The X-Men are on target for a mutant sighting somewhere in Miami, Florida where a hooded girl is ambushed by a group of anti-mutant extremists.
The All-New X-Men teleport into the thick of things, putting up a fight against the armed extremists who believe mutants are an abomination. Meanwhile, Professor Kitty Pryde takes off in pursuit of the mysterious young girl who claims she’s no mutant.
All-New X-Men #19 is pretty cut and dry on a plot level. Pryde has pounded the importance of training into her young wards’ heads, and the time has come to see them battle modern day adversaries with futuristic weapons. The team seems more confident and capable of holding their own in this fight, and young Scott Summers shows signs he’s ready for leadership responsibilities.
There’s also more evidence that suggests Jean’s becoming more powerful and just as volatile. She explodes with rage after seeing Magik and the Beast get injured in the fight, and her psionic blast levels the playing field in an instant.
Meanwhile, Professor Pryde has taken off on foot to pursue the hooded girl. The reveal is an interesting one because it brings in another youngster to the story, and her relationship to another X-Man could add some juicy drama to the All-New X-Men title.
As far as scripting goes, Brian Michael Bendis’ writing this issue is a little rough in spots. Bendis’ style is more colloquial in that his characters ramble and talk in a realistic manner. Some of it can get lost in translation during a reading because the cadence isn’t routine.
Brandon Peterson makes his debut on the title with pencils and inks. The art is similar to Stuart Immonen’s in that there are heavy outlines and distinct details. Peterson’s action sequences are visually clear and easy to follow even though the panels are stuffed full of content. Characters do come across as rather unattractive, and sometimes the anatomies of the characters get distorted. Closeups on faces would benefit from a less-is-more angle since the extra lines add a lot of age to the young characters’ faces.
Israel Silva’s colors are bold, beautiful, and slick. The issue takes place sometime during the evening or later, and Silva’s tones and lighting are consistent in reminding the reader what kind of setting the issue takes place.
It wouldn’t be realistic for the X-Men to always have to go toe to toe with tier-one level threats, and their skirmish against a group of violent religious fanatics gives them something to consider while they remain here in the present. How the extremist group will factor into the story or to the X-Men Universe at large isn’t immediately clear, though there’s enough reason to believe they will factor into the story arc. The possible addition of another mutant to the team could also spell more trouble and adventure, and the prospect is one to get excited about. It’s reminiscent of the Chris Claremont stories that grabbed current events and topics relevant to the readership and placed them within the panels.
All-New X-Men #19 (2012)
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Marvel
Words: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Brandon Peterson
Inks: Brandon Peterson
Colors: Israel Silva
Letters: Cory Petit
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