Rating: 4/5 – The penultimate chapter in the Trial of Jean Grey.
by ComicSpectrum reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
As the trial of Jean Grey heads towards its final chapter in this crossover with Guardians of the Galaxy, everything moves at a brisk pace. Writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Stuart Immonen both do a fantastic job of including as many characters as possible to make this yet another great X-Men space opera. Although some parts of the story don’t get as much time as they should, it’s still an exciting read with exquisite art.
The Guardians of the Galaxy, the X-Men, the Starjammers…they’re all here and Bendis is throwing them together as they go after Jean Grey. As the Shi’ar empire puts “Jean Grey from the past”on trial for crimes she has yet to commit as the all powerful Phoenix, the Starjammers and X-Men hatch a plan to infiltrate the Shi’ar tribunal and rescue her before any sentence is passed. Things don’t go exactly as they plan which leads to the teams battling the Imperial Guard. The issue leading up to this point was paced perfectly, but as this battle comes to it’s head, the impact is lost as the fight ends so abruptly. This was an opportunity for Bendis and Immonen to showcase a great brawl between the two teams, and give some of the lesser known characters time to shine. It would have been great to see Groot and Gladiator go at it for more than a panel or two, or Rocket Raccoon go up against, well, anyone. Bendis missed the chance for not only a great battle, but also missed the chance to let Immonen do his thing.
I really feel as though this series is the best work of Immonen’s career. He is able to put so many characters on page, yet never make the page feel cluttered or tight. Each character is spaced to perfection and the battle scenes are clear to follow. He gives each character their own level of detail, and you can see the effort he puts into each page. That’s why the pacing at the end is so disappointing. Immonen had a chance to show us something special, and we just don’t get to see it. That complaint doesn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of this issue, and this larger story. All-New X-Men continues to be one of Marvel’s best titles, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for next month’s twenty-fifth issue.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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