Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Brandon Peterson/Brent Anderson
Colorist: Israel Silva
STEP INTO THE LIGHT
The All-New X-men have been captured by the Purifiers and their leader; William Stryker’s son. X-23 came looking for revenge but may not make it through to see it! Will the young X-men survive this encounter and help X-23 achieve her vengeance? or will they perish into the light?!
The Ups: Bendis took a different approach this issue and focused on the villains. The Purifiers have one mission statement and that is to eliminate mutants. The is not much there in the villains to grab much attention but their discussion on time paradox was a real treat for this nerd. Bendis explores X-23’s character by making reference to her time in Avengers Arena. It is clear that she is hurting from these events. Bendis conveys that with very little words. There is one interesting character relationship that might be brewing from this issue. If you look at it in a larger scope the relationship can be a little funny. What they did in the art was a great concept. Brent Anderson returns to X-men to draw the flash back sequences. He uses an old comic styles that looks like your are reading a comic from the late 80s. It goes well with the story Bendis is telling. Peterson draws such a great issue that it could have been enjoyed without words. His character body movement and expression alone could have told the story this issue. Panel layouts were simple and easy to follow which makes this issue enjoyable.
The Downs: Not much really occurs in this issue. It was mostly dialogue on what the purifiers should do with the X-men. The X-men involvement was minimal. There was little of the character development aspect that Bendis is known for. I wanted to see more team interaction which we did not get much this issue. This story overall does not seem like it could have an impact to the series. It was an entry for X-23 but besides that I see no other impact.
Overall: Bendis concludes the introduction of X-23 and her revenge for the Purifiers. It had some shining moments but not a big impact as the previous stories. The art team was splendid with pages full of details and superb character emotions. It might not be an important part to the grander part of the series but it is worth a look if you want to treat your eyes to nice things.
Grade: 4 of 5
ComicsRefueled 
