After being plucked from their timeline, the original X-Men are navigating the waters of the 21st century. They've been placed under the tutelage of Kitty Pryde and are quickly learning just how sheltered they were. Meanwhile, Mystique is assembling a new team of baddies and is dead set on pulling off the biggest heist in history.
All-New X-Men: Here to Stay collects issues 6-10 of All-New X-Men, with writing by Brian Michael Bendis and art by Stuart Immonen and David Marquez.
While Brian Michael Bendis struggled with developing his cast in the first five issues of All-New X-Men, he seems to have hit his stride here. Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Iceman have very distinct personalities. They're fully formed characters who are each very likeable. Additionally, Kitty Pryde's role as their mentor is a brilliant role reversal as she is now responsible for training the very people who once trained her. Even though these four characters serve as the backbone to this series, Bendis would do well to pay more attention to Beast and Angel. Beast tends to blend into the background, while Angel's mousy personality clashes with the brash and arrogant persona Stan Lee and Jack Kirby originally had for him.
All-New X-Men is a rarity among superhero comics, as it focuses upon characters rather than plot. The story itself moves along at a snail's pace, but it is packed full of character development. It's impressive and helps the reader relate to the people they're reading about. The trade off for this is that there's a lot of dialogue and it can be frustrating when all you want is for the plot to move forward. It also means that melodrama seeps in at certain points. There are uncharacteristic moments where Jean Grey has tantrums like a little girl or where Cyclops easily falls for Mystique's lies. Their naiveté doesn't work as well as Bendis is intending. Nevertheless, his snappy dialogue and witty retorts are enough to keep the title light and free of soap opera drama.
For many fans of the X-Men, All-New X-Men will feel like a return to the good ol' days where character was more important than action. The X-Men are starting to feel like a family again and shock value does not take precedence over this fact. This is also a great title for anyone who may have enjoyed Teen Titans, Young Avengers, or the X-Men: Evolution cartoon.
Rating: B+
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