The Good
Cylcops, Iceman, and Groot are trapped in a jail cell and need to get the Black Vortex away from those who would use it for evil purposes.
Anytime John Layman is writing a book, you can expect fun. The Black Vortex, minus the NOVA issue, has been a pretty serious story, and even though there's some "real" moments here, the overall issue is a lot of fun and a good adventure.
One of the things that really stood out in this issue, which also ended up being problematic in the grand scheme of things, was the conversations between Corsair and Cyclops. John Layman does some fantastic work with the dialogue between these two. It's some compelling and emotional stuff. On top of that conversation, he does a great job at giving these characters unique voices, but it stays in line with who these characters are, especially everything he writes for Bobby, which are all pretty much just quick quips, but they're done extremely well.
I am in love with the Cyclops redesign. Sure, he looks a lot older, but it feels like it matches his maturity level since he's been in space. He's still a kid but acts much more like a young adult. On top of that, the helmet, on its own, is a tad silly, but is a pretty great piece when compared to the rest of the black and gold costume.
The art really captures the tone of Layman's writing. Javier Garron, with Chris Sotomayor on colors, give the book this snarky and poppy feeling that makes reading the book a joy. It's bright and colorful and everything comes right off the page, thanks to Sotomayor's colors and Garron provides some solid art that is incredibly pleasing.
The Bad
The biggest, most glaring problem with CYCLOPS is more on how Black Vortex is released than anything else. The book spans through all of the cosmic Marvel books, through different characters and creative teams, and it doesn't have always have the best flow between books. With CYCLOPS, it feels like it takes a break from the larger event to focus on Cyclops' relationship with his father. If this weren't a Black Vortex chapter, it would be awesome, but because this is part of the larger story, it hinders it just a little bit.
While Cyclops' new look is awesome, I am really not feeling Iceman and Groot. Iceman looks like an elf and Groot looks like a hulking beast. That's the thing with the Black Vortex redesigns. Some of them are downright brilliant and others feel bland.
The Verdict
This chapter of Black Vortex, in the long haul, is a mere stepping stone, but the events within it really give some great development to Cyclops as a character as he literally grows into adulthood in this issue. It isn't a must read in the grand scheme of things for Black Vortex. However, it is a must read if you love Cyclops and his series.