Pulled out of time, the classic line-up of original X-Men must find their place in the present day of Marvel NOW!
In the youthful idealism of our teenaged years, we have dreams. We take the world as it is — war, poverty, hunger, racism, xenophobia, all of it — and we see the world as it could be. As it should be. There are some who never give up on their dreams, no matter how far away the world of their dreams seems to be. Those dreamers are rare. For most, dreams give way to cynicism as they accept that the world they once dreamt of will not be achieved as the reality of the world clashes with the dream.
The X-Men are among the rare dreamers. In his youthful idealism, Professor X had a dream — a world where mutants were an accepted and welcome part of society. His first class of students — Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Angel, and Beast, teenagers all — shared that dream. Through every struggle and every battle, they hoped for a world where humans didn’t fear them.
What happens when the idealistic dreamers are confronted with the results of their dreams? Will they give up on their dreams, or will they fight even harder to make the world of their dreams come to pass? And what of the cynicism of adulthood? Can remembering the dreams of one’s youth reignite their idealism, or will the reminder of the person they once were simply confirm the futility of the dreams they once held?
For the X-Men, these questions are not theoretical in November’s All New X-Men #1 from Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen. When the first class at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters is pulled into the present day of the Marvel Universe and a world still reeling from the events of Avengers Vs. X-Men, the teenaged X-Men witness first-hand the world they helped to make — the battles won and lost, the compromises made, the dreams deferred and abandoned. At the same time, the adult X-Men see in their younger counterparts the hopes and the wonder they once had.
Youthful idealism and the realities of adulthood collide headlong as Bendis and Immonen relaunch the X-Men for Marvel NOW! in All New X-Men #1. The most unexpected chapter in Marvel Comics’ history begins this November as two of Marvel’s most accomplished creators brings the past and present together to shape the future of Marvel NOW! in the All New X-Men!
Originally published in Diamond PREVIEWS, September 2012