So here we are the end of an era.  The latest chapter in the annals of Uncanny X-Men marked with a milestone renumbering. Or in other words PLEASE BUY ME!  This issue is what it is. Writer Brian Michael Bendis‘ attempt to wrap a bow on what was (to me at least) a very haphazard run on an iconic and beloved franchise.

The issue was very emotional, intimate and essentially centered on Hank McCoy being held to account for his unilateral decision-making a dangerous encroachment on the laws of nature. We are reminded how vast the X-Cast really is on numerous panels as the entire X-family assembles to witness Hank’s intervention, or as he astutely surmises his “Trial.”  Beast comes off very arrogant and bitter this issue. His wounded pride about the very public nature of this encounter seemed very petty and unlike him at all. Select X-Men are given the moment to express their concern and frustration but this is ultimately cut off by Beast who leaves abruptly.

This was unfortunate as it was a long overdue encounter, and Beast’s justification or perhaps his position seems weakened by his response. This scene is interrupted by another loose end with the appearance of Cyclops who is addressing the world with congregation of mutants at Washington DC. By his own admission Scott Summers confesses to the world that when he initially used the word revolution he did not really know what he wanted to convey or implement. In this panel Cyclops sets out to prove his “revolution” correct by showing a benign amassing of mutants. This is punctuated with the arrival of Magneto who smiles and assures cyclops this is something Xavier would have approved.

My reaction to this was a big fat “Really?”

Not only does this display say nothing for the problem of mutant externality which directly impacts mutant-human relations but it completely undermines everything we’ve been reading about prior. Cyclops has always been the master strategist. Since Messiah Complex all the way through to Second Coming nothing he has ever done has been random, and more recently his threats have been very calculated. There’s no phoenix force to blame his judgement on this time. To take this revealed “revolution” at face value, we’ll have to ignore all his militant preparation and his espionage chess game with SHIELD. My verdict…sloppy. This is just bad characterization, and aborted plotting, the former of which Bendis has showcased with alarming consistency. Overall this reads like an abrupt cancellation where the writer was unable to finish or flesh out their initial plot planning.

Now to Bendis’ defense the aftermath of the Last will and Testament of Charles Xavier, and the reveal of SHIELD’s “mole” may have changed Cyclops thinking. But there’s no reflection of that (on Cyclops’ part) or any explicit justification for the complete 180 degree turn. I think most readers will be left scratching their heads, and inferring the reason for themselves. This is a major gripe for me because I was really curious about Cyclops revolution and how it would unfold, and to have such a weak pay off to so much hype and buildup is very frustrating, it makes me want to request a refund for everything I have read.

Bendis primary challenge with this post was balancing a huge cast of characters and adding some fresh blood to the formula. With the re-invigoration of mutantkind post Avengers vs X-Men, he was able to do that, with some interesting new mutants. The most stand out  character among these fresh faces in my opinion is Eva Bell, who has an interesting encounter with Hank McCoy. Eva mentions to Beast that she’s a time traveler and has some interesting insight for him, but something happens which is interesting and not explicitly explained on panel, save for beasts frightened expression in the end. *SPOILER*  She disappears  mid conversation, when discussing the consequences of his actions. Did Beast break time? Or did she disappear on purpose? *Spoiler* (Highlight to read)

I really love Eva. The X-Men have always had an interesting relationship to time travel and seeing that expressed in a mutants power set and seeing how that has shifted their outlook just seems very poignant for the franchise. At the very least we can give kudos to Bendis for achieving that.

Other interesting developments was the coming out of Robert Drake the elder, after a discussion with his younger self and the younger Jean Grey. Seeing him come to terms with why he stayed in the closet for so long while freezing his tears was such a nice touch.  The interaction between the various generations and the current occurrences of things that did not originally take place (i.e. young Beast and Jean’s romance and Iceman coming out earlier) is another achievement we can credit to Bendis, at the very least this was executed very well.

The art was very expressive, and it was nice that Bendis got to showcase work with most of the artists he admires (as his own admission). The emotional tone of the issue was matched with the facial expressions, and the otherworldly art of Frazer Irving really punctuated the creepy (at least to me) encounter between Eva and Beast perfectly. Overall and by endpoint standards, this issue was sub-par, more could have been done to tie up loose ends and offer some intrigue for the transition going forward. Though I applaud Bendis for handling this new mandate with its bold status-quo, I am ultimately left feeling relief that the creative guard is changing.

Story: Brian Michael Bendis Art: Various
Story: 5 Art:  8 Overall 6.5 Recommendation: Read