Age of X-Man: NextGen #5
Cody White
Recap
Anole has succeeded in his mission to blow up the library, and although nobody died in the process, it didn't take long for Department X to arrive.
The kids flee the scene and manage to hide out on the lam longer than anybody would expect when the opposition has telepaths at their disposal, all to make their way to the beach where this all began. Glob's desperate search for the Life Seed yields no gains as the X-Men arrive to capture our poor fugitives.
Captured and blamed for the blowing up the library, the kids are taken to the Danger Room Prison Complex where Glob quickly learns that his friends have had their minds wiped although, once again, his remains intact. Back to square one, Glob begins to record his story...
Review
NextGen has been among the most interesting books of the line due dominantly to Brisson’s character writing, which is some of the best in the business. What he has managed to capture in his beloved Glob is the one person in the “Age of X-Man” universe truly living in isolation according to the social tenants of this world. Glob is truly and utterly alone in his full remembrance of the way things used to be and spends this series attempting to find ways to escape his solitude only to find at the end that, in a sense, the X-Men were right. His communion with his fellow students landed all of them in prison without having accomplished anything to overthrow the system. Bleak stuff indeed.
The art and color work in this book have been outstanding for the most part, with, sadly, the figure of Glob himself being the only occasional misstep. I’m not going to rake anybody over the coals over how to draw a gelatinous sack full of organs, however. The pacing throughout the series was sharp, equally creditable to writing and art. And of course, the great Clayton Cowles showed his usual prowess with lettering and effects-work throughout.
Final Thoughts
Perhaps the most enjoyable of the "Age of X-Man" mini-series, NextGen comes to a fairly bleak ending in preparation for the event finale.
Age of X-Man: NextGen #5: All for Naught
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 8/108/10
- Color - 8/108/10
- Cover Art - 6/106/10