wit from Immonen and more than a few charming qualities. Basically, if you were put off by the idea of a mini-series called Pixie Strikes Back, issue #1 is probably not going to change your tune. If you can get past that, however, it's a cool little X-curio." Issue 2 According to Diamond Comic Distributors, X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back #2 was the 154th best selling comic book in March 2010. Greg McElhatton of CBR.com described X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back #2 as an "enticing read," asserting, "I wasn't entirely sure what to expect with a "X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back!" mini-series. Pixie has never been a character that seemed to scream, "I need a solo spotlight!" (although her storyline in "Uncanny X-Men" about a year and a half ago was fun), and my first thought was that Marvel had gone back to the old phase of, "shove anything out with an X-Men logo that you can," resulting in all sorts of odd choices for mini-series and ongoing series getting the green light. Fortunately, "X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back!" justifies its existence by having a strong authorial voice in the form of Kathryn Immonen. I'd forgotten how much I loved her "Patsy Walker: Hellcat" mini-series, in no small part due to the snappy dialogue and narration of the comic. That's present here, as well; sometimes it's in the background (like X-23 and Armor bickering about variation versus repetition), sometimes the foreground (a fun scene where it's a small wonder the White Queen hasn't pulled all her hair out by the time it's over). It's all slightly off-kilter but in a good way, giving the comic its own unique voice that straddles the line between over-the-top and realistic. What's also impressive about Immonen's writing is that, after having revealed in the first issue that Pixie and several of her fellow students are trapped in a dream world, that she's managed to keep both the real and the fake worlds exciting and interesting. More often than not, a story with some sort of fake world that characters are trapped in has the not-real turn dull as soon as its true nature is revealed. Instead I found myself still curious and intrigued by that narrative, and that's no small feat. I never did get a chance to read Immonen and Sara Pichelli's brief stint on "Runaways," so it was a new experience for me to see her