All-New X-Men 10, Ultimate X-Men 25

All-New X-Men 10
Bendis (w) and Immonen and Von Grawbadger (a) and Gracia and Beredo (c)

Before I started reading this issue, I had to remind myself what happened in last issue. When I asked myself what had happened, my brain involuntarily jumped to "something stupid and ill-explained and everyone acted stupid for the sake of the book's plot." While I don't think I was wrong, I try to hold myself to a higher standard, so I cleared my mind of prejudices as best I could and tried to remember and read the new issue. I'm admittedly not the best at giving up grudges but I still don't understand this book, nor the appeal of it. I still have all the same problems I have with the rest of these issues (why has no one sent these kids back to their time yet?) and I have a few more now. Scott Summers (present day) has shown up at the Jean Grey School making an offer to all students and faculty to join his new team and his new Xavier School. Everyone is mad that he's come to their school and more angry that he's opened up a new school and named it the Xavier School. He argues with them for a while and then leaves, promising to come back the next day for anyone who wants to come to the decidedly more militaristic school. GUYS. This is not a different plot than what was happening with the X-Men JUST before AvX. The Jean Grey School was formed as a response to Wolverine's anger with Scott's insistence on military training for the children at the school. The times have changed a bit, obviously, as Scott is now seen as a war criminal who killed Charles Xavier, but the idea is the same. Mutants have always been feared and hated by plenty of people, so it's not that big a shift to think that maybe they hate Scott a little more, or have a little more reason for their fear, but it's essentially the same idea and it's not some big shocker that should come off like a giant Earth-shattering reveal. Scott created another Utopia and named it the Xavier School. After Scott's X-Men leave, Wolverine and the staff have a meeting about what was said and inexplicably the time travelers are allowed to join them. SHIELD calls asking about Mystique, who is currently on a crazy bank robbing spree with Mastermind and Sabretooth (and framing Wolverine and the time travelers for it). The faculty wishes they had someone to send in as a spy to Scott's school (for no particular reason) but Emma would sniff them out. The issue ends on a cliffhanger as one of the time travelers chooses to go with Scott when he returns. They're kept out of sight and we just just get a bunch of people saying "No!" Smart money is on Jean.
So no, I'm still not sold on this series in any way. I don't like the way people have been characterized or the way the plot has unfolded. I don't like the petty way that everyone has acted and the stupidity of genius people like Kitty and Beast. As much as I may try to find the good in the situation, it's getting increasingly hard to care about the things happening here. Also, Scott Summers' new costume is somehow worse than his old one. What's the deal with that?

Ultimate X-Men 25
Wood (w) and Asrar and Vlasco (a) and Bellaire (c)

One of the things, and there are many, that I think Ultimate X-Men is really good at is creating tension. I think part of the tension is inherent in the idea that this book takes place in the Ultimate Universe so there's always the threat that main characters could die at any moment and not necessarily be resurrected. That's put particular pressure on someone like Kitty, who is leading the American mutant revolution despite the unrest from outside the community and the anger from Mach Two (tied with her possession of a bullet that could kill Kitty). However, that's just a part of the tension. It certainly helps but it's not the only thing. There's that sort of tension in most Ultimate books, like the Ultimates and any past Ultimate X-Men or Ultimates series particularly (team books/event books are always more likely to kill off characters unexpectedly, as solo titles usually give some sort of warning). Ultimate X-Men is set apart in the sort of tension that boils up from all sides. Occasionally, you'll finish reading an issue of Ultimate X-Men and think to yourself "geez, this could go wrong in any number of ways." The same thing was happening several issues ago when they had just landed in Utopia, a wasteland, with outside factions making moves at them and Mach Two stoking the fire and the mutant cure still in production. Instead of anything going particularly wrong, though, things started to pull back just a little. Mach Two took her crew and disappeared, Tony Stark helped with the sentient seed and the outside factions while providing some support and grooming Jimmy to be the strong arm of Utopia, etc. Soon after, the seed started providing them with sentient vegetation and a way to harvest the land and create homes. As things get more and more optimistic, the outside starts to put more and more pressure on the group. The US government is making a play to lay claim on all mutants as property of the government and therefore claim the sentient seed, Mach Two is unwilling to negotiate and even to allow her people to negotiate for the greater good (and is totally willing to use Psylocke to torture her own people), the army is preparing to strike Utopia, and Jean Grey has arrived from Tian to see the newest iteration of mutant revolution for her own eyes (she's not particularly happy with Kitty or with the attitude Kitty has towards Utopia and towards Tian).
Again, it really does seem like any number of things could go wrong but this time it's even more impressively built than last time, in part owing to what happened last time. First, there are more physical threats looking to tear the new mutant homeland apart, both inside and outside of Utopia. Second, Kitty is seemingly less aware of some of the threats, having concerned herself primarily with the growth of the sovereign land. Third, there are far more people who could be affected by a potential attack, as refugees have flooded into Utopia in droves. Finally, this time there is a precedent for how things might turn out amidst all this tension. We know there's the chance that everything could simmer back down a little bit, that it doesn't all have to come to a head. We suspect that it probably will come to a head, or at least that there's a chance it could all come apart or that some things could unravel, but we know there's reason to believe it might not. The tension in the book is just masterfully executed and leaves us concerned about where Utopia will go from here. Another really great entry to the series.