Written by Chris Claremont
Art by Aaron Lopresti; Greg Adams; Andrew Pepoy; Liquid! Graphics;
& Tom Orzechowski
Cover Art by Andy Park
SUMMARY:
Rebooting its X-Men spin-off franchise, Excalibur, in name only, Marvel Comics published this short-lived series (fourteen issues total) from 2004-2005. Released in 2004, Forging the Sword is a 96-page reprint of Issues # 1-4 published earlier that year.
In the immediate aftermath of Genosha’s devastation by a Mega-Sentinel, Professor Charles Xavier has reached the quarantined island nation to search for survivors. Aided by Eric/Magneto and the ‘ghost’ of Moira MacTaggart, Xavier recruits young mutants Wicked and Freakshow, along with the Morlocks’ Callisto. Opposing them is a defiant Unus the Untouchable and his own young faction of survivors.
Seeking to recover two mysterious coffins from Genosha, the tyrannical Magistrates are willing to terminate any mutant resistance. Caught in the middle, Xavier & Eric reach out to find whoever is in held captive in the coffins.
Note: The remaining ten issues are collected in two additional volumes released in 2005.
REVIEW:
Consider it a noble yet failed X-periment. Curiously, did Marvel assign Chris Claremont this umpteenth X-Men spin-off, or was Claremont pursuing his own tangent, with the company’s blessing? Either way, Forging the Sword would have sufficed as a four-issue mini-series vs. a tired Xavier-and-Magneto-doing-humanitarian-relief ongoing monthly.
In terms of the visuals, this art squad generally does excellent work – few panels fail to maintain consistency. The same compliment applies to cover artist Andy Park. Yet, it’s a mixed bag as to famed X-Men writer Chris Claremont’s faintly optimistic vision for this new series.
Case in point: is the metaphorical title “Forging the Sword” deceptive? In terms of franchise name recognition, then it’s a bait-and-switch. Captain Britain’s X-group is nowhere near Xavier & Magneto co-mentoring an inexperienced band of raw recruits. Even so, Claremont’s scripting sufficiently introduces some new faces, but it’s unsurprising that none of them have reached mainstream X-Men fame fifteen plus years later.
Aside from the book’s minimal length, the peripheral nature of “Forging the Sword” struggles to keep even faithful X-readers motivated. Sporting only a single dubious gag (pardon the expression — i.e. Freakshow vomiting up Unus after swallowing him) and lots of grim inferences about Genosha’s ruins, there isn’t enough storytelling fabric being woven here.
For hardcore advocates of Xavier & Magneto’s friendship, then “Forging the Sword” could be construed as a minor revelation. Otherwise, this book is a forgettable one-and-done for most readers. Keeping this book would be more about the well-crafted artwork than its limited-appeal storyline.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The four covers appear as full-page reprints.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
