Uncanny X-Men has been one of my favourite reads ever since issue #500. The creative team-up of Matt Fraction, Greg Land and Terry Dodson has produced a comic run that is just as visually engrossing as the writing is outstanding. Uncanny X-Men #534 was Matt Fraction‘s last issue, and I have been dreading the loss of one of my favourite monthly reads. But fear not X-Men fans, this comic is just as good, if not better, than before.

New writer Kieron Gillen has been working on the Uncanny title for awhile now; teaming up with Fraction, much like Matt did with Brubaker before taking on solo scripting duties. Gillen became the sole writer last issue – Uncanny X-Men #535 Point One – but its stand alone plot didn’t allay my concerns that the Uncanny X-Men series would drop in quality because of this creative change up. After issue #535 though, I can confidently say that all is good with the best X-Men title on the comic shelves.

The new story arc begins with the return of the Breakworld characters that were introduced during Joss Whedon’s run on Astonishing X-Men. A lot of this issue points to a return to threads introduced by Whedon, which were expertly followed through on by Fraction. I am very excited to see what Kieron Gillen will do with these plots.

Terry Dodson, who is one of my top five favourite artists, keeps on producing some of the best sequential pages in the industry today. Dodson’s style of illustration is so rich and beautiful that looking at these pages is akin to an all-you-can-eat of your favourite deserts. His comics are always worth reading a second and third time, if only because his curvaceous women (and squared jawed men) keep you from fully appreciating the great dialogue and character development occurring. Not the worst problem to have though.

Uncanny X-Men #535 is definitely worth reading, and if you aren’t already following the series, this issue as a total must have, as it is the perfect jumping on point for new readers.