I don’t know about you, but I fully intend on snatching up all of the covers for this 500th issue.  I don’t ever do that, but for Uncanny X-Men, I make a lot of exceptions.

In fact, I am kind of bummed that there are no holographic, chrome or glow-in-the-dark covers for such a huge landmark.

But, we get some excellent art.  Click through the jump to see a gallery of all of the covers available from Terry Dodson, Alex Ross, Greg Land and the late Michael Turner PLUS a 4 page preview!

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Storyline: Jigsaw part 4
Date: July 2, 2008
Price: $2.99
Writer: Rick Remender and Matt Fraction
Artists: Howard Chaykin

Synopsis: The Hand and it’s cadre of fantastic killers makes its move against the Punisher as every shooter in New York City has their sites trained on Frank Castle…and with his only allies in hiding, Frank brings the fight underground. As the entire city watches Frank run, S.H.I.E.L.D. —and Bridge’s Girls—follow. The creative genius of JIGSAW is in full bloom…how much punishment can one man take? You have no idea.

Opinion: How many gentlemen out there would love to have one scantily clad temptress chasing after you? Well boys, Frank has six but after you see what these vixens are carrying you might change your mind – but probably not.!

Read my full review of Punisher: War Journal #21 after the jump.

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Story Line: Jigsaw part 3
Date: June 4th 2008
Price: $2.99
Writers: Matt Fraction & Rick Remender
Artist: Howard Chaykin

Synopsis: One word: JIGSAW. In this prelude to the next major story-arc in PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL, we get to spend a little time with the man, the myth, and the monster that’s earned the right to call himself the Punisher’s arch-nemesis. What is it about Frank Castle that makes this otherwise sane, if a little sinister, gangster go absolutely and completely insane whenever he’s around? What buttons can Frank possibly push that pushes Jigsaw over the edge of sanity? Find out straight from the horse’s mouth, kiddies: JIGSAW starts here, ends in blood, and features a whole lot of violence in-between. By Matt Fraction (IMMORTAL IRON FIST, casanova) and Howard Chaykin (WOLVERINE).

Opinion: Frank Castle, one-man vigilante and super villain ass kicking machine has seen his share of good and bad days. His newest series has go though many stylistic and story arch changes within it’s limited run. Thankfully, Fraction has seemed to finally hit his stride.  He has managed to do this by dropping the convoluted stories about Frank’s patriotism and stopped sending him against corny supper villains. This, my friends, is what makes the story work.

Read my full review after the jump.

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Storyline: Divided We Stand part 1 (of 2)
Date: April 16, 2008
Price: $3.99 US
Writer: Mike Carey, Matt Fraction, Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost and Skottie Young
Artist: Brandon Peterson, Jamie Mckelvie, Sana Takeda and Skottie Young

Synopsis: In the wake of Messiah CompleX, there are no X-Men. But where does that leave the mutants that WERE X-Men? Some of the industry’s hottest creators bring you stories of your favorite mutants. Mike Carey (X-MEN, ULTIMATE FF) and Brandon Peterson (ULTIMATE EXTINCTION) bring you a tale of Cannonball and Husk. Matt Fraction (PUNISHER: WAR JOURNAL, IRON FIST) and Jamie McKelvie (Suburban Glamour, Phonogram) tell a story about Nightcrawler. Craig Kyle & Christ Yost (X-FORCE) and Sana Takeda (Drain) take you to Wakanda for a tale of Storm, Black Panther and Neznho. And Skottie Young (NEW X-MEN) writes and draws a story about your favorite New X-Man Anole.

Opinion: Unfortunately, I have not been keeping up at all with a vast majority of the fresh faces that have been showing up in the X-Men books. All of the young mutants who have been having their own little dramas while attending Xavier’s School have held no interest from me, and this book was an excellent introduction to them and a very unique perspective on the current state of the X-Men. I really thoroughly enjoyed this book, as it helped to introduce me to some of the characters I was ignorant of and it gave a frame of reference for the ripple effect of Cyclops and Emma Frost’s reign over the X-men.

Read my full review after the jump.

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I’m 100% an X-Men fan.

I’ve been amped about Uncanny X-Men’s 500th issue as long as I can remember. I remember seeing Batman and Superman and how they had hit all of these high issues and #500 was going to be mine. I was going to be there, and with the rising popularity of holo-foil-popout-3d-embossed-platinum scratch-n-sniff covers that were the craze in the early 90’s, I was set on spending tons of money. I was going to be first in line to buy as many covers and variants and limited editions as possible.

Even after all of the questionable things that these creators have done with my favorite title of all time, even after all of the disappointments, wasted money, time and blown expectations that seem to make the enjoyable experiences so far and few between, I have remained a solid x-fan. I truly love the characters. From Colossus to Nightcrawler to Warpath, Gambit, Longshot… the list goes on and on. I love them all. These were my companions growing up and they taught me so much about morality, friendship, loyalty, teamwork, tolerance and sacrifice.

These are my heroes, and no matter how much Marvel insists on rolling them around in the stink, I’m always going to buy issues like a sucker.

So, I have no place to complain. I’ve tried to stop buying issues time and again and I always find myself drawn back into it. With all of this being said, I have to admit that The Messiah Complex story arch was by far one of the most compelling in a very long time. It felt like the X-Men I know, though the resolution felt a bit gimmicky.

Newsarama has the scoop on details regarding issue #500:

On Saturday, at Wizard World Los Angeles, Marvel Comics announced during their X-Men panel that Matt Fraction would be joining Ed Brubaker as co-writer on Uncanny X-Men with issue #500. Joined by artists Greg Land and Terry Dodson, the writers will spell each other off on the series, with Fraction picking up the ball on issues #501-#503, and then Brubaker taking things from there.

We’re going to see the X-Men relocating to San-Francisco, operating without Professor X and another change in the lineup. According to Matt Faction:

Matt Fraction: These people were once the future, and now they’re standing on the verge of extinction. And they still defend a world that hates and despises them. The ones that believe in tomorrow are running on faith and fighting off doubt. What’s to keep them holding on? That crux at the core of all the characters, in all of its different forms, is what we’re going to be looking at. There’s a wildly new status quo that speaks to the very heart of who the X-Men are, and who they’ve always been. Facing the end of the mutant genetic line only serves to magnify that.

Oh! And stuff blows up; everybody has lots of sex, and then dies.

And here we are, heading in a new direction once again. The body count has stacked up, and for once we’re seeing it actually impact the characters on more than a superficial level. It’s interesting to see where this is heading, but if I have only one thing to say to Marvel, it’s this:

Let’s skip the hype machine of major events and just get back to telling good stories. This is an opportunity to reinvigorate this brand, and I know that I am not alone in feeling this way. Bring back what we all know the X-Men can be and leave the big gimmicks to the titles that aren’t selling well.

JC out…

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