Comic Review: X-Men Blue #34

X-Men Blue #34

Marvel Comics

Writer: Cullen Bunn

Artist: Marcus To

With X-Men Blue ending in just a month, it’s time for Cullen Bunn to wrap up what has been a Magneto story all along. While X-Men Blue has had many great moments, it has been plagued with poor pacing and messy writing. Unfortunately, all of these troubles continue to plague the series as it comes close to ending its final arc.

Cullen Bunn’s series is a love-letter to Magneto, and it is clear that he has a true appreciation of the character. If anything has been done well, it’s Magneto’s characterization. We have learned a lot about the character, and Bunn has created a Magneto that is learning a lot about himself. X-Men Blue #34 allows for Magneto to remember who he truly is once more.

It feels like X-Men Blue #34 is riddled with holes, and it is difficult for readers to truly get a hold of what is going. Every scene feels fragmented, and the last two issues have failed to tell an entire story. Of course, this isn’t the end of the series, but it is hard to imagine Bunn neatly wrapping everything up with the little time he has left.

The action scene between Magneto and the future X-Men is entertaining, even if its execution is a little sloppy. Magneto using statues to fight was humorous, and lead to some solid banter throughout the conflict. This battle was shortlived though and doesn’t seem to have any significance to the story itself. It was simply a few cool moments and suddenly it was over. This has been a recurring problem in Bunn’s run, and it is unfortunate that great moments rarely have any lasting impact.

Marcus To’s art continues to get the job done, as it shows some noticeable improvements. The action on the pages look great, and every character is properly drawn. It doesn’t shine in any one area, but it’s hard to find too many flaws in this issue.

X-Men Blue #34 contains everything that has plagued Bunn’s run in just one issue. It has some solid moments, but it suffers from pacing, vague storytelling, and insignificant action.