I'm a big fan of Love & Rockets. That said, X, the 10th volume in the ongoing series of collected stories, is only for the L&R completist.

Gilbert Hernandez abandons Palomar for a while, focusing instead on several minor characters from previous stories and their new friends and foes in a turbulent Los Angeles. Maricela, who fled north with her lover, Riri, to escape her abusive mother Luba, plays a part, as do two surfer dudes who once visited Palomar in search of the perfect wave. But most of the book deals with the stop-and-start efforts of several young punk musicians (who bitterly complain that the once-popular British band Love & Rockets stole their name) as well as racial tensions, sexual identity crises and anorexia.

There are some good points made through the plot, along with some food for thought about the issues these people encounter. But the story has a frantic pace that seems unsuitable for the tale, and the story's progression is often confusing.

X has its place in the series, no doubt, but it's one of the low points along the way.

- Rambles
written by Tom Knapp
published 25 April 2004