Alan Davis and Mark Farmer return to handle the regular art chores on this major Marvel title, and thank God for that, as their work is always a pleasure. This issue is also significant because it offers the latest resurrection of a dead X-Man, and given the recent reaction to Colossus's return in Astonishing X-Men, there's definitely a crowd out there interested in seeing lost characters returned to the limelight. As the cover suggests, it's the late Psylocke who plays the role of Lazarus this time around, and I like the air of mystery in which Claremont has enveloped the plotline. Now if only he'd stick with the plotline and see it through. Of course, those who have been following his stint on this title know that follow-through isn't the writer's strong suit.
Betsy Braddock, AKA the mutant telepath Psylocke, materializes in the same spot she was killed a couple of years ago -- the headquarters of Action Force, a special crisis response team serving Spain. The X-Men are summoned, and they're shocked to see their friend and teammate back from the dead. They're also surprised when she lashes out at them, and they endeavor to determine if she is the real thing. Meanwhile, Wolverine is called away on some personal business with some old friends who need help, but little does Logan know that he's not the only resident of the Xavier School along for the ride.
I think one of the things I like most about Davis's work on this issue is how he doesn't portray Wolverine to be a dashing hero. He's actually kind of a sour looking guy, not a handsome type. He looks the part of the brawler we know him to be. Storm also boasts a more exotic appearance here, and one could even say she's a little past her prime, looks-wise. That brings out Marvel Girl's youth even more, not to mention X-23's. Psylocke's costume, complete with garter belts, is unfortunate, but it's not something Davis is responsible for; it makes sense that Psylocke would reappear in her previous garb. I just hope it's quickly forgotten. Dean White's colors add a wonderful texture to the snowy scene at the end of the book; the biting cold really shines through thanks to the muted colors.
OK, so Claremont doesn't seem all that interested in tracking down the teleporting terrorists from #444 or bringing Viper to justice or whatever other plotlines he's left dangling over the past year. He embarks on a new one here, returning Psylocke to the X-Men fold in the grand tradition of Death as a vacation spot, not a permanent dirt nap. Despite the insufficient exposition about Psylocke's fate (which went down in X-Treme X-Men, also written by Claremont), I actually found I got into it a little... wondering whether or not this really was Psylocke, wondering how she would change team dynamics. And all of a sudden, it's not about her anymore. It's about Wolverine and X-23, about Logan's old friends and an alien invasion, apparently. There's no flow, no focus here.
I liked what Claremont does with X-23 here; her curiosity about a potential parental figure, and about herself, is completely understandable. Claremont is humanizing her quite well. One aspect of the plot and script I didn't appreciate, though, was yet another reference to a character -- in this case, Psylocke -- being unimaginably powerful, off the scale to the X-Men. They seem to meet mutants that are off the scale so often that I have to wonder what the point of any kind of scale really is. 4/10
