CREDIT: Marvel Comics
Rating: 3/5 – The March to Axis Invades Magneto’s Series.
by ComicSpectrum reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
This ninth issue of Magneto carries the March to Axis banner, informing the reader that this is part of Marvel’s next big event that starts in October. Spilling out of the events from the first storyline of Uncanny Avengers, the Red Skull is on a quest for dominance and he’s using the brain of Charles Xavier to help him. It would make sense for Magneto to have a part in this event because of his close ties to Xavier, but for those readers who haven’t followed Uncanny Avengers, this issue may leave them confused.
As the issue opens up, Magneto has travelled to Genosha, home of numerous mutant atrocities and currently the home of yet another one. Genosha has been turned into a concentration camp by the Red Skull, where he’s killing both mutants and humans. Since the first issue of this series, Magneto has assumed the role of “protector of mutant-kind” and when he’s informed of what’s been happening on the island he himself once ruled, he decides to infiltrate Genosha on his own. The story unfolds in two ways; Magneto’s exploration of the island and his encounter with the Red Skull’s S-Men, and flashbacks to his own time spent in a concentration camp as a young boy. Writer Cullen Bunn’s flashback scenes tell a more gripping and emotional tale of survival, while the current events feel too convenient and slightly forced into the Axis event.
Like the writing, the art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta works extremely well in the flashback scenes and are colored brilliantly by Jordie Bellaire. Along with Walta’s heavy line, Bellaire uses nothing but grays to color the scenes. It’s reminiscent of a black and white movie as she uses whites brilliantly to lighten up the panels where needed. Walta struggles at times in the present day though as the heavy lines at times give the character a blocky and stiff look. And the panels where the scenes are shown from afar lose the detail and depth.
Whether or not you’ll be following the Axis event, this story doesn’t feel as though it’s required reading. Yes the Red Skull is involved and it does show what he’s been up to, but the focus lies more with his S-Men, and Magneto’s past. If you’ve been following Magneto since the beginning, then this issue although consistent with his current mission, feels as though it’s been somewhat forced into Marvel’s next big event. It’s too bad we couldn’t get an entire issue devoted to Magneto’s past.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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