The Good
The reading of Charles Xavier's last will and testament continues. After his revelation about Mystique, we were left wondering what more surprises Xavier might have for his X-Men. The answer isn't quite what we'd expect. Charles Xavier has devoted most of his life for the sake of mutantkind. As we hear the recording in Xavier's will, we get some flashbacks that shed light upon his secret.
What Brian Michael Bendis does is give us a more moral and ethical dilemma to think about. Sure his connection with Mystique is something shocking and needs to be explored further but we get to see the struggle he's had with a decision he made years ago. At first I was a little unsure about this direction. As the story progressed and the more I thought about it, the more fascinated I became. It is a bit of a shock. We get to see the reaction from some of the X-Men. But it's also something that should really be thought about or discussed elsewhere (not necessarily in a review). This is going to add another level of tension amongst the X-Men.
Chris Bachalo's art is fantastic, as usual. We get some impressive visuals and layouts as we witness the powerful displays of a new mutant. Bachalo always nails it when it comes to characters' expressions. There's a lot of emotions going on in the flashback and for those hearing Xavier's words. Bachalo also does the colors which further enhances it all. After reading, I had to go back through and just look at all the pages again.
The Bad
It's an interesting twist on a shocking revelation. It's also one of those things that has been created and inserted into past history. When did Xavier go off to take care of the duty he took on? How often did he have to do this since there's been other moments he's been off planet (during SECRET WARS then soon after when Lilandra whisked him away to the Shi'ar Empire to tend to his health in UNCANNY X-MEN #200, etc).
This is the third issue dealing with his will and the story's not over yet. There's still more to be explored. It is interesting but hopefully She-Hulk isn't being billed by the hour as their lawyer.
The Verdict
As an indirect tie to ORIGINAL SIN, we're discovering some secrets from Charles Xavier's last will and testament. While there was a bit of a shocker, what Brian Michael Bendis focuses on here is an intriguing moral dilemma. What Xavier reveals is going to open some debate among the X-Men, if it's not already too late to do anything about it. Chris Bachalo does a superb job on the art and colors. There's a lot of emotion going on and we get some amazing two-page layouts showing a new mutant's in action. The reading of Xavier's will may have been going on for several issues now but this was a nice and surprising twist. You never know what Bendis is going to throw at us (or the X-Men) next.