New Mutants - War Children #1 is out now. — **New Mutants - War Children #1** is out now.

By d. emerson eddy — Marvel's celebration of its 80th anniversary has been a bit strange. There have been a number of resurrected titles as one shot anthologies along a theme, other specials featuring reunited creative teams from luminary runs, the Avengers: No Road Home arc, etc. Also, both the Invaders and Marvel Comics Presents series could be seen as a celebration of history, and then there was the chronicling of Marvel's history outright in The History of the Marvel Universe, and, of course, the Marvel Comics #1000 special. It's all added up to a very...eclectic year with some interesting material. Without it, however, we never would have seen a reunion of two creators who crafted one of the publisher’s best remembered and most cherished stories in the New Mutant's Demon Bear Saga — Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz.

The New Mutants: War Children #1 takes us back to the early days in the mid '80s — before everyone died, changed, and grew apart — to a core team that was still trying to figure out how to work together even as they grew tighter as a family, and this story plays off of that bond. It deals with some of the themes and plot elements that were prevalent at that time, including Dani being claimed by Hela, Illyana dealing with her inner Darkchylde, and the regular conflict Warlock has with his people. While all of them are important to the story, with the latter even serving as the crux for this issue, you needn't have read the earlier series in order to get enjoyment out of this. Everything you really need to know is supplied here through Claremont's narration and dialogue.

Chris Claremont can be a bit of an acquired taste these days. He has a tendency to write a lot on any given page, a lot of narration, a lot of dialogue, and it's not necessarily a style that we see much anymore. Still, like in his other recent trip into the X-universe with X-Men Black: Magneto, it's a bit of a treat to see the godfather of the X-Men back in action and excelling with some of the characters that he breathed so much life into. This feels like a wonderful trip back into the heyday of the original New Mutants run, while still presenting a story that can be enjoyed by new audiences.

Clayton Cowles aids greatly in differentiating the dialogue and narration here, giving Warlock, Illyana, and more unique word balloon styles, keeping everything interesting and easy to tell apart. It also aids greatly when Illyana changes, giving her character an entirely different feel just through her dialogue.

And then there's the art. It's gorgeous. Bill Sienkiewicz is a master storyteller and this is just the height of his craft. Every page features some beautiful and intriguing compositions, playing with light and shadow, shape and design, with some very nice designs. The page of Illyana turning into Darkchylde itself bears poring over for details, but really that's true of every page. Sienkiewicz is an artist who has a unique, visually-stunning, and complicated art style, with many moving parts on any given page, but none of the clarity in storytelling is sacrificed due to designs that don't fit the flow of the narrative. Chris Sotomayor provides colors atop of Sienkiewicz's rich, shadowy canvas, and it shines through almost as a glow. It gives the story an almost surreal, fairy tale feel that I think elevates this comic even further. That atmosphere makes this story seem less like something out of time and more like something timeless.

Moreover, for modern audiences currently being enriched by House of X and Powers of X, there are some themes and ideas that I think we'll probably see carried over into the forthcoming New Mutants volume, and a nod to Doug's role with Krakoa.

Overall, The New Mutants: War Children #1 gives us two legendary talents in Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz bringing their A-games. With Chris Sotomayor and Clayton Cowles, they make this one 80th anniversary special that can't be missed. To be enjoyed by new and old New Mutants fans alike.

The New Mutants: War Children #1
Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: Bill Sienkiewicz
Colorist: Chris Sotomayor
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99

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d. emerson eddy is a student and writer of things. He fell in love with comics during Moore, Bissette, & Totleben's run on Swamp Thing and it has been a torrid affair ever since. His madness typically manifests itself on Twitter @93418.