Writer: Duane Swierczynski
Artist: Eric Nguyen
Colors: Michelle Madsen
Reviewer: Ray Willis

After dealing with Dr. Heide and his pig men, X returns to protect his city but when a take down of an arms merchant goes awry, X meets an old foe and a new unlikely ally.

After the beating he was given from the Archon and the torture he went through with Dr. Heide, X is back for more action. X starts off with going over the facts while observing merchants for weapons in a factory and how much damage they can do if they take the weapons to the streets while Leigh meets an unknown person who is stalking her. Swierczynski does a good job of establishing what’s going on and introduces more elements into the beginning of this new arc. The dialogue from the characters is really good and delivers with some interesting moments. Especially the dialogue between Leigh and her supposed stalker.

The art from Eric Nguyen really brings out the grittiness of the city and the violence that occurs in it. His use of lines really makes the characters and environment seem more dangerous. Seeing X bring his trusty katana with him and slicing guys up is really a brutal sight to see. Nguyen really captures the characters’ expressions and brutally shows how X is dispatching them left and right. Stealth was the key for X to get in but getting out is the hard part. Michelle Madsen’s colors give the characters and violence more flare. When you see the blood, explosions, and environments come together it really is a nice sight.

I didn’t really find anything wrong about this issue except it’s going to be in a crossover with Captain Midnight which I have no problems about. Also the color palette for the background environments seem the same with minor color alteration. I haven’t read Captain Midnight, so I’ll have to pick up those issues down the line. The dialogue from Duane Swierczynski is good and solid introducing a new unlikely ally into the fray of blood and bullets. X has really grown on me since i have been reading this series and I will stick with it to see what happens next.

4 out of 5 Marks