X-Men Blue #4

   Then cover leaves little doubt about who this issue's guest star is - but X-Men Blue might have a surprise up its sleeve.

   This version of the team follows the original lineup (the still-young versions of Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Beast and Angel) as they look for mutants in need of help.

   This issue takes them to a snow-covered Colorado, where they find a surprising mutant in need of help.

   And that's about all I can tell you without spoiling too much - but it does have a dandy final page / cliffhanger that promises more action next issue.

   I could quibble with this series - I'm not crazy about the tinkering with the Angel and the Beast, for example - but overall it's been pretty strong so far.

   I suspect the thinking behind bringing the original team to the present was to streamline the team and offer a more hopeful version of their adventures - and so far, it's been mostly successful.

  There are still some rough edges to be smoothed out, but overall this is a solid adventure in the X-men tradition.

Grade: B+

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