I’ve finally settled with moving in! There was a lot of hiccups along the way, but it’s pretty much all sorted out now. Result!

But what has changed since the last post?

Oh yeah: THE X-MEN BROKE UP!

Both X-Men Schism and X-Men Regenesis were released which sets up the status quo of the new X-Men world.

It is no surprise that the split was caused because Cyclops and Wolverine had a disagreement about children fighting mutant-killing sentinels – as shown in the Schism event. But the ending of Schism felt too abrupt. We saw who sided with whom, but did not understand why. Enter: X-Men Regenesis #1

X-Men: Regenesis #1 (One-Shot)
Kieron Gillen (writer), Billy Tan (pencils, inks), Andres Mossa (colours), Rob Steen (letters), Chris Bachalo & Tim Townsend (cover). $3.99

I haven’t felt someone hold a grasp over the X-Men this well since Claremont’s recent run in Uncanny X-Men. With Gillen, he successfully impresses me with individual voices for the massive cast of characters in this book. In fact, this over-sized X-Men issue not only has massive cast characters, but an excellent battle metaphor performing as a side story – mimicking what happens in the main plot. The two stories intertwine, adding incredible depth and emotion to an already touchy subject within the X-Men.

Gillen makes a lot of surprises with the dialogue choices, too. And there’s A LOT of dialogue in this book. Initially, the story could have easily been panels saying “Yes, I’ll go with you” or “No, I’m good here,” but Gillen doesn’t allow that. No, he fully fleshes out characters like Psylocke, Cannonball and Prodigy to give depth on why the decisions for choosing a side are made. And not all of them are, “I hate Cyclops, so let’s go Wolverine.” And I must say that the scenes with Emma Frost – despite knowing her allegiance going into the book – still had me on the edge of my seat. In doing the story this way, it also sets up what to expect in the new Uncanny and Wolverine comics.

But every character’s decision is reinforced with Tan’s battle metaphor. For Tan, he really does shine in conveying the tension from the Schism fallout. Between the metaphorical battle, to watching the faces on some people after making their decision – emotion is flawlessly executed. Little qualms do have to be pointed out, like the stiffness in a few panels which involve simple movements – like walking. However, his fast-paced action scenes and facial expressions definitely do stand out. His scene with Transonic and Hope – which is also in Generation Hope #12 this week – was also an incredibly shining moment.

That takes me to Andres Mossa’s colours which, in my opinion, are flawless. Moods and shadows are lit properly and nothing is overdone. Darks are not too deep, and lights are not too bright. Scenes with Beast are vibrant and moody, while with the metaphor story, the change in colouring styles are noticed. Although I’m not a pro in colouring, nor do I understand how its done with the whole “digital” age, these colours are really, really impressive.

Regenesis is definitely a strong, emotional book to pick up. If you’re an X-Fan like myself, you’ll become giddy when you see characters you haven’t seen in a long while. If you’re new to X-Men, pick this story up to see what the new status quo is. But most importantly, either type of reader needs to pick this book up for simply excellent storytelling and wonderful art.

Grade: 9/10

Side note: Wasn’t it weird to see Polaris, Havok and Rachel back on Earth? X-Men Legacy was released the same day as Regenesis and they’re still in space in Legacy. Regardless, the continuity is all catching up with itself.

So keep on Space Truckin’!