Tomes of Costumed Adventurers: X-Men--Law of the Jungle

Tomes of Costumed Adventurers

Welcome to the land of "reality", where scientific experiments, accidents, genetic heritage, and alien influences affect the lives of ordinary mortals. Join me as I observe the superhumans of planet earth and their struggles against equally powerful foes.

W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: X-Men--Law of the Jungle
Author: Dave Smeds
Publisher: Boulevard Books
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1998

The Savage Land has long housed a myriad of secrets, not the least of which is the existence of a primeval rainforest and jungle upon the Antarctic ice cap. But among its secrets it includes a horde of deadly dangers, not the least of which are the huge herbivorous and deadly predatory dinosaurs that inhabit the Savage Land. No, one of the greatest dangers is Sauron, a dangerous psychic predator who feasts upon the energies of those he drains, and the malevolent forces he commands. And when the Savage Land's Mutates--Brainchild, Lupo, Amphibius, Gaza, Barbarus, Vertigo--are on the rampage with Sauron at their head, Ka-Zar, Lord of the Savage Land, has no choice but to call in assistance: the X-Men. So it is that members of the team arrive in Antarctica to help: Wolverine, Storm, Beast, Iceman, Psylocke, and Archangel, and one of their newer members--though no newcomer to conflicts involving mutants and superhumans--Cannonball. But the data they have on Sauron and the Mutates is outdated, and that could well spell disaster and death for them. Can they recover in time to survive Sauron's attacks?

X-Men--Law of the Jungle is all about exactly what the title says: the law of the jungle. It's survival of the fittest where the strong--both physically and mentally--rule and the weak perish. And when you have warriors like the Mutates and the X-Men battling with each other, and with savage predators like Sauron and Wolverine going at it tooth and claw, you have the makings of an epic battle royal in one of the most savage arenas on the earth.

What I like best is the inclusion of Cannonball in this novel. He has been by far one of my favorite mutants since the closing days of New Mutants and the start of X-Force. I'm not sure how the series is taking him now--I've been out of touch lately--but I hope he's still the same likeable person he started out as. Cannonball has his charm, what with being a newbie to the X-Men and fighting alongside those he's admired for a long time, but his greatest strength would probably be that he was once a team leader himself and is capable of making and discarding plans of his own. And while that might not be a useful asset in a field operative, I think it only makes Sam that much more valuable to the team. Of course, if you've kept up with the comics, then you know that Sam is back with X-Force again, right? So you know what I'm talking about.

X-Men--Law of the Jungle brings together a cast of characters that have a terrible chemistry--that is, they have issues between them that make for terrific battles and an enduring, compelling plot. So never mind the fact that you're preparing for a savage story in a savage land. Just pick up the book and read it! Who knows? Maybe it will make you more fit for survival in the jungle!

Rating: Thumbs up! Ready for the twentieth century to meet the Jurassic Era? Welcome to the Savage Land!

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