In this case, you should stop reading issue 24, go to your kitchen, open the refrigerator and take out one dozen eggs. Now, go to your bathroom mirror. Get a marker, or lipstick, or a thing of paint. While looking in the mirror, write LAME, or LOSER, or PATHETIC NO-ACCOUNT WIMP on the mirror above the pitiful reflection of your ashamed head. Following this, break the eggs one at a time right on the crown of your head, and maybe hit yourself in the face with one or two of them. There. You see what you look like? Now get in the shower, wash-off, get dressed and get on your computer because you’re gonna have to try and find these books on Ebay. Also you should sign up for a new credit card.

For the rest of you who did the right thing and stuck with Logan throughout the long, but good story-line “Return of The Native”, you can exhale the relieved sigh of one who knows he is better than others. Maybe you should click your tongue a few times while shaking your head at the eggfaces mentioned above.

But I digress. This story, by Millar, is one of his best. It certainly beats the pants off of the more soap-operaesque Ultimates2. How is Millar able to use so many characters, draw such an enormously complicated conspiracy, and place into it the most evil personalities we have ever read? I am not even going to talk about what happens in this issue or those previous because they are just so good.

I can only say this. The cover art might have turned a few people away with its sketchy/cartoonish nature. The art of the interior, though still sketchy, is border-line genius. Romita Jr. (pencils) may not be the greatest cover-artist, and I think that Marvel must have realized this; thus the Greg Land/Richard Isanov (but strangely signed: JRJR + Isanov) cover on issue 24. But be assured, from issue 20 to 24 the interior art by Romita Jr. is perfect for the story. I would be remiss to leave out the names of the inker, Klaus Janson, and the colorist, Paul Mounts, whose work is also excellent, and compliments the story and pencils so well.

As of now, we don’t officially have a grading scale at Near Mint Minus. But were there a 10 point rating system I would give the story a 12, and the art a solid 7. I guess then I would have to average it out, let’s see: 12 + 7 = 19; 19/2 = 9.5