More Cypher please!

Yearning for a fresh take.

Personally I am happy one Laura was removed from the board. I hate the proliferation of duplicate and/or derivative characters.

It seems that Synch's Vault story has gone awry though. Synch's story was heartbreaking-- an ancient man stuck in a young man's body without the love of his life. Instead of exploring that theme, Duggan just gave him the love interest. Steps have been skipped in tight storytelling at all points.

I think this is better than a lot of recent issues, although I still can't imagine how Shadowkat with a K passed editorial. more

Was so looking forward to this. I don't think it is remotely good nor will it have any lasting impact. Yet another example of the Krakoan era whimpering and limping out.

The summer relaunch is so desperately needed.

Overall, not impressed. Need Rasputin IV and Ms. Marvel to be gone. I don't care where, just not in a flagship X-Men title.

Positive points for seeing actual A-list X-Men together: Kitty, Kurt, Peter, Logan, Remy and Rogue in a panel together? Almost unheard of compared to the try hards they have littering these titles.

Looking forward to a new lead voice for the X-Men who doesn't come up with dumb things like Shadowkat with a k. more

Good God the Krakoa era just needs to die.

Has some good retcons, has some unnecessary retcons. The X-Office continues to vilify Xavier and soften villains. Can Spurrier be done with Nightcrawler now?

If Iceman is popular enough to have his own solo series over so many other mutants, it better be good. This is just treading water.

It’s gotten to the point where every issue in this series feels forced and repetitive. I feel like I’m reading the same dialogue each month with different names and locations sprinkled throughout. Romeo is concerned with Bobby pushing himself too hard. Bobby pushes himself even harder while delivering one-liners that fall flat. Random Orchis villain plans an attack and tries to draw Bobby ouy. Bobby saves the day. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. I see no vision for what Orlando is building towards other than having fun writing a queer mutant. There’s nothing wrong with that, but Orlando’s execution is failing his main character. What saves the day is Vincenzo Carratù’s captivating artwork which captures Iceman’s powers in some of the most vivid and imaginative ways in recent memory. more

To cap off their sham nuptials, Tony and Emma embark on a sham honeymoon as a farce to hide the next phase of their plans to take down Orchis. Compared to Astonishing Iceman, Gerry Duggan’s run on this series shows how you can land one-liners while building a narrative and advancing a plot beyond individual issues. I’ve loved how Duggan has written Tony and Emma’s “will-they” or “won���t-they” chemistry because it all feels completely natural now that we know their true intentions. I also appreciate that Duggan hasn’t tried to make Tony into some stalwart, mutant defender, which wouldn’t come across as a role he’d assume. Instead, Duggan’s kept Tony’s intentions squarely on his own personal vendetta against Orchis/Feilong, making the payoff of Tony seemingly getting the upper hand again by the end of the issue all the more satisfying. more

As with last month, I am not a fan of Spurrier's X-writing but this has been good.

I blame editorial for small things like Dagger saying "moaning" instead of "complaining". She's American, Spurrier is British, get it right folks.

Docking .5 for Nightcralwer saying "F@#%@ off". He's not a character who curses.

So I HATED Way of X. I HATED Legion of X even more and all the Onslaught garbage too. Expected to hate this but gave it a fair shake.

As a Nightcrawler fan I feel like this is a return to form. It helps that he jettisoned the clunky supporting cast of the last 2 books. (No one cares about Lost and Forgetmenot).

Liked the relationship between Kurt and Peter. Like the street level aspect which mutants don’t usually get. Intrigued to carry on, and I don’t give this score lightly. more

I feel like I'm wondering through the desert myself trying to find a way to enjoy this series again. Guillen is skilled in his storytelling with Exodus and Xavier but it's not hooking me. I'll see what happens but Fall of X isn't doing it for me.
Edit: I forgot to mention Paco Medina on art was nice and he gives Selene that beautifully menacing look.

I liked seeing Selene and Shaw. Unsure about the rest still.

Great to finally have a series with adult Jean. Would have been nice to have something where she isn't between life and death and flashbacking, but I can't deny that the writing and the art was top notch.

A definite step backwards in momentum; this felt like filler.

Low points:

- The jig is ALREADY up with Firestar? Wha???
- The continued idiotic spelling of Shadowkat. Maybe she can have an intervention by Cyklops and Nightkrawler.
- Continue retconning of Emma's deeds as a former villain. Even Butter Rum now?

I've generally liked the Duggan run but focus on the obvious pet characters is wearing thin; ready for a change. more

Ms. Marvel as one of the X-Men feels forced/contrived/MCUwashed.

The Kitty vs. ORCHIS scene was badass though.

Emma is Duggan's Mary Sue.

Don't at all like Ms. Marvel as a mutant.

Some things didn't add up like the practitioners of the Red Triangle Protocol.

Plausible practitioners of the Red Triangle Protocol

Angel
Nightcrawler
Shadowcat
Wolverine
Bishop
Forge
Gambit

Probably Not

Emma Frost (She would have her own defense; it was designed to withstand her in the first place)
Rasputin IV (if this technique survived generations)
Monet (never a student of Xavier; would use an Emma technique)
Synch (nevert a student of Xavier; would use an Emma technique but maybe learned from Jean)
Kwannon (never a student of Xavier)
Northstar (never a student of Xavier)
Aurora (never a student of Xavier; also a very fragile psyche)


No Way

Ms. Marvel - absolutely 100% implausible
Daken
Lourdes Chantel (trained by Emma if anyone, definitely not Xavier)
Talon more

This has spectacle, drama and awesome art to make it worth the extra money so Kudos to Gerry Duggan and all the fantastic artists. It sits up there with HOX/POX and Planet-X along with Immortal/Red as high points. But this issue is a series of whiplash acts coming out of the last 2 years where things advanced at a snails pace so the amped up level is just not registering correctly for me. I wish the X office hasn't delayed and slowed things unnecessarily so we had a better landing for Fall of X but hey it is what it is. The Ms. Marvel stuff is still a bitter pill to swallow along with Moira's character destruction are problems and matters not handled well. This issue works as well as it did because the artists from Larraz/RB.Silva/Vecchio/Cassara/Pina/Anka/Dauterman/Lolli/Kubert along with colorists have delivered amazing art. I only care about Immortal and Red and those are the only titles I will continue to follow because of creators. If those go then I will too because mutants massacred then returning to being feared and outlawed has been done to death. more

Very compelling, but somehow missing that special something. I have to take off points for
-what happened to Jean (abandon the trope already)
-the continued vilification of Xavier (also tropey)
-Moira's unearned heel turn which is still incredibly unbelievable

Those who had Xavier's psychic training mostly didn't make a lick of sense. Emma Frost and Lourdes Chantel using Xavier's technique?

R
E S
I S T

I really don't care for Ms. Marvel as a mutant either-- there are so many mutants screaming for page space and she has her own niche; she doesn't need the X-Men and they don't need her. more

I just wish we had more of Cypher and his machinations all along.

Cutsy wootsy humor and art with a bunch of crying and talking out feelings and some cheesy fight scenes that are cringy at best. YA authors should be kept clear of comics based on what I've seen recently. (edit: I do love Rainbow Rowell on She-Hulk tho) This entire series was one of the worst pieces of excrement since Tim Drake Robin. I hated the new hawkgirl series but it's one million times better than this. Garbage. more

The best thing about this series was the author's sign-off. She appreciated the chance to write the New Mutants. However, this series was extremely poor, self-indulgent, cringe and cheesy. It did absolutely no favors whatsoever for the New Mutants brand and dragged down the actual three New Mutants characters who were secondary to this book. Cerebella/Escapade/Scout/MorganRed/Galura/Hibbert #NotMyNewMutants

Recipe for success in a New Mutants book is simple: Cannonball + Mirage + Magik + Sunspot. Bonus for others in the Original 9. But these core four are the most popular and are integral to the brand. Sadly they haven't been together properly since issue #7 of the main title (Hickman). more

I have to admit I'm losing interest in Arakko. There are sooooooo many mutants clamoring for page time that I can mostly do without this extra planet. Appreciate their weirdness though.

Story is laying down bricks. It might be better in retrospect but as a self-contained story it feels like we're on the sidelines, not in the game.

Normally not into flashback series. Surprised by the criticism-- it's extremely Claremontian set in the Claremont era. Logo of the book is Storm's best logo ever. Art is neither great nor bad. Subplots have been seeded. Quite impressed with Nocenti's work here.

[Art: 4.5
Writing: 2.5]
/2 = 3.5
-2 points for repeatedly using Wolfsbane's ridiculous multiple man powers which make no sense whatsoever.