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Review: Major X

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Rob Liefeld returns to the X-Universe with his new creation, Major X!

Major X collects issues #1-6 and Major X #0.

Story: Rob Liefeld
Art: Rob Liefeld, Brent Peeples, Whilce Portacio
Color: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Ink: Rob Liefeld, Adelso Corona, Dan Fraga, Scott Hanna, Whilce Portacio, Cory Hamscher
Letterer: Joe Sabino

Get your copy in comic shops now and in bookstores October 15! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Amazon
Kindle/comiXology
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Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
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Review: Major X #6

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Major X #6

Major X #6 epitomizes everything I’ve disliked in this series amplified. The comic may go down as the worst comic of 2019 with a disjointed story, laughable dialogue, inconsistent art, and being generally non-sensical.

Written by Rob Liefeld, with art by Liefeld, the issue doesn’t even pick up where the last left off. In Major X #5, the final page revealed the identity of Major X’s mother, Storm. When Major X #6 starts, we’re straight into a battle with the aged Namor. There’s no follow up. No real discussion. Just another battle that comes out of nowhere. And even then, the battle makes little sense.

In between panels which are supposed to show off Liefeld’s artistic talents, we get characters taking moments from the battle for speeches or to talk to each other as if everything is paused. While Namor battles, his kids are nowhere to be seen until the final moments. There’s no explanation of much of anything… it’s just bad. Add in dialogue that’s cringe-worthy and its a mess, unlike anything I’ve read in quite some time.

Judging from the opening few pages, Liefeld thinks it might be good?

The comic opens with Deadpool talking to a mysterious someone about how he’s needed asking “what took you so long?” It feels like Liefeld talking to Marvel and the reader as if Major X would shake up the X-Universe. There’s little debate that Liefeld’s contributions have been major in the X-Universe. This latest venture is something different. It’s some decent ideas that don’t feel fleshed out or thought out. It’s notes on a page without a coherent narrative to bring it together. And this has been part of Liefeld’s contributions. While he created Deadpool, others added the depth. Same with Cable and so many others. He’s a concept creator with others needing to take it home. Here too we’ll see that… eventually.

You’d think Liefeld’s art would be able to salvage this mess but that’s far from the case. Characters lose detail, panels make no sense in context (standing around to chat in battle?), and just generally choppy transitions from panel to panel and pages to pages. There’s moments but nothing memorable.

The issue is bad capping off a miniseries that seemed to get worse at it went on. Liefeld, and the team, made a splash with this, just not in the right way. Now, hopefully history repeats and another creator picks up the ball and does something interesting going forward with what has been set up.

Story: Rob Liefeld Art: Rob Liefeld
Ink: Rob Leifeld, Cory Hamscher, Adelso Corona
Color: Romulo Fajardo, Jr. Letters: Joe Sabino
Story: 1.0 Art: 5.0 Overall: 2.0 Recommendation: Pass

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: Major X #5

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Major X #5

The rise of the X-Ential! And the full identity of Major X himself! Major X #5 is full of reveals and twists that by the end will leave your head spinning and utterly baffled as to what you just read.

Yes, I’ll admit it, I hate reading this series at this point. But even with a general dislike, I want to see where creator, and writer, Rob Liefeld will take each issue.

There are some great concepts here but the narrative at times is baffling, full of holes, and with plotting that’ll leave you wondering if you missed something. It’s borderline incoherent at times.

And really, none of the above really matters as fans of Liefeld, and the series will buy it anyways no matter the reviews. It’s pretty bulletproof like that (and there’s nothing wrong with it).

Major X, M’Koy, and X-Ential have lept through time to Genosha. In the wasteland of the nation, much is revealed, but not explained, about X-Ential and we meet a new character Aura. Nothing is explained about Aura. We just go with it. We get new age dialogue and we’re expected to roll with it as well. Aura somehow knows Major is “Major” but this should be the first time meeting. Then there’s a random battle and a reveal at the end which will get folks talking. I’m not even going to dive into the scene in Atlantis which feels like it belongs in an entirely different issue.

It’s all… bad. Really bad. In a more skilled writer’s hands what’s presented could work but as is it feels like a bunch of ideas on notes cards laid out on a table.

The art by Brent Peeples doesn’t help. With ink by Adelso Corona, color by Romulo Fajardo, Jr. and lettering by Joe Sabino, the art style and character designs are inconsistent. A prime example of this is in the depiction of Aura. At times the character looks like an adult. At other times she looks like a teenager. And at other times Aura looks like Sloth in The Goonies.

Major X #5 and the series as a whole feels like a throwback to the 1990s except this takes the excessively bad aspects of this period to the extreme. Choppy storytelling. Bad art. The comic features interesting concepts that aren’t explored or fleshed out enough.

At this point, I’m not even sure my 13-year-old self would have enjoyed this series.

Story: Rob Liefeld Art: Brent Peeples
Ink: Adelso Corona Color: Romulo Fajardo, Jr. Letterer: Joe Sabino
Story: 4.0 Art: 6.5 Overall: 4.0 Recommendation: Pass

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: Major X #4

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Major X #4

There’s a point you hit at times where you need to step back and question why you’re reading a comic series. Major X #4 is that point. The issue is the epitome of what was wrong with the comics of the 90s. It features stilted dialogue, storytelling, and inconsistent art. For some, the issue will be fantastic capturing their youthful excitement. For others, you’ll see how far comics have come in 20 years.

Major X and M’Koy are captured by the mysterious Administrator. He’s the typical bad guy whose motivations and inclusions are thin. It truly feels like a throwback introducing characters and then figuring out their origin and reason for inclusion down the road. Look cool and ask questions later is the name of the game for Major X as a whole.

Rob Liefeld handles writing duties delivering dialogue that’s one quip after another. It forgoes a cohesive plot, instead focusing on choppy jumps from fight panel to fight panel. Characters are thrown around and introduced with little motivation other than “bad guy” and “revenge.” Major X #4 is a frustrating experience as Liefeld continues to show he’s a much better idea person than storyteller.

The art by Brent Peeples is decent. Adelso Corona handles inks with Romulo Fajardo, Jr. on color, and Joe Sabino lettering. The style very much feels like an homage to the 90s as well which Peeples has pulled off before. Here though, there’s inconsistency of character design and the habit of dropping detail in action scenes. Again, the poses, gun blasts, and action take precedence over the polished product.

Major X #4 isn’t for me and as the series drags on it’s clear I’ve moved on from this sort of storytelling. My 13 year old self would have loved this. My adult self just expects more.

Story: Rob Liefeld Art: Brent Peeples
Ink: Adelso Corona Color: Romulo Fajardo, Jr. Letterer: Joe Sabino
Story: 5.0 Art: 7.5 Overall: 5.0 Recommendation: Pass

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Preview: Major X #4 (of 6)

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Major X #4 (of 6)

(W) Rob Liefeld (A) Brent Peebles (CA) Rob Liefeld
Rated T+
In Shops: May 29, 2019
SRP: $3.99

With the X-Istence threatened, Major X has no choice but to leap through time to save it. With a little help from Cable and Wolverine, can even the Major overcome the terrible threat of an infamous killer with the initials DP?

Review: Major X #3

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Major X #3

With the X-Istence threatened, Major X has no choice but to leap through time to save it. With a little help from Cable and Wolverine, can even the Major overcome the terrible threat of an infamous killer with the initials DP?

The most exciting thing about Major X #3 is the art by Whilce Portacio who teams up with writer Rob Liefeld, colorist Romulo Fajardo, Jr., and letterer Joe Sabino. If it was 25 years ago and I again was my teenage comic collecting self, I’d be all over this series for it’s “awesome” concepts and action. Like the first two issues, the third is all action and splash and little else. The storytelling itself is plodding, dragging, and makes so very little sense the more you read. It’s focus is more on building mysteries and being cute with time it feels distracted from telling the main story of saving its mutant paradise.

The issue has Cable and Major X suffering a bit of defeat but gaining bodyslide tech for Major X to use in his mission. There’s also fights between M’koy with lots of dancing around questions about who M’koy is and if he’s not really the actual Beast. There’s winks and nods about time travel and all those concepts that were prevalent and overused during the 90s. Liefeld focuses on his success of creating mysteries to be answered years down the line. But, what there isn’t is much of a compelling story with characters I care about. Major X and M’koy are on a mission to save the founder of their world but that’s just thrown out there and where that all goes is rather predictable with a crazy cast of characters that I’m sure will become wildly popular.

Portacio’s art too seems a bit worn and aged. His art is still amazing but it just doesn’t have the excitement it once had. The characters are inconsistent at times and the use of panels, and lack of them, at times is the most interesting thing about the art. White space is used for characters with blasts seemingly coming off the page to hit them. Visually at times it’s great but bouncing between that and more traditional panels creates an inconsistent flow of the comic.

Major X for three issues is about concepts and ideas over story and narrative. It’s not bad in any way and if you enjoy this type of story, more power to you. But, in this day and age I expect something a bit more from my storytelling. This one is all big guns and action and little else.

Story: Rob Liefeld Art: Whilce Portacio
Color: Romulo Fajardo, Jr. Letterer: Joe Sabino
Story: 6.75 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.85 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Preview: Major X #3

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Major X #3

(W) Rob Liefeld (A) Whilce Portacio (CA) Rob Liefeld
Rated T+
In Shops: May 01, 2019
SRP: $3.99

With the X-Istence threatened, Major X has no choice but to leap through time to save it. With a little help from Cable and Wolverine, can even the Major overcome the terrible threat of an infamous killer with the initials DP?

Major X #3

Review: Major X #2

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Major X #2

The 90s are back in so many ways with Rob Liefeld‘s return to Marvel and the world of the X-Men and Major X #2 continues both the good and the bad from the first issue.

We learn more about The X-Istence with some hints as to what lead up to the need for it. It’s classic Liefeld with lots of flash of visuals and characters with spikey helmets. The concepts are great and entertaining but the execution, including dialogue and flow of the narrative, are wooden and stiff. For all the flash of the art, Brent Peeples steps into the issue on that duty, the story and dialogue lag. It’s the 90s all over again, which channeled the cliched driven 80s.

Brent Peeples takes over art duties, with Scott Hanna on ink and Romulo Fajardo, Jr. on color, and continues the look and feel of the first issue. There’s some inconsistencies in the art such as Major X’s forehead in one panel being rather huge but overall, Peeples does his best Liefeld impersonation. The characters introduced tend to be bland in some ways and stand out in others and the action sequences are more about the visual than an attempt to make sense at all (see the entire fight sequence in Graymalkin).

Major X is a summer disaster film. It’s all about concepts and visuals but lacks a depth and clearer narrative that would elevate the product. It’s fun in a throwback to the 90s way and I’m sure if I read this back then my teenage self would be bouncing off the walls with excitement. But my tastes have grown since then and I want a bit more from my entertainment. Liefeld is a great idea man but this series is showing that he’s best when working with a master storyteller.

Story: Rob Liefeld Art: Brent Peeples
Ink: Scott Hanna Color: Romulo Fajardo, Jr. Letterer: Joe Sabino
Story: 6.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.75 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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Wednesdays are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in!

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this Wednesday.

Assassin Nation #2 (Image Comics) – The first issue was just some solid uber violence and a lot of fun. How to prevent getting assassinated? By hiring the best assassins to protect you!

Black Badge #9 (BOOM! Studios) – Have you been reading this series which is basically the Scouts as assassins? No? This could be a good issue to start and check out.

Major X #2 (Marvel) – The first issue was divisive but we’d be lying if we didn’t want to see where Rob Liefeld’s latest X-Universe entry was going.

Planet of the Nerds #1 (AHOY Comics) – AHOY always delivers a fun read. This series takes jocks and transports them to modern times where nerds rule! There’s a lot of potential for this one.

Transformers #3 (IDW Publishing) – While not as good as the previous volume, we really want to see the build up to the Civil War and what Cybertron was like before all of that.

Uncanny X-Men #16 (Marvel) – The last issue shook up a lot and at this point we have no idea where this is all going. So good.

War of the Realms #2/War of the Realms: The Punisher #1/War of the Realms: War Scrolls #1 (Marvel) – While we haven’t been too hyped so far for this event, we’re still curious as to where it goes and what the tie-in miniseries bring to the story.

Xena: Warrior Princess #1 (Dynamite) – We’re always excited to see the popular character return to comics.

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