All-New X-Men 8When Beast brought the original five X-Men back from the past, there were some immediate stand-outs. Jean Grey stepped up to be the leader, Cyclops brought the angst, and Beast’s dialogue with himself is consistently entertaining. Iceman took a back seat, content to be mostly comic relief. Angel, so far, has had very little to do. Until now.

After tracking down his future self, Angel attempts to wrestle out his destiny – which is to become possessed by Apocalypse, attempt to conquer the world, and ultimately have his entire self erased by his girlfriend. Along the way however, the two Angels witness HYDRA attacking Avengers’ Tower. With various levels of enthusiasm, they engage the enemy, wreaking havoc until the Avengers show up. This, of course, reveals to the Avengers what Beast has done, and Cap is not happy, to say the least. But in the confusion, no one has realized that Young Angel has snapped.

This issue addresses the primary complaint with the series so far – namely, that very little happens. The bulk of the issue is the battle against HYDRA. Then there’s the Avengers finding out about the Originals, and perhaps most significantly, what Jean does at the end of the issue. David Marquez’ art shines like never before this issue, rendering the battle beautifully along with Marte Gracia’s colors. The battle serves as an excellent backdrop for the Angels conversation, which was certainly tense.

Another highlight of the issue was the confrontation between Beast and Cap, as interpreted by Kitty and Iceman. Not only were the two of them remarkably accurate, but also brilliantly in sync. It was a great way to remind the audience that not only are these two dating, but that they actually make a good pair. It was a nice character moment. Furthermore, the ending was great. There’s character progression, there’s a moral line being crossed, there’s tension among the kids, and there’s potential for everything to completely unravel.

Ultimately, this issue was a refreshing change of pace from the last several issues. There’s action, there’s humor, there’s drama – basically all the things the X-Men should be and have.

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