Warning: comments below contain spoilers.
As Cyclops’s squad rushes to defuse a high-society hostage situation, a prominent geneticist announces a cure for the X-gene. Both events highlight interpersonal tensions among the X-Men.
Writer Joss Whedon’s never made any secret of his fondness for Kitty Pryde, so it wasn’t a surprise when she was added to the cast of AXM. What is surprising to me is how much Kitty adds to the title, functioning as a wonderful gateway character. Kitty has been out of the X-family for some time, and she’s finding her footing as she reacts to how much things have changed. It’s a very organic way to provide exposition on the state of affairs at Xavier’s while providing insight into characters; Kitty is struggling to match up her memories of the X-Men with who they are now.
A cure for mutation isn’t exactly a ground-breaking idea, but I don’t think the development is intended to do that. It’s less about the development than its impact. As demonstrated in the discussion of the student body’s reaction, every individual mutant would react differently to the news. The same applies for the team, resulting in some tense exchanges. The best of these is between Kitty and Emma Frost, who Kitty remembers clearly as a ruthless adversary.
The book makes a very interesting use of continuity. It’s not continuity in the sense of references to specific events; it’s an evocation of the personal and emotional consequences of those events. History is useful for how it’s shaped the characters.
Art by John Cassaday is predictably splendid, from the dramatic hostage rescue scenes to the quieter, interpersonal moments. I still think his costume designs for Beast and Cyclops are ridiculous, though. Nice basket, Hank.