Uncanny X-Men #11

I have fallen behind on my X-Men reading. I don't read all the X-Men titles, but I do try to stay abreast of Uncanny X-Men and All-New X-Men, both of which are written by the magisterial Brian Michael Bendis.

Uncanny X-Men tells the story of Scott Summers, Cyclops, and his efforts to piece together a school made up of renegade and new mutants in the aftermath of the Avengers vs. X-Men war -- AvX.

The catalyst of AvX  was the return of the Phoenix Force, which possessed Cyclops and other key X-Men and led not only to the death of Professor X (at the hands of his star pupil, Scott Summers) but also to the birth of an entire new generation of mutants.

Uncanny X-Men #11 accomplishes something that is the essence of the comic-book-reading experience, at least for me; it is one of the things that attracted me to comic books as a kid; and that is the experience of battle.

If you have every been in a street fight or bar brawl alongside a buddy, or if you have ever played team sports, or if you have ever participated in a protest that turned into an open conflict with law enforcement, this is a feeling that comic books convey better, more authentically and reliably, I think, than other media.

Take for instance the recent Hollywood X-Men blockbuster, X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). Its $200-million budget and its many scenes of X-Men fighting to the death with Sentinels nowhere approach the power contained in the single issue of Uncanny X-Men #11.

In #11, both new and old X-Men take on a Blockbuster Sentinel that has mysteriously materialized on a Michigan-university campus where the X-Men had recently teleported to express their support for protesters.

Note the incredible artwork of Frazer Irving and Kris Anka. Is there any doubt that it is reminiscent of Balthus?

Uncanny X-Men #10

My favorite comic book of late has been Uncanny X-Men, written by Brian Michael Bendis with incredible art by Frazer Irving. Irving is an artist to watch.

The story of the latest iteration of Uncanny X-Men has Cyclops and his group of renegade X-Men scooping up new, youthful mutants as they pop up around the globe, all while trying to evade the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.

In Uncanny X-Men #10 an Occupy-type gathering on a university campus demands justice for the renegade X-Men. Cyclops decides to make a surprise appearance with his cohort of mutants. Note the similarities of Frazer Irving's work with the Flemish Primitives (I blew up the inset panels of the Occupy crowd) in the scans below:

Uncanny X-Men #6

One of the most innovative comic books I've seen recently is Uncanny X-Men #6, written by Brian Michael Bendis with tremendous art by Frazer Irving. The story is part of an arc running through plenty of Marvel titles currently -- new mutants are popping up all over the planet and renegade X-Men leader Cyclops is trying to grab and train as many as possible in preparation for a looming crisis with the dominant, fear-based human population. In Uncanny X-Men Magik's powers -- which are somehow connected to the theological dimension of Limbo -- are gyrating wildly because the dread flame-faced Dormammu, Doc Strange's old nemesis, is trying to take control of the edge of Hell.

Below are five scans from Uncanny X-Men #6. The first four cover a situation most of us have been through -- the break-up drama. But this break-up is enlivened by the male of the couple discovering he has special powers. The final scan gives you a taste of Frazer Irving's delectable depiction of Dormammu confronting the X-Men in Limbo.