I liked the second issue of this series much more than the first, and that holds true of this third chapter as well. Claremont takes us into the future and shows us what could come of the lives of the X-Men. And not just the best-known X-Men either. He incorporates some of the more obscure mutants of the Marvel Universe into his foray into the future, and he introduces a number of new figures as well. And therein lies the problem. In exploring the future lives of the X-Men and new characters, he sets aside another important element: a plot. No wonder X-Men: The End is being set up as a series of three six-issue, limited series. Things are plodding on at an excruciating pace as he and his fans revel in what could be as opposed to what is.
As the Starjammer continues to make its way across the cosmos, carrying its precious cargo -- a resurrected Jean Grey, AKA Phoenix -- Sinister, the X-Men's longtime foe who had hoped to capture Grey's genetic material and powers for himself, discovers a spy in his midst. Meanwhile, many former X-Men continue to live their lives. Hank McCoy and Cecelia Reyes tend to their clinic in Africa. Jubilation Lee tries to calm the missing Nightcrawler's wife and son while she continues mega-movie deals as a media mogul. And the young members of the X-Treme Sanctions Executive, such as M and X-23, hunt down a former ally running amok in Hong Kong.
Chen performs well with the unenviable task of bringing such a large cast of characters to life. He distinguishes among them clearly, and he handles the wide array of settings just as well. The one aspect in which he goes awry is that he doesn't age the characters as much as they need to be. Many of the characters -- notably the younger members of the cast, from X-23 to Jubilee -- still look like teens.
Though grounding the story with the introduction of a new character, Aliyah Bishop, in the first issue was a good idea, Claremont's continued additions to the cast of characters are puzzling. There are a couple of villains working for Sinister I don't recognize, and now we discover that Nightcrawler has a wife and son that look exactly like him. There's not enough room for the wide array fo established characters who turn up here, let alone new ones.
The real title of this series should be Mutants: The End. Claremont goes well beyond the core cast of familiar X-Men here, incorporating obscure characters that were briefly connected to the X-Men into the story as well. Sometimes, the most familiar heroes -- even Wolverine and Storm -- take a back seat to the nobodies. I'm also disappointed and surprised that Claremont uses X-23 here before readers can get to know the character in NYX and an upcoming Uncanny X-Men story arc.
Nevertheless, the action does unfold rather smoothly, and the script is accessible. It's fun glimpsing the future of such characters as Nightcrawler and the Beast. Pairing McCoy up with Cecilia Reyes was an interesting move. And the scene in Sinister's headquartes offers some solid super-hero action.
