I’m going to just go out there and state ahead of time that this is going to be the relationship issue of the year for Wolverine and the X-Men. It feels like love is in the air as the academy finally has some down time with no “world changing” events happening that are keeping the school busy. Hell there isn’t even an attack by a super villain (or group of them.) When love isn’t being addressed there is an absolute focus on the relationships between characters in the group that have been hinted at or left on hold due to everything else that has been happening.
We open with Wolverine being ‘ gently ‘ reminded that it’s his turn to watch the students of his school as the teachers are all having a night off to get some relaxation in.
We get to see Kitty and Iceman finally have a date. There’s been an underlying tension between these two for quite sometime and they finally have a chance to explore it. A typical date is just not something that can work for two people who have seen so much in their lives.
So when they get up to bail they get a mental reminder from Rachael that they are supposed to have a good time. My favorite piece of art in the entire issue is Kitty’s face right after the message is received. It’s a combination of knowing she’s right and it being awkward that it was obvious what was going to happen. So they go off and follow Rachael’s advice and actually have a good timne – by having a date X-Men style.
In the first few pages we get a bit of resolution on the matter of Black Panther’s and Storm’s marriage. Yes the marriage was annulled but to him she will always be ‘his queen’ at which point he asks if she’s been seeing someone.
That is the one thing I love about this issue. It is addressing things that have been going on recently. Each area features something that has happened recently. Even in the date from above Iceman quips that he is now stuck living 3 doors down from his younger self.
Speaking of Storm, let’s just focus on the cover image for a second since everyone is wondering. Yes Storm and Wolverine get together. It is hinted at here that this has been something ongoing between them in the past somewhere around when she previously had her punk styled haircut. I can’t remember a single reference to this from before so either I missed it, forgot about it, or this romantic notion was added in just to give them a reason to show off a scantily clad Storm and explain that Logan cuts her hair.
Even Beast gets a bit of time off and heads up to spend it with his girlfriend in space. Little known to her though he is just looking to find some information to try to save Broo who is still laying in a coma at the school.
We actually end the issue focusing on Broo and get quite the nasty surprise on the last panel of the issue which is clearly setting up the next comic.
This is a great issue for people who care about what the X-men themselves are actually going through. It’s often overlooked with how busy they are saving the world and each other but the X-Men are people too and you really get a great view of their relationships in this one. It felt a little cramped in areas as there was a lot going on at the same time though not in a way that took away from catching up with the central characters personal lives of this book.
Writer: Jason Aaron
Inker: Alvaro Lopez Ortiz De Urbina
Letterer: Neurotic Cartoonist, Inc
Colorist (cover): LAURA JEAN MARTIN
Penciler: David Lopez Lopez
Penciler (cover): Ramon Perez
Editor: Nick Lowe
