REVIEW: X-Men #24

Jubilee has been a vampire for at least a little while now, and she’s coping well enough to be on a team, but is there more she can do?  Find out after the jump. . .

X-MEN #24
Writer: Victor Gischler
Artist: Al Barrionuevo
Inker: Michel Lacombe & Cam Smith
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Will Conrad & Guru Efx
Editor: Jeanine Schaeffer
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $3.99

Previously in X-men: While preventing one Eastern European country from attacking another with an army of Sentinels, Jubilee landed in the wilds of Eastern Europe and met vampire Raizo Kodo, leader of the Forgiven (A group of vampires that don’t hunt humans), who offers her the chance to learn his ways, she doesn’t come back. Storm, and her team, has been sent to locate Jubilee and bring her back.

OLD THREADS

Most of this tale, in fact all but the last page, is about Raizo trying to push Jubilee past the desire for human blood. The concept of drinking animal blood to make a vampire nice again isn’t anything new, but that’s essentially what we get here. Raizo and his band are “good” vampires and they are trying to get Jubilee to be like them by not relying on human blood. For the most part, Jubilee is going through withdrawal as she refuses to fight her new nature and wants human blood instead of the animal blood she is offered. She tries a few tricks to escape and eventually blindsides the youngest only to return in a fit of guilt after seeing her lack of reflection.

The story is fairly straightforward but does give us a bit on who the Forgiven are, not much mind you, but enough. All in all, it would be just a decent effort if it weren’t for one thing. Gischler set this up back in issue #11 when Professor X told Jubilee of when he met Raizo. Granted, this is the sort of thing that is supposed to happen, but it doesn’t happen as much as it should, and this is a thread I’d been hoping would be picked up since that issue. It may also resolve the whole Jubilee and Wolverine being on different teams thing what with her needing his blood and all.

AIN’T GOT NOTHIN’ CLEVER

Art in this issue is actually a little dull. There’s really nothing wrong with any given panel, but the consistency is rather off. The faces are also a bit gaunt and stretchy in places while being broader than necessary in others. None of it really looks bad, but taken as a whole issue I’ve come to expect better.

BOTTOM LINE: DECENT ENOUGH

The issue is mostly an average story with average art, but the continuity hit actually pulls it up a bit for me. Anyone who likes what’s happened with Jubilee should be happy with this issue; otherwise it’s about average unless you’ve been reading the series. I have, so I’m giving it 3 out of 5 stars.