New Mutants #3 Review: A Caged Mirage

Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here…Here is the second review of the week. Hope you enjoy it.

New Mutants #3 cover New Mutants #3 (preview | thread)
Writer: Zeb Wells
Penciler: Diogenes Neves
Inkers: Cam Smith & Norman Lee

NOTE: Wolverine does not appear in this issue.

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with Legion, as Jack Wayne, confronting Dani in her cell. He is stalled for a few moments by the steel of the cage which allows Sam and Roberto to knock him through a wall. Dani asks to be let out but Sam is hesitant since she is powerless and the bars slowed Legion once before. He takes off with Roberto to pursue Haller. Dani screams at him as he leaves.

Roberto gets there first and is caught off guard when Legion changes personalities and grows in size, but Sam arrives to knock him around. A second change and Sunspot gets a super tongue choking him but Sam intercedes again pummeling Haller. A third change and Legion is suddenly speaking and acting like a scared child.

Sam and Roberto try talking to him while the personality is forming a construct in Dani’s cell to attack her at the same time. Sam and Roberto finally figure out what is happening but know they will be too late to help. Luckily, Amara and Illyana arrive in the nick of time and destroy the attacker just before Sam and Roberto crash through the wall.

Sam tries to apologize but Dani decks him and goes off to make herself useful. Meanwhile Illyana decides the best way to stop Legion and save Shan is to get into Haller’s head. Sam protests but Magik ignores him and teleports away. Dani arrives with a whole arsenal and says they are going to hunt Legion down. Illyana gets to Shan’s body and uses the link to get inside Haller’s head as Sam warns her not to harm any of the personalities.

Illyana immediately summons her Soulsword and begins hacking through the people in Haller’s mind, cutting off Jack Wayne’s head in the process.

MY TAKE: This series has fast become my new favorite comic based on a strong plot and incredibly well-written characters. The dialogue and the personalities are so note perfect that it is hard to read an issue without a smile on my face. In fact this is the first comic in longer then I can remember where I went back and reread it that same evening just for the enjoyment.

While the plot is not overly complex it has a very nice blend of dialogue, action and character moments. The characters are really the shining point though. Everyone is portrayed extremely well with nods to both their current continuity and their past adventures. This is Dani’s issue to shine and you can really feel for her locked in the jail. Although Illyana has my vote for the best moment at the end, Dani shines throughout.

Legion is a good choice for the villain since he is powerful enough to be a good threat but fractured and flawed enough to be beatable. If I had any complaint at all though it would be about the lack of explanation about where Legion has been and what happened to him. After all the last time he appeared he was killed in the past and potentially never born. But hopefully that will be addressed in a later issue.

I really have nothing else to complain about. These characters are treated with reverence not usually found in comics. Everything felt right from Sam’s conflicted protection of Dani to her left cross to Illyana’s impulsive nobility. These are characters I have enjoyed for decades and thankfully it seems that the creative team is as much of a fan of them as I am.

Normally I do not comment much on the art unless it is really bad to the point of being distracting, since I read comics for the story and the characters. However, I must say the art is very well done here especially the faces. You can really see the emotions and conflicts on their features and it adds another level to the enjoyment.

In the end this is another sensational issue of this series. I find myself looking forward to it every month and I was annoyed when it came a couple weeks later then usual this month. It was the first comic I read when I got home and the last thing I did before I went to sleep and I think that pretty much says it all.

Thanks for reading my review for Wolverine Files. I will be keeping to this format for the most part but please keep the comments coming and I will see everyone again next time.

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