The first thing I thought when I saw this cover was that it looked like a finale. The heroes and supporting characters all running forward, no villains, no reference to the current story– it all screamed last issue. I’m a lot more into the story side of things than the business/editorial side, so I’m guessing a lot of other people knew, but it was a surprise to me. 

The current story has been Nightcrawler rescuing some of the students from the school, who have been captured by extra-dimensional slaver. Nightcrawler is a great choice for a teacher. He’s got tons of experience, a huge heart, and a great disposition. I’d much rather learn from him than several other X-Men I could think of. And I absolutely love that the issue, and the series, closed on Kurt taking the students out to the grounds for a baseball game. I used to love the X-Men issues where the team would actually relax, act like friends, and play games. That, I guess, isn’t “edgy” enough for modern tastes, but I enjoyed it a lot.

Plot: The heroes win. The bad guys get caught. Kurt saves the students, and some other folks besides. It was fun. I’ll give the plot a high 4 out of 5.

Art: Nauck has done a great job with this series. Kurt and his allies look great. I’ll give the art a 4 out of 5.

Positives: It was a fun story. Kurt is a swashbuckling, lighthearted hero, and I enjoy that. I always thought that he and the pre-reboot Nightwing would get on great. His allies help him out, and the students pitch in to help.

Negatives: I’ve never much liked the Warwolves, who he fights here. They always look slightly unfinished to me. And, of course, I’m not happy that it’s the last issue.

I don’t get many of the ongoing X-Men titles, so I’m going to miss Kurt. Hopefully he finds a new home soon.

Nightcrawler #12

Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Todd Nauck
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover:  Todd Nauck and  Rachelle Rosenberg