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| Nightcrawler #12 cover by Nauck and Rosenberg |
We move into Nightcrawler #12 seamlessly from the previous issue without missing a beat in the story.
Nightcrawler, Bloody Bess, Rico, and Ziggy must make good on their intentions to free the slave children, defeat the Warwolves, and put down Voges's operation once and for all.
As it is the finale, writer Chris Claremont is wrapping up the last loose ends of the series, and it is satisfying to see so much resolved in this issue. Many of the ambiguous plot points discussed in our earlier reviews are either closed off or at least given some sort of explanation. There appears to have been careful consideration to planning the stories and executing them in a manner befitting a regularly delivered serial comic.
As always, the scripting comes from a classic Claremont approach. Aside from the silliness of the situation the main characters find themselves in, there is heart in the story. There always has been, and that is probably one thing that kept me coming back: the feel-good factor. It is an uncomplicated story that is fun and upbeat. It is easy to lose yourself for a few minutes in this issue and series without any real regret. It helps that the art also reflects this feeling so well.
Whether for right or wrong, however, I suppose I had held out for a little more. Maybe I thought the comic would become something it was never going to be. The book was fine, but it was always a safe bet; moreover, it was aimed at a younger audience and certainly delivered to them what was a fun adventure story with plenty of central A-list X-men and also allowed some minor ones to shine. Still, I felt the hangover from Nightcrawler's return under Jason Aaron in Amazing X-Men and wanted the same type of story from that arc. It never arrived, but hey, at least this was better than some other recent solo X-Men series, such as Cyclops.
Todd Nauck's art has been of consistently high quality throughout the series. It finishes with a final flurry in this issue. Together with Claremont, both men have given specific voices to the characters they played with for 12 issues. It is the consistency of the creative team that had been such a positive aspect of Nightcrawler. Add in colorist Rachelle Rosenberg, and it is clear why the books could have had a nice wide appeal.
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| The final 'hurrah' for Nightcrawler |
The series has had some awkward moments (both purposely and otherwise), some "oh really?" moments, and points of action as well as poignancy, such as the "Death of Wolverine" tie-in. There was a lot happening throughout the past 12 issues. This issue, however, does well to encapsulate the spirit of the series—a focus on Nightcrawler and especially his role at the Jean Grey School for the next generation of mutants. At the end of the run, it feels as though this focus has been achieved, and now the time has come to move on. With the arrival of "Secret Wars" in May, now is the time to wrap things up.
All good things must come to an end. Tell us, dear comic fans, what did you think about this issue? What were your thoughts about the whole series? Did Claremont, Nauck, and Rosenberg tell a convincing story with Nightcrawler? What was your favorite issue or artwork from the series? Tell us below or head over to the Fanboys Anonymous Facebook or Twitter and leave a comment.
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