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daileyxplanet's review
4.0
I'm a big sucker for alternate universes, timey wimey crap. This is a good intro trade. Can't wait to read more.
captwinghead's review
2.0
A++ concept... meh execution.
Ignoring the art (and my god does it annoy me when the women are barely clothed and all of the men need full body suits), this book was just not that interesting.
I love the idea of a comic made up of a team of misfits with a common goal. Even more interesting, this series involves throwing these characters into alternate realities where they don't know who to trust. In reading this summary, I'm thinking "how could anyone fuck that up?" Unfortunately, this just did not hold my attention.
The characters are all rather forgettable to me. I could really remember what anyone's powers (or names) were from issue to issue. One of them dies shortly in and I could not muster any fucks to give. The series made that familiar choice that never makes sense to me: a team full of experienced warriors but the bland white guy must lead because reasons. Thankfully, they rectify that towards the end there.
Mostly, this book seems like it would've been so much stronger if it had cut ties with Marvel canon completely. Aside from the similarities to X-Men the team has, the hardships they face on these missions are due to the team being unable to separate the versions they knew in their world from the versions they encounter in these alternate universes. It's meant to have some emotional conflict for the team but, I just thought it would be a much more interesting story if they just focused on the mission without those attachments. When the stories are tied so closely to canon, it just seems as though Winick wanted to rewrite his own versions of these arcs and it just felt like a needless rehash. I'm speaking specifically about the Dark Phoenix story in particular.
That may partly be due to the fact that I didn't find the Dark Phoenix arc all that interesting to read. Or it might be that + the fact that it's been rehashed in the comics a few times and 2 separate films have tried to rehash it, as well.
So, A++ concept, but the execution was not entertaining for me.
Ignoring the art (and my god does it annoy me when the women are barely clothed and all of the men need full body suits), this book was just not that interesting.
I love the idea of a comic made up of a team of misfits with a common goal. Even more interesting, this series involves throwing these characters into alternate realities where they don't know who to trust. In reading this summary, I'm thinking "how could anyone fuck that up?" Unfortunately, this just did not hold my attention.
The characters are all rather forgettable to me. I could really remember what anyone's powers (or names) were from issue to issue. One of them dies shortly in and I could not muster any fucks to give. The series made that familiar choice that never makes sense to me: a team full of experienced warriors but the bland white guy must lead because reasons. Thankfully, they rectify that towards the end there.
Mostly, this book seems like it would've been so much stronger if it had cut ties with Marvel canon completely. Aside from the similarities to X-Men the team has, the hardships they face on these missions are due to the team being unable to separate the versions they knew in their world from the versions they encounter in these alternate universes. It's meant to have some emotional conflict for the team but, I just thought it would be a much more interesting story if they just focused on the mission without those attachments. When the stories are tied so closely to canon, it just seems as though Winick wanted to rewrite his own versions of these arcs and it just felt like a needless rehash. I'm speaking specifically about the Dark Phoenix story in particular.
That may partly be due to the fact that I didn't find the Dark Phoenix arc all that interesting to read. Or it might be that + the fact that it's been rehashed in the comics a few times and 2 separate films have tried to rehash it, as well.
So, A++ concept, but the execution was not entertaining for me.
jammasterjamie's review
4.0
As a fan of the X-Men, Quantum Leap, and Sliders (until it got too silly), I remember diving into the monthly issues of this series with relish and delight, and it maintained a place near to the top of my pull-pile for Winick's entire run because it was just good, fun, comic-book storytelling the way it was meant to be. I'm glad to say that revisiting these stories now in graphic novel form is just as much fun and I look forward to diving deeper and visiting Blink and my friends once again.
crookedtreehouse's review
3.0
One of the more conceptually interesting spinoffs of the X-Men, Exiles brings together six mutants from various timelines and teams them up to piece reality together after "a ripple" seems to be pulling reality apart. If they succeed, they go back to their own timeline as if they never left, if they fail, they get sent to another world that's being torn apart, and if they die, they die. And if they die, they're immediately replaced by a new character from another reality.
The appeal of this series is that it allows the characters to go back to important parts of X-Men lore. In this volume, their second adventure takes them to [b:X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga|103111|X-Men The Dark Phoenix Saga|Chris Claremont|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1409504820l/103111._SY75_.jpg|99407] from [a:Chris Claremont|15091|Chris Claremont|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1206644417p2/15091.jpg]'s run.
While I mostly enjoy this book, it's hampered by the Morph chracter, who's a happy go lucky misogynist and impressionist. His dialog wasn't good or funny when it was first written, and age hasn't made it any better.
[a:Mike McKone|36047|Mike McKone|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1565309444p2/36047.jpg]'s art is solid and cartoony.
I recommend this for serious X-fans looking for something different, particularly if you enjoy things that have serious consequences but sway more towards fun than drama.
**************************
Rereading this again a few years later, and I feel precisely the same.
The appeal of this series is that it allows the characters to go back to important parts of X-Men lore. In this volume, their second adventure takes them to [b:X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga|103111|X-Men The Dark Phoenix Saga|Chris Claremont|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1409504820l/103111._SY75_.jpg|99407] from [a:Chris Claremont|15091|Chris Claremont|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1206644417p2/15091.jpg]'s run.
While I mostly enjoy this book, it's hampered by the Morph chracter, who's a happy go lucky misogynist and impressionist. His dialog wasn't good or funny when it was first written, and age hasn't made it any better.
[a:Mike McKone|36047|Mike McKone|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1565309444p2/36047.jpg]'s art is solid and cartoony.
I recommend this for serious X-fans looking for something different, particularly if you enjoy things that have serious consequences but sway more towards fun than drama.
**************************
Rereading this again a few years later, and I feel precisely the same.
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