Coming straight out of the events of ‘All-New X-Men’ #23, we get to see some great moments with Cyclops being reunited with his father! Of course that’s not all we see as Jean Grey is the focal point of the title. So, let’s check in with how the All-New X-Men are doing and, oh yes, don’t forget the Guardians of the Galaxy since this IS their book!

Each issue of this crossover has just gotten better and I’m really looking forward to where they are going to go with this one. I wonder if this may be how the Phoenix Force is brought back to life once again. It’s been shown in the ‘Battle of the Atom’ crossover that it not only comes back, but merges with Quire at some point down the line. However, it’s always been attracted to Jean when that happens so if she stays in this time line, at some point she’ll be coming across it. Enough speculation though! Cyclops and his father have some amazingly touching moments here. Much like how he initally got along so well with Havok, they just get along in some very heart touching scenes. It also reminds us that Scott Summers has emotions which is something we’ve been hard pressed to see as of late. Speaking of emotions, X-23 helps comfort him when he gets a little upset. I’m still unsure if this is going to lead to some kind of a romantic entanglement or not.

Outside of Scott we see Jean being prepared for her trial. Not only does she have no idea what to expect, but her lawyer actually seems to be partially interested in helping her. One of the best moments is her once again being forced to confront what she does as the Dark Phoenix. We also learn that not all of the Shi’ar’s Guardsmen are in full agreement that this trial should be happening or that the Empire could fully be prepared for all the X-Men coming to retaliate no matter how strong they are.

In the end, this is an issue of ‘Guardians’ so of course fans of the comic want to know what’s going on with them. What’s going on is a lot of disapointment. You get a brief scene of Star-Lord talking to Rocket and another of him talking to Kitty as they are about to try to land on the prison planet. For anything else space related, it’s mainly the Starjammers. In fact, it felt like there was more interaction in last week’s ‘All-New X-Men’ over what little there was in their own title this week.

While there was a lot of dialogue, not much moved forward plot wise aside from minor setups. At least visually it was amazing and hopefully the next two issues that conclude this arc can bring both plot and art together for a grand finale.

The setup has happened and we’ve just pushed through the half way point. Will we fall flat as the ‘Battle of the Atom’ did or are we going somewhere astonishing? I’m hoping for the latter but only time (and a few more issues) will tell!

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GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #12
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Sara Pichelli