Era #10, Part 06: X-Corps (Uncanny X-Men)

Grade: B

Joe Casey ends his run with two solid stories. He concludes the Church of Humanity arc in which we learn more about a religious order that reasons the best way to protect humans by purging mutants. While I think that it leans a bit too heavy on Catholic imagery (their leader is the "Supreme Pontiff", for example), I completely appreciate the use of zealotry to create a singular purpose in which those that aren't the same as us are hunted in the name of God. 

Along those same lines comes an even better storyline from the opposite angle. Banshee's pain at Moria's death leads him to take Xavier's Dream in a new direction. Recruiting mutants such as his students from Generation X, he forms a well-funded, international police force to find and protect mutants in ways that he was unable to do in any of his other roles. He adds known criminals into the ranks (such as the Blob) and that draws the attention of the X-Men. Things begin to unravel as the team learns that Banshee's focused mission hides a dangerously exploitable blindspot.

There is a lot to unpack during Joe Casey's run. He pushes a few boundaries that force us to relook at the X-Men struggles as a minority group through a new lens. 

[5-Stars] Uncanny X-Men (1963) #400

[5-Stars] Uncanny X-Men (1963) #401 (Nuff Said)

[4-Stars] Uncanny X-Men (1963) #402

[7-Stars] Uncanny X-Men (1963) #403

[7-Stars] Uncanny X-Men (1963) #404

[7-Stars] Uncanny X-Men (1963) #405

[7-Stars] Uncanny X-Men (1963) #406

[5-Stars] Uncanny X-Men (1963) #407

[6-Stars] Uncanny X-Men (1963) #408

[6-Stars] Uncanny X-Men (1963) #409

Collected in X-Men: X-Corps

Era #10, Part 05: Imperial (New X-Men)

Grade: B

This collection really has two stories bundled together in which Grant Morrison continues to push the boundaries. 

With mutants becoming more mainstream (but not really assimilated), the first arc spotlights the ugly reality of cultural appropriation. The comics medium allows Grant Morrison to paint a more graphic picture of a phenomenon that can often be more subtle and insidious. John Sublime and his U-Men hunt mutants in order to harvest their organs for a growing market of normal humans eager to have their own superpowers. 

Cassandra Nova returns to Earth in the second arc, and she has the full force of the Shi-Ar Empire behind her as she barrels down on Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. The virus she planted before her departure has weakened the X-Men just as she arrives with Lilandra and the Imperial Guard under her thrall. The public outing of the X-Men has dramatically increased the size of the student body -- and the protesters outside the gates setting the stage for an epic level showdown.

The stories are excellent reads with only two small gripes. I am not a fan of the art. That might be because I am more accustomed to the clean, crisp pages of the 80s and 90s, and I appreciate that the art reflects the chaotic nature of Morrison's new direction. I still found it distracting. My initial reading was less favorable because of the art. 

I also noticed that the characters were a little off. They still had their personalities, but they didn't feel like they were the main focus of the stories. The ever-cheerful Hank McCoy is morose and short-fused, Cyclops is more distant, and Jean Gray is a bit paranoid and vengeful. Each case can be easily explained within the context of the story, but I am not sure that they advanced the characters. Emma Frost, on the other hand, was excellently handled adding to the great dialog throughout the entire collection.

[7-Stars] New X-Men (2001) #118
[7-Stars] New X-Men (2001) #119
[7-Stars] New X-Men (2001) #120
[6-Stars] New X-Men (2001) #121
[6-Stars] New X-Men (2001) #122
[6-Stars] New X-Men (2001) #123
[6-Stars] New X-Men (2001) #124
[6-Stars] New X-Men (2001) #125
[6-Stars] New X-Men (2001) #126

Collected in New X-Men (Vol. 2): Imperial