New Mutants #26
Magik, Mirage, Wolfsbane, and Madelyne get a glimpse of what’s to come in New Mutants #26, by writer Vita Ayala, artists Rod Reis and Jan Duursema, colorist Ruth Redmond, and letterer Travis Lanham. This issue shows the shifting nature of Limbo, building the story and moving things forward in an exciting way.
As the four women move through Limbo, they find a battle raging. What they encounter is an older version of Magik, fighting against techno-organic, virus-infected Limbo. The four learn of the fate that could be awaiting and that the older Magik’s go-to plan is killing her and Warlock, who came to Limbo at some indeterminate point in the future. Together, they come up with a new plan, one that lets the older Magik defeat the techno-organic S’ym of the future and allows her to manifest a new Soulsword. In the flashback backup, young Magik survives the Cat’s attack and vows to save her.
One of the most interesting things about Limbo is that time doesn’t work the same way there as it does elsewhere, and this comic underlines that. The quartet coming across the older Magik is an interesting development and sees Ayala dropping some interesting hints for the future. This timeline in Limbo all depends upon the failure of Magik and her group, so it’s impossible to know if there will be a T-O virus infection of Limbo, or that Krakoa will fall at some point in the future, or that the group will never make an escape; however, this issue is so much fun that it’s okay if none of that comes to pass.
The end of Krakoa is a big deal in a lot of current X-Men books, so getting another glimpse of it is pretty great, even if readers don’t really see it. It’s a very interesting reveal and shows where the mind of the X-writers are. Beyond that, this issue is just Ayala doing what they do best. It’s action-packed, has some fun little character moments, including seeing Magik chug a cop of hot coffee, maybe tea, in one panel, and there’s an interesting little interlude with Colossus looking for his sister. This story is shaping up to be more Magik centric, which is nice as she’s become one of the best X-Men in recent years.
Reis’s art is so impressive. It feels like he’s finally really hit his stride on the book. His line work is strong, and while his detail feels simple, it’s deceptively so. His whole style works for this reason. His colors are gorgeous as well, really bringing the whole thing to life. So much of the issue’s humor and emotion is completely brought to life by his art, and this would be a very different comic than it is if it wasn’t for Reis. In the backup, Duursema and Redmond are doing some great retro art, with Duursema’s simple, clean linework and Redmond’s old-school colors giving it exactly the right feel.
New Mutants #26 feels like a clinic. Ayala, Reis, Duursema, Redmond, and Lanham all do a marvelous job in this issue. This chapter of the story is rather unexpected and is much stronger for it.
