X-Men #5: Time Keeps on Slipping

Ok, first off: this issue was wonderful. Hickman examined the psychological difficulties of resurrecting a young adult years, or decades, after they had died (what is it like to be reborn only to find that your friends are teachers, parents, or just plain middle-aged?) in the same instant that, using a few brief lines of dialogue, he undid all of the damage done to another character in a different DoX series — and he managed this while pushing the overarching story arc of the line forward in new and interesting ways.

So, yes. Laura remains Wolverine. Synch gets his first meaningful character development in decades. Darwin plays another vital role in X-History. Scott gets to do something to his students which is objectively horrible, which will leave a mark on them going forward, when they are inevitably reborn, and which will hopefully shake him out of the happy-dad role he’s been relishing for the last couple of months.

It was a hell of a good issue, is what I’m saying. 

Personally, I absolutely cannot wait to see what happens next.

My previous criticisms of Hickman’s writing stand. Despite some truly excellent displays of power on behalf of a few female X-Men, he hasn’t really redeemed his treatment of women in general within the body of his text. There hasn’t been time and one sentence might serve to salvage Laura from the wreck of Fallen Angels but it absolutely doesn’t redeem his writing in the previous four issues. I have hope, however, that the misogyny might be waning in this book. 

Now, a word on the art. Sylva is an amazing draftsman. The book as a whole displays a refreshing fluidity, a dynamic sense of life, which has been utterly lacking in Yu’s work. Of course, it was lovely to see a tribute to the recently departed Gerry Alanguilan. And it’s deeply sad that the reason we get to experience Sylva’s take on this book is because of that loss. I was gratified to see Alanguilan’s contributions honored at the end of the issue. 

All in all, this was an excellent effort and if the current trend continues this series might redeem its rocky start.