About half way through this issue, I realized that I needed to breathe more.
If Bendis does one thing well, it's confusing, complicated fight scenes involving a lot of people. The near-riot that erupts in this issue when Warren announces that he's defecting to Cyclops' side is great, in part because it goes exactly how I'd imagine it would go. Jean tries to force Warren to stay with her telepathy, the Cuckoos stop her, Logan rushes to her defense, Magneto attacks Logan, and Storm tries to keep everyone calm. Seriously, it's exactly how it would go. But, beyond that, Bendis really builds an unbelievable amount of tension (hence why I forgot to breathe) as these events progress. They hit their apex when Logan threatens Emma, she refuses to yield so that Jean can learn a lesson, and older Scott is forced to get her to stop. Tense, man. Tense.
But, Bendis just doesn't let it rest there. I loved the banter between Hank, Kitty, Logan, and Storm after the fight, in part because they're really gelling (or, well, re-gelling) as a team. We really are getting back an old-school team of X-Men. I can't remember the last time someone really captured that sense of intimacy, given the casts of thousands that the X-books have had since everyone moved to San Francisco. But, I don't think that it's any accident that Storm has returned to the mohawk. Bendis is sending a clear signal that this book is about the X-Men as they used to be and will be and all I can say is that it's about time.
Also, Bendis surprisingly writes a believable 16-year-old girl. I thought that he did a spectacular job with Kitty's conversation with Jean, showing how scared (and young) Jean is and how worried (and strong) Kitty is. You can really feel the betrayal Jean feels at Warren leaving, given she really thought that they would all stay together based on her view of older Hank's memories. You can also feel the emotional importance of them staying together to her, since they're really the only people in the entire world that she knows and understands her.
Moreover, Bendis does a great job of having Kitty be a teacher. I loved Kitty quoting Spider-Man to get Jean to understand her responsibility to use her powers wisely and Wolverine to help her to find a way to channel her anger productively. The end result makes sense, with Jean focusing on the one threat that she's aware is out there: Mystique. But, they have to go through the Uncanny Avengers first. I wonder how Havok is going to react to seeing his younger older brother?
I can't believe that Bendis has kept this roll going this long, but I'm thrilled to be here!
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