S.W.O.R.D. #7
As Storm and Doom dine, S.W.O.R.D. is called for help in S.W.O.R.D. #7, by writer Al Ewing, artist Stefano Caselli, colorist Fer Sifuentes-Sujo, and letterer Ariana Maher. S.W.O.R.D. spun out of a crossover, spent three issues as an event tie-in, spent another issue as a different event tie-in, and now starts another event. That is just super annoying, and it brings the book down.
This issue bounces between Storm and Doom dining on Arakko discussing mysterium and Emperor Hulkling and the Kree getting attacked by Mindless Ones. Doom and Storm compliment then threaten each other and S.W.O.R.D. goes to help the Alliance.
Okay, so let's address the elephant in the room- too many crossovers can kill a book, and that's what is happening to S.W.O.R.D. This book literally can't go a month without getting involved in a crossover, and while the issues are usually good, this can be very annoying. For example, this is a tie-in to The Last Annihilation, yet another event stretching across the sci-fi books. For readers who are only reading S.W.O.R.D. for mutant stuff, the only parts of this book that matter are the Storm/Doom parts, and even they tie into the larger story- their conversation on mysterium almost certainly holds the reason the Mindless Ones are attacking reality. Doom makes a crack about it being nice to see Storm as the goddess she is and not a mere king's wife, and while it's meant to be a backhanded compliment, it's also true. Seeing Storm as the regal, intelligent, and influential, strong person, she is an excellent change pace. That is the end of the compliments this book deserves.
Ewing is a great sci-fi writer, and S.W.O.R.D. would almost certainly want to help the Alliance if they are under attack, but the question has to be asked- how many X-Men fans really care about this stuff? Was Empyre so well received that it demanded to be continued in a bunch of other books, including one that has only had two non-crossover-related issues? There are some great characters in this book, yet they're constantly dragged into other stories that they never get a chance to shine. It feels like Marvel gave Ewing a list of characters to use, but he's decided not to really do anything with them. This book has a huge cast, and the only ones that have had any spotlight are Manifold and Brand. For X-Men fans reading this book, it's a massive disappointment so far. For Marvel sci-fi fans, it's been good, but it's still a bit anemic because it's still an X-Men book, with all of the years of continuity and characters that it suggests. S.W.O.R.D feels like a book with all the potential in the world that's never really allowed to reach it.
Luckily, Caselli's art is terrific. From the dinner between Storm and Doom to the battle on Hala, there are a lot of really cool visuals in this book. Even if it's super annoying that this book is constantly enmeshed in crossovers, it looks incredible.
S.W.O.R.D. #7 is a bit of a double-edged sword in that it's an entertaining book that is also super annoying. This book deserves to be able to do its own thing, and it's never got to. Ewing is a good sci-fi writer, but he has a whole lot of great characters that he's doing nothing with, and that's a travesty. Caselli's art is excellent, which definitely helps. One day, this book won't be bogged down by crossovers and get a chance to be special.
