Comic Book Review: Cyclops #1

After the events in ‘The Trial of Jean Grey‘, young Scott Summers has found out something that we and his older self have all known for years – his father, Corsair, is alive. Instead of dealing with his love for Jean and all of the problems that have recently come up, he makes a decision to temporarily leave the All-New X-Men team and get to know his dad. I mean what teenager doesn’t want to travel through space and become a space pirate while following in his father’s footsteps, right?

I have to admit when I first heard that Cyclops was getting his own book and that it would take place in space, I was hesitant to say the least. I really didn’t think they had a solid concept here and now am I willing to admit that I was 100 percent wrong.

For those who wonder if this #1 is a jumping in point or not, while it helps to have read the ‘All-New X-Men‘ up to this point, you don’t need to. There is a great introduction to the character right from the start which works as a great entry point that isn’t overly repetitive for those who have been following along. The art by Dauterman is perfectly fit for showing off the intricacies of space and spaceships as well as the aliens they interact with. Not only that, but the facial expressions and detail really help to convey how the characters are feeling on the page.

Greg Rucka handles the internal and external dialogue perfectly and he not only followed in the style Bendis had put down for the character, but has been able to make him his own giving us the internal thoughts of this boy who will grow to be something so much more than himself.

In this book we notly see Corsair trying to be a father, but Scott realizing he wants to be a son. It’s one of the main reasons we’ve seen him look up to Professor X as his father figure so closely in his psyche over the years. When he does help out his dad, who later speaks proudly of him, the look on Scott’s face really shows through how happy he is and ingrains the thought of how Professor X’s loss, so overlooked, is sure to be profound on the older Scott. I think this is going to further complicate things when they have to find a way to send these younger versions of the mutants back in time.

The two work together and are starting to get to know one another. The best part? There is a clear setup on how that will continue in the series as well as the why it will happen, how it will happen, and the plan that Corsair has. Of course, things in the X-Men universe never go as planned so I look forward to some fun twists and changes as the series plays out.

I was both surprised and impressed with how great this first book turned out and look forward ot the next one.