All-New X-Men #21 is another fantastic entry in Brian Bendis work with the X-Men franchise. The Purifiers provided a threat that the original X-Men havent faced before. They were the first X-Men villains that showed them that mutants and other super powered people arent there biggest threat. This new challenge also re-emphasized the danger that the original X-Men have put the present day X-Men by staying in the present. X-23s presence in the story has added an interesting wild card to the series, especially when it comes to specific character relationships. With a crossover with the Guardians of the Galaxy coming up next I am extremely excited to see how the original X-Men fare in space. Read Full Review

All-New X-Men #21wraps up the short arc before the 'Trial of Jean Grey'.This is a great self-contained issue that catches you up on the arc, gives you all the necessary story and action, and then leaves you for the next arc. No cliff-hanger or BS ending. The story follows a religious anti-mutant zealot (William Stryker's son) as he struggles with his Daddy issues and wrestles with his blood-lust for mutant death against the butterfly effect. In the end, the book manages to remain neutral toward religion, adds a new member to the team, and has some fun action and dialog. Feel free to pick this up and enjoy! Read Full Review

It's almost worth picking up just for the art - but that's the only thing exceptional about it. Read Full Review

Bendis concludes the introduction of X-23 and her revenge for the Purifiers. It had some shining moments but not a big impact as the previous stories. The art team was splendid with pages full of details and superb character emotions. It might not be an important part to the grander part of the series but it is worth a look if you want to treat your eyes to nice things. Read Full Review

With Bendis reintroducing everyone from the X-Men's past (The Brotherhood, The Purifiers) I am curious to see what exactly is going to happen while they are in space with the Guardians of the Galaxy crossover. I've been doing my best to avoid spoilers but could it be time for them to meet the Shi'ar Empire? Read Full Review

This book is set for its second crossover as they face off against the Guardians of the Galaxy. Bendis is really cooking with this series and the future only seems to get brighter every month. Read Full Review

If there's a full circle to be drawn, it's in Bendis' hands. He holds the keys to the X-Universe, and the job he's done has been excellent thus far with nods to Chris Claremont that have given hardcore fans something to think about. The flashback scene reads and looks like one of Claremont's graphic novels, and Brandon Peterson shows he can switch it up by changing his art style with some help from James Campbell in the colors department. Read Full Review

Overall, All New X-Men #21 is not a bad book but it isn't that great. The story falls a bit flat but the X-23 stuff really works. The art work from Peterson works very well for this story and I'm starting to like the costumes just a little bit more. Bendis is doing a very nice job on Uncanny but I feel Bendis needs to step up a little bit more here. Hopefully the Trial of Jean Grey arc gets me more invested in this series. Read Full Review

This issue and arc are entirely skippable. Read Full Review

Perhaps this new Stryker will eventually emerge as a worthwhile X-villain. There's little doubt after this issue that Bendis has plenty more planned for him. But for now, I'm just as happy to move onto the big Guardains of the Galaxy crossover storyline. Read Full Review

Still, it works well enough; the X-Men's teamwork near the end of the issue makes for a satisfying conclusion to the story arc, and the appearance of X-23 makes for some interesting interaction with the rest of the team. "All-New X-Men" #21 doesn't quite stand up to the fun of the past issues, but it's fun enough. Read Full Review

The strength of this book lies within Bendis' examination of a real-life parallel when people target minority groups out of fear and anger. It's not a bad concept; at least we can see some thought-provoking insight within the plot. The problem is the action itself. Read Full Review

All in all, the past few issues have felt like filler as the book transitions from one crossover to the next, which may be their biggest problem. Instead of going directly from Battle of the Atom to The Trial of Jean Grey, Bendis decided to sandwich this arc in between, and it's noticeable by the dip in the book's quality. It's probably best to just skip this book for now, because it's starting to feel like it's time to put the original X-Men back where they belong: in the past. Wrap it up and move on. Read Full Review