I say this every issue, but I can’t get enough of the Outliers & this week’s issue made me want even more!

I loved getting Calico’s backstory to kick things off. It made her refusal to admit she was a mutant make a lot more sense and her new embracement all the more powerful. Gail Simone wrote that scene between her and Gambit beautifully. Simone is also working magic building up Ransom into the protector of his fellow Outliers without making him a one-dimensional muscle or himbo archetype. Even Deathdream got a great character moment that evolved him beyond an (hysterical) emo one-liner machine. If this issue had only been a out their first day at school, I’d have been completely satisfied. This foursome (as well as the new trio in Exceptional) have been my part of this new era & I hope become staples of books long after From the Ashes concludes!

The stories for our mutant veterans were more of a mixed-bag this issue. Rogue & Wolverine get into a touchy conversation about Logan’s mental state. I’m still not sure how/where this fits alongside Wolverine’s solo title, so the emotional weight didn’t quite land for me. I’m not sure how/why Logan’s vision hasn’t come back yet thanks to his healing ability? I also thought there were a few plotholes in the Jubilee/Nightcrawler side mission that made it feel a tad forced in order to set up the Raid on Graymalkin crossover event. Though I will say I am very intrigued how this will all play out.

Javier Garrón takes over art duties for the next few issues & does a commendable job keeping the book’s visual identity intact without copying David Marquez’s style exactly. The biggest difference for me was in facial designs, with Garrón offering a bit more realistic faces. He also draws one awesome horse! We need to see more of Ember! Matt Wilson’s colors keep the book super vibrant & full of life.

Overall, this was a bit of an uneven, stage-setting issue, but Simone’s Outliers make this book worth every penny of its cover price on their own.

Rating: 8/10