I'm not a huge fan of how Fraction writes Cable and Hope, as it is a bit too simple for my taste, but otherwise this is a really solid issue from start to finish. Fraction's character writing is solid, while his tight plotting is just phenomenal. When you add in a stellar art effort from the Terry and Rachel Dodson, you've got a very enjoyable issue that is a great followup to last week's Book of the Week, the XMen Second Coming oneshot. Read Full Review

The second chapter might not be as good as the opening one but its close. We have some Cable and Hope growth, some more master manipulations from the bad guys, Cyclops is being called on to the carpet because of X-Force and we get a big shootout at the end. The comic has everything you could ask for in story. It's definitely worth checking out and it may just hook you in for the fourteen chapter crossover. Read Full Review

This issue is astoundingly drawn by the team of Terry and Rachel Dodson. It looks gorgeous. As usual, their characters look iconic and the action is awesomely kinetic. Also, the duo really sells the emotions through their ever excellent facial work. Read Full Review

Elsewhere, this issue feels every bit the prototypical big X-Men crossover. The big-name characters all get face time, there are things blowing up, and the heroes are whacking away at the clearly defined villains. Thankfully, the X-Men actually catch up with Hope and Cable in this part, which is only the second of thirteen. It was a legitimate concern of mine that it would take at least seven to accomplish this. And while "Second Coming" doesn't seem to be reinventing the wheel, it is bringing the X-Men back to a bright, shiny place that feels fresh after so many years of sulking around about the hopelessness of their situation. So far, it seems to be hitting all the right notes. Read Full Review

Well, the momentum coming off of last week's X-Men: Second Coming #1 hasn't been completely lost, but the danger has reared its head in this installment. Despite that, strong character moments as the X-Men threaten to tear apart from within keep the story exciting enough to continue with. Fingers crossed. Read Full Review

Uncanny X-Men #523 was a solid second chapter to Second Coming. Though it was not as strong as the opening chapter to this crossover Fraction provided some good progression as the X-Men have found Cable and Hope already and are planning a strike on Bastions anti-mutant weapon factory. It is too bad that Dodsons was not able to deliver on the art side of things. Still, this was a solid second chapter to the crossover Read Full Review

On the plus side, there are moments of excellent depth for characters like Colossus, who defuses Nightcrawler's anger at the existence of X-Force with a single well-placed philosophical question. There's also a clear and interesting lead-in to the next issue, offering the chance to see the New Mutants in action rather than more of the "Alpha Team" that has dominated the story so far. Honestly, I don't expect this issue to be typical of the crossover in general, so hopefully the next chapter will prove me wrong Read Full Review