X-Men #2
Was there any doubt these ladies couldn’t handle themselves? I think not, and Brian Wood showed us just that in this issue. X-Men has now solidified its place as a standalone book compared to the other X-Men books ongoing. It feels just like a regular X-Men story that isn’t influenced by what’s going on in the other books. This one specifically being driven by more emotion which is something you expect from the cast chosen as they do tend to be the heart of the X-Men.
Like I said, this issue shows how capable they are as a team when acting on a whim and while the school did end up in ruins, again, they still fought off an enemy that could have gotten away with more than she was allowed. The dialogue feels very natural from each character, and even as some of them haven’t seen each other in a while there is still that dynamic between them that you find believable. Wood knows these characters and how to use them as what they say, do, and react is how they would in any other situation. It was a nice touch to even see Rogue in action, it almost felt as it was in the old days when she had Ms Marvel’s strength.
Jubilee’s part in this story is very moving. As one X-Men who’s gone through so much and now has a baby, one that she can call her son at this point. There was a lot of emotion put into that moment and I do have to sit that the art really sold every moment of it. Not just that moment but it really works for this book as a whole.
It’s another solid issue for this new team of X-Men, and shows that this book has the potential to be something great. Brian Wood shows to have a capable grasp of all the characters this plot is centered around. It ended on shocking cliffhanger that leaves you wondering what Wood has up his sleeve because it is not an encouraging sight for anyone at the school, let alone anyone in the proximity of that device as it hits zero.
