In the last issue of x-Men, Victor Gischler set up his story arc featuring members of the X-Men and the Future Foundation teaming up and crossing the dimensional barrier after receiving a distress signal from Cyclops’ old flame Lee Forrester. X-Men #17 has the team split in three different directions, two groups searching for Lee while the the other stay behind trying to repair their ship and reconnect the dimensional portal.

Personally I’m having a lot of fun with this arc. Whether it’s the cool world with it’s futuristic and prehistoric mix or the entertaining amalgamation of different and often times conflicting personalities, the story serves as a slick getaway from the other X-stories going on right now. The characters are well written (with the exception of some early silliness from Emma) and Gischler introduces us to some cool alien races that are sure to play big parts in the story as it progresses. The plotting is well structured and the ending really sets up the next issue . There are a few small bumps in the road but nothing that keeps this book from being lots of fun.

Jorge Molina’s art shines in some places but falls short in others. His environments and alien characters look really good. I also loved the style and energy of his page layouts. But Molina loses me with some of his awkward facial expressions. At times, some of his character’s faces, most noticeably Emma’s, look almost deformed. It’s unfortunate because that’s all that keeps this from being a visually stunning issue. But it’s too big of a flaw to overlook.

X-Men #17 does a great job building on Gischler’s story. The X-Men and the Future Foundation really mix well. There are several interesting character dynamics and that’s never more evident than in the cliffhanger ending. Molina’s art works on many levels but some of his facial expressions, particularly in the first half of the book, keep it from being great. Regardless, I’m still enjoying this story and at the end of the day, it’s just a lot of fun.