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Amazing X-Men #14 cover by Kris Anka

The worst of us.

After the high of last month's issue, Amazing X-Men is back under the regular creative team, but this time seems a little different.

Don't worry, this is a good thing.

When the World War Wendigo arc concluded, the story, while still fun to read, was a little flatter than when it had begun. However, things seemed to be changing for the better in the series now, as this issue solidifies the keen storytelling dynamics that helped launch the series last year.

So what is this change?

Amazing X-Men #14 has heart. There is feeling behind the storytelling and art, and it leaves the reader with the distinct experience that comes from feel-good comics.

The inversion spell shakes things  up for Nightcrawler and Mystique

In this issue we have two iconic characters, Nightcrawler and Mystique, head-to-head yet inverted. The story's events are direct fallout from the events of Marvel's AXIS. Much like the previous issue in the series, it has a story to tell and just gets the job done. Contrast this with the Nightcrawler series, which again is fun but draws out the story in an elongated manner that feels unnecessary. On top of this, we get to pick up the family feud last seen in issue #6 of Amazing X-Men, the penultimate issue by Jason Aaron in his run on the series.

It is great to see Chris Yost pick up some of the threads unraveled in the first arc of the series. The implications of Nightcrawler trading his soul to return to the land of the living haven't yet been fully explored by Marvel. In issue #14, we begin to see the peril of this dawn on Nightcrawler's mother, Mystique. Her own new sense of morality comes from the inversion caused by the spell from the Scarlet Witch and Dr Doom in AXIS. As with any big publisher's comic event, it is sometimes the stories on the periphery that turn out to be the most interesting. This issue is one such example.

Nightcrawler in the moon light

Because it is a self-contained story, Amazing X-Men #14 feels complete. It provides a reading experience that has a certain sense of closure. On top of this, the art spotlights some fantastic work by Carlo Barberi and Iban Coello. The splash page of Nightcrawler atop the cathedral demonstrates the moody resonance found in the story. The depiction of main characters has also being considered, as Mystique has been softened in style to match her inverted personality, while Nightcrawler seems to be sharpened in detail. The colors by Rachelle Rosenberg enhance these traits and remain resolute for this issue.

The combination of the past couple of issues and the quality of the artistic team bode well for the next arc of Amazing X-Men. I hope that we see the continuity issues sorted out that hindered the previous arc, because the "Once and Future Juggernaut" has the potential to be a great story.

With the fallout from AXIS spilling to various corners of the Marvel Universe, what did you think of Amazing X-Men #14? The current artistic team seems to have settled in now, do you like their style? What do you want to see from next month's issue?

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