The end of a story line in which I decide to jump in head first.
If you haven't noticed yet, every book I'm reviewing today is all series I've either never read before, or books I haven't read in a long time. I've never read a NEW MUTANTS issue from ANY series, and this is the last issue of this story line.
The Good
This book was an insane amount of fun. On top of that, it has X-Man, Cypher, Warlock, and Blink in it. Some of my favorite X-characters from my younger years, so there's this great feel of nostalgia for me. And even though this was the last issue of the story arc, I really had no trouble knowing what was going on. I was incredibly surprised. The story was explained pretty well, throughout the issue, through explanatory dialogue, but at no time did I feel like the book was talking directly to the reader to catch them up. This is one of the best jobs I've ever seen at a comic, mid-story arc, catching up a reader. Brilliant job by writers Abnett and Lanning.
This issue is a ton of fun, and it takes place in Chicago, my old stomping grounds. This book has a great Saturday Morning Cartoon feel to it, and I do not mean that in a negative way. It stands out as a fun and action packed book. I could totally see this book as its own cartoon which delivers on so many levels.
NEW MUTANTS has a great team dynamic filled with some B/C-List heroes. It's nice to see there are books not only dedicated to characters that aren't in the limelight, but characters with such different powers, different backgrounds. It truly is a diverse team.
The Bad
No more Blink? Oh man, I was just getting into this book!
Warlock is the comedic relief of this book, and his character is way too over the top. It gets to a point where he gets truly annoying.
The Verdict
I'm very pleased with this issue, especially as a new reader. This is an extremely fun book made up of a great team of characters I thought I never see again. This book, even though it was at the end of a story arc, did a great job of catching up new readers and making them feel comfortable. It also takes place in Chicago, a city that doesn't get too much limelight in comic books. The only real problems I had with this issue were that Warlock got annoying and this was the last issue featuring Blink, one of my favorite characters from my teenage years. Overall, I recommend this issue and this book. It's tons of fun.