Dark X-Men #1 - Marvel

I expected more out of this book. I don't know . . maybe some adventure, or something with this new team that Norman has assembled for Emma. But really, all we see here is how Norman is relating to a couple of these characters. The first story is entirely about Norman and Namor. It's by Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk. Basically they're just doing a bunch of posturing trying to figure out who the king-fish is. Plus, with their past encounters, Norman is trying to figure out what Namor's up to. He figures there has to be some reason that he's willing to accept the position on this team when he's usually so pompous and righteous about himself. Norman thinks it's because of how he handled the Atlantean terrorists, but . . he can't get Namor to admit that. In the end Norman thinks he has him figured out . . "I believe I have the measure of him now. It's nice when someone who was a threat volunteers to be an ally. A flunky! And it's always good to have a prince on the team." But he better be careful because Norman could be a legitimate threat. The second story by James Asmus and Jesse Delperdang is about Mimic. We see pretty much his entire history and how he's been an outcast, and misfit for pretty much his whole existence. He's the type of person that always seems to have the world spinning out of control around him. Even with his powers, he generally ends up a casualty of the world around him. But that's ok, in fact I think Norman prefers that he's broken. To Norman . . it makes him easier to control. And finally we see what the Dark Beast is doing on this team. Henry doesn't usually go for this type of thing, but I think he sees it as a means to an end. Unlike Mimic, Henry is a person that always trys to stay in control of the situations around him . . take advantage of them . . when he can. Henry sees him and Norman as like beasts. They both have their 'dark' sides. But what finally brings Henry in is when Norman talks to him about experimenting with Michael Pointer, Weapon Omega. "He has an ability I can use but it needs to be tempered, altered for our purposes." But Henry is smart enough to know that Norman is just trying to use him, so he starts pushing his buttons back . . "Why deny who you are? It's in your blood, you made sure of that. Come on Norman, give in to the 'Beast' inside . . how long has it been since you've worn your real face?" Again, after much posturing, Henry agrees to play along. "Oh, I'm in. I can play the good house pet. But don't worry, Norman, I'll be sure to remind you of what you're missing. Remember . . I'm your biggest fan." This chapter was brought to us by Shane McCarthy and Ibraim Roberson. Overall, I enjoyed the book. I just expected a little more 'team' action . . or something. It was still interesting, just not as exciting.