New Kids On The Block
New X-Men: Childhood's End Vol. 1
The New X-Men series is split into two parts; Academy X and Childhood's End. Academy X was solid, introducing many new characters and acting like the teenager version of the X-Men. However, Childhood's End is where the series really began to shine.After House of M, most of the mutants were depowered, including many of the students of New X-Men. The reactions of the various students are quite intriguing. Many are understandably freaked out that the powers they've grown to use and accept are now gone. There are several who are ecstatic that their cursed powers are now gone, leaving them to live a normal life. And tragically, some die because of it. One nearly commits suicide because she's in denial and is convinced she can still fly. What makes this really work is that the characters affected by the depowering aren't just the nameless children populating the background. Several prominent characters end up powerless and Cyclops makes the decision to expel all depowered children for their own safety. They can no longer defend themselves if the school should come under attack.
While this is interesting in its own right, a good graphic novel needs villains, and this graphic novel is no different. Reintroduced to the X-world are the Purifiers, the ultra-violent, zealous religious group headed by William Stryker. On the verge of suicide, Stryker asks God for one last sign to stay the course, and is presented with Nimrod, the super sentinel from the future. Using the damaged Nimrod's databanks, Stryker reforms the Purifiers and sets out trying to exterminate the mutants by staging a bloody attack on the mansion. The last page of the book is quite stunning and really needs to be seen to be believed.
Kyle and Yost, the masterminds behind the character X-23 (who joins the cast in this volume) masterfully craft a story using a huge cast of characters, reintroducing old villains from the X-Men's own past, and writing a story that while continuity heavy, is very accessible to new readers. This is no small feat. All of the characters are introduced over the course of the first issue complete with little narrative boxes describing their names, codenames, and powers. Existing X-Men also show up to give readers some familiar faces. Even amongst all that, there's plenty of drama and best of all, humor. There are some genuinely funny character moments peppered through the heavy events happening throughout (mostly with the character Rockslide).
Arguably one of the best X-books out there, I really can't recommend this any higher to someone who wants a fresh X-Men/mutant story. It's also a great book for mid to older teens. There's no gore, excessive violence, sexuality, or language. There are some heavy themes, especially in later volumes, but nothing too bad. There's some mild violence, but it's nothing compared to most videogames/movies/TV shows. So what can I say? This is great for new readers, excellent for fans of X books, a comic with teens that teens can read and enjoy, and is just a darn good comic. Two thumbs way up.