Tracking Cyclops and Jean
WARNING: THIS REVIEW WILL SPOIL THE EVENTS OF BATTLE OF THE ATOM SO FAR!
Battle of the Atom kicked of last week, and boy was it one brilliant start, and has made me even more excited about this series than I've already been. This series has also been extremely amazing itself, having four outstanding issues, with this also being the first part of Battle of the Atom not to be written by Brian Michael Bendis.
Plot
The X-Men along with the future X-Men head off in search of the younger Cyclops, and Jean Grey.
Review
This was a fantastic issue, and although not quite as good as the first two parts, a brilliant continuation of the story. Brian Wood has been doing an outstanding job on this series, as even with little time to get the series rolling prior to Battle of the Atom he still has managed to make this one of the best series out the now. I also loved how Wood has managed to step slightly away from this all female cast (it had to happen for this story), whilst still managing to show elements of the concept by having the women play a huge role in the issue. I also felt the issue as a whole had a lot of drama, and depth to it, and that the characteristics were spot on, with the developments being handled fantastically.
The art in this issue was also outstanding, and although I probably preferred Frank Cho, and Stuart Immonen's from the previous parts, David Lopez did an amazing job. I really loved the detail to Lopez' art as although the backgrounds were a bit plain at times, the characters looked amazing. I did however feel that their facial expressions were a little awkward from time to time, but that they still showed plenty of emotion. Lopez' layouts were also fantastic, adding a lot of depth, and tone to the issue, and are only slightly let down by the plain backgrounds. I did however also really enjoy the action sequences in this issue, and Lopez handled them perfectly, as although they weren't spectacular, they were exciting.
The last part of Battle of the Atom would see the younger Cyclops, and Jean run away from the X-Men, not wanting to get sent back to their own timeline. Now this was a brilliant way of making the story last it's ten part length, and although it wasn't the most exciting development that I've ever seen, it was still very interesting. This issue would see them continue their journey, trying to avoid the X-Men, and reach a safe place. I really enjoyed this as it would show how much these characters dread going back to their timeline, and do you blame them considering what they know will happen to them.
So far this series has seen Jubilee as it's centre character so I was expecting her to appear in this issue. I did however not expect her to appear from thin air. I say this as she hasn't appeared in the story so far, but suddenly is in the same room as the X-Men whilst Cyclops, and Jean escape. Don't get me wrong I'm very happy she's in this story, and she along with Shogo would add some humour to this issue, but it could have been handled slightly better.
This issue would also see Kitty Pryde left with a lot of conflict, as although she knows that sending the younger X-Men back to their own time is probably the right thing, she also doesn't want to lose them as students, or force them into doing anything. I found this to be a very interesting development, and although it wasn't unexpected due to future solicits it was still very well handled, and the interaction between her, and Rachel Grey was extremely interesting, and very dramatic as well.
Final Verdict
This was an amazing issue, and although technically the worst in the crossover so far, still very entertaining, showing just how good the story's been so far. It has some fun, and excitement, as well as interesting encounters, setting up the next part of the story perfectly. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this issue, and the story so far, and can't wait to read the next part.
Rating: 8/10
This review was originally posted on my website Imagination Centre (here).
