Issues of Trust
The New Mutants are in a precarious position (when are they not?) - with their leader in way-past-critical care and emergency surgery, they must contend with the suspicious yet well-meaning citizenry, their recent witch-addition Illyana, a sudden snowstorm, the absence of Professor Xavier, and, oh yes, a demoniacal spirit bear bent on destroying Dani Moonstar and all of civilization. The fight is intelligently done, considering the levels of experience and anger of its combatants. Claremont continues to walk an interesting line between "keeping the characters and series accessible to new readers" and "progressing the story and characters for loyal readers," to varying degrees of success - though the issue and the Demon Bear story is a good success. Sienkiewicz helps make the students older, matching Claremont's ever-increasingly intelligent dialogue, though still tempered impressively by the students' youth and immaturity. The twist at the end drives the story enjoyably into its final part, giving the readers an unexpected yet thoroughly consistent surprise. The series is maturing nicely (even better than the New Mutants themselves).