Book Review: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1 by G. Simone

The Uncanny X-Men Volume 1: Red Wave written by Gail Simone, art by David Marquez and Javier Garron

After the mutant island nation of Krakoa is wiped out, mutants are back on the run. Charles Xavier has also died, leaving no positive leadership and no group known as the X-Men. His Westchester school has fallen into the hands of a nefarious agency that turns it into a prison for mutants though the conversion is still in progress. Rogue and Gambit have married and are on a second honeymoon in Mexico when they get pulled back to the States to help out some fellow mutants in Louisiana. The call came from Jubilee who is tired of trying to hide her powers. Nightcrawler and Wolverine join up too. The informal team visits a mutant child dying in a hospital and then meets a quartet of mutants, one of whom may be the "Endling," the mutant who will see the last of the mutants die in a near future. Possibly by one of the many hunters sent by the nefarious agency that wants to put the four kids into custody.

The story shakes things up by having Rogue in charge of the team. She's okay as a leader but doesn't have presence that Professor X, Storm, or Cyclops has. She does okay but she does not do anything outstanding. Things move at a good pace but there is very little joy or excitement on display. Simone is a good writer but this is only average work. I don't think I will continue this series.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Lost and Found by M. Waid et al.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Lost and Found written by Mark Waid, art by Javier Garron, and colors by Israel Silva

Second Ant-Man Scott Lang and second Wasp Nadia Pym are forced to team up when she tries to quantum-port him from deep space back to Earth for his daughter's birthday. The precise timing is messed up when Scott grabs the present he almost forgot to take back to Earth. Scott and Nadia wind up in the sub-atomic world, where standard physics don't apply. Bizarre creatures and random happenstances abound as they try to figure out how to get back to their home.

The book is an interesting mash-up of creativity and pseudo-scientific ideas and jargon. Scott has his usual problems with being a good dad. Nadia is Hank Pym's (the original Ant-Man) long-lost daughter who took on the Wasp role when she returned to America and Janet Van Dyne (the original Wasp) took care of her (her dad was already dead). Nadia is a lot smarter than Scott and solves most of the science problems. He's better at practical problems. The micro-verse or quantum realm is an opportunity for the artists to try out all sorts of things. I am not sure the science really holds together, which is a minor problem since it drives the plot to some extent (if physics doesn't apply in the micro-verse, why are observations and theories about quantum particles accurate?). The ending felt very formulaic, also a minor problem.

Mildly recommended.