All New X-men #21 Lettered Preview - Paradoxical Problems

Let’s face it. Laziness is a disease worse than cancer in that it will never be cured. It will only be treated. Hard work and sacrifice may pay off in the long run, but laziness pays off right now damn it. As someone who has left many indents on many couches, I can understand why some comic book writers would get lazy and just gloss over certain details. Why go through the trouble of explaining shit another writer did when it’s way more easier to say, “Fuck it, I’m retconning this shit!” or “Let’s just make another deal with Mephisto and be done with it.” But while I understand, that doesn’t mean I won’t call bullshit.

I’ve said it numerous times on this blog. Those finer details are what separate the good comics from the awesome comics. It actually shows that the writers give a fuck about these characters and these stories outside their own comic book dogma. So when Brian Michael Bendis announced that he was adding X-23 to the cast of All New X-men, I honestly wasn’t expecting him to address the shit that happened to her in Avengers Arena. It seemed like one of those details that would be too easy to just gloss over. But Bendis didn’t become one of Marvel’s top writers by being lazy.

In a lettered preview released by Newsarama, X-23’s past deeds with Avengers Arena aren’t glossed over and swept under the rug like a deal with Mephisto. They are used as part of the story and not just as a passing mention either. It’s the kind of attention to detail I honestly wasn’t expecting. But like finding an extra bottle of vodka in the freezer, I consider it a very pleasant surprise.

ALL-NEW X-MEN #21
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • BRANDON PETERSON (A/C)
• X-23 is back, joining the ALL-NEW X-MEN and kissing Cyclops? What does this mean to Jean Grey?
• Jean and X-23 are forced to team up against a mysterious force, so she better figure it out

Newsarama: All New X-men #21 Lettered Preview

This situation makes me feel for X-23 and roll my eyes at the Purifiers. I feel bad that all the horrors X-23 endured were basically turned into a fucking reality show of all things. That’s like a man finding out on his wedding day that his beautiful bride was Ashton Kutcher in disguise on an extra-long edition of Punked. It’s a dick move in the highest degree that will probably put her into an entirely new dimension of pissed off.

As for the Purifiers, I roll my eyes because for some reason they seem to think it’s a good idea to piss off the clone of X-23. They might as well cover their bodies in the blood of baby seals, jump into tank of hungry sharks, and do the backstroke. There’s just no way that will end with everyone’s limbs intact. I did find it strange that they’re suddenly concerned about the space-time continuum. Last I checked, religious zealots weren’t too big on science that doesn’t prove the universe is under 10,000 years old. I guess they don’t have as much faith in their God’s ability to unfuck the timeline.

Since this is the last issue before the Trial of Jean Grey, it has a lot of potential to set the dramatic undertones for the future of this series. There’s still a lot of lingering issues surrounding O5 Jean, O5 Cyclops, and X-23. Maybe it’ll end with more awkward hugs. Whatever the outcome, they’ll need to get their heads straight if they’re to work with a machine-gun wielding raccoon. Nuff said!