The Good
My view of Eva Bell has completely changed. I've mentioned before that she didn't really catch my attention among the other new X-Men recruited by Cyclops. With a story continuing UNCANNY X-MEN ANNUAL #1, we find out what happens next to Eva Bell with her journey through time. The revelations were surprising and even though we have an idea on how things have to end, it's still pretty heavy hitting.
Brian Michael Bendis gets the chance to really flesh out who Eva is. The scope of her powers and abilities is eye-opening and we know have to look at her in a new light. After reading these two issues, you'll want to go back and read her other appearances to look for any signs of how this adventure affected her. We also get some interesting insight into the cause and affects of time traveling, especially how the butterfly effect might work in the Marvel Universe when traveling into the future.
Andrea Sorrentino's art is insanely good. It's completely fitting with the trippy nature of the time traveling. Getting to see other moments in time is remarkable. With Marcelo Maiolo's colors, you'll be in awe with all the visuals. Usually I think there should be a limit in the number of double page spreads in an issue but here, I wanted even more. This is an issue I'll want to keep set aside so I can revisit the artwork.
The Bad
The only real 'bad' thing is pretty much knowing how the story has to end. The point of these two issues was really more about discovering what happened. Now we look at Eva differently. Her character has taken a huge jump.
The Verdict
It's not often I read a comic and have to stop to take it all in. The story of Eva Bell is both fantastic and tragic. Brian Michael Bendis has taken the concept of time traveling to add some huge character development to Eva. There's no going back to who she was before. Even if you read the first part of the story in UNCANNY X-MEN ANNUAL #1, you won't be prepared for Andrea Sorrentino's art and Marcelo Maiolo's colors. The art here will make you want to weep with joy. This comic is more than just a read; it's an experience.