Sentient Sentinels
This issue has a lot of things going for it in terms of developing and expanding the X-Universe, making it the multifaceted dangerous place (especially for mutants) that we know it to be today (at least before M-Day). Though it does still utilize the tired "this...no, this...no, this is the most dangerous foe we've ever encountered!" structure (even Professor Xavier, as smart as he is, should be tired of saying that each time they encounter someone knew), at least the foe this time is not the latest Cerebro-discovered mutant. We are here introduced to Bolivar Trask and his Sentinels, though they don't remain "his" for very long. With his proclamation (and the utter gullibility of the world's newspapermen, apparently), the pockets of anti-mutant sentiment burgeon into outright bigotry and hysteria. Xavier displays his great political power in quick response, in that he can basically order the major television network to give him an on-air debate with Trask immediately. (This is a bit of a plot hole: if the Sentinels attack the next evening, why is Jean still in the train? why is Angel only just getting home?) Considering the ease with which Xavier has been mindwiping his foes for most of the series' run, it's somewhat bemusing that he doesn't just read Trask's mind right away to understand what he is about and then discover the Sentinels before they attack - especially since he has no compunction against keeping an entire studio full of civilians brain-locked just so they can't see his association with the X-Men. The still-diminished power of the X-Men is another frustrating aspect of this still-early issue: we are continually told they have been training and fighting crime for years - so why are their powers still so weak? Why does Cyclops need to recharge after every big blast? Why does Jean still need to take a break after raising things with her mind? I understand they are still teenagers, but if we are to believe that they are capable of defeating so many otherwise unstoppable foes and saving mankind from itself, they have to start getting really good at what they do. With that said, the Sentinel story is a welcome change (even though it does take away from the more-interesting anti-mutant storyline with Trask). The all-too brief character moments are another welcome addition, and the issue would certainly have benefited from more of them instead of making all their vacation scenes end so abruptly. The close-up panels on Scott are some of the better panels in several issues, in part because we get the feeling we are really connecting with him, just like we do in a roundabout way when Xavier watches Scott leave for his secret vacation. Like many of these early issues, this has its flaws, but like many of these early issues, it has its bright spots that keep our interest going in the world's most unusual teenagers. Now, the original readers only had to wait one month for the next installment (despite the protests by the Bullpen Gang only a few issues before that they didn't have the staff to make X-Men a monthly magazine). We'll see if it is a disappointing conclusion like the end to the Juggernaut story was - but again, the main thing to remember is that even though the logic and details are somewhat sketchy, the X-Universe is finally becoming a rich, diverse place.