I read this issue because I wanted to know what the hype was all about and, well... I don't see it. There are definitely worse books than Space Ghost, but to be honest, neither the story nor the art are doing it for me. The writing is solid, but I found nothing in it that makes me want to come back for more. The art is not quite on a professional level, in my opinion. Lau does have a knack for visual storytelling, but the linework is very scribbly and the faces look weird. He is going for a realistic style, but it just lacks in certain areas.

Overall, I'm not a fan of this grittier, more realistic take on Space Ghost. I read some of the older books and they looked better and were more fun. more

The story of Miss Goodbody, while still checking most of the boxes for a creepy little cautionary tale, isn't quite as interesting as the origins told previous issues. The clean art perfectly encapsulates the mid-eighties fitness club setting, but ultimately doesn't convey as much horror and emotion as regular penciler Ivan Reis is capable of.
One problem with Johns's writing is that the issues sometimes just end just somewhere, without a satisfying conclusion to the chapter. It feels as if there are pages missing. That's certainly the case here. more

The story was halfway decent for a change, but the art still sucks.

Okay art, some good action, some bad dialogue and a twist that doesn’t make any sense at all. This title is a constant up and down for me. This issue is a down.

North completely missed who the Thing/Ben Grimm is.

The Marvel character with the greatest will power of them all (even Cap) is reduced to a babbling cry baby.

He loses his power and instead of dealing with it or using multiple ways of becoming the Thing again, either by rocket, exo-skeleton, etc., he'd rather alter his mind into being a simp (that somehow only Alicia detects). That is NOT Ben Grimm.

And speaking of Alicia, even she could have seen the trope mugging scene coming.

The one saving grace this issue has is that North doesn't bore us with another multi-page science lesson. more

I skipped this comic when it came out, but after the abysmal X-Manhunt I wanted to know what the retcon was all about, so I forced myself to read these two stories, both written and drawn by Alex Paknadel and Diogenes Neves. Forced, because I haven’t come across writing and art that bad very often.
What makes this worse is the laughable retcon itself. I don’t know if leaving Xavier‘s actions un-retconned would have been better though. At this point I think the X-Men books are just done. I can’t continue reading this crap. more

April Fools book or not, there is no reason to give Joanne Starer another job. Wait, was that the joke DC? Ah, I get it now. Still not funny. Very few books deserve a 1 rating but if this garbage doesn't then I don't know what does.

Woke sexualized and fetishized p@do indoctrination nobody asked for.

I’m glad to see that the art improved slightly this issue with Tom Derenick stepping in for Will Conrad. While both are solid artists, I find Derenick’s faces more expressive and his overall style more traditional, which is just a better look for a nostalgic book like Flash Gordon.

More action. I’m starting to like this book. I would love to give this a higher rating, but the art, despite being quite solid and detailed, doesn’t really excite me.

This should have been the first issue. Why start with Flash’s rather boring imprisonment, when you can reintroduce him in media’s res, fighting in an arena?

How to ruin a superhero book in three issues:
Switch to an alternate timeline in issue 2.
Make it all about non-costumed people talking.
Replace the average artist with a really bad one.

It's almost as if Marvel wants this to be as bad as possible.

Pure garbage.

i believe in the current X-Men line, but this not it. it seems like it was just moving out of how fast it was paced, of always someone coming or something exploding. it feels like those comics were not supposed to be like that, like they try to make this story fit into their larger stories, but It does not come as naturally, because so many of those titles are so far way from what this crossover was about. At its core, it is just a dumb chase, like it was only meant to take a lot of those characters to the same place, without the proper build-up.That could have worked if we hadn't seen something like this in a while or if it felt bigger, but most of those comics are on their 9 issue. Right now it felt random. There were good moments, moments that hit close to the core of what the line is right now, but they are so scrambled, so disconnected in such a big tornado of useless and non-exiting fights and just running from one place to the next. It's weak, but also it's expected; they should have let the different titles breathe more before a crossover like this.

As for the issue, some decisions are actually creative here. Like I can see the ideas or the moments it was built upon, I like how Charles left, liked how it was not paraded, and it did not feel big, symbolizing this new era we are entering. I really hope that Charles is out for longer, or even in general, but I am not that much of a dreamer. Like finally, the dream is officially over, and it's a bittersweet moment, it's not completely sad. Like everybody is free from now on, to build new foundations.

i did not like a lot of the things that were building this moment, the conflict in general was weak and here the pacing was quite off, just being really slow in the start with no real reason behind. I did not like Cyke and Wolvie's moments(not to spoil it), it felt out of this issue and also did not carry any consequence, because they were cool after 2 pages, saved by the plot. So yeah, again a lot of ideas for cool singular moments, not a nice idea of how to mesh them together. more

From the UXM bunch, this is the best edition so far. It is very satisfying as an oneshot, and maybe because just that, finally UXM pacing finds a solid footing this time - a problem other issues struggles from, especially after the crossover events. This time, though, the story comes out smooth and seamless (if not for the ever present problem of no subtext - but in this oneshot format, this lack of subtext isn't as unforgiving due to redundancy, expositive dialogues and panels repeating themselves. this is, though, a big - and ongoing - problem with the other issues that are more inserted within the main arc.) Gambit's inner dialogues sound like him, and the villain is competent and charismatic. Would like to see more of the Vig around New Orleans.
And thanks to the collaboration of amazing Gavin Guidry, Gambit's characterization is on point both as a cajun and as the mutant hero many has come to know and love. Guidry also delivers excellent art, followed by great colors by Matthew Wilson.
My only down point would come to the ending feeling a bit rushed, the panels in the beginning stating to a inner conflict already established in other issues took a bit of a toll here. But still, it is a satisfying conclusion, well rounded.
On a side note, would LOVE to see Guidry working with Gambit again. more

Bad writing, worse art. Both Simone and Ayodele have done better on their respective books, but this one reads like a rushed job. None of it makes any sense and there seem to be important scenes and transitions missing. The art doesn’t make any of it clearer either. Actually, it’s so bad, I find it insulting to anyone who still cares about the X-Men. It seems that the X-Men line reaches a new low point each new week these days. more

I often find that this series lacks atmosphere and personality, but this issue has both. Who wants non-stop action all the time?
This is probably my favorite issue of the series so far.

This issue looks like JRJR drew it on toilet paper in one afternoon.

I quite enjoyed this little tale from Gambit's past. Not being a huge Gambit fan, I don't know if this is the first glimpse into his childhood, but it certainly adds some depth to our Cajun X-Men. The Vig is an interesting character that I hope we'll get to see more of.
Unfortunately the art is very inconsistent. I'm torn between finding it charming in its simplicity or simply not very good. It definitely works better in the flashback scenes. more

Plot
The whole family is nostalgic for their time:

-Rachel longs to fly spaceships again, remembering how she failed to complete several missions after miraculously becoming pregnant with Richie and Rae. Roland encourages her with a very sporty date night.

-Richie wants to show off his inventions and is constantly punished. Only his sister knows this. She feels like he'll only miss the clouds moving in the sky from our time, and that we'll soon stop seeing them...she knows something about the future.

-Rodney continues his jogging routine, and all the elderly women on the block join him to rejoice at his physique. Rodney isn't impressed by any of them. He's still in mourning, but something is awakening in him because of a new runner named Carol. Rodney is showing off his athleticism for his age.

While the family continues their routine, the Russian mobsters who were robbed have hired an army of hackers to find out who did it; they still have no leads.

The story then undergoes several time shifts. First, in 1875, they show how Olivia, the fiancée of Roland's brother, Reggie, continues her work as a time patrolman and visits a key witness named Jeremiah Woodd at the Cronex Corporation trial. She then returns to 2425. But Raina, secretly following Olivia's every move, believes Olivia is about to visit the Rocketfellers at any moment.

This is another chapter that continues to set the stage for powerful revelations.

Art
Full of details and textures that create an interesting and mesmerizing organic effect, all of this creates a futuristic and somewhat terrifying tone.

Summary
The Rocketfellers are nostalgic for another life and inadvertently attract attention, while Raina and some mobsters are about to attack them at the same time.
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