Endangered Species

I purchased Endangered Species after loving House of M and wanting to see where they'd take the story. This book mainly focuses on Beast attempting to solve the problems of this post House of M world. The book is basically a Beast graphic novel, there are no major battles and the X-Men are only really seen in the first chapter. These facts might disappoint most but I didn't mind, I enjoyed seeing Dr. McCoy attempting to figure this whole thing out. The art is great and the story starts off and ends pretty strong. I wasn't too big on that other main character but overall I enjoyed the story as a whole. I'd recommend picking up Deadly Genesis and Rise & Fall Of Shi'ar Empire before this if you've just read House Of M. Those 2 books surely happen before Endangered Species and although it isn't essential for understanding this book, there is an aspect in this story that will confuse you if you're coming straight from House of M.

I almost passed on this book because of the negative reviews. Please note this book is less about 'the adventures' of the X-men. Than it is an exploration of science and faith (though I would mostly say science) to fix things. Sometimes trying to make things 'better' actually make it worse. Yost, Carey and Gage are truly some of the greatest writers in the industry. All three writers understand that comics don't have to be 'dumbed down' to be good. It's an awesome and very complex story, that will have you picking it up to re-read. If you are looking for a 'smack down' between the X-men and their enemies. Then this book is not for you. However if you are looking for an intelligent and well thought out story that asks very profound and serious questions about science and attempts to right wrongs. Then please read this. It's truly worth every penny.

If your looking for a lot of action this is not the book for you. If you like Beast and are interested in just how dire things are for mutants in the times just before Messiah Complex then this is a fine graphic novel. Its a prelude to Messiah, and really puts Beast in the spotlight while showing some nice snippet with wolverine/cyclops (i always love seeing those two interact with each other) and a take on some of the villains perspective of "M Day". Also, if your a fan of Astonishing there is a cameo by Professor Rao. (i always wondered what happened to her) Its worth the buy in paperback. Hardcover might be a little steep for this one though. Its more a curiosity than anything. But the writing is good, and the art is up to snuff.

If you're looking for a book that promises "an all out action extravaganza" or to "forever changes the status quo," look elsewhere. Here you'll find more internal conflicts than external ones, more moral conundrums then explosions. Mike Carey is an extraordinary writer and uses these little vignettes to give real depth to Messiah Complex. Without it, the big crossover would seem pretty damn empty.

There's still the stigma attached to superhero comics that they must all be bombastic, over-the-top action scene vessels and Endangered Species eschews much of this. A character study of a character who too often gets relegated to "the brain of the group" and is simply written off as a scientist type. An especially intriguing part is seeing the other-dimensional variants of the Beast, particularly the one that turned to religion, and how this reflects on the character we're reading about. More a character study, highly reccomended for fans of the character, lightly reccomended for others.