As predicted, the gang’s all here and finally back together again. All of the time-traversed, universe trekking, original X-Men are united just in time for an epic battle with Dr. Doom and his nation of Doombots!

There’s plenty to praise in this issue, from Bendis’ wonderful moments of synergy between his characters to Mahmud Asrar and Marte Gracia’s pages exploding with vibrant colors and action-packed panels. This issue is the exact turn-around that this story-arc needed. We even have Miles playing a deliberately more heroic role as the All-New X-Men interact with their Ultimate counterparts. It’s just good ole’ fashioned fun and the issue is filled with all the goodies and treats you would expect from a tactfully written crossover.

The most disappointing take away from this issue is that Eva Bell has not yet re-appeared. Despite being the reason they were transported to another dimension and, as this issue reveals, the fact that she has been dumped there with them; her presence has not returned. This is particularly puzzling as the All-New X-Men ANNUAL that was released the same month as this very issue focuses solely on Eva Bell and her lifetimes away from the young X-kids she was training with. That Bendis/Sorrentino/Maiolo issue is definitely worth picking up if you haven’t caught it yet even though it has little if nothing to do with this arc.

But back to what matters, characters who should be important in this story are being back-seated. It makes sense, unfortunately. A limited amount of time for a plethora of characters, intersecting and meeting for the first time and like the creative team of All-New X-Men, the kids in this book are also on a time crunch. Introductions are almost irrelevant as they jet across the ocean in the Ultimate Blackbird, destined for Latveria. Everyone immediately recognizes who the other is, even in a parallel dimension. But taking the time to give us Eva’s story would not have been a waste and it seems a shame to not bring any sort of focus back to her.

Another missed opportunity is the cover. As silly as this sounds, the covers are beautiful but they’re redundant. It’s consistently Miles and the O5 X-Men (including X-23 and modern day, 616-Kitty Pryde). Perhaps it’s an attempt to make it easier for new readers or maybe they’re saving the real interesting covers for this summer’s “Secret Wars.” Whatever the purpose is, the Ultimate X-Men themselves have yet to really make a cover appearance. Many would say “who cares? It’s not their book!” The trouble with that is at this point in the game, this is very much a book about them as well. This hardly means the book loses focus, if anything the focus is being tightly dialed in on just the primary players. No one can really fault a talented creative team for trying to keep the star players in the center of the story, but it still feels like some missed opportunities.

Mahmud Asrar’s two page spreads are something to write home about and certainly something to write in to Marvel about. His panel work is easy-breezy-beautiful and there are sometimes flashes of Sara Pichelli, Michael Avon Oeming, and David Marquez, each unique and beautiful styles that Bendis has collaborated with before. It helps to also have a colorist of the caliber of Gracia, who is up there with Justin Ponsor in terms of rendering Miles’ all-black-and-red costume to be something worth looking at, especially in the poorly lit hull of the Blackbird.

The characters imbibe everything you would expect of young teenagers in this issue. Or at least, young teenagers who are also super heroes. Bendis seems to be one of the few who can take the Ultimate cast of characters and make them feel real by showing their ordinary emotions being played out in extraordinary situations. The scene with Miles, Young Angel, and Ultimate Kitty is the clearest example of Bendis’ spot-on sense of humor while paying respects to the continuity that has led to this point by letting the characters feel and express realistically. It’s a formula for success and this creative team is one that we can continue to look forward to past this story arc if the March solicitations remain true.

For those of you waiting to hear about Miles, there’s little I can say about him in this issue without giving away quite a bit. This is his most major role in the story yet and it’s clear that in the final issue of this arc his presence will be even more recognized. For those who expected me to fully detail every reason of why I love Doctor Doom? This issue just about covers it. There is no real reason to miss out on this issue and if you’re a fan of any or all of these heroes, this is a terrific issue to grab. Don’t waste time sitting around and waiting for the trade on this one, folks. These are worth stowing away in the collection box.