The Summers Family on Vacation: X-Men: #2 Review

Writer: Jonathan Hickman / Artist: Leinil Francis Yu / Marvel Kanye said he was doin’ 5 beats a day for 3 summers. Well, Hickman got fine beats on monsters for 3 Summers! Real talk, this issue was written specifically for Omar, Brandon and myself. We stan the undisputed leader of the X-Men and this whole book was basically the greatest family vacation in mutant history. Not only did he prove himself to be a tender and loving father but Scott and his children put on a beast slaying clinic of epic and sometimes hilarious proportion. Then in classic Hickman fashion, all of our thoughts about what was happening and where these creatures stemmed from were turned on their heads.

We’re thrown right in the middle of some classic leader of the X-Men duty, and who does he recruit for a lil monster stompin’ mission? Prestige and Cable, of course. They have to ride out to an “other island” that just appeared. Krakoa is making a fast line for the new island, having apparently decided it wanted to bring the smoke to its front yard. Meanwhile, on said new island, a mother speaks to her pale son (anyone else getting Children of the Sun vibes?) about this place. Named The Arak Maw this place is soft and filled with trials that he is not used to. He is advised of only one thing: Find HIM. Follow HIM. Oh and “Do not fail.” Eventually, we find out that this is the lost island of Arakko. To be honest I had a feeling something of the nature was going to be the case, after Cypher dropped that wild…