The New Mutants # 17
The New Mutants travel to Limbo in search of an abducted Pixie, and encounter Project Purgatory's solution to demonic menaces to Earth-616, a ten-mutant strike force known as the Inferno Babies.
The Good
The entire issue is fulfilled with suspense, action, and intrigue, as the New Mutants encounter the infants that they had rescued years before during the events of Inferno. I really enjoyed the art by Leonard Kirk in this issue. He did a good job of visualizing Limbo, and the demonic inhabitants that reside there. The introduction of the Inferno Babies gives the series a much-needed injection of thrills. It was a brisk read, and left me wanting more.
The Bad
Zeb Wells's storyline has moved at a particularly slow pace. Granted, there have moments of true drama here and there, but as a whole, I have not been drawn into this volume of the New Mutants as much as I had hoped. The introduction of the Inferno Babies was intriguing, particularly the scene in which Magik has her Soulsword wrenched from her grasp by the enigmatic Toko. My only complaint is that Wells has taken this long to get his hands dirty. That, and his characters deserve a greater degree of characterization.
The Verdict
Both fast and furious, this issue is definitely worth buying if you are a New Mutants fan, or a fan of Marvel's magic mythos. As an Illyana Rasputin fan, I didn't personally care to see her have her butt handed to her on a plate by the Inferno Babies. The issue kept me glued to the edge of my seat, a feeling I have missed from reading previous story arcs in this title. I give it three out of five stars.
