Which is pretty impressive, because I had pretty much given up on the X-Men series altogether. The whole thing just got so big, with dozens of characters, convoluted (or discarded) storylines, arbitrary changes to characters - it just became too much to keep up with. So I was only collecting the Uncanny X-Men comics, and I was ready to drop that one when the Avengers vs. X-Men series hit.
Then I heard that writer Brian Bendis was taking the X-reins, and I decided to hang around to see if he could right the ship.
So far, on All-New X-Men, he's done just that. He's populated it with characters you like and care about, the focus is on key members of the cast, the story is compelling, it takes several surprising turns, and it's just plain fun - and that last is exactly what this title has been sorely lacking.
It doesn't hurt that the art is by the excellent Stuart Immonen, who turns in wonderful, moving moments here, and an amazing double-page splash that recreates some intense historic moments.
The focus here is on Jean Grey and Hank McCoy, and both characters make some major strides here (in more ways than one) - and it just feels "right" that the focus is on the "real" X-Men, and actually brings that team together with the "New" X-Men - thus the title of this comic, the "All-New" X-Men.
There are lots of reasons to like this comic, but I'm especially grateful that is brings Jean Grey back to us (and like the Beast, I was always a fan of the green costume, too).
I love it!
Grade: A
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1 comment:
I was never a huge X-Men fan, but picked up a few of their more famous runs, like the Dark Phoenix saga, and some of the early stuff with Cockrum. Like you, I thought the ensemble just got too big, too many characters, etc. Glad to see it's back to basics.
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