Cyclops #5 Review

writer: Greg Rucka / artist: Carmen Carnero I don’t believe in short changing anyone their deserved credit so I’ll say, thank you to Brian Michael Bendis for writing the storyline that brought a sixteen year old Scott Summers into the present timeline and thank you to Greg Rucka expertly crafting sixteen year old Summers into such a great character. I actually feel that the lore of Scott Summers and the polarization of him that has made him so popular are actually at stake for how great Rucka is framing his younger self. Still, this version of Summers works so well because we are aware of the older “revolutionary” version out in the world that the younger clearly wants no part of. At any rate, this book has been nothing less than great and this issue kind of had everything.

Rucka does a great job of showing the maturity of both Scott and Corsair as they navigate how to deal with the bounty hunters, with no casualties (except maybe some carnivorous birds) and almost everyone’s honor still intact. There are life lessons sprinkled throughout the book for young Scott that aren’t heavy handed but genuinely feel like a teenage boy learning the world. Carnero, per usual, does excellent work here as well. There are several showcase panels that stand out, such as Cyclops coming up out of the water like Rambo or the now trademark smirk of Corsair in the closeups. I typically save myself the bother of making list for facing unnecessary criticism by saying that this is one of Marvel’s b…