Wednesday 11 November 2020

Marvel Xavier's Institute: Liberty and Justice for All by Carrie Harris - Book Review

 


'Two young mutants take on the X-Men’s greatest foes single-handedly, in this breakneck superhero adventure from the extraordinary realm of Marvel comics

'It’s exam time at Xavier’s Institute, and young mutants Tempus and Triage are barely surviving the Danger Room. Newly teamed up for a solo X-Copter flight exam, they approach Chicago unaware that Sentinels – giant Mutant-hunting robots – have attacked the Field Museum of Natural History. When they receive an SOS from the notorious Sabretooth, requesting help for wounded anti-mutant politician Graydon Creed, Triage is all for calling it in. But Tempus sees an opportunity to test their healing and time-manipulating powers for real. Whether it’s a trap or a chance for peace, the two students face their greatest challenge, and the X-Men’s worst enemies. '

Comics can be hard to translate into other mediums, especially into prose novels, largely due to the very visual nature of the types of stories they tell. It can be easy to make huge battles with super powered beings look big and bold and entertaining in a comic, but sometimes that kind of action can be dull when it comes to prose, and stories can drag. This is why it's great whenever you can find a writer who's able to translate the characters and stories in ways that manage to keep the excitement of the source material; and Carrie Harris' Liberty and Justice For All is definitely a case of it working well.

Rather than trying to adapt a preexisting comic story, Harris has chosen instead to craft her own tale, one that focuses on two of the newer characters in the X-Men canon. Set after the events of X-Men: Schism, the book follows a number of the students in the New Charles Xavier School For Mutants in the old Weapon X facility in Canada. The book fits neatly into a definable time period in the myriad X-Men events and status changes, yet doesn't step on the toes of any pre-existing story, allowing it to do its own thing.

The book focuses on two of the newer X-students, Eva Bell and Christopher Muse, who would take on the mutant code names Tempus and Triage respectively. Despite the two of them going on to play big roles in the Marvel universe, especially Eva as a member of The Five, this is still early days for the two young mutants, and they've only been with the X-Men for a relatively short period. Having been cooped up in the gloomy Weapon X facility for weeks, except for a brief adventure in Limbo, the teens are beginning to go a little stir crazy, resulting in some of the students failing to survive a Danger Room session.

Despite this, Eva and Christopher have been working hard, and quickly latch on to each other as partners for the upcoming X-Copter evaluation, knowing that they're the two most likely to take the test seriously. It also means that they'll get the chance to leave the facility for a while, even if it is just to fly the helicopter for a few hours. Whilst on the test the two of them receive a distress call from the former villain Sabertooth, requesting their assistance.

Knowing that Sabertooth has been a vicious mercenary and killer in the past, and that they're only supposed to be proving that they can safely pilot the X-Copter, they're reluctant to help, but eventually decide to land in Chicago so that they can provide assistance. However, they soon discover more than they bargained for when they find Sabertooth with an injured Graydon Creed, the former presidential candidate who campaigned for mutant extermination, as learn that they're being hunted by mutant killing machines, the Sentinels. Working alongside the two former enemies of the X-Men, Eva and Christopher must try to get to the bottom of the mystery and survive long enough to get back to the school.

I've been a fan of the X-Men for a long while, but have to admit that I've found myself drifting away from many of the X-Men books in recent years, and as such this was my first real experience with both Eva and Christopher. Being introduced to any new heroes can be a bit daunting if you've been out of the loop for a while, but Harris made it so easy to get to know both of these characters, and I had a good understanding of who they were, and what motivated them way before they even ended up getting involved in their mission. They were written so clearly, and with enough care that not only did I never feel like I was having to play catch-up with the comics, but I left the book wanting to spend more time with the two of them; I even went and researched which comics I could find them in.

It wasn't just the two leads who had a chance to shine, however, as both Sabertooth and Graydon Creed were written incredibly well. I've had a soft spot for a good Sabertooth since reading the Age of Apocalypse and Exiles comics, so the fact that the 616 universe Sabertooth has been given the chance to walk closer to the line of being a hero, and is allowed moments here where he gets to do the right thing, and creates a friendship with the two younger mutants was incredibly well received by myself. The scenes where he would be scolded by Eva for being a grouch, or took the time to make sure that Christopher was feeling okay after using his powers, or even just making jokes with the two of them were easily some of my favourites in the book.

I was also surprised that not only did I not end up hating Graydon Creed, a man who's always been portrayed as an out and out bigot, a person who would gladly march mutants into extermination camps, I actually kind of came to like him. I know that the character has gone through a lot over the more recent years with their constant cycle of death and resurrection, but to see him showing humanity, and basic decency was a big surprise for me, and made him one of the more interesting characters in the book.

The characters and their interactions are definitely the highlight of the book, and take focus over the action sequences which are fewer and further between than if this story was made in comic form. Yes, there are some big moments of the team having to fight against some cool opponents, but that's not really what the focus of the story is about. Instead, its about these two young heroes learning that being an X-Man isn't always just flashy costumes and big adventures, that sometimes they'll be tested in extreme circumstances, and can be left deeply effected by it.

Liberty And Justice For All isn't your standard X-Men adventure, it's one that focuses more on the human (or mutant) journey that happens to these characters, it spends quite moments with its characters and lets the reader get into their heads and see the effect this life would have on someone. It might not be what you'd be initially drawn to an X-Men book for, but it's what you'll come away loving and wanting more of.


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