The Good
What isn't good about this issue? In the last few scenes where we've seen Cyclops he's been portrayed as sort of a hard-lined leader, one willing to sacrifice a lot for mutant-kind, but also a man that feels like he's being severely threatened by the Avengers and society in general. One thing I really liked about this issue is the fact that those walls and barriers are brought down, and a softer side of Cyc is unveiled. He isn't as hard and tough as we would believe him to be; at his core he is scared and only wants his people to survive.I think that Aaron emphasized that something deeper is going on with Cyclops by having him initiate the conversation with Logan. He approaches Logan to fight with them, not against the X-Men. There's a great moment where they are just talking as two men who both see their motives as the best for their kind. I really liked the portrayal of Cyclops here. I thought it did him a lot of justice.
That wasn't the only character who got some spotlight. If you read the first page of X-Force this week, then you noticed the appearance of a certain character. He appears here as well, again, and the notion that he could grow up to become something terrifying is reinforced. The parallel between that character and with Angel appears here as well, and it's a fantastic dynamic. Both these characters are really interesting, and I think the parallel drawn between them is awesome.
The art, once again, is amazing. I love Chris Bachalo's work and I think he's one of the best artists to convey the personalities of individual characters. I really enjoyed what he did in this issue.
The Bad
Nothing bad here. Amazing art and story; I can't wait for the next issue.
The Verdict
What an amazing comic book. It might be my favorite of the books I've read this week. There is a perfect balance in this issue between the two ongoing stories we see as well as the dynamics between these characters. That balance is what makes this issue so compelling and interesting. The pacing of the book is phenomenal -- Aaron stays in one scene just long enough to hook a reader and have them begging for more. The art in this issue is fantastic, and I was really blown away by the detail in a lot of the panels. Krakoa, for example, is given personality in this issue thanks to Bachalo and it's fantastic. Hands down one of the best issues of WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN thus far.