Uncanny X-Men #513 Reviews
UNCANNY X-MEN #513
COVER BY: TERRY DODSON
WRITER: MATT FRACTION
PENCILS: TERRY DODSON
INKS: RACHEL DODSON
COLORED BY: JUSTIN PONDSOR
LETTERED BY: VC – JOE CARAMAGNA
THE STORY:
“UTOPIA: CHAPTER 2” WHO ARE THE DARK X-MEN? He has his own Avengers team and now Norman Osborn has his own X-Men team. The other shoe has finally dropped and Emma Frost has betrayed Cyclops and the rest of the X-Men. And that’s just one of the huge surprises in “UTOPIA”. Is that Namor? Cloak and Dagger? Professor X?! The thing that you aren’t ready for is that Osborn is right. Rated T …$3.99
IN STORES: July 1, 2009
Average Rating:
From IGN.com
Excerpt
About 90% of this issue works. The broad strokes make sense, they move things along, and they have weight…
Terry Dodson is handling art duties for Uncanny’s portion of the crossover, and it’s a large improvement over the treatment the title’s been getting. Yes, Dodson’s work tends toward the cartoony side of things, and yes, on a good day he’s only able to draw variations of one woman (I count at least four females this issue who look exactly like Emma, but aren’t actually meant to be her, sometimes simultaneously in the same panel). Read More
Rating: 
From Comicsbulletin.com
Excerpt
In the meantime, laden with the upcoming summer crossover, Fraction jumps into the deep end, fully committing to exploring what it means when the Initiative mutates into a fascist police force under control of a tyrant smart enough to pretend to use diplomacy to get his way. We’ve already had several character-defining moments for Marvel’s major and minor players in this topsy-turvy world; if anybody can make a case for the mutants in this new regime, it’s Fraction (as his clever character blurbs, used to introduce most of the numerous players with a humorous slant, hint). Read More
Rating: 
Emmafrostfiles.com Review
Excerpt
Mundane, mundane, mundane. Fraction continues his giving us boring speeches and telling the tale from boring points of view. I am also no fan of Dodson and his cartoon-ish way of drawing does not fit in this crossover. This issue was absolutely dull. For more of my thoughts on this issue, Click here.
Rating:
Average Rating
In Summary: Everyone basically enjoyed this issue except Mr. Hellfire. And Aimee. We’re not pleased.
Average Rating:
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Nice review there. I pretty much agree. You’d expect to see far more action in such an event.
Personally, I’ve never liked Namor much. Though I think it has more to do then a personal displeasure with the royal, self important types. The kind who somehow believe they are above others just because of their social status or place of birth. Not based upon their heart and deeds.
Not that I’m begrudging the female fans their well deserved beefcake shots.
I did notice that odd bit about the ‘omega’ level psychics. Now, either Fraction completely messed up in his writing, or he designed it so Emma would say something to the ‘Professor’ that this person would understand, but Osborn wouldn’t notice. Speaking code as it were. Mind you, I do realize how far I am stretching there. I read mystery novels far too much and something purposely saying the ‘wrong’ thing to those “in the know” can be code to get someone’s attention. Emma knows why she is there and how they got her there. Odds are fair that she could become an ally or sorts.
Indeed, this is round two of speechifying and it’s not doing it for me.
And here’s my problem: it seems like these villains like have their unique appearances but all received their personalities from the same mold. Loki, Doom, Namor, and sometimes Osborn: Same men, yeah? That’s why I initially felt so disinterested with Dark Reign, the Cabal was just so repetitive in personalities of arrogant men wanting to conquer.
At least Namor walks around in speedos all day, the man at least understands he needs to appeal to everyone.
I love how Emma’s punch at the end swings from right to left, but Hellion reacts by jerking from right to left as well.
I’m somewhat preppy myself, so I personally don’t mind men who’re full of themselves, I’ve been good friends with a lot of douchebags back in college – - which is why dudes like Namor and Hellion appeal to me.
As for Emma being Omega,I just don’t know.
Guess id expect more from Emma´s caracterization..she lacks a lot of who she really is in all her comments..there is no sarcasm at all, and thats just for starters..she should ve said something to dark beast..to mystique…and why is that nobody says anything bout Emma wearing black?? not even one comment…
and i think she should just have put hellion to sleep instead of punching him like that..
To comment on the black costume thing, personally, I mentioned nothing since it’s such a shit-looking costume that my gay senses just ignore it.
Seriously, I would want the pasties back before this flat costume.
About Dodson’s Art.- There are 2 or 3 moments that were great, aside from that, his work in this isue was so mmm … , you know what I mean, right?
About being an Omega.- I think it’s just an expresion, like “Do you think I can’t sense a powerfull telepath like me?” Just an expresion, but aparently Fraction doesn’t know that Omega in the x men universe means 5 class and all powerfull mutant. Emma still is an alpha.
About…
Lol, but you are right at least we have some kind of suggestive pictures…
Probably yes, using her telepathy could be more classy, but I think it was fun to see Emma teaching some modals to that spoiled child, he deserve that punishment since the New X-men academy.
And Mr. Hellfire says, I miss the old Emma.
@Mr. Hellfire –
Did you happen to see that Namor is now on tongue terms with his own cousin Namora? I think it was shown in the “Agents of Atlas” story. Even talked about their ‘budding relationship’. Seems the old boy is now dipping into his own gene pool. As I have said before, who knew that Atlantis was the West Virginia of the seas?
If you like beefcake pictures, and guys wearing little. I have a select few on my deviant Art page. I really need to get around to drawing some more beefcake. I’d post a link, but it’s off topic of Emma.
Did anyone else here know that the Hellfire Club was a real (not so)secret? Even Benjamin Franklin was a member for a time. It was a group of social elites that would gather together to take part in ‘immoral’ acts.
Fucking Namor, haha. Whatever floats his boat I guess.
And I remember that the Hellfire Club comes from like this show The Avengers and the characters are actually based off the show’s characters of that ep. Don’t remember if I knew that it was a real thing, but I kinda figured it’s happened in some form in history.
@Luis OH I get you. I’ve been bitching about Dodson since his return. don’t get me wrong, Gen. X stint was good, but Dodson is a ridiculous pick for Uncanny. Especially during this crossover. Only Ramos would be worse in my opinion.
And yeah, I’d love it if Namor just decided even speedos were for land-walkers. Simone Bianchi could do his gay porn pencils. Everyone would go home happy.
Lastly, Luis dear, yes. Yes indeed. If I could, I’d carry New X-Men Omnibus in my left hand and Astonishing X-Men Omnibus in my right as if they were the Ten Commandments or something. Because to me where Emma’s concerned, that’s what they are.
Yes, the Hellfire Club was a real secret society, but it was more a UK/European fair. I’m not sure if it ever really expanded into the colonies do to the Puritanical leanings. Some believe that Benjamin Franklin was a spy when he was a member, but if you know this old boys history. It was probably a little bit of both.
I thought it was interesting just how heavy Marvel has been leaning on the allegories in recent history. The Superhuman Registration Act was clearly an allegory for the Patriot Act. The same thing could be said for the Mutant Reproductive Act is an allegory for Proposition 8.
These are legitimate issues. While I am not among the gay communities. I strong believe that they are getting a raw deal. With that whole ‘civil union’ tripe. You have the right wing groups shouting about “traditional marriage”. This coming from the society that birthed such ‘fine’ TV shows such as “Who Wants to Marry and Millionaire” and “Married by America”. Not to mention not to get me started on the idiocy of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.
I’m just not sure these issues should be so strongly pushed in comic books. At least not at the deficit of some good action and story.
With Fraction’s Prop X, I find it just relies too heavily on the allegory where it seems more like unoriginality and lack of ideas rather than making the story relatable.
And yeah, we get the short end of the stick, but I like how it exposes the idiocy of people.
@Luis – I think Mike Choi would be great for a story like this. Like Ramos, Dodson, and Land do not do serious stories well, Land it’s because his pornifying is too in the way. Jimenez, Bianchi, Choi, Quitely, Cassaday, Silvestri, and so many others are some of the artists that actually have what it takes to tell a story well.
Oh yeah, fricking Bianchi doesn’t even need a writer, just draw us out a story.
Yeah, Fraction is absolutely on my shit list. Especially because of how much love he gets from everywhere else. Like wtf? And since he’s focused on Emma, now we’re going to hear others put him up there with Whedon and Morrison as top Emma writers. And that’s a fucking joke, he’s writing absolute fan fiction. I could replace him as a writer and do better!
@Mr. Hellfire –
I saw the preview of “X-Men Legacy”, where Rogue, Gambit, and Danger go to San Fransisco. It’s was interesting that while he tells Rogue about Osborn’s people taking over. He made no mention of Emma among their ranks. Though I’m not completely sure where this story falls in with the rest of the time line.
Though Cyclops does seem to know that Osborn was Green Goblin. I thought Fraction in interviews has talked about how that not everyone knows Osborn was the Goblin? If it’s that well known among the heroes, why is it that no one has taken advantage of that little detail yet.
I actually like having the X-Men in San Fransisco. It always felt weird to me how all the super heroes were all based in the upper east coast. They need some in the west coast.
@FoxxFire Art – The Atlanteans have a close gene pool, so anyone they have sex with or marry, they’re basically committing incest. But it’s not like they have much of a choice since they have a rather low population and all Atlanteans are related by royal blood. So, it really isn’t a big deal for Namor and Namora to be together. He’s been married to Dorma, who is another distant cousin of his.
As for the civil rights issues in X-Men comics, I love that about them. I think that’s what the X-Men are all about — acceptance and fighting for the rights they deserve. The X-Men have always served as an allegory for minorities across the world. Civil rights will always be an issue for mutants, so I’m glad writers still focus on these issues from time to time, regardless that it’s 2009.
@FoxxFire Art – Also! As for Norman and the Green Goblin, he actually did admit on public TV (read New Avengers and Dark Avengers) that he was indeed the Green Goblin, but his ways have apparently changed.
@Aimee –
I can believe that. The mere fact that they are so isolated for so long makes it inevitable. Still doesn’t make it any less creepy. That didn’t work out too well for Egyptian royalty. There is some serious irony on how a civilization at the bottom of the sea has such a shallow gene pool. Just as long as there is no banjo music. (Congratulation to anyone who got that reference.)
I’m not against them doing it. It just gets irritating when that’s the only thing they do and don’t add any action or ‘comic stuff’ to a comic. In how this issue was just a bunch of speeches. It’s one thing to take life lessons in comics. It’s another thing when comics actively look to mimic real life events. I enjoy comics to escape reality. Not relive it.
The whole homosexual rights is an issue close to Emma’s heart as well. Seeing what happened to her brother.
One of the main reasons why I really don’t like Emma in black. Knowing the connection she has to the color white and her brother, probably the only family member she loves. There is such a sad irony that her psychic power could possibly help her brother, but due to the ‘family’ immunity’ she’s unable.
Well, I don’t really read any of the Avengers stories so I missed that tidbit there. lol Makes you wonder what he does after Dark Reign and everyone knows his secret. As Green Goblin he killed a lot of people and caused millions in damages to New York City along.
Help her brother in what way? His drug problems? She wouldn’t have been able to do it anyway since she was very inexperienced. Plus, for stuff like that, people should work it out among themselves.
I have a feeling it’s going to be revealed that Emma got her brother out of that place and had another telepath from the Hellfire Club fix his head. Essentially therapy but in fast forward.
@Aimee –
Didn’t Emma’s brother have a psychotic break while he was put into the institution?
@FoxxFire Art – Well, he suffered from a drug overdose…I wouldn’t call it exactly a “psychotic break.” And he was getting better until their dad threw into a pschyiatric ward.
@Aimee – Though didn’t he have a psychotic break when he was placed in the psychiatric ward.
I read about it on the wiki page for him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Frost
It mentions how he went insane while in the ward, possibly due to his drug use.