When Sentinels Attack
Finally Battle of the Atom is here, and we are lucky enough to have both part one, and two out in the same week, with All-New X-Men #16 being the second part. I for one have been looking forward to this for a long time, and am glad that it's finally here.
Plot
After finding a powerful new mutant on Cerebro, Kitty Pryde takes the younger X-Men to help recruit her.
Review
This was a fantastic issue, and a phenomenal start to this event. Brian Michael Bendis did a brilliant job of kick starting this event, showing just why most X-Men events are good. The way he made this fun, yet exciting, and dramatic was brilliant, which was truly amazing. The action in this issue was also outstanding, being very explosive, and exciting, adding a lot of energy to the issue. I also loved how due to this it quickly got into the classic X-Men tone, by putting the characters in a dangerous situation that they utilise to have fun. I also loved the dialogue in this issue, as it was very dynamic, and entertaining, adding to the tone of the issue.
The art in this issue was also amazing, as although there was the odd imperfection here, and there, it was overall brilliant, and Frank Cho did a fantastic job. The detail for the most part was outstanding, standing out beautifully, being very vibrant. I also loved the layout from Cho, as it was very dynamic, also adding to the tone and atmosphere of the issue. The action, and emotion in this issue was also perfectly handled by Cho, with the action being very exciting, and entertaining, and the emotion adding to the drama, and depth of the issue. This issue would also have some art help by Stuart Immonen, and although I usually love his art, I don't feel it helped this issue, as his style is much different to Cho's.
This story would start with Kitty getting a message informing her about a powerful, and potentially dangerous new mutant, taking the younger X-Men to try and recruit her. I found this to be an interesting way of starting the crossover event, as with both sets of X-Men trying to recruit as many of the new mutants as possible it's the best scenario to bring the two teams together. The new mutant herself was also interesting, as although her personality wasn't that interesting, her actions were, and I loved how for a change it was someone who isn't necessarily good getting powers, as so far all the other new mutants have been good people.
This issue would also feature Sentinels, with the younger X-Men, and Kitty having their hands full against them. Now I have been extremely happy about the Sentinels returning to the comics, as although they pop up every now and then, it's always nice when they do, as it reminds me of how I was first introduced to the X-Men through the 90's Animated series. The way that the Sentinels were introduced in this issue was simply outstanding, as although they have been making appearances lately, this was still very dramatic, and I loved how it appeared that they had the edge over the X-Men. I also loved Cho's art during this sequence as it was simply phenomenal.
Kitty and the younger X-Men weren't the only X-Men to feature in this issue as Cyclops' X-Men would make an appearance, lending a hand to the other team. Now I don't have much of a problem with both teams banding together on a common problem, and to be honest I kind off expected it to happen. I was however slightly disappointed as to how it was handled, as it was just too friendly in my opinion. Fair enough Wolverine wasn't there, and Kitty is a much calmer person, but I still expected a little bit of animosity between them, which we didn't get. I did however enjoy seeing the two teams work together besides that, and look forward to seeing what directions they'll go in as the story continues.
Final Verdict
A terrific start to what I hope will be a brilliant event. As is expected from a X-Men event, this issue had plenty of excitement, and drama, as well as being very fun, and entertaining. There was also some mystery as well, having a great atmosphere, and brilliant action. Due to all this I'd easily recommend this issue, and am going straight onto All-New X-Men #16 next.
