To be honest, I wish that DnA would've just stuck to the team enjoying the party without succumbing to the need to throw in the obligatory mid-party battle sequence. After all, we definitely had some issues on the table that could've used some more attention before we turned off the lights on this title. For example, did we know that Amara and Bobby are now together, or did that just happen? I'm not sure, and, given the pages and pages that have been dedicated to that plot over the last 49 issues, we probably deserved a more satisfying resolution. But, I'll concede that DnA at least do a good job of using the aforementioned fight to resolve Doug's paranoia that he's going to become a world-destroying dictator again, so at least something got put to bed here.
It's the rest of the issue that matters to me, obviously, as DnA give us a tour d'horizon of where the members of the team stand, individually and in their relationships. In addition to the lack of clarity on Amara and Bobby, we also leave the Dani/Nate/Sam triangle somewhat unresolved, though Dani at least stresses to Sam that they'll always be friends. On the positive side, I did enjoy watching Nate interact with everyone, particularly the scene where Bobby, Sam, Warlock, and he try to light the grill. In fact, in retrospect, I really wish that DnA had focused more on Nate over these last few issues as opposed to Doug, since I think that it would've been really interesting for them to explore Nate's thoughts on having actual honest-to-goodness friends. We never really got to see his thoughts on suddenly being part of a team and I think that it's probably the plot that I most regret didn't get explored.
At this point, the only other outstanding issue is what happens to the New Mutants as a team. Logan tells Dani that she's doing a great job and, in his capacity as more or less the de facto leader of the X-Men, it seems to imply that the New Mutants will continue operating in San Francisco. We know that Bobby and Sam will be joining the Avengers, so I'm not really sure where we're going to see the adventures of the rest of the team. Hopefully, they'll all turn up somewhere. I read an interview on "Comic Book Resources" where DnA imply that we'll learn their fate as Marvel NOW! progresses, so something seems to be in the works.
But, this iteration of the team i clearly done. I was excited about this series from the start, since the initial few arcs had the original team together. I've talked about my emotional investment in the New Mutants dating to reading them as a kid in the '80s, so it was a thrill to see them together again. The line-up has changed since those first few issues, but DnA have mostly done a good job of keeping that vibe. In fact, I feel like DnA had a lot more stories to tell about them so it's disappointing to know that they won't be telling them. I actually can't believe that Legion is getting his own comic rather than keeping on the New Mutants (or at least giving Nate one, where at least I could see his friendships with the other New Mutants and his relationship with Dani develop). In the meantime, I'll basically be counting the months (but hopefully not years) until Marvel again gives them another shot. For now, though, it's going to be sad not to be hanging with them in their house in San Francisco once a month.
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