All New XMen #5 Review

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All New X-Men, Angel, Brian Michael Bendis, Cyclops, Hank McCoy, Iceman, Jean Grey, Marvel Comics, Marvel Girl, Marvel Now, Original X-Men, Scott Summers, Stuart Immonen, The Beast, Wolverine, X-Men

All New X-Men #5

Review by Paul Bowler

While the young Hank McCoy works tirelessly to find a cure for the Beast’s life-threatening Next-Generation Mutation, he enlists the help of Jean Grey’s newly emerging telepathic powers to connect them all psychically while he tends to his future self’s physical form. After discovering a link between the Beast’s condition and the formula he once used to alter his own mutation, which occurred in the classic anthology series Amazing Adventures #11 (1972), Hank McCoy begins to work on finding the flaw in the Beast’s original formula.

In Texas the Student who found out he was a Mutant when the X-Men clashed last issue finds his life has been turned upside down by the media frenzy it caused. Benjamin Deeds has been kicked out of school for no apparent reason other than being a Mutant, and he soon finds that his friends are not prepared to stand up for him either. As he leaves the campus Benjamin is greeted by Cyclops who offers him to the chance to join his team of X-Men and learn how to use his powers. When Benjamin agrees, Cyclops calls Illyana to teleport them to the Weapon X Facility – where Scott is building The New Charles Xavier School for the Gifted.

Back at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning preparations are underway in the lab, while Hank and Headmistress Kitty Pryde work on the formula, the Beast and Jean Grey continue to talk psychically. When the Beast tries to discuss Jean’s opinions on the future, particularly what Scott has done, she surprises him by asking him to show her the full extent of everything that will happen to her during her extraordinary life with the X-Men. As Jean reels from the experience, Kitty leads her outside, leaving Hank to administer the remedy he’s formulated to save the Beast.

Some time later, as both generations of X-Men gather outside the School, an argument between Wolverine and the teenage Scott Summers is interrupted when the young Hank McCoy leads the Beast outside. His mutation has been stabilized and he is recovering quickly. As the Beast’s friends gather around him he suggests that its time for the Original X-Men to return to their own time, but Jean Grey refuses, having seen what the future holds for them all she is determined to make things right before they return to the past. The Original X-Men take a vote and decide to stay and finish what they’ve started, with Kitty Pride volunteering to serve as their mentor.

With Hank McCoy’s life hanging in the balance, All New X-Men #5 sees Jean Grey take centre stage in Brian Michael Bendis’ superlative time travel saga. The telepathic conference inside the Beast’s mind is full of Bendis’ trademark dialogue, veering effortlessly between the slapstick banter of the McCoy’s search for a cure and Hank‘s quiet interlude with Jean as they discuss the possible ramifications of tampering with the timeline. It seems Jean’s telepathic powers shouldn’t have developed for at least another year, a fact which neither of them can fully explain, however is does pose some intriguing possibilities that I’m sure Bendis will reveal in time.

The work by Stuart Immonenon All New X-Men has been nothing short of astounding. I defy anyone not to be blown away by the moment Hank allows Jean to see the entirety of her timeline. Here you are plunged into a kaleidoscopic whirlpool of fragmented images: Jean’s early years as Marvel Girl, her transformation into Phoenix, then ultimately from Black Queen to Dark Phoenix, Inferno and X-Factor, her feelings for Wolverine, and the path that will inexorably spirals towards Scott Summers and a future twisted by the man she thought she’d love forever.

Talking of Scott Summers, he is still busy recruiting for his New Charles Xavier School for the Gifted. He manages to persuade the young Mutant in Texas who got caught in the battle between the two teams of X-Men to join him. It’s almost as if Scott sees something of himself in Benjamin Deeds, however he still has a long way to go to make amends for what he did as part of the Phoenix Five – a fact that Benjamin astutely reminds him of. The new school Cyclops is building is slowly taking shape in the old Weapon X Facility, and its going to be interesting to learn more about these new Mutants and their abilities over the coming months.

When the Beast’s condition is stabilized it looks like everyone expects the Original X-Men to return to their own time, once again Bendis keeps us on the back foot when Jean stubbornly refuses to leave until she is satisfied they have accomplished their mission – to prevent Scott Summers from destroying everything they stand for. Jean may be dressed as a student, but her personality seems to be evolving in keeping with her powers – just as her costume changed into her Marvel Girl outfit during her telepathic link with the Beast. She takes charge here like an adult, rallying her peers to join her, stating that Professor X can easily mind wipe them all when they return, even silencing Wolverine’s doubts with a few choice words from the heart.

Ignoring Angel’s concerns, The Original X-Men take a vote and decide to stay. Realizing that this is the chance she has been waiting for to honour Xavier’s memory, Kitty appoints herself as the teenage X-Men’s mentor while they reside in this time period. As the young Beast jokes that maybe they should call her Professor K, it’s intriguing to note that Warren is the only one to address the fact that his future self is missing. But before we can ponder on this the young Scott Summers tries to talk to Jean, but she recoils from his touch and tells him to leave her alone before walking away with her head bowed.

All New X-Men #5 is another really exciting issue, full of cracking dialogue and great character moments. I’m really pleased the Original X-Men are sticking around for the foreseeable future, it’s been great fun seeing the two generations working together, and I can’t wait the see the fallout from this issues shock ending.

All New XMen #4 Review

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All New X-Men, Brian Michael Bendis, Classic X-Men, Cyclops, Hank McCoy, Iceman, Jean Grey, Marvel Comics, Marvel Now, Storm, Stuart Immonen, The Beast, Wolverine, X-Men

All New X-Men #4

Review by Paul Bowler

Having set up home inside the disused Weapon X facility Cyclops decided to rescue Emma Frost from captivity while she was being transported by road from San Francisco. However when Magneto’s power fails Cyclops opens fire, and his optic blasts almost obliterates the military convoy. Now that she is free Emma turns on Scott for leaving her to be captured by the authorities. Realizing that the Phoenix Force has somehow affected their mutations, the former members of the Phoenix Five have to find an away to work together again to realize Scott‘s plan, even though relations between them have never been more strained.

Cyclops and his team discover a new Mutant called Benjamin with mimicking powers at a University in Texas, but they are intercepted at the scene by the Original X-Men who have travelled into the future at the behest of seriously ill Beast to try and make Cyclops see reason and bring his Mutant revolution to an end.

All New X-Men #5 opens with the confrontation we have been waiting for ever since Bendis and Immonen launched this series, a face off between the original X-Men and Cyclops! The tense standoff is brilliantly played as the Children of the Atom are shocked to see Cyclops standing side by side with Magneto, their sworn enemy, but nothing can quite prepare Jean Grey for the thoughts she picks up from the future version of Scott Summers. This is Brian Michael Bendis as his very best, the telepathic wave of tumultuous emotions and memories from two timelines come together with devastating consequences as Marvel Girl lashes out in disgust telekinetically when she realizes what Scott’s future self has done, dislodging Cyclops visor and inadvertently unleashing his optic blasts.

The two Cyclops face each other, optic blasts locked in combat, but Scott’s younger self is unable to withstand the onslaught. As both men struggle to recover, Magneto calls for Magik’s help, attacking Iceman before Illyana teleports them to Weapon X where they have hidden two new Mutants: the Australian time manipulator Eva Bell and the healer from Michigan – Christopher Muse.

While Emma Frost contemplates the reasons behind the young X-Men’s return, the Original Team takes the Blackbird back to The Jean Grey School for Higher Learning and find Kitty Pryde and Iceman keeping vigil over the Beast as they try to contact Reed Richards for help. But when they are unable to contact him Hank McCoy’s condition suddenly deteriorates and he suffers a cardiac arrest!

Every page of Stuart Immonen’s incredible artwork makes Bendis’ story flow as seamlessly as its mind-bending time travel concept. The big action set-pieces are superbly inked by Wade Von Grawbadger, with every scene beautifully enhanced by Marte Gracia’s colours. All New X-Men #4 is bursting at the temporal seams with standout moments: Jean Grey’s horror at reliving the murder of Professor X in Scott’s mind is almost palpable, as is Jean’s struggle to block out the concerned thoughts of her team mates when they rest on a flat top mountain in Colorado, but it is Emma Frost’s estranged relationship with Scott that suffers the most as spectre of Jean Grey looms large in their lives once more.

Brian Michael Bendis still has a lot of fun with the time travel concepts, offering up a brilliant scene where Kitty blames Iceman for giving Beast the idea of “letting Summers see what he has become” and inadvertently setting in motion one of the greatest paradoxes the Marvel Universe has ever known. It’s really funny how Bobby reacts to his younger self, always screaming whenever he walks into at room, unnerved by the fact that continually finds himself looking at himself. There is also a priceless moment when the Original X-Men return to the School in the stolen Blackbird and brusquely take charge of the situation and race to hep The Beast, completely ignoring Storm and Wolverine along with their simultaneous declaration of authority.

All New X-Men #4 is by far one of the best Marvel Now titles around. Bendis and Immonen have crafted an ingeniously fan pleasing storyline that has injected a wealth of new possibilities to quickly become something very special indeed.

All New XMen #2 Review

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All New X-Men, Angel, Brian Michael Bendis, Cyclops, Hank McCoy, Iceman, Jean Grey, Marvel Comics, Marvel Now, Next-Generation Mutation, Original X-Men, Scott Summers, Stuart Immonen, Wolverine, X-Men

All New X-Men #2

Review by Paul Bowler

Having travelled back in time Hank McCoy persuades the Original X-Men to return with him to the future, hoping they will be able to prevent Cyclops from bringing about a Mutant Apocalypse that could engulf them all. The young X-Men emerge from the Time Cube in front of The Jean Grey School for Higher Learning to be confronted with a with their future selves. Unable to hide the pain of his Next-Generation Mutation any longer, The Beast collapses and is taken to the infirmary. While the X-Men look after Hank, the young members of the original X-Men are left to marvel at the changes to the school and their discoveries about the future. After Jean telepathically subdues Wolverine they see a news report about Cyclops on TV and decide to carry out their mission anyway, ignoring the possible dangers their intervention might cause to the space-time continuum, and stealing a Black Bird before jetting off to confront Cyclops.

All New X-Men #2 sees Brian Michael Bendis on top form as the Original X-Men take their first tentative steps into the future. This is a fun issue that will leave X-Men fans with a big silly smile on their face as they watch the original team interacting with the strange new world they find themselves in. One of the most hilarious moments is when Iceman comes face to face with himself, and the ease at which the young Jean Grey sends Logan to sleep when he’s lecturing them is priceless!

The humour is skilfully handled by Bendis, it never detracts form the plot, and some of the best moments come when Hank is trying to get the original team to come back with him to the future. Here the comedy is tempered with some genuinely touching scenes, particularly when Hank inadvertently reveals Jean will be able to read minds, then later when he tells them how Cyclops has already killed Professor X in the future.

It’s also surprising just how quickly these “little” X-Men (as Wolverine labels them) begin to adapt to their surrounding. Their training may be rough around the edges, but they easily take out Wolverine when he attacks them when they arrive outside the school – presumably because he detected Scott’s scent and thought the school was under attack. They also cope well with their new foreknowledge: Jean seems positively flippant about being dead in the future and dating a homicidal mutant terrorist, Hank McCoy steps in to help treat his fuzzy future self, Scott is determined to uphold Xavier’s dream, while Bobby enjoys the novelty of widescreen TV, only Warren seems to be uncomfortable and suggests that maybe they should return to their own time.

Stuart Immonen’s art is astounding, every scene bursts with detail and energy, perfectly realizing the different generations of the X-Men and striking just the right balance between the humour and some key emotional beats. The youthful exuberance and innocence of the original X-Men is like a breath of fresh air as they breeze into the present, a scene that is encapsulated brilliantly in a stunning two page spread by Immonen when the young X-Men materialize outside the school and look up in awe at the wondrous things the future has in store for them.

Two issues in and I’m hooked. All New X-Men has a brilliant premise, one that I’m sure Bendis and Immonen have only just begun to explore. The time travel elements, if you consider the catastrophic paradoxes that could result from the X-Men crossing over their own time lines, are a little hard to get your head around. Hell, you’d probably go and lock yourself in Hank McCoy’s lab and never come out if you think about it too much!

All New X-Men #2 is fantastic fun and one of the best Marvel Now titles I have had the pleasure to read so far.

All New XMen #1 Review

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All New X-Men, Bobby Drake, Brian Michael Bendis, Cyclops, Hank McCoy, Iceman, Jean Grey, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Marvel Now, Next-Generation Mutation, Original X-Men, Scott Summers, Storm, Stuart Immonen, The Beast, Warren Worthington III, X-Men

All New X-Men #1

Review by Paul Bowler

 Now that new Mutants are beginning to appear worldwide after the dissipation of the Phoenix Energy during the climax of AvX, the X-Men try and settle back into their lives at The Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Cyclops and the core members his extinction team are now fugitives championing the rights of new Mutants, using whatever means necessary to help them. Back at the school Storm, Kitty, and Iceman can hardly believe their eyes when they watch a TV report featuring Cyclops and his team as they violently protect a new time warping mutant in Australia.

Iceman is all for confronting Cyclops and “shutting him down”, but Storm is vehemently against such a course of action, believing that it could very well lead to the X-Men being bitterly divided by a Mutant Civil War. The Beast stands listening, quietly watching another incident with Cyclops and his team as it plays out on a tablet device – this time rescuing a young Mutant with healing powers from Police custody in Michigan – and wearily Hank agrees with Iceman’s strategy. When his friends notice how exhausted Hank is he makes an excuse about being tired and walks away, but they are unaware that Hank is secretly suffering from the agonizing physical trauma of a Next-Generation Mutation – one that could very well prove fatal.

So the Beast decides that what time he has left to try and get Cyclops to see reason should be used to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, and to do that he takes the drastic measure of travelling back in time to talk to the Original X-Men: Scott Summers, Jean Grey, Bobby Drake, Warren Worthington III, and his own past self before his current mutation, Hank McCoy. The Beast appeals to Scott and his flabbergasted team mates, quickly explaining what has happened before asking them to travel back to the future so Scott can try and prevent his future self from committing Mutant Genocide!

Of all the new Marvel Now titles All New X-Men #1 has been perhaps one of the most highly anticipated, and with Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen at the helm for this premier issue X-Men fans are in for a real treat. With the world still reeling from the events of AvX, Bendis skilfully crafts a tale that provides a perfect fusion between two eras. Now that Cyclops and his Extinction team are helping to save new Mutants from persecution, we are presented with a world that now fears and mistrusts the Children of the Atom more than ever before. It will also be interesting to see how the other members of the original X-Men will cope when they encounter their future counterparts, as well as the strange new world they find themselves in.

Stuart Immonen’s dramatic artwork successfully highlights every aspect of Bendis’ intricate storyline, as well as showcasing the entire cast of All New X-Men #1and balancing the quieter – more character driven moments – with the big action set-pieces. This issue also has the superb Wade Von Grawbadger on inks, vibrant colours by Marte Gracia; with letterer and production wizard Cory Petit ensuring that every nuance of Bendis’ story is flawlessly realized.

Right from the outset we are plunged into Hank McCoy’s plight to conceal his Next-Generation Mutation from his friends. His pain and suffering is hard to watch, as is his decision to hide the condition from his friends, but even he can see that history might well be repeating itself as he watches Cyclops using any means necessary to protect the two new Mutants introduced this issue. Storm is right to wish to avoid another conflict, although they are surprised when Beast agrees with Iceman that they should take a more proactive stance against Scott this time – however none of them could realize that Hank might try to resolve the situation himself by attempting to recruit the Original X-Men from the past.

All New X-Men #1 poses many tantalizing opportunities for Brian Michael Bendis to explore in the coming issues. Aside from possibly breaking every law in space, time, and probably physics to bring the Original team of X-Men back to the present, we are sure to have some great encounters between each incarnation of Scott Summers – especially if the older Scott Summers gets to meet the younger version of his lost love Jean Grey. The possibilities are endless, although I hope the Beast isn’t left to suffer for too long and that his younger self will help him find a cure to stabilize his mutation.

The X-Men have been splintered for far too long, All New X-Men #1is the first confident step in restoring these teams to their former glory, fusing the X-Men’s past with their present in this brilliant addition to the ongoing Marvel Now range. I had my doubts about the return of the original X-Men, but I’m happy to say that Bendis and Immonen have done a fantastic job with it. All New X-Men #1 is one of the most innovative new titles from Marvel Now, it’s great to see the original X-Men again, and I look forward to seeing how this storyline develops over the months ahead.