What a waste. Writer/artist Howard Chaykin gives us a glimpse at Magneto's first time in costume and what should be electrifying is as bland and forgettable as anything Marvel has put out in the last five years.Aside from the obvious fact that this story makes no sense whatsoever for anyone who knows X-Men continuity, the idea of Magneto slumming around Brooklyn for a few months, falling in love, and putting on his costume for the first time to fight a Golem formed by the nightmares of the many young mutants (apparently Brooklyn is full of mutants) who live there, is even more ill-conceived than it sounds.
I'm a big fan of the character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. In fact, when written well, he's my favorite X-Men character. Sadly, in terms of talent, Chaykin is a far cry from either of Magneto's creators. This Magneto is roguish, boorish, and less than a pale shadow of the man who would come to torment the X-Men for years to come. Best forgotten, leave this one on the shelf where it belongs.
[Marvel $2.99]
I too am a big fan of Magneto and I hate the way they have pussified him lately just so he could hang around with the X-men. A shame when you have such a great motivation for him believing that if he doesn't fight then his people (mutants/jews) will be placed into camps and killed.
ReplyDeleteFirst, dark gray text on a black background is hard to read. I had to do a select-all so it would be highlighted.
ReplyDeleteAs a fan of Howard Chaykin, I was a little disappointed in this comic. The art was fine as always, but the story was somewhat slight. Compared to his usual plots, this was only a trifle. There just wasn’t a lot of meat to it. Maybe it was meant to be a short vignette, an interlude, in which case, OK.
I think it’s all right that Magneto here is less than the man we later know him to be, since this story shows him at a younger, shallower age.
Until I read Kal’s comment above I’d forgotten that they’ve retconned Magneto to being Jewish instead of Roma. It’s surprising that Chaykin didn’t use that element, since it’s a theme that he’s visited in many previous works. Conversely, he could have done it metaphorically, using the mutant community shown briefly in the story.
Thanks for the comment about the text Felicity. You're not the first to notice it and I have lightened it up a bit. I wanted to stay away from stark contrast which is actually hard on my eyes, but I might have gone too far dark.
ReplyDeleteAs for the comic, I don't mind that this Magneto isn't super-villain yet, but his ideas and philosophy (which were ingrained in him at an early age) should be present. We should see at least glimpses and hints at the man he shall become.
I found Chaykin's version of him extremely bland and generic.