All-New X-Men #34

We don't push too much forward in either plot or character development this issue but it was still a fun read. There is a cliffhanger at the end that makes me wonder what was just saw but until the bomb drops next issue there wasn't much leading up to us being ready for a surprise, so it was a bit anti-climactic. While Bendis can on occasion get wordy with his characters, this wasn't a time where the huge amount of time dedicated towards conversation or setup felt hallow and this was an amazingly enjoyable issue. Read Full Review

The question is, how long can this story continue? At the rate it's moving, it could be six months before the team gets back together. Of course, as long as each issue is as much fun as this one, you won't find many readers who'll complain. Read Full Review

Even without the hugs, there are many plots and conflicts worth exploring in All-New X-men #34. With every new conflict, the Original Five X-men gain a new perspective on their future. The Ultimate Universe is less known for perspective and more known for its destruction, pro-incest, anti-France sentiment. Aside from Miles Morales, there really isn't much that can be learned from a world that hasn't been relevant since Tiger Woods' last major championship. But the O5 X-men are finding a way to learn from its horrors and that might be the best they can hope for at this point. Read Full Review

Again, the main problem with the story is it's really too slow. Hopefully the story can pick up soon, as it's starting to overstay its welcome a bit. Plus, isn't Miles Morales a little too busy dealing with the crisis in Spider-Verse? Read Full Review

Mahmud Asrar has some stiff competition with this book, coming on the heels of greats like Stuart Immonen and David Marquez. But he's also coming into his own as a Marvel artist. Some of Asrar's pages are dynamic and detailed enough that it's almost tough to tell Immonen ever left. The Iceman scenes in particular showcase Asrar's storytelling abilities. Other pages never hit that level, though, and at times his facial work is too muddy and simplistic to keep up with Bendis' dialogue-heavy approach. Read Full Review

While Miles hardly appears in this issue, Mahmud Asrar's artwork makes the pages dance. Issue #34 may be a little slow for most readers' taste, the stakes are still high and Doom is still awesome. Read Full Review

Overall, there are definitely some interesting things going on in this arc, but i feel its definitely hampered somewhat having to switch between so many character perspectives in only 20 pages. Bringing more of the characters back together sooner rather than later would probably be a good thing. And actually letting the guest stars shine would be a good idea as well, otherwise, whats even the point of having them there? Read Full Review

Things aren't any easier for the Beast who has a dinner date with this world's Doctor Doom who is fascinated with the tale of time-and-space-displaced mutants. Just what the super-villain plans to do with such knowledge is yet to be seen. And, in the least interesting of the three storylines, Iceman finishes battling the mole monster on the streets of New York only to run into a couple of police officers and discover mutants are no more beloved in this reality than his own. Worth a look. Read Full Review

That said, All-New X-Men #34 is a good issue that picks up the pace on a story arc that's been a bit of a snooze fest. While the prospect of seeing the X-Men out of their element might have seemed cool on paper, the past issues have lacked drama. Things look like they're back on track with Dr. Doom making some moves and the X-Men making some headway towards finding some answers. Read Full Review

This was a decent issue, but nothing that will knock your socks off. The cliffhanger at the end is a bit weak, but if youre reading this book youre going to be back next month anyway. There is still a lot to uncover in this arc as Bendis and Asrar literally show us what happens when worlds collide. Read Full Review

Indeed, points won for this issue go to visual prowess despite not having a tremendous amount of story "meat" to dig into. As stated, Bendis writes for the trade but damn if it's not frustrating on a month-to-month level sometimes when an issue like this hits. The last page's unsatisfying combo of questionable action with abrupt "non-cliffhanger" ending doesn't so much hinge on the "To Be Continued…" in the final panel as it does inelegantly crash into it. With only two installments left to go on this adventure, next issue better come out of the gate swinging. Read Full Review

This is less of an alternate universe adventure and more of an alternate universe chore. As we dip in to see what each character is up to, it feels as though we're babysitters making sure the kids are okay until we see them again next month. There's a certain energy at play here but with no momentum, not even a solid cliffhanger, I'm not sure if I care to check up on these kids next month. Read Full Review

JBL Reviews

Dec 21, 2014

Great issue. Nothing earth shattering, just great read as they go through the Ultimate Universe.

mrDovydas

Dec 29, 2014

Streched out, otherwise this would be better. The fact that the last issue was ages ago doesn't help that either.

Yippeekiyay

Dec 21, 2014

Nothing bad, nothing special.

Gizmo

Jan 03, 2015

A good issue in the context of this story arc, but doesn't hold very strong as a single reading experienced. There's no beginning, middle and end, more like a running update on what is happening with each character. When the full arc is collected together, I'm sure this will read through well, it just falls victim to Bendis's occasional over-indulgence in dialogue.

Jenesis

Dec 18, 2014

With the extended wait between issues, this was a disappointment. Not much happens to move the book forward in the storyline, but it is appreciated that each member gets a page or 2 as a spotlight. Hank seems to be slowly turning into the self-pitying younger version of his older self which is a came as this is one of the redeeming qualities of this younger cast. There were a few "ugh" moments within also, such as Miles being in love with O5 Jean already. I get this could be a future set-up for when he inevitable becomes a permanent fixture in the 616 but for as slow as much of the storylines and issues are, to have this as a telepathically proven unspoken truth after a whole 6 hours of them meeting seems silly The challenge Iceman overc omes by way of a car air conditioner, which I think was supposed to be funny, came off as a little clunky and not the comedic "break" this character typically provides. Asrar had a good couple of follow-up issues following Immonen where you could see his breaking in period start to be overcome. Again, a serviceable issue, but the delay and knowing it was due to the art was a disappointment as it does not reach the level of his predecessor nor what he has produced in the book up until now. The scene between the Jean's but well done, and actually, most of the scenes with Jean Grey, when squinting, could have been mistaken for Immonen or even Pichelli, but the others seem scratchy and rough. This is still an enjoyable book but it will need to pick up the pace and start having some "wow" moments again or readers may lose interest. This is surely not a title that can take a month or 2 off and come out with just a standard read, especially when a top-tier artists is not attached. more