Though Morrison still has another story arc left after "Planet X," it's pretty clear that he's getting into "saying all he has to say" mode with these characters. In addition to a few details about Magneto, this issue is all about the Wolverine/Jean Grey relationship, with a side dish of Phoenix force ala Morrison, and while it's not entirely consistent or clear, it's all very interesting. My interest in New X-Men has waxed and waned, but "Planet X," along with a recent re-read of the two hardcovers, has convinced me that Morrison's run is indeed one of the best things to happen to the characters in a long time, and though this might not be my ideal version of the X-Men, it does remind me why I was a fan of the characters of the first place.
A small part of this issue takes place in New York a.k.a. New Genosha, as Magneto taunts a helpless Xavier and talks to his faithful. There are a couple not-insignificant problems with this story, including the failure to address where all the other heroes are in the wake of this kind of destruction and Magneto coming across as an almost entirely different character than he's been portrayed of for the past few years, but if you're prepared to ignore the shared universe and the continuity, it is pretty effective villainous setup. I'm especially enjoying Morrison's take on this new Brotherhood, from the amoral Esme to the troubled Beak to the innocence of Ernst, who provides a funny and sad moment where she talks about missing Mister Xorn.
The majority of the book, however, takes place in space, aboard a doomed Asteroid M hurtling towards the sun with Wolverine and Jean Grey aboard. This provides the perfect setting for the two of them to discuss their relationship, the Scott/Jean relationship and the Jean/Phoenix relationship, all the while giving off a pretty strong sense of danger for the characters. I mean, I'm fairly sure that Morrison isn't going to kill Jean and I know he can't kill Wolverine, but how they're going to get out of it is the interesting part of the story, and the difficulty that the characters are going through makes it convincing even given the meta-reality of the whole thing. The heat, forcing them to strip down, also serves as a symbol of them shedding their protective personality layers, and having one of the most frank conversations about who they are that we've seen.
In that regard, some credit definitely belongs to Phil Jimenez, who brings his strong command of anatomy and realistic, detailed style to bear and makes the X-Men seem like real people. Jean and Wolverine are sweating, they've shed the black leather and are down to looking mostly like regular people, and though the things they're discussing are cosmic or super-heroic, Jimenez's artwork makes it easy to relate to them as people and not just colorful icons on the page. Jimenez's work is not as spectacularly impressive as that of Frank Quitely or as immensely detailed as that of Igor Kordey, but he definitely ranks among my favorites in the list of rotating artists on New X-Men.
The painful sight of two heroes who are seemingly lost, who have no way to fight their fight, makes for some compelling drama in this issue. The heat that they're enduring allows them to be a little less lucid, to throw around the big ideas in their casual conversation without it seeming forced. Morrison is a writer who I always think as somewhat more plot-focused and more idea-focused, but he's done some excellent characterization work in New X-Men, and some of his best work is to be found with Wolverine and Jean in this issue. That it's in the middle of an interesting X-Men/Magneto plot is just gravy.
