Comics / Comic Reviews / Marvel Comics

Generation Hope #10

By Andy Frisk
August 29, 2011 - 21:19

Generation Hope #10 details the events of SCHISM #3 from Idie’s point of view, and what a powerful view it is. If you’ve read SCHISM #3 you’re aware of the events involving Idie. If you haven’t read SCHISM #3, then this would be the place to inform you that this review is packed with SPOILERS, and that you might want to stop reading now and come back later…

…if you’ve read SCHISM #3 then you’re aware that Idie pretty much singlehandedly, and with surprising calm, wipes out a whole cadre of Hellfire Club soldiers just after they defeat the X-Men at the grand opening of the Museum of Mutant History in San Fran. If not for Idie’s actions, several of the most powerful members of the X-Men would be in the clutches of the insanely precocious and deadly dangerous new Hellfire Club leaders. To Cyclops, Idie is undoubtedly a hero. To Logan, Idie is undoubtedly scarred for life. What direct consequences did Idie’s actions have on her own psyche though, as shown through her perspective? Gillen quite masterfully portrays Idie’s response to her own actions as indicative of a person suffering from the early stages of post traumatic stress syndrome. Idie already had a heavy load bearing down on her psyche, admittedly of her own creation, due to her obsession with the “sin” of being a mutant and a “monster.” Her actions, which anyone would label self defense, are murderous to her. Might an experienced member of the X-Men, a member who was mentored and trained by the likes of Xavier or Logan (he is going to be “heading back to Westchester” with a group of students soon! YEAH!), found a non-lethal response to the Hellfire Club’s assault? Most likely, but that doesn’t make Idie a murderer. This kid needs some serious mentoring, not military drilling, like Hope seems to be prone to enforcing. The good bet is that Idie makes the trip to Westchester in the post-SCHISM world, but one never knows…



Gillen continues to deftly handle the conflicting personalities and growing discontent amongst Hope’s team. Laurie, who’s becoming more and more enamored with Xavier’s Dream, and Kenji, who’s becoming more and more enamored with Magneto’s (former) Dream, are both becoming disillusioned with Hope’s agenda. The dynamic playing out amongst Hope’s team is reminiscent of the type of dynamic that existed between the characters of Claremont’s New Mutants Classic during its glory days, without blatantly retreading it. It’s this type of storytelling that made the X-Men, as a franchise, great. It’s something that Jason Aaron promised to get the franchise back to with Wolverine and The X-Men. Overall, it’s exactly what stirs this returning X-fan’s passion for the franchise. With Gillen and Aaron at the helm, it looks like there’s great stuff in store for X-fans with mindsets similar to mine, and Gillen has already given us a delicious taste of it.

  

Rating: 9 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12