Review - All-New X-Men Volume 4: All-Different

Kitty Pryde and the All-New X-Men have left Wolverine’s Jean Grey School, joining up with Cyclops and his team at the Weapon X facility. They’re given new uniforms and are sent on a mission to rescue a mutant from the religious zealots known as the Purifiers, unaware that they’re saving an old friend of the X-Men.

All-New X-Men Volume 4: All-Different collects All-New X-Men #18-21, written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Stuart Immonen, Brandon Peterson, and Mahmud Asrar. It also features the one-shot X-Men Gold, which features vignettes by Chris Claremont, Stan Lee, Louise Simonson, Roy Thomas, Fabian Nicieza, and more.

This volume picks up after the events of Battle of the Atom. Kitty has thrown her support behind Cyclops, bringing her squad of trainees with her. Jean Grey is more determined than ever to change her future, while her relationships with Cyclops and Beast are somewhat frayed. Amidst this melodrama, the X-Men are tasked with stopping the Purifiers from killing an unknown mutant. This mutant turns out to be Laura Kinney (AKA X-23 AKA future Wolverine). Horrified by what Laura has endured, the X-Men formulate a plan to bring down the Purifiers. This arc is brief, but impactful. Bendis and co. utilize the Purifiers in a way that is just as relevant now as it was when Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson introduced them in God Loves, Man Kills. It even features a callback to that graphic novel. Religious fanatics using scripture to justify their hatred for those who are different than them will always be terrifying (and sadly evergreen), so this is what makes the Purifiers such a gruesome foe for the X-Men. Although, the optics regarding the rhetoric and themes used in this arc are somewhat poor. The Purifiers are clearly based off of real life white supremacist and anti-LGBTQ groups, so having the all-white (mostly straight) All-New X-Men be the focus of their ire seems weird.

Action is definitely at the forefront of this volume, which is a bit of a change of pace from previous ones where a lot of the stories involve the characters standing around talking to one another. Of course, that’s not to say that there isn’t any character work that is done within this arc. We get some touching moments, such as when Kitty and Illyana reunite and when Cyclops consoles Laura after her rescue. In fact, I’m quite fond of the dynamic that Bendis has cooked up between teen Cyclops and Laura. Whether intentional or not, it feels like it’s referencing the popularity of the slash pairing of Cyclops and Logan. It also helps us to see Cyclops as someone who is caring and compassionate, which are traits people don’t usually associate with him. Jean continues to be the focal point in the series, though she’s becoming increasingly more grating due to the continued abuse of her powers. She’s eager to use them however she wishes, which is a problem because she should have consent before doing so. I do, however, appreciate the sequence where Kitty tells Jean not to use her powers on Laura. Overall, it feels like a conversation needs to be had between Kitty and Jean regarding her misuse of her telepathic gifts.

While this collection is overall very engaging and worth reading, there’s no consistency with the artwork due to the absence of series mainstay Stuart Immonen for issues 19-21. Immonen’s artwork is nothing short of spectacular. It’s clean, it’s expressive, and it’s come to really solidify the tone for All-New X-Men. Mahmud Asrar, who provides the opening pencils to issue 20 is an ideal replacement as his work more closely matches Immonen’s. Brandon Peterson, however, provides the bulk of the artwork for this collection. His style is more detailed than Immonen and Asrar’s, but it’s also more basic in that it lacks any kind of uniqueness or flare. It also doesn’t help that the colours provided by Israel Silva are muddy and make it hard to make out what’s going on.

I quite enjoy All-New X-Men as a series and think it’s one of the better entries into the X-Men line of books within the past decade or so. This volume contains much of what makes it so entertaining. It balances humour with drama really well, provides the right mix of action and character work, and features some gorgeous artwork (by Immonen and Asrar). It also features a bonus issue, X-Men Gold, which is full of cute little short stories from various points in the X-Men’s history.

RATING: B

Review: All-New Captain America Volume 1 - Hydra Ascendant

With a young boy affected by the Terrigen Bomb in their grasp, Hydra intends to use his powers in order to sterilize the human population and allow only themselves to continue forward in the evolutionary chain. It is up to the all-new Captain America and his partner Nomad to prevent their insidious plot from coming to its conclusion.

All-New Captain America Volume 1: Hydra Ascendant collects All-New Captain America #1-6, written by Rick Remender and illustrated by Stuart Immonen.

In Hydra Ascendant, writer Rick Remender does an impeccable job of establishing who Sam Wilson is both as a person and as the new Captain America. He gives an abbreviated look back at Sam’s past through flashbacks and exposition, which is invaluable in making the book accessible to both new and veteran comic book fans. It also clearly illustrates to readers what his motivations are and what being Captain America represents to Sam. In this way, there is a clear sense of history and legacy to the narrative. Remender certainly seems like he’s done his homework and fills these six issues with just about every iconic Captain America villain you can think of. In some ways, it’s reminiscent of Allan Heinberg’s five-issue run on Wonder Woman.

The story itself is very straightforward. Sam Wilson has become Captain America and one of his first assignments in the role is to take down Baron Zemo and his Hydra associates. Their scheme du jour is to sterilize every human on Earth in order to ensure the progression of Hydra’s superior race. Everyone from Sin to Crossbones attempts to prevent Captain America from foiling their plans. It’s a cinematic narrative that is packed full of action and surprising plot twists. On top of that, there is incredible character work that leaves the reader with a clear understanding of the titular hero. In that way, Remender is able to perfectly balance action with character development.

Stuart Immonen’s art is the icing on the cake in this collection. His pencils perfectly compliment Remender’s writing and create a dynamic world for the new Captain America to operate in. He really knows how to set a scene and create stunning panel work. Beyond that, his characters are just absolutely gorgeous. Captain America, Misty Knight and Madame Hydra are particular standouts in this collection. However, I do have some issues with Immonen’s output here. His rendering of Captain America’s wings often looks overly simplified and comes across looking sloppy. He also seems to have a difficult time drawing older characters and some action scenes are a little hard to follow.

All-New Captain America Volume 1: Hydra Ascendant does an excellent job of establishing Sam Wilson as the titular character and reads as a classic-in-the-making. Much ballyhoo was made about Sam taking over the mantle, much of which came across as racist nonsense (and is actually addressed in-story), but Remender proves why it makes sense for him to be Captain America. In fact, he’s arguably more qualified than anyone else to continue on the tradition. He’s been Captain America’s partner for a long time, held a membership within the Avengers for years and has the fortitude of character that is necessary for standing behind that iconic shield. Remender and Immonen work in unison to deliver a near-perfect Captain America story, one which every Marvel fan should check out.

RATING: A-