This month, Hope gets into some trouble that only our friendly neighborhood Wolverine can help her out of. Can they manage to escape from the clutches of a delusional WWII vet? How far will Hope go to assure her freedom?
The Good
This issue was great because it re-emphasized Hope as a capable person and a danger to mutantkind; having an entire issue lead up to a conversation that could have happened at the beginning just seemed like a way of making it exciting. Hope's request to Wolverine at the end is a bit extreme, but within reason after the things she's seen and the potential danger on the horizon due to her existence.
If anything, this issue was great because it highlighted Wolverine's extreme sense of duty; even though Hope got his best friend killed and her existence makes him uneasy, he's still willing to sacrifice his well-being in order to save her.
The inclusion of the Crimson Commando was a good way to introduce a villain that was dangerous, but one that wouldn't monopolize the Hope/Wolvie story. Ultimately, he's easily dispatched and discarded, and he needed to be: there is no way this would have translated into a multi-issue story without becoming bland and boring.
The Bad
While I liked where the issue was taken, it would have been a bit better if Hope didn't get snatched when she was trying to have some semblance of a normal life. I know life for mutants is supposed to be hard, but when you have characters say "Man, you need to lighten up," then have bad things happen when they do, it sends a conflicting message.
I, for one, would like to see Hope be something more than the "Mutant Messiah;" I want the writers to, as well. However, they're the ones who write these stories, and I just review them.
The Verdict
If you want an issue that both explains the tone of the previous couple-year's worth of X-Men Comics and looks to set up the next few, as well. Pick up this issue. While it's not directly tied into the upcoming "Schism," it does highlight the way of Wolverine's thinking that would affect it. It's a nice way to ease into the event when you might not have any prior context.
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