New Mutants #25-28

So… I guess DnA aren’t coming back to the Guardians of the Galaxy, huh? With a film in the works, it’s time for Marvel to put the book into bigger, more famous hands, and that means if I want my diet of solid entertainment, it’s time to follow DnA to their next title. New Mutants.

I buckled down and digitally purchased these issues before a 99 cent sale. That’s how I’m reading a whole lot of books these days, but I decided I couldn’t wait. Part of that had to do with Leandro Fernandez’ unique art on the first arc, but the greater factor was the villain up there on the cover. I love me some Sugar Man, so this popped into must-buy for me.

After Age of X and the Fall of the New Mutants, the team is in shambles. Cannonball has taken himself off active duty. Magik is locked up so she can’t betray anyone else, and confidence is low amongst the remaining members. Well, Cypher seems fine, but that’s because he’s become a human robot, calculating and deciphering clues and meaning from the world around him. He’s almost PBS’ Sherlock, which is fine with me.

The star of this opening arc is Mirage, and it’s not close. Cypher gets a few choice words of dialogue, but he’s the only competition. Sunspot, Karma, Magma, and Warlock are there to fill out the team and banter. DnA have good voices for all of them, but the focus here is on the de-powered Dani Moonstar. To be honest, she seems to be doing just fine She sure seems to have moved up in the archery and combat departments. Her arrows are like mini-spears and she takes on Sugar Man one-on-one, so she’s pretty friggin’ tough.

Sugar Man is there because DnA are rescuing a character from limbo. Paul Cornell brought X-Man back in the Dark X-Men mini, but he’s been gone ever since. In this story he comes back to Utopia ready to sign on with the New Mutants. His powers are greatly diminished down to basic TK, but that makes him a better fit for a team book.

I’ve always like Fernandez’ art, and this is no exception. I like his take on Warlock and Sunspot especially. He always does a great job on faces, so having the leads all mask-less is a good choice. I’m not sure if Fernandez sticks around, but I’d sure like to see him working with this cast some more. The designs for Sugar Man’s new lackeys get the point across without too much complication.

Good