To be honest, this issue is a little disappointing. Don't get me wrong: Bendis still does an amazing job of showing the ongoing (and surprising) repercussions of the original X-Men coming to our present. Bendis' characters continue to leap off the page in no small part because of his strong grasp of how their personal histories inform their actual actions, from Scott marveling that Alex is alive to Wanda thinking almost constantly about M-Day.
However, Alex's reunion with Scott, the emotional fulcrum of this issue, was an odd miss given how well Bendis has done in conveying emotion in this series so far. First, Alex telling Scott, "I love you, man," was supposed to be a touching moment. However, it came as a complete non sequitur, having little to do with the previous panel where Scott talked about how cool it was that Alex led a combined human/mutant team. As such, it had all the emotional impact of a frat boy drunkenly thanking his wingman before he staggered home with someone. Moreover, Alex wasn't just awkward in expressing his emotions. He also seemed to have little concern for Scott. I mean, if you discovered a time-displaced teenage version of your estranged older brother, don't you think you'd be a little more invested in him? Alex seems to begin that way, telling Scott that they have to return to the past. However, he then suddenly decides to let Logan (of all people) return to the School with him. I mean, the X-Men are forced to concede that Scott escaped the School and ran into Mystique in New York. I'd probably want to make sure, at the very least, that I had a conversation with Wolverine about keeping a better eye on him. But, I think I'd also feel some sort of fraternal need to protect him, no matter how much I (perhaps unwisely) trusted the X-Men to do so. From the unintentionally awkward emotions to the unexpectedly detached resolution, the entire reunion felt like it could've been handled better.
In fact, you have to wonder if Bendis just is struggling to convey emotions after eleven issues of high drama. If he is, he at least seems to acknowledge it by seemingly segueing us to some action next issue. It's time to see the kids do less hugging and more fighting and Mystique seems to be present just that opportunity next issue.
No comments:
Post a Comment