THE ORIGINALS! Join Marvel Girl, Cyclops, Beast, Iceman and Angel as they reclaim the title of X-Men. After the world-shaking events of IVX, the original five X-Men are here to bring mutant criminals to justice and restore a heroic sheen to their team. But with a new leader in Jean Grey and a new mentor in their “arch-frenemy” Magneto, will old rivalries and new conflicts tear these heroes apart?

I was hoping that this new book would drive these time-displaced X-Men into a more heroic role, instead of just a road trip story like their last book. And boy did I ever get what I was hoping for!  Cullen Bunn brings us an opening that feels very new and fresh for this team, but for veteran fans like myself, gives us a great nostalgic feeling and shows us why we loved these characters way back when, and why we’ll love them now in “our” time. The biggest change I’m enjoying is having Jean Grey lead this team and Cyclops taking direction from her.

In the original run of X-Men, Cyclops was the by the book leader while Jean was more unsure in her powers. Now we have the opposite; Jean is confident and strong, proving to be a more then capable leader and Cyclops is taking his lead from her. But Bunn hasn’t completely altered these X-Men, as he displays that there is a lot of the “original” X-Men in these kids. Through exchanges between Hank and Bobby, to Cyclops lamenting on what he misses from their world, I really like that Bunn isn’t taking these characters and changing their personalities, but rather adapting them to being in “our” present time.

Jorge Molina and Matteo Buffagni do a very good job providing the art for this book and I feel that they were a good choice to match up with this writer. I’m really liking the new costumes the team has, and each one has a distinct look and personality. I also really liked how the artwork felt like something you’d see in an animated series. Not saying that it felt “cartoony” but reminded me of series like Korra or Avenger’s Assemble.

Overall, I really liked this first issue and I can’t wait to see where this title goes. I was hoping to see these five go out and be heroes and we get that in spades! A new mentor to guide them and the return of some classic X-Men villains make this an action packed issue that stirs up fond memories of the X-Men past and really has gotten me excited for the future of this team and this title.

Story: Cullen Bunn Art: Jorge Molina and Matteo Buffagni
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE issue for review