Chris Claremont can still tell a good story.  This “New Mutants Forever” miniseries is the strongest story arc I have read from Claremont in a very long time.  The plot, as usual, is Claremont’s strength.  I was hoping for a confrontation between two absolute evils, Selene and the Red Skull, but Claremont finesses the ending in a way that is nonetheless satisfying.  The dialogue is not overwrought, and the characterization is interesting.  I now understand Illyana better than I have in the past.  Illyana grew up in Limbo under brutal conditions where she had to kill or be killed.  She now finds showing mercy in our reality to be very difficult.  I found the character of Tiberius to be a bit confusing.  Is he a new character?  I did not really get a grasp of what his power set is.  I like that Claremont references a little bit of Roman history to explain the political situation in Nova Roma.  The action scenes in this comic are very well done.  I’m not sure whether the credit for the well depicted action should go to Claremont or the art team, but I haven’t seen as exciting a group melee as the one in this comic in a long time. 

            Speaking of the art team, they have done a fantastic job throughout the series.  Al Rio and Bob McLeod portray the characters as beautiful, expressive people.  The new costumes and Roman inspired armors are well designed, and the city of Nova Roma looks impressive.