All-New X-Men #39

By Brian Michael Bendis, Andrea Sorrentino and Marcelo Maiolo

We’ve been pretty spoiled with the first couple parts of the Black Vortex crossover because they came out a few weeks in a row. Now, we’ve had to wait a little for chapters five and six to arrive on shelves. All-New X-Men #39 has the pleasure of reuniting Cyclops with his former teammates and the opportunity to work with some new friends. Can’t you just feel the fun oozing off the page?

Cyclops meeting up with his buddies has been something that readers have been waiting for since he left for his own book. Brian Michael Bendis starts things off with Scott trying to be there for his friends, mostly Laura and Jean. Bendis shows us that it’s hard to just pick up where you left off; things don’t stay the same. Bendis also gives us a very funny Bobby this issue. His dynamic with Cyclops is nice to see and lightens up Scott, who hasn’t had much fun lately. Bendis is also still painting somewhat of a love triangle between Jean, Scott and Laura. There is a panel or two that show us that despite what Laura says, she still has feelings for Scott. A well written issue overall and a good read as well. Bendis made this fun and still progressed the plot along nicely.

There probably won’t be many complaints when Andrea Sorrentino is penciling your book. Sorrentino is an absolute stud who always turns in interesting work with strong pencils. This issue he does another outstanding job, but there is a page where Jean seems to be missing a nose in a couple of panels. That aside, he has countless panels that should wow and amaze. There is a panel of Scott walking in to see Jean, and he’s almost all shaded except the light from his visor; this is one of many great panels in this book. Sorrentino excels because he takes chances on a lot of his pages. The colors by Marcelo Maiolo fit so well with Sorrentio’s work, you would think they were made for each other. Maiolo’s light pastel style is simply a perfect match for this book.

As we get further along in the Black Vortex crossover, it seems to keep getting better. Brian Michael Bendis is the latest writer to put out a really good issue, but it’s not shocking since the whole event has been a thrill to read so far. The art has been pretty stunning as well, none better than Sorrentino and Maiolo. This event has been a joy to read and look at.