Basement X

The newest ongoing launched this week. And... It wasn't anything spectacular.

It starts off with Pixie meeting Jubilee in San Francisco (as it's post Second Coming, and Mutants are allowed back in the city regularly) to see how she's coping without powers. When a vampire shows up, covered in black leather to avoid the sun (just like the first Blade film) he rips the leather off and explodes in the outdoor cafe they're in, spewing his blood all over people, Jubilee included. Pixie wasn't at the table so she was spared the blood splatter.

Jubilee heads back to the X-Men's base with Pixie to be checked out, and since they know it was a Vampire attack, Cyclops has Wolverine make a stealthy check out team of him, Angel, and Pixie to follow the trail to their base. They refuse letting Storm go incase Dracula's involved.

Turns out the Vamp bomb's blood had a carrier in it, and everyone who got hit by the initial blast is slowly turning into a vampire, or at least feeling the call to come to vamps to be turned. Jubilee so far is resisting, but the Vamps make comments that she's the one the they targeted.



Overall, the art wasn't fantastic or standout for a first issue launch, but seemed more suitable for this to be a mini, which the story itself seems like it should be. As far as this being an ongoing, i don't see it going any further than Astonishing did as an Ongoing. Maybe around 30 issues, just like X-Treme X-Men did a few years back. A 3rd core X-Men title just doesn't seem to last long. I've replaced Astonishing with this book, as I'm not going to get the minis, and there's only 1 issue left of the original ongoing.

Overall, unless you're huge into Vampires (and I mean huge, because this didn't even really come up enjoyable to me) I'd wait this story out for trade or something, and I'm more interested in what the next arc will be about. There are so many tie ins to this as well that it's ridiculous for a new ongoing.

A couple things to note. I don't think Jubilee was the main target because the vamps never actually mentioned her by name, just that "she hasn't come yet but she was the main target." That's a common red herring writers use, make you think it's this already established character directly related to the event but have it be someone else. Or at least that's my first thoughts when I read their statements. I could be wrong, wouldn't surprise me at all.

Also, some of this wouldn't exactly make sense if you didn't read the Death of Dracula one-shot. In the one-shot Dracula was killed in a coup by his son, who then gathered together the rest of the vampire clans with the display that vamps are allowed out in the sun. So when the big vamp comes out at dusk with a huge sword, you'll notice a medallion he's wearing. That's what grants them invulnerability to the sun. I'm surprised they didn't have the vamp in the beginning have that so he didn't make a huge appearance of "hey look at the freak in head to toe leather in sweltering heat!" So we know it's not Dracula calling the shots but his son instead, just no clue yet how this all fits with his huge coup.

In regards to who the target is, I thought the same thing. They do it all the time, but yeah it's directed to be Jubilee until they do something to point it otherwise.

And yea, they don't mention Dracula's controling them, but as far as the X-Men are concerned he's the one still calling the shots, which is why they don't want Storm going. I knew all the Dracula books were pretty much tied in, and the upcoming Blade/Storm & Gambit/etc books tie in as well to reveal he's not in control, because that's how they first promoted the 'event'. But as far as story telling is concerend, the X-Men still think it's him.

So the 2nd issue wasn't much better. other than some fun banter between Colossus and Wolverine in the first few pages, I wasn't thrilled. I like seeing the core team together in the War Room (But WHY is X-23 or whatever her name is part of it? I'd assume Pyslocke or Iceman would be there instead), but really nothing amazing goes on.

They want Jubilee because they know 'he' will come, assumingly Wolverine, and from him they'll be able to get the X-Men and add them to their ranks and have Mutant vampire Soldiers. Ok. Great. Big awesome fun plan.

If it's being written by a 10 year old or something. I seriously feel like this story is aimed at younger readers and hanging on the Vampire hype going on. It's not worth it. This series is to bring the X-Men back into the Marvel U, and they start with Blade. Fine. But I'd rather them be fighting real threats, like Sinister, or expanding to like.. Baron Zemo, the Wrecking Crew, or whatever. I'd love for a classic Superheroes v Supervillains book, but Vampires isn't what I wanted.

The last few pages read like they were made for TV/Film. Cyclops revealing his master plan, that's teleplayed easily, in one panel, and the other Jubilee giving into the new vampire master, then back to Cyclops, then back, and over and over. Really doesn't work well in Comics, especially when the big plan is too easy to figure out.


I'm not sure this book is going to be for me for long, but if people buy into it due to the Vampire thing, it'll make them money, and they'll keep putting it out. But really, it's just a joke.