Review: New Mutants #25

In the past two weeks DnA have not only revitalized their Heroes For Hire run, they have begun a whole new era of comic goodness on New Mutants! Who says lightening doesn’t strike twice?!

An all new direction is just what this book needed and there is no better team to spin a book for the better than — Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. I’m sorry folks, but Zeb Wells’ run was just a pile of sub par issues that will sit in my long boxes never to see the light of day. Yes, he put the team through the wringer, but he never focused on the characters or their growth. Well all that is about to change!

DnA’s foray into mutant affairs, sees our heroes taking a much needed breather. Between the horrific events of the sales smash Second Coming, the battle for Limbo against the Elder Gods and the reality altering awesomeness of Age Of X, Cannonball and crew finally have a moment to recoup and regroup – but the team will undergo significant changes before all is said and done. Cannonball has decided to remove himself from the team in order to heal both mentally and physically, Karma will be focusing on the rehabilitation of Face and Magick has been placed under house arrest by Cyclops for endangering the lives of her teammates. That leaves Dani Moonstar, the only non-mutant on the team, to lead her friends in a completely new direction, one that will place them on the trail of all the X-Men’s “loose ends.” Their first mission — find the enigmatic X-Man and bring him home! 

I am so pleased that this book finally has a true focus. Except when bound to a crossover, it has seemed rudderless, flowing this way and that with no true direction in mind. This is a great collection of classic characters, they deserve important stories and it looks like they will finally get some out of DnA. Reading this book was like a breath of fresh air, you can just feel the excitement brimming at the edge of every page – but the best part was the conveyance of emotion from both the characters and the story as a whole. Though not all were present, the characters had a richness to them that has not been seen in quite awhile. Their interactions with each other felt unforced and real, giving the book a much needed reconnection with the readers.

Though the story was well executed, the art was not on par with the tale. Don’t get me wrong, there were points of electrifying panels — Thor coming after X-Man through a raging storm was amazing! But if it wasn’t an action scene, which were quite minimal, the art suffered dearly. Facial expressions were drab and unrealistic and the layouts were boring. It didn’t live up to the quality of the story nor the hauntingly beautiful cover by Marko Djurdjevic. That piece of art truly represented the scope of the tale DnA brought to the table!

New Mutants fans can sleep soundly knowing their heroes are in the capable hands of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. There is great characterization, action and surprises galore! Just a tip — start boning up on your Age of Apocalypse history now, you’re gonna need it!