Comics / Comic Reviews / Marvel Comics

New X-Men #41

By Zak Edwards
August 19, 2007 - 18:56

New X-Men #41

The conclusion to the much-hyped New X-Men arc finished the Quest for Magik story in the same manner as the story has been told the whole way along; with lots of violence, explosions, and confusing story-lines that seem to work despite themselves.  This arc has served the greater purpose of bringing some of the background characters back when this title was called New Mutants and thrusting them into the limelight.  Pixie and Anole stick out the most for this, with both characters evolving physically and, most importantly, as believable characters (that is to say, believable characters with wings and lizard limbs that grow back after being cut off).  This story, before it got underway, had a fair bit of media hype, and I guess the question is whether or not the story lived up to the hype.  In a word, no.  But since when did anything live up to the hype?  These issues were great, combining a crazy story with equally crazy art to leave the audience enjoying whole experience.

As for this issue specifically, the fight finished on a very cool note.  The lines of good and evil were blurred, something this series has not really seen with its constant fight against mad scientists and religious fanatics.  The series took a great risk, by taking the three most utilized characters in the series; David Alleyne, Surge, and Hellion, out of the spotlight, and replacing them with other characters who are used to being led rather than leading.  Yet by taking these characters, allowing them to develop, Yost has added to his shrinking roster of people he can use.  Yost also took advantage of his artist, creating crazy sequences that made full use of Skottie Young’s crazy style.  While all these things created a great story, some of the details proved to be a snag.  A perfect example would be the use of the Stepford Cuckoos.  The girls were disabled for the entire story until they randomly were able to show up to reveal some very interesting ideas about Belasco and his relationship to Magik.  While the part about Belasco was brilliant, and shows the readers a pice of ourselves, how Yost got us there was poorly executed.  The same can be said for the appearance of the Astonishing X-Men.  While flawed, the story and this issue were great reads.

As I said earlier, Yost used Skottie Young and his graffiti style art to its full potential.  The setting allowed for some wild backgrounds while the assortment of characters, from demons to a lizard mutant, added to the whole experience.  Young’s portrayals of Dust, Pixie, and Rockslide were very memorable.  While some characters do seem to become caricatures, this happens very infrequently.  I worry that Young’s art may seem out of place once the kids are settled back home on earth, but so far he has only enhanced the experience.

8/10    Crazy story, crazier art, and managed some great character development too!

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12