep you interested in an assassin without the stories becoming redundant? Sure, Deadpool hadn't done too bad in that area but that title was meant to be tongue-in-cheek and I just didn't imagine Mystique going that route. However, a gal who's advice I really respect kept telling me there was some good things about the title and so today I decided to finally break down and read the first issue (she had loaned me the first ten which comprises the first two story arcs). I finished reading that issue, paused for a second and eagerly grabbed the second issue; repeat until I'd gone through all ten issues and now I'm left with a craving to read the next couple that have come out since the loan.
Basically, the premise of Mystique is that the world security agencies - especially the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security - have gotten fed up with Ms. Darkholme and have figured a way to track her down no matter her identity. Meanwhile, Prof. Xavier in a personality mode that readers of "Ultimate X-Men" would adore, is seeking to add Raven to his cabinet of undercover operatives - agents he uses on missions where the X-Men are too high profile and he wants no traces to lead back to him or the X-folks. Aided by Forge, Xavier pulls off a nifty save of Mystique and then proceeds to blackmail her: she can work for him using his rules and guidelines or he'll have Forge turn off the scrambler they're using to hide Mystique's presence from the world gov't agencies (he quickly points out to her this would lead to her execution and, frankly, he wouldn't shed a tear). Needless to say, Mystique quickly finds herself taking on the task of one of "Charlie's Angels" (as she puts it).
The series could have easily risked falling into the cliche molds of the mediums which it likes to joke about - James Bond, Le Femme Nikita, etc. but so far it's managed to pull off its "Mission: Impossible" style storylines without reverting to farce or tired storylines. The world hopping has been fun (especially as the writers try to point out some good things about even the worse locations - except Pittsburgh) and the missions she faces really do seem like ones it wouldn't make sense for Charles to use his X-Men to perform (yes, even Wolverine for reasons that become clear in the first couple of issues). Perhaps most surprisingly is that the writing isn't "dumbed down" - there's plenty to read in each comic (I hate comics full of silent panels) and the dialogue is solid. The mood can easily and smoothly transition from fun quips to some very horrific situatitions in the span of a page or two. Lesser writers might make the experience jarring but Vaughan keeps you in the story every inch of the way.
The main character is surprisingly complex - she's an amoral selfish assassin, yet at the same time she really does seem passionate about the desire to protect mutantkind (or other oppressed minorities if the circumstances appeal to her). She just doesn't do the nice things in a very nice way. The writers have made sure to make her fun and sympathetic at the same time yet they always make sure to retain the "bad girl vibe" everyone has come to expect from the Blue Skinned Beauty.
Even a character as surprisingly well-rounded (minds out of the gutters, boys) as Mystique still can't totally float a series by herself. She needs a supporting cast and Vaughan supplies that for us as well. Besides the more cloak-and-dagger side of Professor Xavier we have two other primary support staff for Mystique: Forge and Shortpack. Forge - to use his analogy - is Q to Mystique's "Bond", but speaking of bonds the two have that as well: the two are former lovers and Forge definitely holds a bit of a grudge over Mystique's abrupt departure and backstabbing. Yet while Forge says he wouldn't find himself too sorrowful over Mystique getting killed in the line-of-duty he still finds himself asking her out for a cup of coffee. Shortpack is a pretty fun and original character - he's Mystique's "field handler" (think Jon Voight's initial role in the first "Mission Impossible" movie), a minor telepath and about the size of an action figure (and as he points out to Mystique, he's not Giant-Man; he doesn't control his size, he's stuck at a couple inches tall). Shortpack's already lost one agent to whom he was close and he's going to do his best not to lose another, even if she is a cold-blooded broomstick rider.
Yet like any action book, the title is going to require some solid art and this book delivers that as well. Ryan and Millas artwork is a nice change from the "bad manga" that has infested comics of late. Sure, they overemphasize parts of the anatomy at time (but, surprisingly nowhere near as much as you would expect) but for the most part the characters look good and individual. The visual effects they pull off with Mystique are fantastic, by the way, though I'm going to hold off revealing any surprises here (obviously, kudos to Vaughan for thinking up some of these ideas). Despite my love of dialogue in a comic (hey, I don't pay to be done with these things in a minute or two) some of the best art panels have been "silent" - the one that really sticks with me is Mystique looking out a plane window and the artwork conveys a bookload of emotion. Oh, and for those wondering, yes there's plenty of sexy looks for Mystique if that's your thing. :)
Speaking of the artwork, one can not forget the covers of this series. These covers are awestriking and - despite my reservations about the title (prior to my reading it) - almost baited me into buying an issue or two. Multiple artists have worked on the covers so far but the vast majority of these covers are fantastic enough to be published as a collection. My favourites, so far, have been issue #7 with the purple metallic inks and black negative space, and issue #9 which was rendered so well I still think it's a photograph (credits on the inside, however, say differently).
Obviously no series is perfect and there are a few things which the writer needs to either work on or will hopefully avoid. First and foremost, it would be an easy trap to try making Mystique too sympathetic or a "good gal". I'm not big into anti-heroes, but the heroic approach would just be wrong for Raven. Her thoughts are almost always about herself first and anyone else is a far distant second. Secondly, while the first two stories have worked great as "espionage" adventures the writers do need to make sure they don't overdo this lest they risk becoming as cliche as some of the series at which they poke fun. Finally, it seems like Vaughan is trying a bit too hard to do something convoluted with the series antagonists and their attempts to make Mystique a double-agent; hopefully he avoids the Morrison trap of trying to do too many clever things and backing himself into a corner or confusing so many readers he finds the audience protesting.
All in all though, I find Mystique both a pleasant surprise and a true guilty pleasure. :) The book is still early enough in its run that it's easy enough for a new reader to jump aboard, especially since the crew is making sure to avoid too much of Mystique's confusing backstory. So next time you're at the comic store, go ahead and try grabbing an issue - you just might find yourself thinking that a Nightcrawler Heroclix isn't the only great thing to come in blue.