May 4 – X-Factor, Osborn, and Excalibur

X-Factor Vol. 1 #98

by J.M. DeMatteis and Greg Luzniak (1994)

• DeMatteis is writing almost every character in engaging ways, but literally everything that is happening with Rahne is making me hate his run to this point.
• Grade: B-

Osborn Vol. 1 #1-2

by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios (2011)

• All set-up so far, but DeConnick managed to introduce a group of new characters that all have potential to be great. I like her depiction of Norman, but he’s been rather passive thus far.
• Grade: B+

Excalibur Vol. 4 #17

by Tini Howard and Marcus To (2021)

• Excalibur is on an upswing right now, but are we going to get a satisfying explanation to Betsy disappearing in X of Swords? The Excalibur-focused aspects of the crossover are baffling as of now. The Betsy/Kwannon subplot was great, though, and I really like that Howard didn’t give any cop-out of Kwannon accepting Betsy’s apology.
• Grade: B

Tomorrow: X-Factor, Osborn, and Wolverine

May 3 – X-Factor, Fantastic Four, and New Mutants

X-Factor Vol. 1 #97

by J.M. DeMattais and Jan Duursema (1993)

• The Polaris and Madrox subplots are interesting, but I can’t stand what’s being done to Rahne lately.
• Grade: B+

Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #611 / FF Vol. 1 #23

by Jonathan Hickman, Ryan Stegman, and Nick Dragotta (2012)

• The finale of the Hickman run is rather quiet, but heartfelt. Hickman wrote a consistently great FF. I wish we got more focus on Sue (what happened to the new Atlantis?), but overall there were very few misses in a long run across two titles.
• Grade: A

New Mutants Vol. 4 #15

by Vita Ayala and Rod Reis (2021)

• The storyline that Ayala is going for is great, and I love the core team of New Mutants, but the book feels bloated with the amount of faces fighting for space. The Rahne, Dani, and Cosmar subplots are the best parts right now, and I wish we could slow down a bit to see more of them.
• Grade: A-

Tomorrow: X-Factor, Osborn, and Excalibur

May 2 – X-Men and Fantastic Four

X-Men Vol. 2 #28-29

by Fabian Nicieza and Andy Kubert (1994)

• Nicieza is really hitting his stride right now. These are two more mostly stand-alone issues, and they both are hits. I could do without the nonconsensual kissing that Sabretooth does, though.
• Grade: A-

Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #610 / FF Vol. 1 #22

by Jonathan Hickman, Ryan Stegman, and Andre Lima Araujo (2012)

• Hickman is wrapping up everything for the end of his run. The Bentley / Wizard arc was fun, and consistently delivered throughout FF. Araujo’s art is phenomenal as well.
• Grade: A

Tomorrow: X-Factor, Fantastic Four, and New Mutants

May 1 – X-Men Unlimited, Fantastic Four, and X-Men

X-Men Unlimited Vol. 1 #4

by Scott Lobdell and Richard Bennett (1994)

• This issue goes out of its way to make Mystique’s backstory weird and confusing. This could have been handled in a consistent way that doesn’t hurt continuity.
• Grade: B-

Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #609 / FF Vol. 1 #21

by Jonathan Hickman, Ryan Stegman, and Nick Dragotta (2012)

• #609 is a tasteful and interesting way to wrap up the Nu-world storyline without needing a huge story arc. The artwork in these two issues are very different, but both excel in their own styles. I want Dragotta to draw everything.
• Grade: A

X-Men Vol. 2 #27

by Fabian Nicieza and Richard Bennett (1993)

• I really enjoyed this issue. It has character-building moments along with overall plot developments. Mr. Sinister is always fun when he’s being weird.
• Grade: A-

Tomorrow: X-Men and Fantastic Four

Apr. 30 – X-Men Unlimited, Fantastic Four, and Cable

No time today, so just grades will do!

X-Men Unlimited Vol. 1 #3

by Fabian Nicieza and Mike McKone (1993)

• Grade: B-

Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #608 / FF Vol. 1 #20

by Jonathan Hickman, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Nick Dragotta (2012)

• Grade: A-

Cable Vol. 1 #6

by Fabian Nicieza and Dwayne Turner (1993)

Apr. 29 – X-Force, Fantastic Four, and Wolverine

X-Force Vol. 1 #31

by Fabian Nicieza and Tony Daniel (1994)

• Excellent issue, one of Nicieza’s best thus far in his career on the X-books. Can we get more slow issues like this?
• Grade: A

Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #607 / FF Vol. 1 #19

by Jonathan Hickman, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Gabriel Hernandez Walta (2012)

• Black Panther guest appearances can be a bit tired at times, often hitting many of the same beats. This isn’t anything too exciting yet, as of the first issue in the arc. It’s a big contrast with the issue of FF, which is really great. Walta’s artwork in particular is unique, and I want to see more from him.
• Grade: A-

Wolverine Vol. 2 #76

by Larry Hama and Tomm Coker (1993)

• Above average issue for the Hama run, but really nothing special. Maybe Logan leaving the X-Men and losing his claws will free up the writing.
• Grade: B

Tomorrow: X-Men Unlimited, Fantastic Four, and Cable

Apr. 28 – Excalibur and Fantastic Four

Excalibur Vol. 1 #73-74

by Richard Ashford, Terry Shoemaker, and Ian Churchill (1994)

• These are the worst issues of Excalibur to this point. The narrator is overused and annoying. All the characters constantly say or think what they are doing in weird ways. Rachel suddenly needs some guy’s help to control her powers. Moira suddenly is retconned to not have been able to control herself without Banshee’s help. Meggan is treated extremely poorly with no agency without Brian. Basically, every female character immediately began to get shitty writing exactly when Ashford joined the book.
• Grade: F

Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #606 / FF Vol. 1 #18

by Jonathan Hickman, Ron Garney, and Nick Dragotta (2012)

• Nick Dragotta is my favorite artist that has worked on Hickman’s FF run. The Future Foundation as a whole has been a surprise with just how fun they are.
• Grade: A-

Tomorrow: X-Force, Fantastic Four, and X-Men Unlimited

Apr. 27 – Excalibur, Fantastic Four, and X-Force

Excalibur Vol. 1 #72

by Richard Ashford and Ken Lashley (1993)

• I really did not enjoy the Lobdell issues that came after the Davis run. Richard Ashford takes it up a notch, with maybe the worst writing on the series so far. Every character has no nuance. Every page is littered with redundant thought balloons. The Gamesmaster has a personality all of a sudden. It isn’t good.
• Grade: D

FF Vol. 1 #17 / Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #605.1

by Jonathan Hickman, Nick Dragotta, and Mike Choi (2012)

• Both issues are great one-shots. #605.1 uses the overdone trope of a Nazi-ruled alternate timeline, but does so in a way that gives significantly more depth to the Counsel of Reeds.
• Grade: A-

X-Force Vol. 6 #16

by Benjamin Percy and Joshua Cassara (2021)

• The art is so good. Cassara is one of the best artists working at Marvel today.
• This arc overall is fine. It’s a step down from the more personal struggles of Domino, Beast, and Colossus that we had in the first 15 issues, which hurts it a bit. I’m also not sure I buy Logan being deeply affected by seeing the sea creature. How many times has he faced giant monsters?
• Grade: B+

Tomorrow: Excalibur and Fantastic Four

Apr. 26 – Sabretooth: Death Hunt, Fantastic Four, and Cable

Sabretooth Vol. 1 #4

by Larry Hama and Mark Texeira (1993)

• I came out of this series with much less understanding of the Creed lineage than before. The artwork saves it from being boring.
• Grade: B+

FF Vol. 1 #16 / Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #605

by Jonathan Hickman, Nick Dragotta, Steve Epting, and Ron Garney (2012)

• Hickman follows up an excellent extended storyline with two excellent one-off issues. Fantastic Four #605 is one of the better issues of Hickman’s entire run. It’s refreshing to see Reed having regular human moments, when he’s so often just playing the genius with no time for it.
• Grade: A

Cable Vol. 4 #7

by Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto (2021)

• Duggan and Noto’s Cable has significantly improved since the end of the alien sword storyline. This is one of the more exciting series going forward now. Does it make sense that Stryfe is in charge of the Order of X? I’m not totally convinced yet, but Duggan has proven to be good at following up on setups.
• Grade: B+

Tomorrow: Excalibur, Fantastic Four, and X-Force

Apr. 25 – Sabretooth: Death Hunt and Fantastic Four: Forever

Sabretooth Vol. 1 #2-3

by Larry Hama and Mark Texeira (1993)

• Texeira actually convinced me that his art is really good in these two issues. I still didn’t like Hama’s dialogue much, but it’s much better than his Wolverine run.
• Grade: B+

FF Vol. 1 #15 / Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #604

by Jonathan Hickman, Nick Dragotta, and Steve Epting (2012)

• It’s bittersweet that Forever is coming to an end, but at least Hickman is still going. We haven’t seen any of the Atlanteans recently, so I’m expecting a return there.
• Franklin calling on Galactus as his herald is a great moment. Definitely the most memorable part of the arc.
• Grade: A

Tomorrow: Sabretooth, Fantastic Four, and Cable