However, with the strong writing by Bendis, it's Kris Anka who really shines. Chris Bachalo is a fantastic artist but Anka brings in something else entirely. Their styles are very different. Anka has very firm lines and it's far less sexy. He also adds just the right amount of creep factor to a few scenes involving Matthew Malloy. Things are getting bad very quickly for the characters in this book but with AXIS on the horizon, this is a series you'll want to get involved with. Read Full Review

Bendis is one of my favorite comic writers, and he still delivers on the solid character moments, even if we have to keep waiting for the big story moments. Read Full Review

The focus on the students in this issue is short but some of the absolute best writing in it. The more I think about it, the more I feel that this will become a major plot point in the near future and one that shouldn't be swept under the rug. I don't think Bendis would ignore it with how he slipped it in and I can't wait to see how it is addressed when the students bring it up to the teachers down the line. It shows that Cyclops is preparing for exactly the kind of fight we could imagine him thinking would end up coming and also the fact that these students are having problems feeling that in order to participate in that fight they might actually be the bad guys. Pro-mutant cause or not, are they hero or villain while fighting at Cyclops' side? Read Full Review

Life's never easy for the X-Men and Brian Michael Bendis is doing a great job reminding us of that. This almost feels like the first time we're really seeing some of the X-Men deal with the death of Professor X despite it having happened a little while ago. Bendis does a great job in showing the anger or guilt some are feeling. Kris Anka's art is fantastic here, capturing each moment nicely. The art is accentuated with bold colors that practically jump off the page. We don't have all the answers to Xavier's last will and testament just yet but there's plenty of action going on. This book is jam packed with action and emotion topped with amazing visuals. What more could you ask for? Read Full Review

It's been many issues since these newer characters had their fair share of dialogue. It is refreshing to see Bendis write Christopher and the Cuckoos as critically thinking young adults, not just pawns on Cyclops' mutant revolution chessboard. Read Full Review

Two other flaws drag down this issue, however. One is that the story awkwardly segues into a scene involving the rest of Cyclops' team as they train in their Danger Room. While Bendis effectively explores their own growing doubts and concerns, the transition is jarring and even confusing. It's also frustrating to see that the pencilling duties have shifted back to Kris Anka after one issue of Chris Bachalo's work. Not that Anka's work is bad by any stretch. It's sleek and expressive and well-suited for the drama at hand. But the drastic back-and-forth in visual tone with this arc is a real bummer, and will surely weigh the story down when it's read all in one sitting. Read Full Review

The issue brings up two subplots worth keeping an eye on in Iceman‘s boiling rage against Scott Summers for Xavier's death and in the conflict of Cyclops' young mutants when discussing the reasons for the existence of a training program pitting them against the Avengers. Both foreshadow potentially messy situations for Cyclops and possibly his entire team. Worth a look. Read Full Review

I was a bit iffy on Kris Anka's art but it's slowly winning me over. There's almost a Bachalo-esque vibe to it, quirky andenjoyable. Read Full Review

What I do know is that Uncanny X-Men #26 really split me with part of me wanting some actual developments and the other part of me seeing this as a slow boil to an inevitable finish. I want to have my cake and eat it too, but I am just so hungry. Read Full Review

If you've been enjoying "The Last Will of Charles Xavier" or love Anka's artwork, you'll probably be happy with your purchase. I liked this issue, but I can't really recommend this issue those who don't fit those categories. Read Full Review

Uncanny X-Men continues to be a good read every month. While there were some problems in the issue, it was overall better than most other books on the rack. Bendis is very good a crafting stories, and while the pacing is a bit slow now, Brian will weave it all together in the end and most likely blow your mind Read Full Review

This is a frustrating issue of Uncanny X-Men filled with too many character voices and too few points being made. It takes a set-up plot, only to deviate from it twice without proper reasoning. It rehashes established concepts instead of exploring new territory. Any momentum that the story had prior to this issue comes to a screeching halt. To put it gently, it feels like a collection of deleted scenes that should've been left on the cutting room floor. Read Full Review

Im interested to see what happen with the adults working together, but the pages spent on the young, newly introduced mutants (like gold ball) feel like wasted space. Not a fan of Ankas art at all, hopefully Bachello returns next issue.

Promising story, yet it's hurt by slow pacing and unnecessary elements.