Era #10, Part 07: Invasion (X-Treme X-Men)

Grade: D+

Another alien invasion! A conquering army from another dimension uses Gambit to create a military beachhead in Mandripoor, and only the X-Treme X-Men are within the impenetrable force field that protects the landing zone. 

This is perhaps the tritest X-Men storyline I've read in a long time. The undefeated general arrives to take over the world only to be side-tracked by the beauty and nobility of an Earthling (in this case Storm). Read just a few sci-fi books, and this will sound eerily familiar. 

Chris Claremont has always been drawn to (and often exploits) sci-fi themes, but his strength has always been his fantastic ability to create and develop engaging characters. That is not the case with this run. His new characters are all over the place. He is inconsistent in their portrayal and awkwardly shifts their backstories. Is Red Lotus a member or now? How can Lifeguard all of sudden be a member of the Shi-Ar royalty? I have no idea what to make of Slipstream. It really is no wonder that these three never take root within the X-Men mythos.

I love Salvador Larroca's art, but it is not enough to save an overly familiar (yet unnecessarily convoluted) plot or the sudden disregard for the new members of an ensemble cast.  

[4-Stars] X-Treme X-Men (2001) #10

[4-Stars] X-Treme X-Men (2001) #11

[4-Stars] X-Treme X-Men (2001) #12

[4-Stars] X-Treme X-Men (2001) #13

[4-Stars] X-Treme X-Men (2001) #14

[4-Stars] X-Treme X-Men (2001) #15

[4-Stars] X-Treme X-Men (2001) #16

[4-Stars] X-Treme X-Men (2001) #17

[5-Stars] X-Treme X-Men (2001) #18

Collected in  X-Treme X-Men (Vol 2): Invasion