Like many fans my age, I grew up on Chris Claremont X-Men
comics. They were just about the apex of my comics experience for years.
Eventually, Claremont left and had an eventual triumphant return to the
X-titles. The problem was, the books were not good. It certainly seemed that
Claremont had lost “it” during his time away. But now, I don’t think that was
necessarily the case. That’s because his current run on Nightcrawler shows
flashes of that old adventure and fun.
After returning from the dead, Kurt Wagner has some affairs
to settle. In addition to taking some time with his X-Men pals, Kurt needs to
get in touch with the love of his life, Amanda Sefton. The sorceress is excited
to see him, and their reunion goes well, with the exception of repeated attacks
by a bunch of weird robots.
The story progresses as Kurt and Amanda meet up with Margoli
Szardos, Kurt’s adoptive mother. This leads to a reunion with some low-powered
mutants from Nightcrawler’s past. Throughout, Claremont does a nice job re-introducing
these older characters for the current audience. I certainly couldn’t remember
Margoli or Amanda’s status quo, so I appreciate the reintroduction.
Things do get a bit chaotic and confusing as the story
returns to the Jean Grey School. It makes me wonder if Claremont’s greater
strength is with solo characters. The best emotional beats and most dramatic
moments are all centered on Nightcrawler. The interpersonal drama with the
greater X-team isn’t quite as strong.
Todd Nauck’s art is deceptively simplistic. It seems to be
so cartoony and elementary, but it tells the story so well. The characters are all
on model and the action is well set up. I think the Chris Samnee covers are
stunning, which sort of hurts the interior pencils. That doesn’t mean the
interiors are weak, but man, imagine seeing Samnee’s Nightcrawler every month.
This is a FAIR comic. It doesn’t affect the greater Marvel U
or even the X-Universe, but as a solo feature, this is a fun book. I wish
Claremont could have kept this as more of a team-up title; I think that was the
strength of the series.
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