   X-Statix #6-8 – The Moons of Venus (2003)
X-Statix concerns a team of celebrity mutants whose superhero careers are driven, like those of your favorite factory-made popstar, by thirst for fame, first and foremost; the good-doing is merely a side effect. It's one of the only consistently great superhero comics around, thanks to delicious indie-esque artwork and humorous writing that doesn't assume you're a complete thumb-sucking moron. Its best attribute is a steadfast commitment to self-renewal, so it takes a lot of risks in terms of fucking with your perception of its heroes … that is, when it doesn't simply kill them off entirely. The Moons of Venus traces a storyline concerning X-Statix leader Guy Smith (whose superpower is "sensitivity") ostensibly turning rogue and attempting to take down his fellow team-members. This puts Tike Alicar ("The Anarchist," a hostile, self-loathing, obsessive-compulsive black dude) into the leadership chair, and he runs things a little different. Meanwhile, the new girl on the block, Venus Dee Milo (she can teleport, or warp time and space, or something) is trying to discover more about her weird origin, and her (awwwww) feelings for Guy. The plot is so chaotic and fast-moving that I found myself a little lost, though there was a lot of good dialogue and some nice twists. I wasn't particularly engaged in the goings-on beyond Guy and Venus's romance; the action sequences were much more conventional than X-Statix usually is. Still, X-Statix does superhero fluff better than most stock comics, since it never takes itself too seriously. This was a decent series, important in spinning things around and recasting the characters, but it felt like treading water. Granted, the water is warm, so come on in.
Review by La Fée |