All New X-Men #18 Review - A New Perspective

Young Scott Summers inherited a slew of baggage when he was brought to the present, and the mutant vs Inhuman war has not exactly made that baggage any easier to carry. Fortunately for this young Cyclops, he's about to get some good news.

Spoilers incoming for All New X-Men #18, so you've been warned.

Young Cyclops is a, you might call him an unwitting participant in the mutant war against the Inhumans. To everyone around him, however, he's a reminder of what kickstarted the thing in the first place, as unfair as that might be.

While the present-day Scott Summers did destroy the first terrigen cloud, he did so because it was proving toxic to mutant kind. Still, most look at his actions as abhorrent, including young Scott, and All-New X-Men #18 is really a story about someone coming to terms with actions out of their control. It's an unfortunate and burdensome situation to be sure, and writer Denis Hopeless manages to tread that line between sympathetic and martyrdom successfully.

The good news is that after this issue the wallowing can officially stop. Ironically thanks to the Inhuman Mosiac needing a ride on the blackbird, Scott finally discovers the truth about his predecessor and the fact that he died before the war ever started.

It's a much-needed boost of narrative direction for young Scott and should result in some real growth for the character in future issues of the series. The character has a chance to become what present day Scott always wanted to be, without all the guilt and resentment that he had to carry by his life's end.

This development could be quite important in the coming issues of Inhumans vs X-Men, so on that level, you might consider picking it up even if you avoid some of the other X-Books. If you've been waiting for young Cyclops to mature and take life by the reigns, this might be a great stepping stone to that end.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars.

All New X-Men #18 is written by Dennis Hopeless and drawn by Mark Bagely. You can view the official description below.

AN INHUMANS vs. X-MEN TIE-IN! Teenaged CYCLOPS has been living in the shadow of his predecessor, cursed to wear the face of the most infamous mutant on Earth. But he's about to learn the truth behind his counterpart's quest to destroy the Inhumans...and there's going to be HELL TO PAY.

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