X-Statix: Back from the Dead Book

Reprints X-Statix #19-26 (April 2004-October 2004). Vivisector is tired of his mutant “curse” and when offered an opportunity to be rid of it, he takes it…with bad results. Doop has been kidnapped and the danger posed by him could threaten the world. X-Statix finds themselves in conflict with the Avengers over Doop and even if X-Statix wins the battle, will X-Statix be lost forever?!?!

Written by Peter Milligan, X-Statix Volume 4: X-Statix vs. The Avengers is a Marvel Comics X-Men spin-off title. Following X-Statix Volume 3: Back from the Dead, the series features art by Mike Allred and Nick Dragotta. Issues in the volume were also collected as part of X-Statix Omnibus.

When Milligan’s X-Force was coming out, no one had no idea what to make of it. Milligan and Allred’s styles were very specific…and very un-X-Men. X-Force however turned into one of Marvel’s best titles simply because it was so experimental and unpredictable. As Milligan and Allred moved on, X-Force became X-Statix, and in this volume, the fun run ends.

Despite loving the series in general, the last few volumes of X-Statix weren’t at its peak. It is still creative and still different, but even in this entry, the storytelling doesn’t feel quite as snappy. The two part Vivisector story feels a bit of a blow-off due to the fact that the series is going into the big Avengers crossover and the ending, but it does fit thematically. It just isn’t the best.

With a lot of hype surrounding it, the X-Statix/Avengers battle does have the classic throw-back feel of a comic crossover. Much like something like Contest of Champions, the teams are split up and battling over pieces of Doop’s brain…and to the champions goes the spoils. It is a parody of those early “fight” books, but it is almost too dead on (but it does give Milligan another chance to make a Princess Diana forced name change joke about the previous volume).

The series ends with a bang and just how you’d expect X-Statix to end. The team is ravaged, and Tike and Guy go out in a hail of bullets in an homage to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Like Butch and Sundance, you could argue that Tike and Guy didn’t actually die, but with X-Statix’s unique storytelling style, it was always going to be hard to co-op the characters for other books.

X-Statix is a read-it to believe it type of Marvel Comics. It isn’t very Marvel and that is the best thing about it. Despite veering off the classic Marvel path, there is something that IS very Marvel about it at the same time. Years later, the series is still fun, fresh, and different. Too much of a good thing can sour views of the past, but I do wish that Marvel would take more chances in the vein of X-Statix…it couldn’t hurt.