The Good
Get ready to hold onto your seats when you read this issue. The X-Men, including Scott Summers and the senior members of his team, have been listening to Profess X's last will and testament. While there have been some pretty shocking revelations there, the whole concept of actually hearing Charles' will is making many of the members realize what it means. Xavier is dead and it was Cyclops that did it. He may have not meant it but that's what happened.
While there's a lot happening in this issue, getting the chance for the characters to talk about Xavier's death was a little refreshing. Everyone doesn't deal with death the same way. Seeing how Iceman reacts or what Cyclops might be thinking was nice to see. It's been a little while now since Xavier died but we didn't get to see a lot of the grieving. This isn't saying we need page after page of characters mourning but even his memorial felt a little brief.
Adding to this is Kris Anka's art. Each time I see his art I become more and more of a fan. There's a sense of flair to the way the characters look and you really get a sense of the emotion they're going through, whether it's grief over Xavier or the shock at a major threat that's just surfaced. The colors are pretty bold too, in an almost in-your-face fashion. Anka's line work is super tight and it's always great seeing so much detail especially in a team book featuring a lot of characters.
The Bad
Charles Xavier's last will and testament still hasn't been resolved. This has been going on for several issues. Certain team members have to deal with Matthew, the mutant Charles was working with, before they can hear the rest. In this issue, they haven't even reached him yet. It feels like it's going a little slow but at the same time, there's a lot of other things going on in the issue with the X-Men's emotions and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempt at dealing with the threat.
The Verdict
Life's never easy for the X-Men and Brian Michael Bendis is doing a great job reminding us of that. This almost feels like the first time we're really seeing some of the X-Men deal with the death of Professor X despite it having happened a little while ago. Bendis does a great job in showing the anger or guilt some are feeling. Kris Anka's art is fantastic here, capturing each moment nicely. The art is accentuated with bold colors that practically jump off the page. We don't have all the answers to Xavier's last will and testament just yet but there's plenty of action going on. This book is jam packed with action and emotion topped with amazing visuals. What more could you ask for?