World Famous Comics: Uncanny X-Men: Emperor Vulcan
Uncanny X-Men: Emperor Vulcan
From: Marvel Comics Publisher: Marvel Comics Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Marvel Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 120 Publication Date: May 07, 2008
Product Description: It's brother versus brother and the outcome could decide the fate of billions. Uncanny X-Men's "Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire" continues here! Vulcan is the Shi'Ar Emperor and Havok is leading the revellious Starjammers. But who is really right and whi is really wrong? Collects X-Men: Emperor Vulcan #1-5
Nothing really to see here Ed Brubaker has managed to garner quite a bit of critical acclaim during his run on Captain America, and more recently, picking up Daredevil. His run on Uncanny X-Men however left a little bit to be desired for me personally, most notably being anything involving the character of Vulcan. Back in his mini-series, X-Men: Deadly Genesis, Brubaker introduced the lost Summers brother named Vulcan, who sought revenge against the X-Men, which led to Brubaker's Rise & Fall of the Shi'ar Empire arc, of which this TPB is a direct continuation of. Brubaker passes the reigns to veteran X-writer Christopher Yost, as Emperor Vulcan picks up with Alex "Havok" Summers and his new band of Starjammers (including fellow X-Men Polaris & Marvel Girl, along with others like Princess Lillandra) taking the fight to his newly crowned Shi'ar emperor brother, Vulcan. Much like Rise & Fall of the Shi'ar Empire had no real conclusion, neither does Emperor Vulcan. Throughout the whole TPB, we just get a taste and glimpses of a bigger story developing, but nothing significant develops at all. By the end of the TPB, nothing is solved, and we're basically left on another cliffhanger. This wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that the TPB as a whole just comes off as boring too. Paco Diaz provides decent enough artwork though, so the book isn't a total loss. All in all, if you've been following the Vulcan storyline, Emperor Vulcan may be worth checking out, but if you haven't been following it, you aren't missing out on much.
X-Men vs. Vulcan enters its third (but not final) phase. Since he was introduced in early 2006, Gabriel Summers, aka, Vulcan, has been locking horns with the X-Men on a fairly consistent basis; he first appeared in the six-issue "X-Men: Deadly Genesis" miniseries, which was then followed up by a twelve-issue "Uncanny X-Men" story arc, 'The Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire', which ended with Vulcan killing the old emperor and assuming leadership alongside his new bride, Deathbird, opposed by the deposed Lilandra and a merged faction of the X-Men, the Starjammers, and loyalist Shi'ar troops. This miniseries is centred on Alex Summers, aka, Havok, the leader of the Starjammers and a former X-Man; he assumes leadership following Vulcan's killing of Christopher Summers, aka, Corsair, the former Starjammer chieftain. Also present from the X-Men are Lorna Dane, aka, Polaris, Havok's on-again, off-again love interest (currently on), and Rachel Grey.
While the series begins with a fairly straightforward civil war, it rapidly introduces a new threat in the form of the Scy'ar Tal, a race of aliens who were driven from their homeworld by the Shi'ar centuries earlier, and are now back for revenge. This necessitates that old standard of the superhero genre, the reluctant team-up between the heroes and the villains to fight a third set; all the while, Havok and co. realize that it is only a matter of time before Vulcan betrays them and they must resume their old combat. The story picks up many of the threads from the previous stories, dispensing with a few (such as the relationship between Rachel and new character Korvus), and examines in greater detail the issue of Vulcan's rule of the Empire, including how the general population react to the foreigner now called their leader. Chris Yost takes over writing chores from Ed Brubaker, who handled the previous two legs of the story, and he does a creditable job; indeed, though Brubaker is in general a superior writer (perhaps the finest superhero comics writer of the 21st century so far), Yost does a better job with the X-Men space opera, something that perhaps Brubaker is not suited for as much. Yost has a firm handle on the characters, and does the best job with Vulcan of anyone yet; perennial B-list X-Men like Havok and Polaris get very strong characterization. The most amusing part is that of Ch'od, the hulking green alien who is a fixture of the Starjammers, but here becomes a source of excellent comic relief. On art, Paco Diaz delivers solid and enjoyable visuals; I would call him an improvement on Billy Tan's work on "Rise and Fall...", though not up to Trevor Hairsine's art on "Deadly Genesis" (although it is far, far more timely, a clear advantage); indeed, this miniseries looks better than some of the art in the blockbuster "Messiah Complex" crossover that was running alongside it in the X-titles.
If there is an issue with this miniseries, it is the ending, which is no ending at all; the story ends on a cliffhanger, setting up yet another stage in the X-Men vs. Vulcan story, albeit one that, as of May, has not been announced, though it is presumably on the horizon. If you enjoyed the past collections focussed on Vulcan, or else enjoy good space opera and are willing to wait for closure at a later date, this is a good purchase.
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