All-New X-Men #5

First off YES!!!! I did not think I was going to make it to 100 reviews but well here it is thanks to everyone who helped me get to this and recommended my reviews thank you Tomlikesfries, Thanosrules, Haydenclaireheroes, DarkNoldor and Johnkmccubbin thank you so much for recommending my reviews I am very grateful and anyone else who has ever recommended them thank you! Now you’re probably wondering why this is my hundredth review well ever since this issue had been announced I could not wait to see this happen so when I saw the cover to this issue (which is incredible) I could not wait for it I had a long think about what would be my 100 review and since this was coming out I decided to go with this since I utterly love this series and it was shocked at how much I liked it. Sorry about that part it means a lot to me now on to the review.

Plot

Young Hank McCoy tries to save old Beasts life and they talk in Beasts head about what to do and jean connects both of them so they can talk. Cyclops recruits Benjamin and persuades to come with him. Beast shows Jean her future.

Review

Well this issue delivered exactly what I wanted I unlike many it seems am a big Jean Grey fan and I just could not wait for this issue and if it was bad I would be really disappointed but I’m not this issue really isn’t about jean for the whole thing not until the end of the issue did she really get a spotlight until towards the end but that is fine because I really like the parts centred on Beast and I like to see the issue not centred on one story but several sometimes the issue can be come to crowded but Bendis has pulled it off so far in this series and he doesn’t let down in this issue. Bendis delivers what I wanted to see and a whole lot more in this issue and it is one of the best of the Series and this is one of the best series of Marvel Now!

First off how great is that cover? The covers for this series have been great on the whole but this is the best one by far I love how all the big moments of Jean’s life are in this and it doesn’t look at all cluttered and there is tons of emotion to it but the best part is the young Jean Grey’s face in the middle of it all, Brilliant work by Stuart Immonen.

We begin the issues in Beast’s mind and well this is really where my only problem for this issue appears it is not clear which way you are meant to read the pages I assumed that you should read it downwards but you have to read it from left to right it’s a minor complaint as I got over it quite quickly but it did detract slightly from it but not by much. I did like seeing Beast and Jean’s look changing as Jean gets her Marvel Girl costume and Beast reverts to his Avengers look from the 70s and it was nice to see Beast explain this was his favourite look. I also liked the talk between Beast and Jean as it continued to show how Beast has mucked around with the past and how Jean has had all of these things about her future thrown at her it is one of the main plots of this series and it is one of the most interesting parts of this series and I want to see more of it in this series. This really is the main part of this issue and it is one of the most interesting and I want to see the aftermath of this in future issues since what happens at the end is a good twist and I want to see more of it in future issues since I do like it.

We do get to see a little more of Cyclops and one of the new mutants. This is obviously going to go into the new Uncanny X-men series which I am not getting but it is interesting to see it beginning here. We do get a little explanation of his powers by Cyclops but we don’t know the full extent of his powers but we do get a general idea I originally thought he was like Rogue and Hope and he mimics powers but it does seem like it might be a little more than that. It is an interesting part of the issue and I think he definitely could become an interesting part of Uncanny X-men and well the reveal right at the end of the series is interesting and I’m looking for to see if there is any more of this reveal in future issues.

We eventually get on to the final bit of the issue and it is exactly what I had been waiting for we get a nice build up to it from the Beast section and the part that leads into it is perfectly and boy do we get thrown into it. Please Marvel give Stuart Immonen a medal seriously no one draws splash pages like Immonen and this is one of my favourites I mean we see all the moments of Jean’s life with Jean at the centre and also her crouching at the side it is such an incredible image how long did it take I mean nothing looks cluttered it is a magnificent image such an amazing image. I loved the aftermath it was so well done Jean’s dialogue was perfect in every way and it showed she was a younger version and unsure of herself. What I really liked was that Bendis managed to get this part with Jean into the issue but also get some of the other stuff done as well but he still gets it all done and it doesn’t feel rushed he managed to get the part with Jean done in a few pages and it still is done very well.

What was interesting was Logan’s reaction to Young Scott we obviously know that Logan still hasn’t got over what Scott did when he was being possessed by the Phoenix it does make sense what he’s saying and you do see the logic in it yet if he killed Scott what else could happen who knows? But this should be an interesting part of the series if this continues.

Then this series gets a direction this series so far hasn’t had a direction it hasn’t had a clear direction to it. This wasn’t a bad thing for the first story arc but in the end it had to get one since otherwise I would probably have stopped getting it but now it has got one and it is an interesting one. Obviously it was going to involve the original X-men but I did not (minor spoiler) Kitty Pryde to be part of it I’m a fan of Kitty and I’m glad she is back in the spotlight because as of late she has dropped out of the Wolverine and the X-men spotlight but I’m glad to see her here getting a role and it is an interesting one and I can’t wait to see more of it next issue. What was also interesting was to see Jean’s new role in this issue because after discovering her future she’s decided to do something about it but instead of going back and changing it (Spoiler but this was going to happen) she decides they should stay and put things back now and then go back. What is interesting is that Jean is now a lot harder and she is a much tougher character especially with the end of the issue but this really makes sense with the previous scene and well it got me really excited for the next issue.

How many times do I have to say that Stuart Immonen is one of the best artists around at the minute? He has excelled on this book in every way possible and while this issue has no action what so ever it lets Stuart Immonen show of how he well he can draw facial expressions and the quieter moments he really shows it off in this issue and it is one of the best parts of this issue. Also the aforementioned splash page is incredible.

Verdict

This was a fantastic issue and delivered exactly what I wanted and this has now from this opening story arc shot up to the top of my pull list. This series has delivered everything for me and it is one of the best Marvel Now! Series and the rest of this series looks to be even better.

5 stars