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ultreaux's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
dave_ex_machina's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A bit of a slog as predictability sets in
crookedtreehouse's review
3.0
We're only two volumes in, and already Trials Of X is on the same intriguingly wobbly path as the Dawn Of X and Reign Of X books. A variety of different tones, slightly intersecting stories, and the dreaded diminishing returns where many of the series' first issues are excellent, but quickly fade to mediocre.
This volume's first issue: [b:Cable: Reloaded #1|58793675|Cable Reloaded #1|Al Ewing|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1629208106l/58793675._SY75_.jpg|92580841] is an excellent revisiting of 90s X-Force with a little Whedon/Gillen SWORD thrown in. Old Man Cable's assembled team is on the hunt for a planet sized weapon for some sort of battle with the galactic threat. I keep forgetting the galactic storyline, so I wasn't necessarily going to be invested in it, but I do love the wider-universe-lore expansion we get from Cable talking about the people who will be incredibly important in the future.
Four stars.
********
Trials of Magneto was the highlight of the last volume, but it mostly falls apart here. We discover the reason behind the faux death of The Scarlet Witch, and it really made the whole Who Killed The Scarlet Witch trope, and the first issue of Trials Of Magento retroactively stupid and a waste of time. "Killing" a character and bringing them back almost immediately is a shock tactic used by amateur writers when they can't figure out how to just let a story unravel. I lost a lot of respect for [a:Leah Williams|13881554|Leah Williams|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1441655853p2/13881554.jpg] here. This would be much better if the reader were in on the story from the beginning, as it's, overall, a really interesting conceit. Just badly told. It was so disappointing that I stopped really paying attention to [a:Valerio Schiti|6496271|Valerio Schiti|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s art, which is a shame because that's really been the artistic highlight of all the "of X" collections so far.
2 stars
*****
Wolverine: A lot of this storyline is fallout from the unreadably dull [b:X-Men: X of Swords|52851829|X-Men X of Swords|Jonathan Hickman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1614787008l/52851829._SX50_.jpg|79034287] crossover. I don't care a blink about any of the stupid swords that are now spposedly important to the Krakoan era mutant books. That whole idea is a wet fart on the white pants of the Krakoan era. So I don't know anything about Wolverine's latest nemesis. But that's ok. This is a perfectly serviceable Wolverine must work with a devil to take down a bigger devil book. Is it amazing? No. But I'm curious to see how it unfolds.
3 stars.
This volume's first issue: [b:Cable: Reloaded #1|58793675|Cable Reloaded #1|Al Ewing|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1629208106l/58793675._SY75_.jpg|92580841] is an excellent revisiting of 90s X-Force with a little Whedon/Gillen SWORD thrown in. Old Man Cable's assembled team is on the hunt for a planet sized weapon for some sort of battle with the galactic threat. I keep forgetting the galactic storyline, so I wasn't necessarily going to be invested in it, but I do love the wider-universe-lore expansion we get from Cable talking about the people who will be incredibly important in the future.
Four stars.
********
Trials of Magneto was the highlight of the last volume, but it mostly falls apart here. We discover the reason behind the faux death of The Scarlet Witch, and it really made the whole Who Killed The Scarlet Witch trope, and the first issue of Trials Of Magento retroactively stupid and a waste of time. "Killing" a character and bringing them back almost immediately is a shock tactic used by amateur writers when they can't figure out how to just let a story unravel. I lost a lot of respect for [a:Leah Williams|13881554|Leah Williams|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1441655853p2/13881554.jpg] here. This would be much better if the reader were in on the story from the beginning, as it's, overall, a really interesting conceit. Just badly told. It was so disappointing that I stopped really paying attention to [a:Valerio Schiti|6496271|Valerio Schiti|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s art, which is a shame because that's really been the artistic highlight of all the "of X" collections so far.
2 stars
*****
Wolverine: A lot of this storyline is fallout from the unreadably dull [b:X-Men: X of Swords|52851829|X-Men X of Swords|Jonathan Hickman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1614787008l/52851829._SX50_.jpg|79034287] crossover. I don't care a blink about any of the stupid swords that are now spposedly important to the Krakoan era mutant books. That whole idea is a wet fart on the white pants of the Krakoan era. So I don't know anything about Wolverine's latest nemesis. But that's ok. This is a perfectly serviceable Wolverine must work with a devil to take down a bigger devil book. Is it amazing? No. But I'm curious to see how it unfolds.
3 stars.
afreen7's review against another edition
4.0
Cable: Reloaded - 4/5
X-Men: Trial Of Magneto #3-5 - 3.5/5
Wolverine (2020) #14 - 4/5 (love the art this issue)
X-Men: Trial Of Magneto #3-5 - 3.5/5
Wolverine (2020) #14 - 4/5 (love the art this issue)
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