Review: All-New X-Men #5
The X-Men have been a part of my life since early childhood, thanks to a beloved Fox cartoon. The first comic I ever owned was an X-Book. The first comic I ever bought was an X-Book. Specifically, an X-Book with Jean Grey as the main character. And ever since, she’s been my favorite X-Man.
Don’t get me wrong, she comes with baggage. She started off as kind of weak and damsel-in-distress-y. Then there’s that whole period where she had cosmic powers, got corrupted, and committed genocide on a galactic scale. Except that it wasn’t her, it was the embodiment of the universe’s life force pretending to be her. Except they’re basically the same. And then she died. A few times. And came back. But ultimately, Jean Grey is a great character. She’s a loyal wife, a fiercely protective mother, an intelligent and compassionate teacher. More than any other X-Man, she took Xavier’s dream to heart, and has carried on his legacy most effectively. She’s the heart of every team she’s been on – its conscience, its soul. It’s a shame she hasn’t been in a comic for about ten years.
Until All-New X-Men: the story of the original five X-Men, still idealistic teenagers, coming to the present, confronting the harsh realities they will be forced to endure. For some, this means death. For others, a total physical transformation. And for Cyclops, it means becoming his worst nightmare: Magneto. And Jean Grey has really stepped up.
The bulk of this issue is dedicated to fixing the immediate crisis at hand: Hank “Beast” McCoy is dying as a result of his ever-changing, self-inflicted mutation. Luckily, Jean is able to connect Past and Present Hank psychically, allowing them to tag-team the problem. The issue is intercut with some great dialogue between Jean and Present Hank, bickering in the real world, and Present Cyclops trying to recruit a new mutant.
By far my least favorite aspect of the series is the emergence of new mutants. Yes, I understand that the series is called All-New X-Men, necessitating some new faces. But I’m just so interested in the originals’ return, everything else feels like a distraction. As far as the bickering goes, few people write entertaining banter quite like Brian Michael Bendis.
Of course, the standout for me, as I mentioned earlier, was Jean. Besides featuring a killer two-page spread, highlighting the biggest moments of her life (including that first comic I bought!), this issue finally shows her taking charge. She’s no longer a victim, or reeling from new powers and new places. She figures out her telepathy, makes a decision, and gets. Stuff. Done. She – and by extension, the series – finally have a point: to put right what has gone wrong. Then, and only then, will they return to the past to get mind-wiped, thus ensuring reality doesn’t collapse.
Other things I enjoyed: the art. It’s gorgeous. It’s simple. It’s expressive. Another enjoyable highlight from the series is when Iceman talks to himself. One Iceman: entertaining. Two Icemen: hilarious. And finally, Kitty Pryde taking charge of the Five. Seeing Kitty in a mentoring role is always a pleasure, especially since she’s usually the youngest member of a team.
Ultimately, All-New X-Men is shaping up to be a fast-paced, highly entertaining series that has finally found its groove. I expect big things in the months and weeks to come.