Cyclops #9
Marvel
Written by: John Layman
Art by: Javier Garron
Colors by: Chris Sotomayor
Cover by: Alexander Lozano
When Greg Rucka left this Cyclops series, I think I lot of people maybe jumped ship with him. But I’m here to tell you that if you jumped ship, all you’re doing is floating in the water (or in this case space) while there is still a party on the boat you jumped off of. John Layman has picked up the story in a way that was almost seamless and in fact almost makes the story more exciting. Greg Rucka began the series just introducing young Scott to the life and ways of being a space pirate, but he left right as Cyke and Corsair were stranded on a deserted planet. So not much had really happened. John Layman has amped up the action to eleven and is taking young Cyclops on a true pirate’s tale. In this issue Scott is shown gaining favor amongst the crew of the Desolation, excluding one ugly bug, and given more responsibility. He and his father’s clever plan comes to fruition this issue and it packs in some action and emotion.
Layman gives us the great father/son story that Rucka began in this issue along with some fun scenes that make me realize that when Black Vortex starts and he rejoins his fellow All-New X-Men he’ll be a much more skilled warrior than he was when he left. The art by Javier Garron and colors by Chris Sotomayor add to this story by keeping the colorful, which isn’t something that space stories often accomplish. I have thoroughly enjoyed the art this book has had ever since issue #1, but the most striking thing that still puts this book out there above the rest of Marvel’s current line up (second only to Spider-Man 2099) is the covers by Alexander Lozano. I don’t write much about covers, but in the case of Cyclops, the covers are so incredible that they need to be admired. The covers alone should be pulling people to this book, and the story should pull you in past the point of no return.
This series, although ending soon I believe, has been a highlight of this current Marvel run for me. Cyclops needed this redesign and reimagining to put him apart from his evil self, who has been boring me for the past year. This book continues the lighthearted, classical sci-fi space adventure that makes me think of the greater episodes of Star Trek. If you want a fun tale that is set apart from the rest of the Marvel happenings (for now), pick this book up from your local comic book retailer!