The X-Men have returned with another installment of the Brian Bendis written All-New X-Men. With Beast still down (and past Beast attempting to save his life), Jean freaking out, and the entire clan wondering how Cyclops is going to handle what he’s done now that his past self knows what his present self has done (hooray for time travel!). Things can get pretty confusing when there’s two of some of them hanging about, and even more so when the original X-Men have to make a very important (and to some, unpopular) decision.

This series is terrific thus far, with every issue creating an even more complex web of confusion that is complicated by the time travel element. Even with that, the series is going incredibly well, with the presence of the original team further complicating the impeding mutant revolution, lead by none other than Scott Summers. This series is beginning to get very intense, and in the process, very entertaining. With new mutants and old problems creeping back in, it’s up to Angel, Beast, Jean Grey, Cyclops and Iceman to fix the present to preserve their future.

Bendis has been doing a great job thus far, contributing to a whole new era of X-Men continuity. While he’s known for some of the bigger issues he’s created in major Marvel continuities (killing Hawkeye before his Avengers run, and Professor Xavier before his current stint with the X-Men), so far he’s been masterful balancing the stories of the current group of X-Men, Cyclops’ group and the original five. Working with so many characters (especially the dichotomy between contentious characters such as Wolverine and Cyclops) looks like a major task that Bendis is up to, and he’s only done less than a half dozen issues.

The highlight of this issue, however, is the artwork. Some of the best stuff that Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbagder and Marte Gracia have done thus far in this series. The line work is crisp, the shadowing is terrific, and the splash pages are works of beauty (especially the one focused on Jean Grey, which was particularly breathtaking). This is an art team that is really beginning to roll, a fortunate thing considering it’s a bi-weekly series.

Summary: There is very little to say in a negative light of this series, and of this issue. The artwork is clean, with splash pages being especially terrific, the writing is great, and the plot is progressing in an entertaining and fun, with lots of twists and turns along the way. In another two weeks things are likely slated to be getting even more intense, with the Merry Mutants in for even more time-travel shenanigans.

The Good: Incredible Artwork, Great Plot Progression

The Bad: Lingering Time-Travel Implications

The Ugly: N/A

Score: 9.5