X-Men: Second Coming #2

Second Coming was an emotional, action-filled story that became one of my favorite X-Men story arcs since House of M. This is the ending chapter and although there was no action per se in this issue, it was still an amazing way to close the curtains on this mutant fight for survival story.
It was divided into four stories with four different creative teams, so it would make sense to divide my review into four parts…
Note: Since this is somewhat an older story there will be some spoilers, so I would suggest you don’t read this review if you haven’t read Second Coming’s Chapter #13
 

Chapter 1 by Zeb Wells, Ibraim Roberson and Matt Milla 
In the last issue Hope became this unstoppable powerhouse that could not be dealt with. So now that the battle is over how does she deal with the death of her father, Cable?
 
The Good 
To start I have to say that the art by Roberson is simply amazing, I love it. Especially a splash page that alone expresses the great deal of pain Hope is in now that everything is over.
One character that did not have a big part during this event was Professor Xavier, so it was nice to get a snippet of commentary by him of the occurrences.
Hope’s innocence was captured very well as she mourns, even though she looks older than the child she really is
 
The Bad 
Like I said, Xavier gives commentary on what has happened but I would’ve liked it better if his involvement would have not been so small and from afar.
 
The Verdict – 5 out of 5 
Magneto does bring a sense of security for Hope in this chapter, which makes me worry for the character’s future loyalty since she has made it clear before that she hates Scott. I believe this is the most emotional part of the book, even though it shouldn’t be.
 

Chapter 2 by Mike Carey, Esad Ribic and Matt Wilson 
Cable and Hope have been through everything together, and Hope must now accept that she will no longer be under Cable’s wing.
 
The Good 
This the sad part when another person is added to the X-Men’s cemetery and the funeral was okay but the best part is what Hope had to say about Nathan. I loved her little speech because it allowed her to make a character development that I did not expect. Hope accepts that she is now alone but she is now going to continue Cable’s legacy.
 
The Bad 
This is an emotional moment, yet everything seemed forced. Scott’s sadness for his own son’s death seemed so fake, especially because after he was done “crying” he had enough posture to tell Rouge off. I loved that there’s a whole section for Cable’s funeral but I didn’t like that it was so short. Sentry got a whole issue, and yet Nightcrawler got half an issue and Cable get a fourth of this one. I think both these characters deserved more.
 
The Verdict – 3.5 out of 5 
The younger mutants mention that Hope is everyone? What does this mean? Mystery that needs to be solved…
 

Chapter 3 by Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, Greg Land, Jay Leistein and Frank Martin 
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again Kyle and Yost need to write everything X-Men related because even with Land’s art this chapter was amazing.
 
The Good 
This chapter establishes a little bit more of where some specific characters will end up. Wolverine and Storm mourn Kurt’s death and during their conversation X-Force becomes an important part of the conversation. I enjoyed getting to see how these long time friends accuse each other of doing things that aren’t the X-Men’s best interest and at the same time it sounds like a respectful conversation.
X-23 is finally going to stop taking orders, and I liked that this was an opening to her solo series she will have.
Scott and Logan decide that X-Force will no longer be a part of the X-Men’s interest yet that doesn’t mean that the team will cease to exist. I like the roster a lot and even though I would’ve preferred Laura in the team I understand the character’s need for independence from the X-Men.
 
The Bad
This was really good, but with Greg Land’s are you are going to get copy/paste scenes that are not appealing at all.
Also I do not understand why Deadpool’s appearances throughout the book did not include commentary from the Merc With a Mouth himself!
 
The Verdict – 4.5 out of 5 
This chapter set up a lot of characters in their different positions, what my question is, when is it all going to blow out of proportion?
 

Chapter 4 by Matt Fraction, Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson and Brad Anderson
What happened to Hope after the battle has been explained, what happened during the funeral is also a thing that has been explained. What about the future?
 
The Good
Namor and Beast get a confrontation, and I am glad they did because the dynamic between the two was a lot of fun. I hope there will be more like this in the future!
There’s a reference to the Sisterhood’s story arc which I recognized immediately, and I want to know how this connects to Hope. We get a big surprise about Hope, which to be honest we all saw coming.
The second surprise was one that put a smile on my face. If you have read this issue then I am sure you agree, if you haven’t… go read it!!! (It's so good it's not worth spoiling)
 
The Bad
I don’t think that Scott’s character is ever translated as an emotional one, and I wish there was a moment when he could be. It might be the fact that you never get to see his eyes, but even as he is writing about Kurt’s death he shows no amount of sadness. Maybe that is something that needs to be addressed in the future.
 
The Verdict – 5 out of 5
The next story arc is going to be “The Five Lights” and all I can say right now is that I am hesitant as to figure out what the “Five Lights” will be able to do. Plus is in here, the X-Men might get to come over to my country!
 
Overall – 5 out of 5
This was an excellent issue with some minor details that bothered me, but in the end this was a great way to be done with this Mutant event. I probably would have liked it better if it was a longer issue, that way some things could have been explored better but I am still happy with the turnout.
Now it’s time to see what more can the mutant race do...