New Mutants #15 – Review

By: Zeb Wells (writer), Leonard Kirk (art), Guru eFX (colors) & Joe Caramanga (letters)

The Story: The epic, decades long saga of Dean’s attempt to get into the New Mutants begins anew.  If he dies while reading this issue, how long until he comes back?  Seriously, in the fallout from Second Coming, the New Mutants take a little vacation, but (of course) trouble isn’t far away.

What’s Good: The best news is that I liked this issue enough to keep picking it up.  I have a decades long bad history with the baby-X-Men titles.  I get annoyed by the feeling that I’m missing something when proper X-books reference the New Mutants, yet every time I try to pick up the series, I find that I don’t care about the characters (don’t even know who they are half of the time) and really don’t care about whatever it is that they are doing.  And they often have mediocre writing and art!

So, I was pleasantly relieved when I finished this issue and enjoyed it.  The story line is very much a carryover from Second Coming (both the regular series and the Hellbound tie-in) that shows the New Mutants taking some time off to depressurize and dissect what may or may not have gone wrong during Second Coming.  I like how the X-creators are setting Cannonball up as Cyclops, Jr. and seeing him struggle with the responsibility and with the realization that being the leader is often lonely. And if he keeps kissing Dani, he’ll get hit with a sexual harassment complaint.

Weekly Comic Book Review’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Daytripper #8 – It is so hard to make a comic that can cause an emotional reaction in someone who consumes tons of media, but Ba and Moon pulled it off yet again in this issue that shows the death of Bras through the eyes of his wife and child.

Most Anticipated: The Walking Dead #75 – Kirkman really started to stir the drink last issue and something tells me that the slow-burn of the survivors’ stay in the enclave outside of D.C. is about to get exciting (in a bad way).

Other Top Picks: Amazing Spider-Man #638, Neonomicon #1, New Mutants #15, Avengers #3, Thunderbolts #146

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Invincible Iron Man #28 – While nothing awe-inspiring or groundbreaking, this was the sort of quieter issue that made realize how much I love Fraction’s cast of characters and the corner he’s carved out for himself.  Great dialogue and a good build-up make this my pick.

Most Anticipated: New Avengers #2 – Last month’s debut totally took me by surprise with its general awesomeness and I’ve been hankering for more ever since.  Will New Avengers #2 once again make Bendis’ main Avengers series look like fodder in comparison?  We shall see, particularly since both are coming out in the same week.

Other Picks: Zatanna #3, Avengers #3, Legion of Super-Heroes #3, Brightest Day #6

Joe’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: X-Force: Sex+Violence #1 – Like I’d pick anything else?  My unabashed love of all things X-Force has been well-documented on this site, but this first issue would be deserving of my praise despite that.  Del’Otto’s painted artwork makes this a beautiful rollercoaster ride, and what a ride it is thanks to the fun, blockbuster-styled plot from scribes Kyle and Yost.

Most Anticipated: Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pigrim’s Finest Hour – Really, is there any other choice this week?!  Bryan Lee O’Malley’s magnum opus has scratched every itch in my entertainment-loving brain, from romance to music to action to comedy to Ninja Gaiden and Super Mario Bros. homages.  The most magnificent treat from these annual visits with Mr. Pilgrim?  They keep getting better every time!  Alas, this is the end of the journey and it looks to be a blast.  I, for one, cannot wait.

Other Top Picks: Amazing Spider-Man #638, Darkwing Duck #2, Pale Horse #2, Brightest Day #6, Supergirl #54, The Walking Dead #75, Avengers #3, Marvelous Land of Oz #8, New Avengers #2, New Mutants #15, Thunderbolts #146