I have to say it- I am not a huge fan of the X-Men or of Brian Michael Bendis.
Why, then, did I find myself wanting to punch the air and shout “HELL YEAH!” after putting down this issue?!?! Along with Jason Aaron’s Wolverine and the X-Men, this book is fulfilling the considerable potential of characters only writers like Grant Morrison and Joss Whedon have made me care about before. Although I was a little dubious about the central conceit of returning the original X team to the present day Marvel U (and indeed, I can still see this causing untold amounts of continuity headaches further down the road), Bendis has pulled it off with style and wit, and has me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next. In the past I have felt that his writing short-changed the reader by giving very little story in 20 pages, but here he has condensed things to make the first two issues fast paced, dynamic and eventful. Bravo!
The one thing I was sure of going in was that Immonen would kill it on art, and was I ever right about that one! These pages are bristling with energy, humour and power, as we have come to expect from one of Marvel’s top pencillers (great inks and colours too- the whole team can take a bow)! Please, Marvel, just keep Immonen chained to that drawing board- he is at least 50% of the reason this book succeeds for me where so many others have failed.
I’m definitely on board all the way for this one. I love the juxtaposition of the young, innocent X-Men with the older, beaten down, weary present day team (especially Hank), and I think this is going to be a real winner!
And Uncanny has Bachalo on art, you say?!?!?!