Brian Bendis and Kris Anka are off to a good start so far, atoning for his sins in the last Uncanny X-Men story arc. They seemed to have slapped a fresh coat of paint on this series to a point where I almost don’t recognize this book from previous weeks. And now is where the obligatory tie in to the strangely schizophrenic Original Sin crossover comes into play.
She-Hulk and the faculty of the Jean Grey School are faced with the possibilities of Charles Xavier’s last will and testament. The only trouble is that key people must be present for the reading. And it’s just their luck that Cyclops, who is out of favor with Wolverine’s crew to say least, would be one of those required presences. So, like it or not, they have to find him in order to carry out Professor ThinksALot’s last wishes. Meanwhile, there’s a powerful new mutant out there coming to grips with maybe the most untimely powers ever. Maria Hill and the good folks at SHIELD have their work cut out for them. And as it is, after “Uncanny X-Men vs. SHIELD”, they’re not exactly on the mutant community’s good side these days. Bendis does an amazing job of creating a story that seems less like a superhero tale and more the story we’ve needed of a fractured family coping being saddled with one last thing from its greatest patriarch.
The notable letdown this week comes from a shocking lack of focus on Dazzler. You would think with her new look that she would get a little more spotlight so we could get an idea of whether or not she has a persona change to go with her new duds. Still, what we’re given is compelling enough that we can overlook her taking a backseat momentarily. Kris Anka is doing the Lord’s Work with the art in this book. It is almost staggering to see how much it changes the personality of the series. The tension he conveys in each page makes all the difference. Every exchange, every glance, every forced laugh gives the proper message that these are people who would rather be anywhere else in the world other in the same room together, digging up the pain of losing their mentor.
Bottom Line: Another fantastic installment in what seems to be building to some shake-ups in the X-community. 9 out of 10