Action, romance, teen angst and gay bars?
Young X-Men become Wing Men?
Iceman goes looking for love but finds danger in All-New X-Men #13 by Dennis Hopeless and Mark Bagley.
The latest chapter introduces a potential romantic interest for Bobby Drake but is there heartbreak ahead?
The course of comic book love never runs smooth.
Fans may have wondered about the state of Marvel’s GLBT characters especially following Bobby Drake’s controversial coming out in the previous X-Men run by Brian Michael Bendis. Young Bobby was outed by young Jean Grey after she telepathically probed his mind. Young Drake came out to his adult self in Uncanny X-Men #600. Drake comes to grips with a lifetime in the closet and came out.
In this issue Bobby was forced to undergo a ritual nearly every young person must endure…being pushed into a bar with wing men eagerly pushing you to flirt with a room full of strangers. Idie and Evan (aka Oya and Genesis) take Bobby to a gay bar in Miami to work on his flirting and hopefully find a boyfriend.
The night out turns out to be a wild ride with a monster and new rivals.
Hopeless captures Bobby’s awkwardness about flirting with total strangers as he freezes…figuratively and literally. Regardless of sexual orientation this week’s issue is a tale everyone can relate with. X-Men stories are filled with action and intrigue but this is what makes us really love and connect with these heroes fighting for a world that fears and hates them because they’re different.
While Bobby is the main star of this chapter I loved seeing the evolution of Idie and Evan. Idie (one of the Generation Hope Five Lights) was a tormented girl from Africa who thought she was a demon and had to grow up too fast during the Schism event. Evan continues to defy his destiny of becoming the super villain Apocalypse…and he cuts killer moves on the dance floor.
I love see these junior X-Men become Wing Men in support and love for their lonely teammate.
Don’t worry this is not just an all romantic slice of love life issue, Bobby’s romantic connection is interupted by….
First here’s a SPOILER ALERT!
If you have not ready All-New X-Men #13 stop reading now.
Seriously.
OK.
Here it comes.
When Bobby gets excited after talking with a guy he freezes aka ices up and runs into the alley where he makes a connection with a young man but their alley chat is interupted by a winged monster.
The X-Men take action but the giant creature is subdued by Bobby’s new handsome stranger.
The “monster” is a newly awakened Inhuman. Bobby’s new crush in an Inhuman with empathic abilities he uses to calm new Inhumans scared after their awakening.
Does this mean Bobby’s new romance is doomed?
Bobby’s new Romeo is an a member of Crystal’s squad in All-New Inhumans, who are traveling the globe in search of NuHumans.
Tensions between mutants and Inhumans have escalated since the All-New, All-Different Marvel Now began. The Terrigen Cloud that creates new Inhumans is killing mutants. The war between the races heats up in Death of X then it’s all-out war in Inhumans vs X-Men (both by Jeff Lemire and Charles Soule).
Hopeless may have introduced star-crossed lovers set to be torn apart by warring families.
Another big question: How long has the monstrous new Inhuman been out of its cocoon after exposure to the Terrigen Cloud? Is the Terrigen still in the area and could it have infected Bobby, Idie or Evan?
By Editor