They are the original X-Men: Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Angel and Iceman. Created by Professor Charles Xavier to further his goals of peaceful human/mutant co-existence, they protected humanity in a world that hates and fears them. Since their first adventures, many changes have happened. Roster changes, secondary evolutions, deaths, rebirths, and more deaths. How will the original team pulled from their time into the modern world react to their future selves and the current state of Xavier’s dream?
ALL NEW X-MEN #1
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Stuart Immonen
Letterer: VC’s Corey Petit
Colorist: Marte Garcia
Editor: Nick Lowe
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in All New X-Men #1: After his fellow mutant prison mate is killed, Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops, realizes he can no longer be a “political prisoner.” With the help of Magneto, Danger and Magik, he breaks out of prison. Scott resolves to help his fellow mutants from being exploited and incarcerated by humans like he was. With his few remaining allies, he will save his people, even if it means destruction and human loss. Meanwhile, the other X-Men deal with the growing fear of humanity amidst the mutant rebirth.
SO BEAST CAN TIME-TRAVEL
Brian Michael Bendis poses a question with his mutant heroes that people sometimes pose on themselves: Is this where you wanted to be many years in the future? The X-Men comic has been full of creative new ideas; time-travel being one of its main staples. The difference between this story from other similar X-Men stories is the past traveling forward, and not the future traveling backwards, to stop dangerous future events. Because of the long history of the series, I am curious about what will be revealed to the original X-Men. They are already shocked by the appearance of a blue flurry Beast, who apparently has a time-travel device. Beast hopes that their past selves will convince Cyclops of the error of his ways. However, I wonder if Beast had a time-travel device, wouldn’t it have been easier for him to stop Scarlet Witch during House of M or Cyclops in A vs. X? So far it is a weak premise that should be explained in future issues. The scene is relatively small, but still an important part. Most of the first issue sets up the situation the original X-Men will see: Cyclops leading a band of rogue X-Men to rescue new mutants around the world while the other X-Men have no clue what to do. Because of the rebellious nature of the mutant revolution, Cyclops is slowing becoming into the “villain” you love to hate. As with all of Bendis’s work, the dialogue enhances the character’s personality and intellect. There is power and purpose in each voice.
IF THEY WERE TEENAGERS IN THE 1960’s…
There is a massive load of destruction and action in this comic. Stuart Immonen does an excellent job conveying not only the power of Cyclops and his mutants, but the overtone of terror and mayhem that follows it. I like the 60’s Mad Men style design of the original X-Men. However, I feel this was a lost chance to reboot the past like many Marvel titles. If the original X-Men were teenagers from the 1960s, that would make them at least 60 years old in the modern age.
BOTTOM LINE: SAME GAME, DIFFERENT PLAYERS
After reading All New X-Men, it seems the mutant dilemma is exactly where it was when the original X-Men were formed. With Wolverine taking on Charles Xavier beliefs of peaceful coexistence and Cyclops following Magneto’s viewpoint of dominance, the philosophical question is imposed on a new generation of mutants. There is still the question of what role the original X-Men play in this comic and for how long. Later issues will probably explore more reactions to the team’s grim future. I wonder if the X-Men ever return to the past, will they retain their future knowledge?
DID YOU READ THIS ISSUE? RATE IT!
Reader Rating
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10 Comments
I thought I’d give it a chance, I really should have known better.
I’m not sure what it is about the title that turned me off, the art was great, but I just can’t buy into the character
My biggest complaint is that the story hook has an inherent limitation in it.
I can see this as a mini-series, but not as an ongoing.
I rather enjoyed this – I don’t understand why people seem to be hating on the mutant sector of Marvel – besides the final 2/3rds of the AvX series (which you could tell was always going to be pro-Avengers), the last couple years has been fun to read.
I think the flip of Wolverine/Cyclops of viewpoints over the past two years was well done and believable. Starting from Wolverine worried about X-23 and Cyclops making Wolverine start X-Force to be wet works.
I look forward to where this continues to go – though I’m not a big fan of Hope being more involved in the Avengers stuff – She feels like the new Phoenix or Scarlet Witch; “supremely powerful when convenient’
You know, I have been a fan of Cyclops my entire life. I know, hear me out. I grew up with really poor vision as a kid, and got teased for having glasses. I guess rooting for the guy who can shoot lasers out of his glasses made perfect sense as an 8 year old.
It’s this Homerism that leads me to root for him even now that he’s been keel-hauled by Marvel. I loved the bit in Consequences where he basically calls out the fact he’s going to be Marvel Che.
Bad comparison on his part since Che really didn’t accomplish much of what he wanted. Many of his compadres have said he would have hated how the Communist regimes turned out.
I’m sorry. I can’t even have a bit of sympathy for a character that is basically a terrorist and racist. I am sorry that it wasn’t Cyclops that bit the dust in the AvX series and not Charles Xavier. Bringing the younger X-Men into the fray makes no sense whatsoever. And the fact that all of a sudden the world goes mutant hay-wire pretty much leads to a story line that would burn itself out in short time. Not to mention, how do you explain to Jean Grey that she’s died multiple times and she’s currently dead again?
The whole “mutant mess” along with a supposed “relaunch” at Marvel makes simply for a big mess. At least “Flashpoint” did try to spread things out in the DCU but there’s just too much, too fast and in too many titles to try to keep up with.
“I am sorry that it wasn’t Cyclops that bit the dust in the AvX series and not Charles Xavier.”
Don’t worry, they’ve both died and come back before. Give it a few years.
When did Cyclops die?
He’s “died” twice, according to UncannyXmen.net:
First time:
“Cyclops threw himself between Apocalypse and his chosen vessel, Nate Grey, sacrificing himself to become the Eternal One’s new host. His mind and body completely subsumed by Apocalypse, Scott was treated by his friends and colleagues as if he were dead.”
[X-Men (2nd series) #97, February 2000]
Second time:
“During the battle with Breakworld, Cyclops was pulled into the vacuum of space and died.”
Astonishing X-Men (3rd series) #22, October 2007
But lo! He got all science’d up and was back alive one issue later.