"Earth X" Fairly Underwhelming

 

    I must say, when I first read this comic, I expected something quite different. After all, with the Alex Ross art, and the idea of it being dystopian universe, I just expected something much closer to DC;s Kingdom Come. Sort of like Avengers: Twilight, but I was mistaken. Instead what I found was quite a comprehensive sort of evaluation/look back on the history of the Marvel universe, and some bizarre decisions that made the ending feel quite flat. Let's talk about it.

    I will admit I am a bit more of a DC fan than a Marvel fan, but even still I can't help but feel like this comic is missing something. I almost think it's trying too much? Don't get me wrong, I actually like quite a few of the elements in this comic. I appreciate it doing a sort of retrospective on every single hero people have come to know and love. It's not really anything I haven't heard before, but hearing the conversations between X-51 and Uatu as they go through them is quite compelling. In that sense this book feels less like a story and more like a history lesson on Marvel somehow, which is nice until you realize that it's also trying to tell a story about a world in which something has gone awry.

    I will say, I didn't know how much I needed to see two baby Things. Ben Grimm's children are the most adorable thing. It's so hilarious watching these two little rock creatures just play around like their kids and casually lift a TV. I don't care what stupid explanation they need to make Chuck and Buzz a reality, but they are hilarious and we need more baby Things in this world. On a more serious note I think my issue is that this comic spends too much time on the past, and not enough on how they actually got here.

    Yes you have an issue focusing on the X-Men or Spiderman, but nothing focusing on how they got there, only on what they'd do after. Yes, I want to hear about what caused Spiderman to marry, divorce, have a child, and retire while letting her walk around with the venom symbiote. Yes, actually I would love to hear why Captain America wears a cape, or how the X-Men broke up when everyone got their own powers. Is that too much to ask for? It's my main gripe with an otherwise fine comic. It just ends in a general celestials/asgardians/inhumans mess that is really just messy in every conceivable way. I just expected better man.

Final Score: 50/100

    I don't even know if I want to continue and read the rest of the comics. Avengers: Twilight and Kingdom Come blow this comic out of the water, easily. It's like it forgot it was supposed to be an elseworld of a potential future. It was great when it was focusing on the past, but the issue was that it was supposed to be a story about the future. Maybe I'll give the other two series in the trilogy a try, but for now, I think you can safely pass on Earth X when reviewing comics.

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