Artist: David Marquez
I have really been enjoying this series, and it's by far the Marvel NOW! series I most look forward to reading each issue. Brian Michael Bendis has really put some life back into the X-Men franchise, as I personally was loosing interest in the X-Men, and I'm glad to see them in brilliant stories once more.
Plot
This issue sees the younger Cyclops retrieving his ruby quartz glasses from a safety deposit box, whilst also finding something a little more shocking. He also gets a surprise visit from Mystique, who gives him some advice.
Review
This was a brilliant issue, and I'm starting to get the feeling that this series is done messing around. Although I've loved all the issues in the series so far the last two have probably been the most consistent the series has been, and I'm glad as that was the only thing I was disappointed with. Bendis continues to bring excitement to this series by adding something volatile, which always makes it interesting whether the end result is good or bad, in this case good. The issue however wasn't without it's faults as unlike last issue it wasn't quite perfect, feeling a little slow from time to time.
Just like last issue David Marquez' artwork has been astonishing. I've never disliked any of his art in previous series in the past, but I don't think I've liked his art as much as in this series. Although I love Stuart Immonen's artwork it's hard to say that it's better than Marquez', something I didn't expect as Marquez' has produced some of the best X-Men artwork I've ever seen, and I hope he finds his way to one of the top series'. Marquez' art is near flawless as the detail is phenomenal, and the emotion flows smoothly, whether shocked, happy, confused or upset. Marquez also gives the series a dramatic feel, giving suspense, and flair, and although Immonen did this previously in the series, Marquez has done as good a job of it.
I wasn't too sure what to make of Mystique's appearance in this series when I first heard of it, but I can't say I wasn't interested, as how couldn't I. Mystique always brings something to the table when she's used in series', and although it's not always good, it usually has a big affect on the series. Now this series doesn't show to much towards her plans, but it's safe to say that it won't be fun for the X-Men in the long run, and especially certain members. What I probably liked most about her appearance in this issue was Cyclops reaction, as she really had an affect on him, and it was easy to se the conflictions in his thoughts.
The bank sequence at the start of the issue was probably the most eventful, and it really set the tone for the rest of the issue. It was interesting to see that people have different perspectives on Cyclops, as most of the people see him as a mutant terrorist that is wanted by the police, whereas there is one person that sees him differently, and although it's obvious that his celebrity statues played some part in her actions, it also showed that not everyone had the same attitude toward him, which was nice, especially considering this Cyclops is innocent. It was also nice to see Wolverine use his Avengers members card in this issue, even if it was Mystique disguised as him. On a similar different subject, I'm also looking forward to seeing the Avengers reaction to these younger X-Men in next issue.
There was also a small sequence near the end of the issue which shows Kitty Pryde putting the rest of the younger X-Men through a training session. What was probably most interesting in this sequence was the younger Iceman's reactions to Kitty's training plan. It was also interesting to see the difference in Kitty's opinion between the younger Iceman, and the current Iceman, which she knows better. I look forward to seeing more of Kitty training the younger X-Men, as I've always liked her as a character, so it's nice to see her involved more.
Final Verdict
Although not quite as good as the last issue, this is still a very good issue, and is very interesting. I would highly recommend both this issue, and the series, and hope that it keeps this high level of quality, as it is one of the best Marvel series out the now.
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