Writer: Jonathan Hickman and Ed Brisson

Art: Rod Reis, VC’s Travis Lanham, and Tom Muller

Release Date: November 6th, 2019

Price: $4.99

The classic New Mutants get together with a few new friends in this week’s inaugural NEW MUTANTS #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Ed Brisson. There purpose; to seek out their missing member and share the good news… a mission that takes them into space alongside the Starjammers! Let’s fly into this opening issue to how this new team blends together!

Readers who have been clamoring to get the New Mutants back will be positively elated to behold the team they grew up with emerge back on the pages of a comic. Sure, they have a few additions, and a couple of Space Pirates included in their story, but they’re back! And let this critic tell you, Jonathan Hickman and Ed Brisson do a phenomenal job ushering these teenage heroes back onto the pages of the Marvel Landscape making it feel as though they never left.

Hickman and Brisson begin the narrative slowly, take their time reintroducing the status quo for these “new” mutants, and finally give them a direction before the pace really picks up in space. Once our teen heroes navigate into the deep dark of space, that’s where Hickman and Brisson began to truly shine. This reviewer could sense a gradual change in the feeling of the issue from Krakoa to Outer Space that not only seemed apparent but necessary for these characters and the story ahead.

Hickman and Brisson open up the issue leaning on the family dynamic these characters have built throughout the years. Any new reader to the NEW MUTANTS will genuinely see how warm and friendly this comic feels right out of the gate. The camaraderie amongst the teen heroes leaps off the page, as well as the compassion and love each character has for one another. Hickman and Brisson utilize the first half of the issue, if not more, to build the relationship between the team for new readers. However, the slow open was needed in order to portray an appearance that was more real and natural throughout the remaining pages of the comic.

Now, even though the warm family dynamic was ever-present throughout the issue, Hickman and Brisson still managed to weave in humor, witty banter, excitement, fervor, and action once our teen heroes worked their way into Shi’ar space. Heck, Tom Muller’s design and structure to the issue also added elements of satire like “wanted” posters and ads for space lawyers. Once this creative team hit its stride within the last 12 pages, this comic really took off with nonstop action, enthusiasm, and hilarity.

Furthermore, if the above wasn’t enough to sell you on the fun entertainment you’ll have throughout this comic, then lean into the art by Rod Reis for one second with me. Reis’ art is beautifully smooth yet still has such dramatic detail on every panel. His art style seems as though it’s painted like a portrait with elegance however still resembles an action comic with epic battle scenes that will make your jaw drop. Furthermore, his naturally soft technique lends itself to panels that should seem frozen in time and still to the naked eye. However, this critic found his eyes dancing from panel to panel naturally discovering the movement in every fight sequence and action-packed moment. This reviewer will openly admit that he didn’t see this art style blending well with an action comic. However, I couldn’t have been so wrong.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, NEW MUTANTS fans will see the love Hickman, Brisson, Muller, and Reis have for these characters more so than this reviewer has noticed in any other relaunch title to date. This team appears to blend together beautifully making a fantastic story that new and old fans will thoroughly appreciate. Interesting new relationships will be formed while an intriguing dynamic will be established with the Starjammers showing just how much of a $&@$ Corsair is! Ultimately, X-Men and New Mutant fans will fall in love with this opening issue, as they should. It’s a great place for readers foreign to this team to dive in, however, the team’s abilities aren’t entirely laid out yet. That said, this critic has no doubt Hickman and Brisson will flush more out with the characters as the story continues. As for this inaugural issue, this reviewer is hooked!

8.9/10