The Children of the Atom have been captured and assumed to be mutants. Things are about to get awkward… Your Major Spoilers review of Children of the Atom #5 from Marvel Comics awaits!

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CHILDREN OF THE ATOM #5

Writer: Vita Ayala
Artist: Paco Medina
Colorist: David Curiel
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Editor: Jordan D. White
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 7, 2021

Previously in Children of the Atom: Someone is out for revenge on the X-Men and you’ll never guess who! The Children of the Atom, caught in the crossfires of the war on mutants, need a hero. And that hero might just be among them!

ENTER: THE X!

At the end of last issue, The U-Men had overwhelmed the CotA, forcing Daycrawler/Jay Jay to make a run for it, only to return with help from the actual X-Men. As Children of the Atom #5 opens, we revisit that scene from Jay Jay’s perspective, leading up to once again finding Cyclops, Wolverine, Marvel Girl, Storm, Nightcrawler, Magma, Pixie and Maggott engaging the genetically-altered villains, with a minor assist from Jay Jay. When her soldiers fail, Commander Kruger calls back her U-Men and instead brings in a couple of agents wearing mutant power nullifiers, putting much of the X-Men’s offense out of action. That’s when the kids get to save their saviors, using their alien tech powers to save their heroes. It’s fun, especially when the teams do a side-by-side attack, balancing one another, including Cyclops complimenting Cyclops Lass on her aim, while Nightcrawler fights alongside “der kliener me.” Unfortunately, once the threat is neutralized, Cyclops has to remind the kids that they’re still illegal vigilantes under Kamala’s Law, forcing the team to worry whether they should quit.

That’s when Storm returns, with an invitation… for ONE of their number.

A MUTANT IN THEIR MIDST

This issue’s meeting of mutants and faux mutants actually went a lot better than I suspected it might, thanks to the Krakoa-era X-Men’s focus on kindness. Storm’s words to the team are actually sweet, and even with the team wondering if they should quit while one of them makes it to the mutant league, this issue’s end is pretty uplifting. A lot of the success of the story comes from Paco Medina’s storytelling, which imbues everyone with not only unique designs, but a visually identifiable personality. Jay Jay’s joy at being a superhero is balanced with his despair at disappointing his brother, which comes back to Ayala’s strong scripting. There’s parallels to the Gillen/McKelvie Young Avengers in Children of the Atom #5, as well as the first volume of New Warriors, and if you know how highly I regard those series, then you’ll know that’s sincere praise.

BOTTOM LINE: ENJOYABLE STUFF

All in all, Children of the Atom #5 provides a fun story that has important subtextual moments as regards teenagers and identity, with strong art and story adding up to a winner, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. As with so many Marvel miniseries, I find myself hoping for more, only to expect for them to be forgotten by the end of 2022. If that happens, it’ll be a shame, because this book is one of the bright spots of Krakoa-era X-books.

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