The Good
Fantomex has become a remarkable character recently. With an outlook where he basically does whatever he wants, a MAX comic may just be the place he's been longing for.
Andrew Hope is able to show us a more realistic take on Fantomex. There's always that fine line when it comes to regular comic dialogue and situations. In other words, this isn't a candy-coated story.
Fantomex is a thief at heart. When he finds himself in dangerous situations, it makes sense that things might get a little messy. Again, the MAX line allows more room for that sort of mess. While Fantomex may not always take things seriously, he's allowed to be in more serious (and deadly) situations.
We are also introduced to some new players. This allows Fantomex to get mixed up in a new world of espionage and danger. It also means you won't necessarily know what's coming.
Shawn Crystal's art is pretty sweet. The characters have a great amount of detail and we get a variety of different looks for the different ones. There's some nice page layouts and if you're looking for some intense action and violence, you will embrace what you see here. Lee Loughridge does some really cool things with the colors and backgrounds. This definitely has a nice and different feel to it. It's a great style that really suits the story and character.
You have to love that Francesco Francavilla cover as well.
The Bad
It's a MAX title so you know what that means. It's practically a free license to get over the top with language and violence. As I mentioned, it can be refreshing to see the creators cut loose but there were times it started feeling gratuitous. Yes people swear in real life. But here we get quite a bit of it. It's almost like this comic is making up for the lack of profanity in other Fantomex stories. This isn't saying Fantomex is the one with the potty mouth. It's almost everyone else.
Then there's the sexual nature of the characters. There are some...perky women present. The main female character is apparently wearing what's less than a sports bra when on a military transport with other agents. And the other female character has a tight outfit with the front zipped down practically to her navel.
What it comes down to is these factors may allow the story to cut loose more but they don't necessarily make this a better Fantomex story. I wouldn't necessarily want this story to be censored or cleaned up a little but it's a shame that younger fans of the character might not be able to read this story.
The Verdict
If you're looking for some MAX style storytelling with Fantemex, this will be right up your alley. Not having to play nicely by the X-Men's rules, this story allows Fantomex to get into some stickier situations. The freedom to allow more violence and profanity gives it a harder edge but at the same time, feels a little gratuitous and unnecessary. If you are a fan of the character, hopefully you are mature enough to buy this comic. It's great seeing Fantomex get the spotlight to himself and this is shaping up to be an intriguing story.