Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrations: Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, David Marquez
Coloring: Marte Gracia
Publisher: Standaard Uitgeverij
All New X-Men #002 – Comic Book Review
Cyclops joined forces with Magneto and Emma Frost, after he decided to murder Charles Xavier, the most beloved man in the mutant world. Xavier strived for a good relationship between mutants and the rest of mankind and offered sanctuary to those who were struggling with their abilities or sudden life altering condition. Nonetheless, professor X was gone and new mutants started appearing around the globe, making mankind anxious of their ‘evolved’ fellow men once again. With Cyclops at the head of the mutant revolution, the rest of Xavier’s underlings had to take action or more specifically, Beast decided to use his wits and bring the original members of the X-Men to the future, so they could see what awaits them.
With the old, yet very young, X-Men in the present, they are immediately confronted with what Cyclops has done and that he is allied with Magneto, the original arch nemesis of the X-Men. The past version of Cyclops can’t believe he has turned into such a monster and vows it will never happen to him, while Jean is clearly rather suspicious of her beloved Scott. Nonetheless, the conflict quickly resides when Magneto and the present Cyclops are teleported to a safe location by their own mutant allies.
While the pressing matter with Scott Summers’ own mutant revolution is quite dire, the young Hank McCoy is a bit more interested in his own faith, as his furry blue future form lies slowly dying in the X-Men’s headquarters. He is determined to find a solution to save his life. Of course, many of the other original X-Men are slowly starting to wonder what has happened to them in the future, certainly those who can’t see their future forms, like Jean and Warren. Unexpectedly Jean’s telepathic powers are starting to surface, which is according to history a tad too soon, bringing yet another struggle on the table.
Compared to the first bundle, the flow of this one is a lot slower and there’s a lot less action. This time it’s more about how the original X-Men feel when being confronted with their future, and of course the now active powers of Jean and the life threatening condition of Beast. Nonetheless, this slower pace is still very interesting, as you dive into the psyche of the different characters. Brian Michael Bendis does a proper job in putting things in a more relaxed pace.
The illustrative cast remains the same as the previous issue, except for the fact that the last issue (#6) in the bundle is illustrated by David Marquez who is quite good at drawing very appealing/attractive faces and eyes. As this bundle is more about what goes on in the minds of the characters, this is actually a great choice to involve Marquez in the illustrations. Coloring is still done by Marte Gracia who makes things look fresh and spiffy when needed, but also implements the proper dark tones when the mood calls for it.
Conclusion
All New X-Men #002 takes things a bit more slowly than the first issue, but this does not mean that this issue is less exciting than the previous one. You’ll see more mental conflicts rather than physical ones, which makes things rather interesting and it makes it easier to relate to the characters. Certainly a good sequel after a rather rowdy start.
All New X-Men #002 - Comic Book Review,
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