I was going to review the current Mystique arc (“Unnatural,” issues 14-18) as a whole after next month’s final chapter, but Paul O’Brien made a very good point in his review at The X-Axis (which is back up and running):
“Now, Mystique presumably isn’t in absolutely immediate danger, because it’s solicited up to issue #20, and issue #20 is part 1 of 5 – so Marvel are presumably committed to the book through to at least issue #24. But let’s be realistic here – if you’re selling 500 copies more than a book cancelled due to low sales, and you’re dropping (at a rate of 18% in the last six months), then you’ve got a problem. So if people feel like drumming up support for Mystique, now might be a good time, hmm?”
Well, said, so here I go.
Mystique is a title that lends itself to the “if you like…” game.
Like Losers, Mystique is a well-crafted espionage adventure book. In this case, the protagonist is doing what might be termed “black-ops work” for mutant paterfamilias Charles Xavier, with the help of her diminutive telepathic handler, Shortpack. She investigates dodgy, mutant-related scenarios, in this case a skin-care company using mutants as guinea pigs.
Like Sleeper, the book features a morally ambiguous protagonist who isn’t entirely acting of her own volition. Mystique has spent much of her career as an opportunistic pro-mutant terrorist, relatively sincere in her beliefs but selfish enough to forego them if circumstances demand. Xavier is essentially strong-arming her into doing his dirty work, and part of the tension in the title comes from her chafing at his restrictions. (She doesn’t always observe them, which is a treat for those who view Xavier as a marginally competent control freak rather than Gandhi with an X-gene.)
Like Birds of Prey, the title has a flexible structure, with a powerful source of information and supervision (Xavier) sending gifted agents (Mystique and Shortpack) on a variety of missions. It has the potential to allow for a great range of stories, with a healthy dose of interpersonal tension thrown into the mix.
Since Mystique is a shape-shifter, writer Sean McKeever can play around with narrative expectations. Given her abilities and her ambiguous nature, it’s possible to leave readers guessing as to just who she is this time. It makes for some fun reveals, and McKeever loads plenty of action into the book.
Artist Manuel Garcia does very nice work with the material. I didn’t care much for Garcia’s work on Avengers, but that might have been a function of inking. I’m guessing Garcia and then-inker Bob Layton were just a bad fit, resulting in blocky visuals. Raul Fernandez provides cleaner and more fluid finishes for Garcia’s pencils, and colorist Matt Milla gives nice texture to the visuals.
Does Mystique break any new ground? Not particularly, but it’s about as solid an entertainment as mainstream comics offers. If the book doesn’t have anything weighty on its mind, it’s clever enough to overcome its relative weightlessness. So why not give it a try?