Review: All-New X-Men #1

A stepping stone between the past and the future of the X-Men has been cast by Brain Michael Bendis in this weeks batch of books to hit your local shop. But it is not the tried and true, “I am here to warn you about the future”story, it is beyond that. This one has heart, originality and a tone that will have you remembering just why you became a fan of the X-Men all those years ago!

Even though we all know this will become a “time travel” tale that will have the old and current X-Men meet, it is also the first issue to see a completely divided host of X-Men and their fundamentals. Yes, Schism divided them, but not like this! Never before has there been a complete break between Cyclops’ band and the rest of the “family.” There were always those who had trouble deciding just which path to follow, but no more, Bendis has set a hard line in the sand and there is no turning back!

Focusing on the arrival of new mutants to the Marvel U., Bendis has taken the X-Men back to the days of excitement and suspense that, unfortunately, has been missing in the last few years. He has taken a character that has been labeled as a murderer and evolved him into a revolutionary for the future of the mutant race. He has created something that will compel you to read X-Men books for the sake of reading X-Men stories — not X-Avengers ones! It is suspenseful and full of heart, glancing at the early days of the X-Men while giving the current timeline an exhilarating scope and refocus!

As compelling as the tale may be, it is Stuart Immonen’s art that makes this book transcend to a different level. The thin, crisp lines bring a heightened sense of detail to everything! Foreground, background — every miniscule detail has been painstakingly rendered with a degree of professionalism that is truly rare. Immonen is the perfect choice to mimic the rousing new tale from Bendis! Don’t believe me? Just check out this amazing sketch page of Beast!

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Some may say that Bendis isn’t right for the X-Men, that he is “the Avengers” guy. Hopefully this outstanding first issue will draw fans to a new conclusion, one where we can be fans of X books again without having to worry about learning an entire Avengers roster to do so! 

It is an exciting time to be an X fan again, let’s hope it can stay that way!