8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Um...no, Sep 6 2007
By Evil Wylie "Author, Blogger" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: X-Men: Phoenix - Warsong (Hardcover)
Hot on the heels of Greg Pak's excellent "Phoenix: Endsong" comes the "Warsong," the second part in Pak's Phoenix trilogy. Unfortunately, "Warsong" fails on almost every level. Tyler Kirkham's artwork pales in comparison to Greg Land's from the first chapter. The plot involves rogue elements of the Phoenix force infecting Emma Frost's Cuckoos, which could make a good story--except that things get confusing when the story overreaches and attempts to double as an origin story for the Cuckoos (you'll never guess who they're a clone of...!).
Can someone explain to me how someone's actual heart turning into diamond while the rest of their body remains organic and blood continues to pulse through their veins? That's just one of the things that doesn't make sense--how about Kitty Pryde getting grabbed by a mechanical tentacle and asking someone to "help her?" Did someone forget that she can phase through things? And after all that Cyclops and Wolverine have been through, does Cyclops really need to ask Logan if he can "smell lies"? (The answer is, apparently, yes.)
If you can make it through this book until the last page, you'll enjoy the set-up for part 3 as the friction between Emma Frost and the Phoenix force/Jean Grey escalates. Greg Pak is an awesome writer (see his "Hulk" work), and hopefully he has something up his sleeve for the next Phoenix go-round.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
The dead horse gets beaten some more, Aug 16 2007
By N. Durham "Big Evil" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: X-Men: Phoenix - Warsong (Hardcover)
Greg Pak, better known as the author of the excellent Planet Hulk saga as well as the current Marvel mega-event World War Hulk, scripted an X-Men mini-series a while back called Phoenix - Endsong, which found the Phoenix force returning to Earth, and the X-Men, in the form of the once again deceased Jean Grey. The mini-series was decent enough (it benefited from the awesome art of Greg Land) and paid wonderful homage to Grant Morrison's incredible run on New X-Men a few years back. Phoenix - Warsong picks up where Endsong left off, with the Phoenix force not quite gone and this time attaching itself to the triplet Stepford Cuckoos. Naturally, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Wolverine, Colossus, Shadowcat, and Beast are the only ones that can, and will, put a stop to any intentions the Phoenix has for them and the planet, and sadly, the story moves in a very predictable direction and an underwhelming ending that once again leaves the door open for the Phoenix to rise again. It's just incredible to see how a talented guy like Pak could craft something as generic as this while crafting a modern day classic like Planet Hulk and the instantly satisfying World War Hulk. Tyler Kirkham provides some pretty decent artwork, but for those who enjoyed Phoenix - Endsong, don't be prepared for anything as memorable as Greg Land's depictions, and a story that isn't nearly as memorable as the one Pak weaved earlier either. All in all, X-Men: Phoenix - Warsong is worth a look at the very least, but don't expect anything really substancial here either.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad, Aug 13 2007
By C. Schifano - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: X-Men: Phoenix - Warsong (Hardcover)
Continuing from the excellent Grant Morrison run on the X-Men, the White Queen's seemingly "daughters", the cuckoos, have engaged with the Phoenix. You learn the history of the cuckoos and get a decent storyline and easy read-thru.
You can tell the artist tried to emulate Marc Silvestri who did draw the appealing covers for this series.