Being both written and drawn Rob Liefeld there is a lot of built-in baggage with this series. The complaints about many of his artistic choices have been discussed ad nauseam. So the more interesting question is what exactly about his style and choices has led to such a loyal fanbase that a project like Major X exists, and how does Major X work as a microcosm for his career. Despite the naysayers and legitimate issues with his work Liefeld has done something right to gain the popularity he did and maintain much of it to this day. With this being the final issue of this series the entire experiment can be put in perspective.
The issues you would expect are here. Character proportions widely change panel to panel and page to page. Cable is probably the worst offender as in one moment he dwarfs Jean Grey in a way that makes him look like a massive twenty-foot giant yet general normal height around everyone else. Those cosmetic issues are not nearly as problematic as Liefeld tendency to use sparse backgrounds, which hurts in establishing location. Despite the lack of backgrounds, this issue was easier to follow as mostly everything took place in two isolated locations as The X-Men tried to ward off Namor and the Atlanteans final attack.Â
On the other hand, a big reason it was easy to follow was that simply not that much happened. Namor“s giant Liavthon looked cool and allowed for a well-timed Savage Dragon reference, but never did it do anything significant to make it feel like a major threat or raise the stakes to any degree. As someone who did read a lot of Liefield during his peak, I saw little of his strengths with this issue or series. This is the textbook definition of petering out a storyline that was not offering much to begin with. Deadpool shows up because he is meant to neutralize Dreadpool for reasons not at all explained. Maybe that will come later but at the moment just reads as an excuse to force Deadpool into the story just because. To Liefeld“s credit, this is probably the best he has ever written the character as he offers easily the best lines in the issue. Calling out Cable“s odd parentage will always get a chuckle.Â
Now that this series has concluded it offers an opportunity to ask the all-important question of what was the purpose of this story. Outside of the obvious impact of sales and desire to appeal to nostalgia. Considering the title is called Major X one would think the purpose on the forefront would be establishing him as a character, however even within this issue, he becomes a side piece in his own story. At this point, he is more of a concept than a character. He is a thinly veiled amalgam of generic nineties tropes, which could be interesting if it was done with a sense of irony or a tad bit of deconstruction. Clearly, though there is no attempt to layer this comic with anything to that level.Â
Final Thoughts:
By now, the gimmick of Major X has run thin to the point that even ninety die-hard fans may struggle to find anything of value with this series. Even looking at the surface level there is not much offered. Action is sparse, lacking in impact, and unable to capitalize on the limited potential the premise provides. At best Major X is a transparent cash grab of pandering nostalgia, at worst it step backward for the evolution of comics as we once again dive deep into the gimmicks that nearly ruined the entire medium.Â
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Writer/Artist: Rob Liefeld
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- A fan of all things comics. Growing up on a healthy diet of 90's Batman and X-Men cartoon series ignited a love for the medium that remains strong today.
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