The Good
THIS is the issue I've been waiting for!
Holy crap. I can't quite place my finger on what it is about the idea of the young X-Men visiting their future (our present) that has had me excited from the first announcement but this is where it happens. With the events from AVENGERS VS X-MEN, Cyclops made some drastic decisions for the sake of mutantkind. Now seen as having crossed the line and with his recent escape from prison, Cyclops isn't the perfect little X-Men soldier he once was. That's why a certain member of the team felt it was necessary for the younger mutants to journey to the present to try to talk some sense into Cyclops. Of course, there is a little more to the story as well as other factors assist in fast tracking the decision to play with the space time continuum.
The key here is it's not just about the young X-Men. At least, not yet. We are still seeing the others around that were present in the first issue. This whole adventure isn't just about the young X-Men finding out what their future holds but think about all of the present mutants and their reactions to the original, younger versions as well. That is what gets me most excited about this. We've seen time travel stories many times, especially with the X-Men. This is the first time it feels like there will actually be major repercussions as well as a possible way to get around the Marvel rule of time travel where alternate timelines are created when making an attempt.
Stuart Immonen's art is great here. From the little touches of the X-Men in the past to the hints of what emotions must be going through their minds and they try to grasp the true meaning of what is being told to them is spectacular.
We all know that there has to be a hook here somewhere. We know the young X-Men can't know their future and have to return to their time at some point. Because this is the world of the X-Men, we also know that many times, anything goes. With Brian Michael Bendis writing this, all the bases will be covered and who knows what crazy shenanigans he'll have planned for later issues.
The Bad
Nothing. This might be one of the Marvel NOW! titles that excites me the most.
The Verdict
What would you do if you could visit your future self? That's a question with serious repercussions when it comes to the original X-Men. We know that in the Marvel Universe you're not supposed to be able to travel in time without creating an alternate reality but Brian Michael Bendis may have found a way around this. As I read each page, I found myself reading slower and slower. I simply did not want the issue to end. There is so much to see and expect with the young X-Men making their way to the present. There are so many reactions from both sides we have to look forward to. You'll even find yourself a little surprised at seeing some of the emotion present in this issue. For the young X-Men, seeing their future is a heavy burden and watching Bendis and Immonen unfold the story is something I can't get enough of.