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Title: Uncanny X-Men: The Extremists
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Salvador Larroca
ISBN: 0785119825
Format: Trade Paperback
Page Count: 120
Overall Concept 6
Execution 6
Art 6

This is the 5 issues of the X-men that take the story from the events of the Shi'ar story line to the Messiah Complex story line.

The overall concept of this story is that a rogue element of the Morlocks (the mutant community that live below the sewers of New York City) are on a quasi-religious quest to put into motion the series of events as they are written in a book by one of their former members, who not only has precognitive powers but is also now dead, seemingly a martyr to these people.

This is very obviously some filler story that is intended to setup the people and places for the next big story arc, The Messiah Complex.

Mr. Brubaker tells a passable story of these events, but they aren't necessary to the reading of the previous or following story arcs.

A lot of people very much like Salvador Larocca as an artist, but I am not one of them. I just don't like his style. Not so much that it turns me away from the books he pencils, but enough that I don't go out of my way to buy them unless they are well written.

I would only recommend this trade paperback to the X-men completist, as this story is not very integral to the overall X-men events going on, except perhaps for the 'big reveal' at is conclusion. That reveal though doesn't justify the price of this book, especially since it is mentioned in other books as it is needed to be known.