The original X-Men get their groove back.
There was a time when All-New X-Men was the most exciting X-Men book on the stands. Sadly, between the underwhelming end to the original volume and all the mistakes made in the post-Secret Wars era, the All-New X-Men aren't quite as captivating as they once were. But that seems to be changing, as X-men Blue is doing a bang-up job of recapturing that earlier magic.
Building on the reveal that Magneto has become the latest elder mutant statesman to take charge of these time-displaced heroes, X-Men Blue #2 delves deeper into the current state of the team and their place in the ResurrXion status quo. Why did Jean and her teammates agree to join Magneto? Does the Master of Magnetism have ulterior motives? These questions are addressed as writer Cullen Bunn settles in on the new series and explores each character in turn. Bunn has long since proven he knows how to handle Magneto, but this book shows him to be a capable ensemble X-Men writer as well. Each member of the cast feels distinctive, and each has their own set of motivations and goals.
One of the reasons this book works where Bunn's Uncanny X-men often struggled is that there's a greater subtlety to the characterization. Bunn never has to outright tell readers how his characters are feeling. It's always evident in the dialogue and the way artist Jorge Molina renders the characters. Case in point, there's a scene early on in this issue where Magneto opens his mind up to Jean as a way of proving his honesty. We don't know exactly what Jean sees in that moment, but her pained reaction is enough. Great character moments like that go a long way toward pushing this series to the front of the pack where ResurrXion is concerned.
Molina really is delivering some of his best work to date with this series. His work is clean, detailed and refined, yet just exaggerated enough that it has a flavor all its own. It's one reason Blue is quickly outpacing its sister series, X-Men Gold. That book seems content to replicate the feel of the late '80s/early '90s X-Men books, where Blue strives to offer a new visual spin on an old cast of X-Men favorites. The fact that Blue is a twice-monthly series is almost bittersweet. It's great that we can look forward to so much of the series, but will the book reach the same highs without Molina helping to steer the ship?
The Verdict
The X-Men franchise still has an uphill climb ahead of it, but at least X-Men Blue is doing right by its cast of characters. It's great to see Cullen Bunn working with Magneto again and restoring the appeal that was lost with the All-New X-Men comics over time. This new series' biggest challenge is now proving that it can maintain its momentum without Jorge Molina's art to rely on.
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