The recently mind-wiped Warren Worthington III (Angel) is cut off from Worthington Industries and has all his assets frozen by Kade Kilgore. This means trouble for the cash-strapped Jean Grey School, so in desperation, Logan snags Quentin Quire and heads into space! Speaking of the school, Beast and his students shrink to microscopic size and go on a field trip… inside of The Toad!
The students bicker and quip as per usual. Once back to normal size, Beast speaks to Rachel Grey who is concerned with Kitty’s sudden disappearance after last issue’s cliffhanger. They find Kitty in her room… very pregnant! Or so it seems. Upon examination, Beast discovers that she is being eaten alive from the inside by millions of microscopic Brood! Kid Gladiator grabs his shrinking suit and flies into her body and starts smashing the creatures. Meanwhile, Broo a mutant Brood who is intelligent and kind has established telepathic contact with these invaders. In outer space, another Brood-related menace heads toward Earth… specifically the Jean Grey School!
This book is just fun! Just a rollicking, funny action book, filled with interesting characters and very appealing artwork. Wolverine as head of a school has been a running gag since issue one. Bobby Drake (Iceman) as his Guy Friday is also an unexpected and slightly awkward fit for the once-Class Clown.
The kids are still developing, but they’re pretty irresistible! Idie is simple and straightforward. Broo is naive and kind. Kid Gladiator just likes to hit stuff. Genesis is a lost soul seeking his place. But my favorite is D-bag Quentin Quire, a sociopathic powerhouse who wants nothing more than to be disliked. He wants nothing more than to not fit in, but as we see in this issue, he’s slowly drifting toward the small clique of characters that are being featured in this title.
The supporting cast is fun too. Toad inhabits the “Milton” role from ‘Office Space’ a mumbling sad sack that no one really pays attention to. Doop is hilarious as a slacker fill-in teacher. In religion class, he simply shows the kids “Monty Python’s The Life of Brian,” “The Exorcist III” and “Ghostbusters!” And there’s the running gag of the Bamfs, tiny, mischievous Nightcrawler-like demons who run amok, vandalizing the school and stealing Logan’s liquor.
Nick Bradshaw’s pencils are crisp and sharp. There’s a ton of detail and he delivers like a pro! The sequence of Beast and the kids inside of Toad is particularly impressive! It’s very realistic but cartoon-y at the same time. I like it!
Overall, this is just a fun read! The X-Men titles tend to run dark with loads of death and drama. This book is so anti-that!
Verdict: Buy
WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #5
Written by Jason Aaron
Pencils by Nick Bradshaw
Cover by Nick Bradshaw & Frank Martin
