Brian Michal Bendis has been a very busy man as of late, especially with the addition of two X-Men series into his work load. With All-New X-Men well underway (and amazing, by the way), Bendis has also relaunched the legendary title Uncanny X-Men, this time focusing on the other half of the All-New X-Men storyline. With Cyclops and his team (Emma Frost, Magneto, Magik and a team of brand new mutants) working to fix their powers and start a mutant revolution, a mole in the group is working against them, something that will become even more of an issue later on. With the combination of facing their foes, trying to retrain their powers and train new mutants all at the same time, Scott Summers may have bitten off more than he can chew.

This book is taking on a life of its own in the X-Universe, looking as though it’s going to become on of the most important titles in the franchise. Focusing on the small but vastly important group of mutants, conflicts and character development will be key, and Brian Bendis is a writer who can easily bring this group together and create a dynamic story to accompany them. Thus far, the character development has been terrific, with characters such as Emma Frost becoming much more human now that her powers are flickering, and Magik becoming completely  terrifying thanks to her confidence and knowledge of the demonic energies she can harness.

Bendis is the superstar of the Marvel World, currently working on several titles, all of which are amazing. This book, while not quite as exciting as his other X-Book, is a fun read thus far. While the plot is still beginning to unfold, so far, the events of the book are going to shape the X-Universe for a long time to come.

The artwork, done by Chris Bachalo (with a plethora of inkers working with him), is an interesting choice. The color work is terrific, but the figure drawings leave something of an odd taste. The characters, which have looked a certain way (even with different styles) for so long seem to have gone through a youth movement. Emma, Magik and Cyclops look infinitely younger, with Emma losing her trademark sex appeal and confident maturity and looking more like lithe twenty something, Scott losing the rugged, mature and weathered look he has in All-New X-Men and looking like the young teen he once was, and many of the characters looking as though they were more aligned with a children’s animated series than a comic book. While the colors are vibrant and beautiful, the figure work is interesting, but off-putting.

Summary: A great story rules all, and with a story that is progressing in the fashion this one is, that phrase will keep this book on a great path. While the artwork leaves something to be desired, the story and characters are terrific and will keep this book running for quite some time. The art style is not likely to change, so after getting used to it a bit, this should be a great addition into the X-Men lore.

The Good: Stellar Writing, Great Character Development

The Bad: Off-Putting Artwork

The Ugly: N/A

Score: 8.0