All-New X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis #12

Before we officially begin, I just want to say that this is the most misleading cover EVER. It's also a red herring because the two people who fought in this issue are not the Summers brothers at all. In fact, Alex and young Scott were so lovey-dovey in this issue that I want to pinch their collective adorable cheeks! But seeing this cover definitely had me worried, so I'm relieved that when these two bros were reunited, it was a quiet and moving moment. It's also a little sad because we just know that present-Scott is not speaking to Alex at all and so when Alex had a chance to talk to the young Scott, something inside him was healed. At least there's a version of his sibling who hasn't turned his back from him. But I digress.

Last issue, we saw Cyclops and his Dream Team being joined by Angel in their call for revolution, and Jean freaked the fuck out about that and used her telepathy to manipulate him to stay, so Emma had to discipline her the hard way. Once the dust of that has settled, Kitty made Jean promise that she will never dig through people's thoughts again or lose her shit. Jean acquiesced and all seemed to be right again. Now the OCF with Kitty and Wolverine are going to the city to stop Mystique from her own ongoing clusterfuck but they were interrupted by the Avengers' timely appearance. 

Alex and Scott had a nice brotherly moment like I said (it's the cutest thing), whilst Wolverine and Captain America exchanged some arguments in the background regarding whatever is happening in the city. Jean's attention turned to Scarlet Witch (whom they cannot believe is now an Avenger) and as she read her mind, she gets this shocking news of her life which she did not react well to...again. 

But the gravity of this revelation is a hefty one so I think Jean's second freak-out was justifiable. It was tough for her to learn that the woman standing before her just committed mass genocide on their own people. After all, this young Jean has not been hardened by her adult experiences in the future yet. This is a teenager who lived in an idyllic time when she's still young and hopeful enough to believe that things for mutants can never get worse. In light of recent events, discovering who she becomes (the Dark Phoenix) and what happened to Scott, the boy she loves, when he became a man was rattling enough. Losing a friend like Warren because of her own damn fault made her guilty. And now she learned about the mutant decimation which is the most bitter pill anyone in her already vulnerable position can swallow. Once again, we have young Jean Grey going ballistic (OH DEAR GOD, here we go again):

Rogue's snide comment that witnessing a Jean Grey meltdown feels like a high school reunion was a bit harsh, but I like that attitude because the Jean we know and love is not this teenager who by far is showing her age and ineptitude in dealing with adult stuff. I can still overlook this because she is freaking sixteen but for fuck's sake, Jeanie, get a hold of yourself since you promised Kitty you'll do better after all. Still, like I said, finding out about the mutant decimation from her point of view definitely sounds like the ultimate nightmare scenario so her meltdown here is something I may even share. I'm not sure I ever forgave Wanda for what she has done especially when you take into account the chain of events that happened after her reality-altering curse upon her species. 

Pictured here: A typical Jean Grey Meltdown

Later on, we find out that Jean didn't purposefully read Wanda's mind. According to her, "She was screaming it out there mentally. Like it's all she thinks about." OUCH. Now I feel bad for Wanda. The reason she joined the Avengers was to make up for her crimes but it's easy to see why someone of Jean's inexperience would think that wouldn't be enough. She still committed an atrocity and there is no way you could ever erase that shade of red from your ledger. But Wanda is trying, Jeanie. Give her a chance!!

In other news: Mystique just hit the motherload when she stole from Tony Stark but Lady Mastermind told Sabretooth that she doesn't trust Mystique's motivations for now because her agenda is evasive at best and she argued that Mystique might be reacting to the fact that the OCF had come to their timeline. And this may be her only way to deal with that game-changer--but I'm not really sure how and why. Still, it's certainly something worth thinking about. Regardless, the trio are using the illusion that it was the OCF who have attacked the various places in the city which was why the Avengers were there in the first place with the X-Men and asked the real OCF to stay in school until shit clears up. Wolverine, of course, is not deterred, and brought Kitty and the OCF along for the ride in the Blackbird so they can confront Mystique for themselves. Hank did not like that idea and brought up what Captain America may say about it but Wolverine can only comment dryly, "We have an understanding. I do whatever I want. And he understands." Yup, that helps, Logan.

Dammit, so much heavy shit has been happening since issue #10 so I think we deserve some fluffy break by now. So let me end this review on an uplifting note. Here are the scans for the Summers brothers' sweet moments:

RECOMMENDED: 8/10