Magen Cubed's Blog, page 18

Comic book review: Captain America #11

LOOSE NUKE PART 1: A man further out of time! Captain America returns home to deal with the repercussions of his time in Dimension Z. Someone has set Nuke loose in a foreign nation and he’s on a rampage. Who is The Iron Nail? From Rick Remender and Carlos Pacheco.

Following an introductory flashback to young Steve losing his mother in 1935, this issue picks up after the war in Dimension Z to begin the next chapter in Captain America’s life. Still reeling from his twelve year captivity in Dimension Z, Steve Rogers is back in his timeline, and finding it difficult to assimilate. With Hank Pym and Bruce Banner struggling to restore Steve’s ravaged body, Maria Hill tries to give him the time he needs to recuperate, but Steve just wants to get back to active duty. Meanwhile, Jet is being interrogated by Nick Fury, as SHIELD tries to determine whether she poses a future threat. When Steve vouches for her credibility as an asset during his captivity, she’s released into his custody, where they assume their uneasy relationship as fellow survivors. Refusing to speak of Ian, to SHIELD or anyone else, they reconcile their mourning with silence.

With Steve and Jet on their way to Brooklyn to assume some semblance of a real life, the deranged Nuke goes on a violent spree Nrosvekistan, killing dozens of unarmed civilians. None of this reaches Steve yet, as he returns to his old apartment, a Batcave-like shrine to his career as a soldier and superhero. It’s an uneasy and quiet scene, as they navigate the trinkets and memories of a life far removed from the one they’re now living. He resolves to help Jet begin a new life, but she tells him he has no business lecturing her amid such a memorial to the past. Seeing his own hypocrisy, he and Jet take his memorabilia to the roof to burn it, ridding himself of his past to start over.

Despite a somewhat overwritten flashback sequence, complete with an excessively inspirational speech from Steve’s mother, Remender really delivers a solid script in this issue, hitting all the right notes. Steve’s sense of loss and confusion is really nicely developed, as is his strange and quiet new relationship with Jet. I also appreciate the time spent explaining Jet’s respective abilities, in that her bare skin acts as psychic membrane able to predict her opponent’s next move, which explains why she’s running around half-naked all the time. Her undressing before battle on always seemed pointlessly emphasized, but now that makes sense.

There’s a mournful undercurrent through this issue that grounds Steve’s sense of loss, and the decision to make Steve’s apartment a Batman-esque shrine to his heroic exploits was a nice touch. While at first I found it a little too on-the-nose, it really helps to end Steve’s pigeon-holed status as Marvel’s answer to Batman. For far too long he’s been portrayed as a man who’s become so consumed by his ideals and heroic persona as to allow his personal life completely fall to the wayside, often to the detriment of his characterization. Putting distance between him and those attitudes is a good move, and burning his past sets Steve up to start over in a different headspace.

Stepping in for Romita, Pacheco’s artwork is a great complement to the book. There are aspects of his style that mesh well with Romita’s, making for a nearly seamless transition between artists, while still putting his own spin on the book. His pencils perfectly capture the kind of quiet tension and sadness that permeates this issue, giving Steve a much-needed vulnerability and Jet a tangible fortitude despite her youth. Jansen’s inks and White’s color palettes round out the artwork for a really engrossing reading experience.

Overall this is a strong issue that begins the next chapter of Steve’s new life with some real emotional resonance. Highly recommended.

Comic book review: The Fearless Defenders #9

You know what Fearless Defenders has been missing? Dudes! It’s not easy being an Asgardian shieldmaiden – especially when your boyfriend’s got a chip on his shoulder! And Venom’s not alone! He’s brought Dr. Strange, Iron Fist, Hercules, Werewolf By Night, and a legion of significant others with him! From Cullen Bunn and Will Sliney.

While the Defenders are handling an assortment of villains in New York City, their respective boyfriends, not-boyfriends, husbands and hopeful suitors are at a pub run by the former hero Shamrock. Feeling bored and left out, Valkyrie’s sort-of boyfriend Venom invites the group’s significant (and not so significant) others for a sort of intervention. What ensues is a fun his-and-hers perspective on the Defenders’ new status as a formidable team, as the men plan to weigh in on what the women have been up to. Some relationships are tested, others are forged, and Misty and Iron Fist agree to ditch everyone and let them have their pity-party. Plus Hercules shows up to tell a few misandry jokes – who can beat that?

Full of action and humor, Bunn delivers a solid script with some really clever moments. Annabelle and Val’s shared body situation presents a puzzling obstacle for both of their love lives as they both attempt to establish (and abide by) some helpful boundaries. Seeing Annabelle ruin Val’s romantic interludes, and how running into Annabelle’s ex mid-battle complicates things for Val, is an entertaining way to address the issue. Cannonball and Nate Grey’s reconciliation over their respective relationships with Dani Moonstar was entertaining as well, and it’s always fun to see Hippolyta tell off Hercules. There are quite a few duds, sure, especially when it comes to Enchantress’ stale fashion quips, but overall the writing in this issue was fresh and highly entertaining.

Sliney, despite some lackluster artwork in issue #8, offers some really solid pencils here. In line with the quality of work we came to expect from the first few issues, his page designs and panel compositions make for a fun reading experience. He strikes the right balance of humor and action, punctuating the jokes appropriately and laying off the unfortunate cheesecake anatomy we’ve seen of late. If Sliney keeps up with this quality of work, I will definitely lay off my criticism and go back to loving this book.

With so much going for it this month, this is a highly enjoyable issue with good scripting and artwork to boot.

Comic book review: X-Men #5, Battle of the Atom Part 3

BATTLE OF THE ATOM PART 3! The X-Men and Future X-Men pursue young Scott and Jean. Not all the X-Men agree that the All-New X-Men should be sent back. The cracks in the new all-female X-Men cast start to show. From Brian Wood and David Lopez.

Despite a promising start, this book takes a detour into the Battle of the Atom event to address the current time-traveling hijinks going on. If you’re like me and you’re not following the event, this issue is going to be confusing. Just to get you up to speed: Beast brought the original X-Men team into to the present in a desperate attempt to reunite mutantkind. When things go awry, the present day X-Men decide to send the younger team back to their time, but a young Jean isn’t thrilled at the prospect of returning to a timeline that ultimately sees her to so much tragedy. When a team of X-Men arrive from the future to warn that the young X-Men will destroy the future if they stay, young Scott and Jean go on the run.

So begins this issue, as the future and present X-Men decide how to best deal with the escaped Scott and Jean. Schisms already developing within the new team are deepened as Storm sides with the future X-Men in hunting them down and sending them back. Rachel and Kitty, however, aren’t comfortable with forcing Jean and Scott back to their time against their will. When Kitty and Rachel arrive to intercept the pan-timeline X-Men before they capture Scott and Jean, tensions flare between them and their teammates, allowing Scott and Jean to escape to Utopia in the scuffle.

While Wood offers a decent script, the convoluted nature of the story makes for a lot of gimmicky dialogue as multiples of all the characters interact with each other. The plot is a straightforward chase story, but the time-traveling premise of this entire event feels really stale and unnecessary. Time-travel has always been big staple of X-Men comics, but here it just feels pointless. I don’t find myself particularly caring for the plight of young Scott and Jean, or that of the future X-Men, for that matter, which makes this foray into the event rather unsatisfying. Although the writing isn’t quite where it has been in previous issues, Lopez’s artwork is still solid. He carries the plot with some nice page designs and a few interesting panel compositions throughout, and does a good job of it overall.

As far as tie-ins go, this is going a must-read for anybody keeping up with Battle of the Atom. For everybody else, however, this issue is a pass. If you’re not keeping up with the event, come back at issue #7 once this time-traveling business wraps up.

Comic book review: Infinity #2

The Inhumans pay the tribute. Victory in deep space. The secrets of Thanos. Written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Jerome Opena and Dustin Weaver.

Earth falls and falls hard in this second issue of the Infinity saga as the Black Order arrives at Attilan. With the coalition forces scattered, The Builders are giving the Avengers a run for their money in deep space, leaving their home world to its quickly failing defenses. The Illuminati is still fractured, as seen in New Avengers, and Iron Man, Mister Fantastic and the respective Black Panthers can only hold on for so long while Thanos’ forces make mince-meat of everyone planet-side. In the midst of this chaos, while Ex Nihilo looks on from the sidelines, the distraught Gardener Ex Nihilii commits suicide on a nearby planet, unleashing a scourge of decay that wipes out its inhabitants. The Galactic Council claims its first victory, but at a terrible cost.

In the meantime, Corvus Glaive arrives to speak with Black Bolt. Medusa mounts a valiant effort to defend her court, but Thanos’ men invite death, rebuffing her display in a gory group suicide. The Black Order makes their demands very clear: Thanos requires a tribute from the Inhumans, in the form of their children from the ages of sixteen through twenty-two. To deny Thanos means to invite an attack on Attilan and the widespread slaughter of their people. The Black Order gives Black Bolt one day to make the proper arrangements, and instead he uses this time to call the Illuminati into the pocket dimension Maximus discovered for him. There he explains that this is all a rouse to cover up Thanos’ true intentions: To kill his son, a young man living somewhere in Attilan.

Another strong offering in this dramatic series, Hickman moves this well-plotted issue forward with some interesting moments and dire consequences. I’m enjoying the continued intrigue surrounding Black Bolt’s role in this event, as well as the chilling lengths The Builders will go to in their campaign to wipe out all life. Hickman seamlessly integrates all the important perspectives in a rotating line-up of principal characters, keeping a steady pace with plenty of action and mystery along the way. Not every line is a winner, but the script works and works well here.

Opena’s and Weaver’s respective artwork complements one another for a very engaging visual experience. Both of their styles are well-suited for the operatic tone of the story, capturing the sweeping drama with great page layouts and tense panel transitions. They really make the most of the script, and carry it all the way to a consistent and satisfying conclusion. Furthermore, Ponsor’s color work here really brings it all together with both great skill and thoughtfulness, adding an evocative layer to already strong artwork.

Overall a good read, featuring solid writing and some really fantastic artwork. Not flawless, but a good chapter in this developing saga nonetheless. It’s definitely worth picking up, whether you’re following the event or just curious to see what the fuss is about.

DC’s War on Everybody?

It seems every time I turn around these days, there’s another new scandal surrounding DC Comics. From the firing of Gail Simone to the Orson Scott Card controversy, Wonder Woman’s downgrade to Superman’s girlfriend to the recent debacle over Batwoman’s wedding which caused the creative team to quit, there’s no shortage of infuriating, embarrassing or just plain mind-boggling news coming out of the DC camp. This week, though, as I found myself being linked to article after article documenting the unfolding rage surrounding DC’s newest talent search, I’m at a bit of a loss on this one.

In what is being billed as great opportunity to break into the industry, DC is asking for eager young artists to send in their best depiction of a nude Harley Quinn committing suicide. Yes, you read that correctly. No, I’m not making this stuff up. What starts off as a somewhat weird but cheeky challenge gets pretty grim pretty quickly, raising a lot of eyebrows as well as questions. Straight from the submissions page, here is the proposed act in question:

PANEL 4

Harley sitting naked in a bathtub with toasters, blow dryers, blenders, appliances all dangling above the bathtub and she has a cord that will release them all. We are watching the moment before the inevitable death. Her expression is one of “oh well, guess that’s it for me” and she has resigned herself to the moment that is going to happen.

I shouldn’t have to explain how problematic this is, right? We’re all on the same page that depicting one of the most overtly sexualized and mentally unbalanced female characters in the DC stable offing herself for the theoretical enjoyment of fans everywhere is kind sketchy, right? Right. Because crap like this kind of slaps me of “If you want to work here, you’re going to need to be okay with dehumanizing women and sexualizing violence for entertainment.” That speaks volumes about the politics and opinions of the people running this company, and keeps me from supporting their brand. They can’t show Batwoman getting married to another woman, but they’re fine with showing a naked woman kill herself for funsies? Yeah, no — not okay with me.

Of course Jim Lee showed up to explain everything for everybody, which made it all better, right? Because we’re all just being big whiners and taking this out of context, right? Yeah, okay. Thanks, Jim. At least you’re consistent.

And, yes, as a reader firmly in the Marvel Comics camp, this doesn’t really affect me personally. I have no franchise loyalty to lose, no consumer indignation to flex while I boycott titles or cull DC books from my pull list. Of course you’re free to take my criticism with a grain of salt if you like, or write it off as a Marvel fan picking on poor wittle DC. (Which it’s not, but, whatever.) Over on my side of the street this week, though, we have it pretty good. It’s not perfect, sure (I could give you all an itemized list of WTFery Marvel’s been responsible for, I assure you), but there’s even talk of Peggy Carter getting more screen time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That’s pretty cool, right? A secondary female character from a male-led title getting super-popular on her own merit, without Captain America hanging out in the margins? Sounds like good news to me. DC still thinks a Wonder Woman movie is unfilmable (because she’s a lady and that’s confusing), so, you know, kudos on Marvel for that one.

But, as DC finds new and interesting ways to offend everybody they possibly can, I can’t help but wonder: What is the point in all of this? Is it for publicity? Maybe, but I’m not sure how this scheme is supposed to work when it seems to generate so much public anger. (There’s even a handy new website to illustrate that point for you!)  Are they clueless? Apparently. Do they care? Now, that’s the million dollar question right there. If DC doesn’t want to be known as the publisher whose only concern is placating the assumed whims of heterosexual white men (sometimes to violent, misogynistic, and frankly disturbing ends), then why adhere so much to this pervasive mentality? Yeah, DC fans get mad at me when I tell my “A woman’s place is in the fridge” jokes, but DC’s not exactly doing anything to shed that image, either. So are they just content to be the refuge of juvenile male power fantasies, even at the expense of their own readers?

Yeah, I don’t know, either. But it doesn’t look like I’ll be reading DC anytime soon.

Comic book review: New Avengers #9

“CULL OBSIDIAN.” The Illuminati on the front line as the Earth is invaded. The House of Black Bolt cracks. Earth falls. From Jonathan Hickman and Mike Deodato.

Old rivalries must be set aside as the Illuminati battles against Thanos’ invading forces. With the Avengers scattered across the galaxy dealing with The Builders as they raze planet after planet, the team must fight back against Thanos’ Black Order, who have been sent to find the remaining hidden Chaos Gem. Doctor Strange is held hostage, the Jean Grey School is ravaged, and Black Bolt’s secrets continue to threaten Attilan and Earth alike as Reed and Iron Man struggle to hold the line on the advancing army. Everything is, quite literally, coming to a head in this tight and fast-paced issue.

Meanwhile, raging political tensions between Wakanda and Atlantis flare up once again to complicate matters further.  Namor, having just seen the destruction caused by Wakanda’s forces, uses the appearance of the Black Order to bring their search to Black Panther’s door. Black Panther and his sister Shuri, bolstered by their sound thrashing of Thanos’ army, have no idea what awaits them on the heels of Namor’s revenge. This bad blood will surely spill over the entire Illuminati, deepening divides in this already unstable group dynamic. Just how dire the fallout will be remains to be seen, but will not likely end well for anybody.

This is a smart, well-paced and energetic issue, with some surprises and mysteries along the way, from Hickman’s solid scripting to Deodato’s well-executed pencils. I enjoy seeing how this title ties into the Infinity storyline and deals firsthand with Thanos and the Black Order, whereas its sister title is taking on the other side of this event with The Builders. This title has managed to maintain a cohesive, ominous tone even as it moves into the larger continuity of this event, unlike its sister which has been a little all over the place, making for a consistently satisfying reading experience so far. Overall an interesting and enjoyable issue, with strong artwork and writing.

Comic book review: FF #11

Purple! Green! IMPOSSIBLETOWN! From Matt Fraction and Mike Allred.

While the kids are sneaking Maximus the Mad around the Future Foundation, the FF board their recently-acquired timespace ship for a quirky run-in with The Impossible Man. Trapped in a strange pocket of reality warped by Impossible Man, the sort-of villain makes a request of the team: To take his peculiar son into their ranks at the Future Foundation. His son is too normal for his family’s namesake, and he wants them to lead him in the right direction. The team expects some sort of deceit, and instead finds a lonely, isolated boy in need of friends and guidance.

Tensions in the FF’s ranks continue to play out here in interesting ways, as this mish-mash of personalities clash and complement each other. Medusa emerges as a strong force to balance She-Hulk’s withering sarcasm, and Ant-Man and Ms. Thing again try to keep the peace. The way this team continues to evolve issue to issue is really engaging, and helps develop how they all function together within this world. While the adults are trying to keep things together on their end, Maximus has a run-in with Julius Caesar, now teaching classes to the kids. Just what this could lead to is unclear, but probably not very good.

As always it’s fun to see the general weirdness that the kids get up to at the Future Foundation. I really enjoy how well this book manages to balance out the kids’ stories with that of the adults, without favoring one over the other. All the characters, no matter how young or seemingly insignificant, seem to be on very particular personal journeys. From Scott coping with the loss of his daughter to Tong and the Moloids, to Bentley’s attempts to fit in and fold Ahura into their weird little family. That continues to be a really attractive part of this series, and one I’m glad to see every issue.

Full of heart and humor, starting with Fraction’s strong dialogue to Allred’s always fantastic artwork, this issue is another winner.

Comic book review: Captain Marvel #15

INFINITY TIE-IN Part 1 of 2, Infinity Event tie-ins, expanding on the capture of Captain Marvel. And Hawkeye! Plus: The return of Binary?! Fisticuffs! In spaaaaaaaaaaaace! From Kelly Sue DeConnick and Jan Van Meter with artwork by Patrick Olliffe.

Like its recent companion Avengers Assemble, this issue deals with the Battle of Corridor, as also seen in Avengers. This time the story comes from Captain Marvel’s point of view, offering a different perspective of the events, as well as shedding some light on what happened to her and Hawkeye after the skirmish with The Builders. While I like the idea of getting three very different views of this important battle, I have to admit I’m suffering from Corridor Fatigue from having read about it three times in three separate titles. However, this issue does have the added feature of Carol’s perspective in particular as she continues to work through the events of Enemy Within, which are still fresh for her.

As we see in this issue, there’s no time for Carol to reflect on her recent encounter with Yon-Rogg, which concluded in a battle that caused the lesion in her brain to rupture. This resulted in brain damage and memory loss, leaving Carol with little emotional attachment to those around her as they prepare to go into battle. Bound by her duties as a senior member of the Avengers, she can’t back down or show weakness, and instead puts on a good face even as she basically defaults to a saddening sort of autopilot through these otherwise emotionally-weighted moments.

The mission takes a turn for the worse and Carol’s ship ends up stranded in space, separated from the rest of the fleet. She quickly orders the rest of the crew into the escape pods while she stays behind to detonate the self-destruct sequence, hoping the thrust will push the pods into retrieval range. However as the blast flings Carol out into space, she’s overcome by a sudden sensory overload. Her eye glowing, her powers manifest in a burst of fire and we see the return of Binary, one of her previous superhero incarnations.

Overall, this is an interesting take on the battle, and helps to explain recent events from Carol’s perspective. Seeing the dynamic with Hawkeye play out sets up some tension between her and Jessica, since Jessica doesn’t know how to handle both her breakup as well as her friend’s brain damage. The return of Binary could prove fun, although how it fits into the general scope of the Infinity event remains to be seen. While I’m not overly impressed with Olliffe’s particular style, he gets the job done with some generally solid artwork. Some strong page layouts and panel compositions keep things moving at a good clip, and make for some visually engaging action sequences.

A solid read, with some interesting insights into both Carol’s state of mind and some of the behind-the-scenes of this summer’s big event.

Comic book review: Captain America #10

THE SHOCKING DIMENSION Z FINALE! After over a decade in Dimension Z Captain America must make his final push to escape–but at what cost? Enter: GODZOLA! A shocking death and an action-packed conclusion that will leave Cap changed forever and leave you gasping for air! From Rick Remender and John Romita, Jr.

John Romita, Jr. takes his final bow in this closing issue of the title’s inaugural arc, The Odd War of Dimesnion Z. While this storyline has had its share of bumps and bruises over the last nine issues, its conclusion lives up to Rick Remender’s promise from the start: Steve Rogers will be changed by the twelve years he spent in captivity, with the Captain America mythos given a firm shake-up. With all of the major events going on around this book’s immediate continuity, just how long these changes stick around, and how they affect Steve moving forward, remains to be seen. However, this issue ends with a bang, leaving a few unanswered questions to foreshadow a possible return to Dimension Z in the future.

After Zola’s death last issue, his consciousness lives on in the depths of his citadel, still en route to Steve’s home dimension to enslave Earth. Sharon’s plan to detonate the flying citadel before it gets through the portal enrages Jet, and, now reeling from her father’s death, races off to stop the explosives. Sharon and Steve follow after to reason with Jet and keep her from preserving her father’s consciousness. What ensues is a dynamic mid-air chase as Steve and Sharon are ambushed by Zola’s Captain America clones, with Steve fighting his way through the hordes. Sharon is able to bring Jet back to her senses in time for the three of them to battle Zola in the final act, this time against Zola’s remaining living embodiment taking the form of a giant sentry.

Romita’s giant Zola is haunting monolith, and one of the cleverest inventions in a series with consistently interesting design choices and stylization. Unable to stop Zola in this form and still reach the portal in time, Sharon sacrifices herself to stay behind and detonate the explosives. Steve, crushed at the loss, tries to go back for her, but the explosion is too great for her to survive. Despite Jet’s urgings, Steve returns to the citadel to retrieve Sharon’s body. The temporal breakdown makes itself clear here as Steve finds an ancient and overgrown debris field instead of the fiery remains of the citadel, as time begins to flow around them in strange and unpredictable ways.

Making their way into the portal, Jet and Steve emerge on the other side in a Manhattan subway, returning to Steve’s home timeline. The portal closes behind them as they stagger onto the street above, trapping Jet there. Steve, heartbroken and beaten, finally collapses under the weight of losing both Ian and Sharon, as well as twelve years of his life. As his story comes to a close, the war between the Phrox and Zola’s minions rages on for decades, seeing the Phrox rise up against their oppressors. A figure emerges from the battle fields to put Steve’s teachings to good use as a leader, taking up one of the Captain America clone’s discolored shields as a symbol. The reader is never given the identity of this leader, who is only called “a nomad,” but we can only guess that this storyline isn’t quite wrapped up yet.

Remender delivers a well-plotted script with some serious emotional punch. While it still suffers from the operatic and somewhat cheesy dialogue we’ve come to accept from this title, these soft spots can be overlooked in favor of the arc’s overall strength. This book promise to shake up Captain America and it delivered, in some surprising ways. Steve, already a man out of his own era, is now further distanced from our time after the years spent captive in Dimension Z. His alienation is so poignantly conveyed in his final scene with Jet: As he collapses on the sidewalk, she tries to navigate them through their unfamiliar settings, saying that, “for better or worse,” they’re trapped there. She’s immediately in survival-mode, attempting to cope with this strange world they’ve been dropped into, which is just as foreign to Steve now as well. It’s a crushing scene.

I also didn’t anticipate that Remender would kill Ian, let alone Sharon. (Although I’m still not completely certain that Ian is well and truly dead, because who else could this “nomad” be? Sharon’s probably not perma-dead either, for that matter, but her farewell was still appropriate in any event.) Seeing how this trauma is explored, along with Jet’s uncertain new role in Steve’s life as a fellow survivor of Zola’s manipulation, could be very interesting. Just so long as Jet’s awkwardly-written feelings for Steve don’t rear their ugly head too soon, I’d like to see where their relationship goes in the future.

Romita’s work on this issue serves as a fitting ending to the arc as well as his run. The action sequences are visually exciting, aerial dogfights punctuated by the dramatic tension of well-executed panel transitions and page layouts. Better still, the return to Manhattan is visually jarring, this transition between worlds made up of concrete and doorways. This imparts an unsettling feeling about the nature of time and space amid a temporal breakdown like this, and raises questions about the story being told. Did Dimension Z exist in a strange pocket of space beneath New York City? What does this say about the perception of time and space for Steve, who wanders out of the tunnels to return to our world? Romita’s strength of design helped to fully develop Dimension Z, and this issue is no exception, so much so that I’m saddened to see both him and this world go.

Not a perfect issue by any means, but one that functions as a bold and satisfying conclusion to an arc that lives up to its promises.

Comic book review: X-Men #4

After the game-changing events of PRIMER, the women of the X-Men must contemplate the future of their makeshift team. Are the X-women ready for the BATTLE OF THE ATOM that’s right around the corner? Meanwhile: Jubilee may still look like a kid, but she finds herself burdened with some very adult responsibilities. What kind of plans can a mutant vampire teen mom make for her own future? From Brian Wood and David Lopez.

In the fallout of this title’s inaugural arc, tensions within this burgeoning team rear their ugly head. With Storm, Rachel and the others on a rescue mission over the Sierra Nevada to help the passengers of a disabled plane, it’s Jubilee’s day off. With Shogo at her side, she takes Logan out for a day-trip back to her roots in Los Angeles. Still getting used to her new role as Shogo’s adopted mother, Jubilee takes the opportunity to roam around her old stomping grounds and visit her childhood home, and receive some much-needed guidance from Logan. Meanwhile, Storm and Rachel butt heads over Storm’s decision in the last issue to sacrifice Karima in order to stop Akrea. While Karima emerged from her coma long enough to stop Akrea herself, the call didn’t sit well with Rachel, who questions Storm’s authority and judgment.

A tight and well-paced issue, the two plots work well to show the development of this team. Rachel and Jubilee are experiencing uncertainty but deal with it in different ways, with Rachel lashing out at Storm and Jubilee turning to a familiar face. This emotional undercurrent serves to bind the stories together cohesively, and build up a sense of progress even within these finite narratives. The other members of the team find themselves in somewhat of a bind, caught between arguing teammates, and it takes Rogue, Kitty and Psylocke’s focus on the mission at hand to try to steer Rachel and Storm’s feud to a compromise. Wood’s subtle handling of characterization and interpersonal dynamics makes for a team book that feels more like a family drama, without being overwhelmed by conflict.

Lopez helms the artwork in this issue, and does a solid job. Although I already miss Coipel’s lush and affective illustrations, Lopez delivers a consistent and engaging visual experience. His page compositions are generally pretty interesting and his use of panel transitions create successful tension throughout. During the mid-air rescue attempt, while Kitty, Psylocke and Rogue are all balancing precariously on the wings of the jet, Lopez uses a few neat tricks to emphasize the action and the intricacies of their plan. The plane rescue plot strikes a tense and exciting tone, while Jubilee and Logan’s slower, more personal narrative is quiet, wistful but determinedly hopeful, finding an appropriate equilibrium. Peter’s color palettes are a strong complement to Lopez’s work, and make for some really lovely panels during the rescue sequence.

Another strong issue from a tight and well-executed series.