Grade: B
Joe Casey joins the franchise with the unenviable position of keeping up with Grant Morrison. While the
New X-Men focuses on the school, Joe Casey takes the
Uncanny X-Men on assignments around the world. He starts with a young mutant punk ready to make his mark by following Magneto's footsteps and comes out as a mutant threat by attacking Cape Citadel. This run ends with the X-Men learning about young mutant women who use their powers to please at a brothel in Nevada. Between those two bookend stories is a hard lesson about the fickleness of fame -- especially for those groups of people who stand apart from the norm. The team's lineup includes Archangel, Iceman, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine as they attempt to bring Chamber back into the fold while still helping the less fortunate mutants.
How does Joe Casey do? Not bad at all. They are memorable stories that deal more directly with some of the core issues long associated with the X-Men -- discrimination and how it impacts those who don't wear the "X" uniform. Yes, there are some noticeable similarities to past plots (particularly the sewer-dwelling mutant outcasts), but he does a good job of introducing some unexpected twists such as prostitute turned new member, Stacy X. It's a fun, new direction that keeps you guessing.
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