X-Men: Hope #1

Overview

 Hope is one of the biggest newcomers to the X-Men's story in years. Through the Messiah Complex alone, it's clear that we've been meant to put a lot of focus on this one girl. A girl who, like every Summers child, has a convoluted relationship with time travel. And for her it comes right off the bat.  
 
The story takes place during her times growing up and training with her adoptive father Cable, aka Nathan Summers.  
 
As this is a One-Shot, multiple stories are told, each building upon the development of Hope as she is forced to adapt to a harsh and difficult lifestyle. Make no mistake, the story focuses entirely around the basic idea of surviving and training, nothing more. The climax arrives in Chapter 3 (of 4), in which Hope and Cable are attacked by  a group of robotic wolves. There tension never builds above a warm simmer, but the story isn't necessarily meant to be exciting so much as it is insightful. Through the issue, we as readers are allowed a window to see examples of what Hope has been going through since she left with Nathan. It's not a story of her grand adventures, it's four moments in time, each progressively showing different ways she has become or is becoming accustomed to life. 
 
It has also been hinted that Hope is somehow tied to The Phoenix Force, whether by her distinct similarities in features to Jean Grey, or the frequent use of The Phoenix Raptor image with her. Without overstepping boundaries and potentially including spoilers, let's just say that readers receive another cryptic hint at a link between the two in this issue. 

The Story

4 out of 5  

I found the story surprisingly endearing. For all the post-apocalyptic story arcs we get  from X-Men, we rarely see one presented with this level of intimacy. The reader is shown that Cable is all Hope knows and all that she cares about. We see her transform from an innocent little girl who is squeamish at the sight of blood to a hardened soldier.   
 
First-person narration is also used throughout in order to get into Hope's mindset, something which I personally find invaluable when trying to identify with or understand the motivations for a character. 
 
The book alone had me a little worried that Hope would become just another time-hopping doomsayer, but thankfully she is shown to live up to her namesake with at least a slightly more uplifting spirit than her adoptive father has. Characterization of both characters is spot-on, they are both given distinct voices, unique personalities, and depth that provides for an excellent dynamic for even a two-person cast (a startlingly small roster for an X-Men story). 
   
 At times, she seemed to adapt to her surroundings too easily. She is never shown throwing a tantrum or giving up hope, though I suppose as that is her namesake, such is the very point of her character. However, some depth, some display of the fact that this was more than just a disappointment, an annoyance, or an inconvenience to her could have gone a long way.

The main downsides for me was the distinct and total lack of mutant powers. While I understand that it's not the powers that make the characters, one of my biggest problems with Cable has always been that despite the sheer amount of power he wields, he opts instead to use big guns. Swierczynski managed to write his way around the use of powers in one of the chapters, but I'm always a sucker for at least one bad-ass flourishing display of power. Again, it's not an excitement-based issue, but let's not get caught up in circles.  

The Art

 2 out of 5 

Gotta say, I'm not a fan of Dillion's style and certainly not here. Not to rag on the guy, but his art was way too clean-cut for the story. The whole premise is that Hope is growing up in what is basically a post-apocalyptic world. And the art simply doesn't show that. The closest we get to an example is mold on some metal tanks and a few cracked walls and windows. The whole book seemed  saturated with color and extremely low on ink with little to no shading throughout. I won't continue with a whole lot of detail about what I didn't like about the art as it's pretty similar to what you see on the cover throughout the story, so I'll trust each person to his or her own judgment. Not for me. 
 

Bonus Points

 +1 Star  for Summers' hopping through time to train their children ( The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix anyone?)      

Final Scores

 7 out of 10 Stars   Grade: B

Recommendation: Read                                                            

Purchase if you are a fan of: 

• Character Insight/Development 
• The Summers Family 
• Hope Summers 
• Post-Apocalyptic Story Lines 
• Survival Stories
• Phoenix Teasers

Do Not Purchase if you absolutely require:  

• Breathtaking artwork 
• Action 
• A large roster of characters