The Good
If Wolverine and his friends thought that opening a school for young mutant students was going to be tough, he may not have realized that keeping the school running was going to be even tougher. The issue opens with a conspiracy against Wolverine's Jean Grey School for Higher Learning from none other than the Hellfire Club. Not only is Angel suffering from a serious case of amnesia, but he hasn't exactly been acting like himself lately. And, of course, there will always be someone out there just waiting to exploit an already tough situation. Yet the problems Wolverine is having funding the school is just the beginning; things get a lot worse and fast.
If you saw the cover to this week's issue then you may have noticed that Kitty Pryde looks, well, pregnant. Oh, and she also looks like she is being attacking by Broo's entire family. Without giving much away, Kitty is in some serious trouble. How will she deal with her "pregnancy"? What is really going on? Will Beast save the school? What is the connection between the school and the Hellfire Club? The page-turner will leave you guessing and wanting more.
The Bad
Absolutely nothing. Fantastic characterizations by Aaron, perfect pacing and gorgeous art from Nick Bradshaw and Walden Wong.
The Verdict
You know when you read a comic book and you absolutely do not want it to end? That's exactly the feeling I got reading this week's release of Wolverine and the X-Men. Aaron is a master of balance. He manages to successfully balance action and adventure and some very serious problems, but all of it takes place at a school. The scene where Beast takes his class on a five hour field trip is phenomenal. Each of the characters are incredibly unique and fun. Aaron writes these characters so that even those with very little panel time (Broo!) really stand out. You can tell Aaron chooses his dialogue and words carefully to construct these kids as interesting individuals.
Although this is the fifth issue, it is the first part of the latest story-arc so new readers could definitely pick this up and jump right in. An absolutely awesome issue. Wonderful characters, beautiful art. Broo is still my favorite.