New Mutants #41: This issue is the "Avenging Spider-Man" #5 of the X-books! I love this issue. I don't know how you write chemistry, but, as Magma says, DnA depict Dani and Nate having so much chemistry that you need lab coats and goggles. Their conversation in the alley is awesome. I loved Nate fumbling over his words, trying to explain to Dani why he's been in such a bad mood (he was afraid that the events of Paradise Island screwed up where he thought that he was going with Dani, preventing him from saying what he wanted to say to her). I also loved Dani just reaching for the brass ring and telling him to "shut up and say it anyway." Don't get me wrong: I love Sam, and I liked Dani and Sam together. But, they don't have anywhere near the chemistry that Dani and Nate do, so it's hard to argue that she should stay with Sam, who lives across the country and with whom she has less chemistry, when she could be with Nate, who lives across the hall and with whom she has amazing chemistry. I'm officially Team Nate on this one, I'm surprised to say. In terms of the other characters, I hope to God that we saw the end of Bobby pining over Amara, even if we all know that her dating Mephisto is going to end in tears. I also loved Warlock getting play, particularly given the reaction it inspired in Bobby. In fact, my only complaint in this issue is that I just don't understand why Lopez draws Doug like he has some sort of facial deformity. He used to be a decent enough looking guy, but he just so is not here. (That said, I liked that DnA actually made Doug act almost human, if still weird, in this issue.) All in all, this issue is exactly the type of issue I'd hope we'd see under DnA, portraying the team as not just a team but also a family. It reminds me when they used to go to the mall in the original series and try to just act like teenagers. So long as DnA keep peppering this series with issues like this one every once in a while, I'm going to be a happy camper.
X-Factor #234: Um, I loved the group hug. Actually, I could just end this review right there. I loved the group hug. Done. Shazam!
But, I'll continue, because the rest of this issue is equally awesome. I thought Layla's explanation of how her powers work and why she resurrected Guido were both compelling and fascinating. It was compelling, because it reveals how difficult it must be for her not to try to affect the future on a day-to-day basis. She says here that she resurrected him because Monet will one day be her best friend and she wanted to spare of her the pain of feeling responsible for Guido's death. I mean, David really knows how to tug at the heart strings here. We're left to ponder how painful it must've been for Monet to realize that she was responsible for Guido's death. After all, it's always seemed that part of her rage at Layla was based on her vague sense of responsibility for his death; when she learned that Layla resurrected him, she had to realize that she did, actually, contribute to his death, since he did actually die and didn't just miraculously survive. But, David also shows how hard it must be for Layla to live life day-to-day when she essentially lives in the past, present and future; for example, in this situation, she knows that this woman will one day be her best friend but has to face the reality that said woman doesn't even really like her now. It was also fascinating because it seems to be the first time that we've gotten that good of an explanation of how Layla's vision works. Since we saw how she got her vision in the first place (after she downloaded her memories in her younger self in "X-Factor" #50), we haven't really explored how perfectly or imperfectly that process worked. We knew it wasn't perfect, but I don't think we knew that its imperfections were related to how close the event was to happening. Moreover, now, we're not really sure if it does work anymore, given that Layla has altered the future, resulting in the future in her head becoming an alternative one. Interesting stuff.
In terms of the rest of the issue, I will say that I'm not particularly interested in Havok and Madrox constantly engaging in a pissing contest, but David seems to imply that's why we have Lorna and Terry who, you get the sense, will more or less really run the show. I'm totally fine with that, because, seriously, it could lead to some comedy gold.
(Oh, yeah, the Isolationist stuff looks interesting. I'm not sure who Jezebel is, but she certainly seems like someone who means business, and not just in a stereotypically villainous kind of way, but in a sanely homicidal way.)
X-Men #27: This issue is pretty bad-ass. This arc has really picked up steam as it's gone, and Gischler does a good job wrapping up the story, putting Jubilee front and center. I thought that he used her brillaintly here, showing how she's a tactician, having been trained by Wolverine (and, more recently, Raizo) but how she's also impulsive, deciding to let Lord Deathstrike stab her with his metal sword so that she can get closer to him. It's allowing him to do that that wins the day, and I thought that it was a clever way for Gischler to really bring her change front and center. By using her immortality (since only wood works when staking a vampire) to her benefit, Gischler shows Jubilee coming into her own. It's a nice way for us to say good by to Jubilee, who I'm guessing will be MIA from the X-books for a while (until everyone magically gets back their powers). It also brings an end to this title for me. It's been fun for the most part, but it seems pretty clearly geared towards readers who are a little less invested in the X-Men than I am. As such, adieu, "X-Men." Thanks for all the fish.
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