Exceptional X-Men #5

Recap
Saying the past is the past doesn't make it so, and Kitty is carrying the weight of her choices. Violence, vengeance and her life as Shadowkat are not so easily left behind - especially now that the rest of her team of new recruits knows the ugly reality of what she did in the shadow of Krakoa's fall. Now that the truth is out, so is Melee, leaving the EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN on the rocks.
Review
After the devastating news last issue where Iceman came in like a wrecking ball, revealing to the new kids of Kitty’s dark past, who has killed several men without reserve, as she fought with everything she had against the forces of ORCHIS, seeking to save or her killed compatriots avenged, and this diabolical coterie brought to justice. With this issue we see the kids come face to face with her actions, and see if they can come to an understanding on why Kitty did what she did. So with that being said, let’s get on with the show.
Eve Ewing’s been giving us some of the best X-Men books since the beginning of the From the Ashes era, and she continues on with that streak here. The kids have an issue with Kitty’s actions, and Eve’s really using this issue to develop these kids, and giving them a deeper meaning than just some new faces that will be used today, and tossed away tomorrow for some more familiar faces to the franchise. Was it enough to give us the next Faith? Or will it be one of the other Lights who we haven’t heard from since AvX? Of course not, but it’s a start.
Thao is the main character to get the focus here, and since she’s only been around for a few months, none of these kids have any clue on what Kitty has gone through since she was only 13 years old. So her judgement towards what Kitty had to do to survive against not only ORCHIS, but all of the villains and obstacles she’s overcome over the years. Ewing has Thao go home, and puts her into a situation that makes her realize that what she once thought, isn’t what one would do when put into these situations that makes one realize that not everything is as black and white as they once thought to be true. Especially when she realizes her cousin is also a mutant with a very visible mutation, which sheds a whole new perspective on what they believe.
Carmen Carnero’s work on this book has to be one of the biggest wins in the line. Her work here shines the brightest of the three main X-Men books, and it continues with this issue. Her eye on not only the characters, and their aesthetic, but also how to portray them as real. Giving a real emotional perspective with each of the characters giving off a warmer glow that I don’t exactly see in other books. Carmen and Eve’s built up a synergy on this book, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next. Marvel should keep Carnero on this title for as long as they can, or until they can bump her up on a higher profile title.
Final Thoughts
Ewing and Carnero keep giving us some of the best work in the X-line since the beginning of the From the Ashes. While not groundbreaking, it’s enjoyable and I’m loving the new characters with each new issue. The book has given me a very nostalgic feeling when reading, and I can’t wait for each new chapter.
Exceptional X-Men #5: Don’t judge a book by its cover…
- Writing - 8.5/108.5/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 8.5/108.5/10
- Cover Art - 8/108/10