This arc, “First To Last”, has been frustrating because although the concept is an interesting and intriguing one, it ultimately feels like a toothless storyline, which injects further complicated backstory into the X-mythos, which is already complex and complicated enough.
I like the idea of having the narrative play out in two different time periods, to show what happened before, what happens now, and the parallels between the two confrontations with the Evolutionaries, but the actual execution plays out quite clumsily, and the way the story was laid out over the last few issues only compounded the problems.
The villains of the piece were not well formulated or characterized, and were surprisingly one-dimensional, although it’s clear that they were created with deeper aspirations and intentions.The artwork by Medina is fairly enjoyable, although he only handles half the issue, as the flashback pages are done by Talajic, who brings an interesting visual style, which is grittier and darker than Medina’s, but ultimately not one which is yet up to the task of handling a complex script and making it compelling storytelling.
The storyline ultimately felt like failed potential, and lacks a conclusion that would make the storyline feel worthwhile and necessary.The whole storyline was as forgettable as the X-Men’s original encounter with the Evolutionaries proved to be (although at least in the comics it was due to mind control).
