Wolverine and the X-Men #24

After all the crazy circus shenanigans it’s nice to see some things fall back into step. For any X-Men fan, Wolverine and the X-Men is starting to be that great fall back into the things we love about them. Although some things never change, some things can, and none of it is really over done.

Writer: Jason Aaron | Artist: David Lopez, Alvaro Lopez & Morry Hollowell

Cover: Ramon Perez, & Laura Martin | Publisher: Marvel

You know me, I’m one of the more avid/vocal ‘x-fans’ out there, and as much as I appreciate all the X-Men titles coming out right now, most starring Wolverine which is tiring him out as a character, definitely, but it’s Wolverine and the X-Men that really seems to be hitting home for me. It’s about mutants over coming both end of the world problems as well as just dealing with their own mutations and who they are as people, trying to be normal, and accepting that they’re not normal at the same time.

Most things about this issue simply brought a smile to my face. (Admittedly I was faltering there for a bit with the little circus arc, but that may have more to do with my fear of circuses more than anything). The Jean Grey school is a lot like the Xavier school when it was first starting and the nostalgia feels so good even if the students have now become the teachers and it’s impossible not to love the new students. I’ve yet to find someone who doesn’t love Quentin Quire. Besides our students-turned-teachers are still learning, as displayed by Kitty and Bobby. That’s kind of the great thing about the X-Men; they never really stop learning.

Sure there wasn’t a lot of action occurring in this issue, and we only have a page of our Hellfire baddies, but it sort of re-introduces where our characters are at right now, before the big bag that is definitely being built up toward. What you do get are the funny moments, the sad moments, the melancholy moments, and yes, even the romantic moments—which by the cover isn’t a huge surprise by the way. But on a totally personal note, you’d think by now I’d expect for any romances between Logan and Ororo to no longer be a surprise, but every time I find myself being caught off guard. (I remember being dumfounded at the precious age of five and watching the animated series and there’s this alternate universe where they’re married, but I digress). Though, I guess that’s another thing to add as to why this issue makes me feel more nostalgic. The best kinds of X-Men romance are the awkward ones.

Admittedly it’s easy to start losing faith in the X-Men series with all the titles out and for a while it felt like Marvel was putting all their money into the Avengers (which given that there was a high demand for them from new readers post Avengers movie, it’s not a surprise), but it’s issues like this that make me feel like everything is going to be okay for the X-Men and remind me why I’m a fan to begin with.