Wolverine and the X-Men #31

Writer: Jason Aaron
Pencils: Nick Bradshaw
Inks: Walden Wong
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 12th, 2013

"The Hellfire Saga Part One"

I really don't know about this title anymore. I get the fact that the majority of the characters are supposed to be kids but it feels too playful and bright. The fact that this is supposed to be the Hellfire Club and there are jokes about a mutant named Snot, there are late to class jokes, villains teaching weird classes and just plain school antics leaves me a little less pleased than I thought I would be. I get it that this is the first issue to a five part series, but I wanted more to pull me in.

Now, I am starting to like Quentin Quire more and the fact that the book revolves around him a bit is good but it just wasn't enough for me. Every moment in the school just felt haphazard and pointless. I get that Aaron is trying to show us a darker mutant school to hold against what Wolverine is doing at his place, but this just feels like a joke. The moments in each classroom is drawn out feeling like it wants a forced laugh, the whole place is chaotic and I find a lack of focus in the whole issue.

I said before that I am giving Wolverine and the X-Men until the end of this arc to get its act together or it is going to join my other recent drops and if this first issue is any indication, I should already start preparing space in my dropped box. It is sad, when Aaron started this book I loved it, now it is just lost on me. Also, what the hell is he doing with the Hellfire Club? It feels like a pointless joke and it had such potential...sigh.